Last night was amazing. I was on the waiting list for the movie “Margin Call” in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival. I was number seven of the last seven people to enter the 1,200-seat theater. I’m in the money management business, so I lived through the financial and fixed income market crash of 2008. This movie will definitely go mainstream not because it was the best movie I’ve ever seen, but because of the cast. Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Will Emerson, Sam Rogers, Penn Badgley, Zachary Quinto and so many more, I could go on and on. In fact, the movie made me a little uneasy because at one point in my career I worked at Bear Stearns, a large investment bank, and it brought back memories of a time when making money wasn’t as much fun and losing money was even more painful. Loosely based on the collapse of Lehman Brothers, “Margin Call” tells the story of the 2008 financial collapse that brought the company down. As always, Kevin Spacey is amazing. Jeremy Irons is a delight as always and the all-star ensemble makes it worth his time and money.
My favorite movie until Wednesday January 26 is “The Details” with Toby Maguire, very intelligent in its plot and well thought out. Fun from start to finish. It’s kind of a black comedy where a guy gets into a lot of hot water over a period of about 24 hours. Laura Linney steps out of her normal roles and is hysterically funny as the crazy girl next door. Go see this one as soon as it’s in theaters. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Ray Liotta, Kerry Washington, Laura Linney and Toby Macguire. We’ve also seen “Pariah,” a very moving movie about a young lesbian trying to come out in a conservative home and not knowing how to do it. The autobiography of this young lady was very moving. “Buck” is one of the most extraordinary documentaries I have ever seen. It is the life story of Buck Branaman and his family (The Horse Whisperer).
This year has a very different atmosphere than last year’s festival. I haven’t seen so many high profile stars walking the streets, I’m sure they are here. I mean look at the first movie above that I have reviewed. There’s not so much free schwag as a sign of the times and a recession. I don’t want to go so far as to say the movies aren’t that great, but let’s just say that Sundance seems to be trying to get back to basics and keep the Premiers and Audience Choice awards for smart, well-written, good movies. investigated films and also many new filmmakers. I’ll let you know later in the week until then, enjoy your movies.