Ed's Review Dot Com

Representational Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics

Matt Damon, William Ackman, Daniel Alpert, Jonathan Alpert, Sigridur Benediktsdottir, Ben Bernanke, Willem Buiter, George W. Bush, Brigadier General John Campbell, Satyajit Das, Jerome Fons, Barney Frank, Timothy Geithner, Alan Greenspan

‘Inside Job’ is a no holds barred documentary that provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

Starting in Iceland with a major financial meltdown that no one seemed to see coming, it shows how the US economy changed from the 50’s and 60’s when the banking industry was tightly regulated, through the deregulation which allowed bankers to run wild. This is not an entertaining documentary. It is based on a lot of research and goes into the cause and effect in great intricate detail. Matt Damon narrates the entire film, and shows us interviews with those who would agree to be interviewed for the film. There are a lot of ironies in how a few “fat cats” were allowed to bet against themselves in a way to make themselves rich by outright cheating people, in many cases taking their entire life’s savings. Causing huge government bailouts, for the most part these guys did nothing illegal, and got away with it until now. It’s a sad picture, but very detailed and filled with facts.

This is not an easy watch, but if you are interested in finding out how this all came about, this film does not seem to me to be spouting a preconceived agenda of twisted facts and lies. It appears to be really straight on in showing what actually happened based upon the truth. It makes you very angry while watching it, but the purpose is to to inspire rebellion, but to educate people who are interested in how the whole mess started. I was vaguely aware of the events that happened without really understanding them.

I was able to buy the house I live in today due to the predatory lending practices that were prevalent for a short period in the 80’s and 90’s. I was always under the impression that you would need at least a 20% down payment and with the outrageous home prices in southern California, that seemed an impossible task for me. I was shocked to find out I could buy a home with Zero down. I had no idea how it worked or how that was even possible. But buy it I did, and though I had good credit, but no savings, and a decent income, I was able to pay the payments, so far. But I now have a house that’s worth less than what I paid for it, and as I approach my later years, I know I will never be able to afford to continue paying this mortgage forever. If this housing collapse continues, at some point I may find myself in the situation of walking away from my home and letting it fall into disrepair. I watch as this happens to one after another of my neighbors. I never expect home prices to jump back up like they were, but with some luck, someday, I may get out alive and get back what I owe and break even. That’s the only hope at this point. But how did we get into this mess? This film explains that. It also explains the Dot Com boom and bust and how people became instant millionaires and instant homeless overnight. This is a great educational film, and it is excellent for anyone who wants to learn the facts of the current global crisis. The next year will also play out very interestingly. But beware! If you are not interested in learning how the crisis developed, you’ll be bored to tears with this film, as it is definitely like a college class, and not entertainment. But for anyone who is interested, this is a fine award nominated film that covers a lot of info in and hour and three quarters.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday October 4, 2011

Go For It!, Sparkhope Entertainment

Aimee Garcia, Al Bandiero, Jossara Jinaro, Gina Rodriguez, Louie Alegria, Derrick Denicola, Andres Perez-Molina, Gustavo Mellado, Rene Rosado, David Hernandez

Carmen Salgado(Aimee Garcia) is a junior college student and grocery clerk with a bit of a bad attitude. That’s understandable when we visit her at home, as she lives in a small house with a lot of loud people. Carmen is being pushed by her parents to make a success of herself, but she loves to dance. There’s a high school teacher who sees something in her, and pushes her to apply to a special performance arts college in Los Angeles. Carmen’s best fried, Gina (Gina Rodriquez) is a bit of a trampy girl, but is in a relationship with an abusive hood who treats her pretty bad. Meanwhile Carmen meet gringo Jared (Derrick Denicola) who says he loves her, but wants to keep her under his thumb and wants her to move in with him. Carmen has to decide whether to trust herself, and choose to follow her dream, or take the easy path and do what everyone else wants her to do.

This is a familiar story, for sure. There have been so many stories about kids who dream to dance but are afraid to go for it. This one is a bit different because it’s a pretty much all Latino story with Latino actors in nearly every role. This gives us a close look at the life and problems of a Latino household and the trials it brings. Aimee Garcia is excellent as Carmen, and turns in a really good performance. My wife really loved the story as she’s a fan of dance, and films like Flashdance and Fame are her cup of tea, as well as the dancing reality shows on TV. However, I enjoyed the relationship issues and the family problems, but am not a big fan of dance shows. The benefit in this film is that dancing takes a back seat. It’s not about the school or the classes in dance. Carmen dances in the park, practicing mostly, which she drops out of when her new boyfriend takes up all her time. The movie is so much the same as all the other “I wanna be a dancer” films that it’s not very unique except for the culture part, so if you’re a big fan of hip hop dance, you’ll like it. Also if you want to see a good story of a Latino family in Chicago, that’s also a good reason to like it. But otherwise, I was not at all blown away from this film because it was so similar to what I’ve seen before. It does have a lot of heavy drama and sorrow, so it’s not a lighthearted dance flick. It’s a dark film about finding yourself and reaching for a goal amid all the trials and tribulations.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Rickshaw Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang, Jared Kusnitz, Nolan Sotillo, Cameron Monaghan, Kylie Bunbury, Joe Adler

Prom and high school graduation are approaching for a group of seniors, but when the prom decorations are destroyed in an act of school vandalism, the class president Nova (Aimee Teegarden) is left in a lurch. Everyone else is pre-occupied with finding dates and dresses, SAT tests and preparing for college, so Nova is left to rely on the principal forcing the school bad-bod to help her out. But when he’s there for her when she needs it, she starts looking at him in differently.

Prom is a teen movie, but Disney has done a great job with this one. It’s a really cute movie, especially for those waiting to go to prom, or to reminisce for those who have already been. When I was a kid (before electricity) prom was not such a big deal. Asking a girl to prom was like….”Would you like to go to prom with me?”. Now it seems to be some kind of competitive ritual with everyone trying to outdo everyone else. I remember in the 60’s when a perfect date to impress a girl for the L.A. kids was to take your date for dinner, in San Francisco. Tickets were like $25.00 round trip, and the flights from LA to SFO departed about every 20 minutes. Well, now invitations to the prom are much bigger than proposals. Kids are renting airplane banners, paying for announcements on the Laker scoreboard, paining signs on the outside of the school, Taking out ads on TV, baking cakes with prom invites, and on and on. It seems like how you ask is much more important that how you ask. No idea when this started or how, but it seems to be a big deal these days. Well this film is all about the run-up to prom and graduation and the struggles everyone goes through to get a date. It’s got a lot of humor, nice teen music, good looking kids, and a lot of heart. The major message is not to judge people by the outside, but it’s all wrapped up in lots of fun. I’m sure that the young crowd will enjoy this film, and if you missed it in the theater, be sure to catch it on DVD now that it’s out. Disney has a winner here, and I recommend it for those young at heart. Now, let’s go to Prom.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Everest Entertainment, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Groundswell Productions

Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Shaffer, Margo Martindale, David W. Thompson

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a part time wrestling coach and a down on his luck lawyer. Business is bad, and he’s in financial trouble. But Mike is hiding it from his wife. One of his only clients is an elderly man whose about to be made ward of the state and sent to a nursing home, but it turns out he has a lot of money. Mike’s idea is to become guardian of the man, and keep the money provided in his role of guardian. But suddenly Leo’s (Burt Young) grandson shows up, and it turns out he’s a great wrestler. Mike thinks it’s the perfect situation where he can also take in the grandson, keep the old man’s money, and put the grandson on the wrestling team, keep the office open, and his wife will be none the wiser. That is until the old man’s daughter, fresh out of rehab suddenly arrives to derail everything.

I’m getting to be a big fan of Paul Giamatti. In fact, ever since I first saw him as “Pig Virus” in the Howard Stern film “Private Parts” I’ve been a fan. But he seems to get better and better appearing in very quirky films. This is one of those. Mike is a nice guy, who’s trying to keep everything rolling. But he’s taking advantage of everyone in the process and being dishonest to everyone. Mike’s got to take a good look at his flaws and decide if it’s worth the effort to clean up his life. But at the same time, it’s really funny. There is such humor in Paul’s character. Everybody here has an agenda, and the interplay between the two assistant coaches is hilarious. Also Leo and his Mom Cleo (played brilliantly by Melanie Lynskey) are really good. Leo hates his mom because she’s never been there for him, and loved her drugs and drinks more. Now she’s still in it for herself. It’s a twisted feel good film, and is strong in values, but the mix of comedy makes it really unique. Yes, it’s quirky, but very good. I really enjoyed this film, and so it’s a Win-Win for the producers/actors, and the audience. 🙂

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog