alexandermock
Joined 2025
- Margin Call
Heavy drama about the start to the economic collapse that led to the housing crisis, and how little the rich and powerful cared about it. For them it was just a game and the ones who truly cared were just pushed aside and disregarded. The atmosphere is tense and the performances are great. You really feel the frustration of the main characters knowing that the USA and possible the world is about to be in a a lot of trouble, but no one is listening. The only main issue is unless you are really knowledgeable about economics and investing, you might need to do a little homework. The movie does not explain a lot, which on one hand I appreciate it when movies don’t make their audience feel stupid. You just know something bad is about to happen, and the whole plot device is similar to the suitcase in Pulp Fiction. You don’t know what’s in that case but it is serious enough to move the plot forward. On the other hand, it can get a bit confusing with all the jargon going on.Margin Call - Sirin
A legal drama about the little known Balkan country of Montenegro. The story is about a lawyer and her representative/translator (who is an American of Montenegrin descent) trying to carry out the will of another Montenegrin American which is to build a church in her small home village. The protagonist of the film (the representative/translator) was a Muslim born in Montenegro but had to leave due to the violence during the breakup of Yugoslavia. During the film she hesitantly reconnects with her roots and deals with some mild corruption and controversy over building the church. The main conflict is the brother of the dead women refuses to allow the church to be built and is harassing the construction workers, while the mayor, contractor and local priest are obviously corrupt. The film left a lot to be desired. I didn’t mind so much about not dwelling on the protagonist past, and much of her life and history is implied rather then shown. However there is a severe lack of details in the movie. The motivations of the other Montenegrin characters are just hinted at or explained a way in a minute or two. Like we know the mayor is crooked but don’t see it in action. We know the priest is shady but he only speaks for a minute. The reason why the brother hates the sister is a bit vague. This could have been a deep movie about generational trauma and ptsd, anxiety and longing of the diaspora, and a country trying to modernize but being unable to shake off its corrupt ways. Instead he’s just a glimpse into these things, but none of them are fully realized. Performances are great and the overall plot is good, but it just felt a bit hollow.Sirin - '71
Wonderful movie about a soldier stranded in enemy territory during the Troubles in North Ireland. It has themes such as dubious morals and motivations, as well as the old adage of “being a soldier means just being cannon fodder for the powers that be.” It is more of a thriller then a war film, and it’s interesting to see a ground level view of this long standing but low intensity conflict'71 - The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Intense and heartbreaking story about two brothers whose strained relationship is tested during two conflicts, the Irish war of independence and the following Irish Civil War. It is interesting to see the history of this conflict fleshed out since outside of Ireland and the UK the details and intricacies of this conflict is little known.The Wind that Shakes the Barley