Maxed Out: 2006 indie documentary written and directed
by James Scurlock, about the abusive practices of the credit card
industry. It posits that banks and
creditors deliberately target people who are more likely to have issues paying
off their debt, which leads to higher fees and profits for their companies, and
that lawmakers have turned a blind eye to this issue.
The interviews are almost
unbelievable; for every person who didn’t read the fine print on their dizzying
credit card agreement there’s another story of “liar’s loans” and NINJAs, like
the disabled woman in a state nursing home who was sent an offer for a card
with a $30K credit limit. A particularly
effective scene is the one that flips back and forth between debt collectors
bragging and laughing about their tactics and the family of a woman who
disappeared under mounting stress of unpaid credit cards and the calls she
received. Nearly everyone they
interviewed either had relatives who committed suicide over their debt, or are
contemplating it themselves. Elizabeth
Warren was interviewed when she was still a professor at Harvard, and her
comments were particularly cutting: "The
best definition I have heard yet — and this is from a Vice President of
MasterCard — is an individual who has a 'taste for credit,' i.e., someone
'willing to make minimum monthly payments — forever.' Now I know why, if I fail
to pay off my balance in full, my credit limit is increased."
It’s devastating, but very well
done. Since this was released the
Dodd-Frank financial reform bill was passed and then mostly trampled on, so
there’s sort of been progress. Kind
of. Not really. See it, and then order your credit
score. For real.
The Bay: 2012 “found footage” horror movie directed by
Barry Levinson and starring Kether Donohue, Kristen Conolly, Anthony Reynolds,
and Michael Beasley. The film opens with
reporter Donna Thompson recounting the horrific events of a July 4th
weekend in a cute little town on Chesapeake Bay; events that have since been
swept under the rug by the government.
Two researchers had warned the town’s mayor about disturbing levels of
toxicity in the water, which he ignored like a good politician would (can you
tell I’ve just about had it with the middle-school slapfight that is our
Congress?). What results is a deadly
plague of parasites that attack in the water.
Which is, like, everywhere. Soon
people are dying in droves, the town is shut down, the CDC is moving like
molasses, and the remaining survivors are on a race to flee the area before
being infected.
It’s quick, the pacing is
excellent, it’s a nice ensemble horror movie (which I feel like is hard to pull
off), and it’s actually scary. Because
something like this could totally happen, right? I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to
watch it again, but it was decent. Aside
from Donohue, that is. She’s supposed to
be the sympathetic survivor reflecting on all this tragedy and she spends most
of her time onscreen pouting at the camera and playing with her tongue.
Stark Trek Into
Darkness: 2013 sci fi action film directed by J. J. Abrams and starring
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch and too many
other awesome people to list here. A
meeting of senior Starfleet officials is attacked by a mysterious lone gunman,
and Captain James T. Kirk convinces his superiors to let him chase after the
dingus. The remarkably strong and savage
dingus, with a fake past and shadowy present.
When Kirk suspects some treachery afoot from within Starfleet command,
he has to choose whether or not to trust this dangerous new potential ally.
Obviously
I’m not doing the plot any justice with this summary. I loved it, like I love most things
Abrams. Sure, it’s a little too hokey at
times but I forgive it – the original series was built on hokey and I
appreciate that it’s hung on to that a bit.
And it’s perhaps a little saccharine at times, yes. But it’s a great action movie and I was more
than willing to look past my minor quibbles and enjoy it immensely. So. If
you’re into Star Trek then you’ve likely already seen it and formed your
immutable opinion of it. If you haven’t
seen the newest incarnation of Trek, then I urge you to start with the 2009
reboot and go from there. If you’re not
into sci fi then you’ve probably already skipped this review.
Knuckleball!: 2012 documentary directed by Ricki Stern and
Anne Sundberg, following the Major League knuckleball pitchers R. A. Dickey and
Tim Wakefield in their 2011 season. The
knuckleball is a pitch beloved by fans of the quirkier aspects of baseball; it
is thrown to minimize spin on the ball which makes its movement wildly
unpredictable, it is much slower than the typical fastball pitch (60 mph versus
85 mph), and it’s damn near impossible to hit if thrown correctly. It is a gift and a curse – difficult to
control, to catch, and for umps to call.
The documentary starts with how
Dickey and Wakefield each used the knuckleball to save their pitching
careers. It covers the history of the
pitch, and how managers and catchers have coped with it or not over the
years. There is a little club of current
and former knuckleballers, kind of a support group, and they get together and
tell war stories, recall the power hitters they’ve frustrated (eat it, Jeter),
and give each other tips since pitching coaches typically can’t help them much.
I really liked this, but then I
love baseball. You probably don’t need
to know much about the sport to enjoy this movie, but it probably helps if you
like it.
House at the End
of the Street: 2012
psychological horror/thriller directed by Mark Tonderai and starring Jennifer
Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Elizabeth Shue, and Gil Bellows. Sarah (Shue) and her teenage daughter Elissa
(Lawrence) have just moved to small town, recovering from a divorce and looking
for a fresh start. They find a huge,
gorgeous property in the woods, which they can afford because the nearest house
over was the scene of a murder – four years earlier young Carrie Anne brutally killed
her parents and then escaped into the woods.
She supposedly drowned in a nearby river but since her body was never
found local legend says she still wanders the forest like an evil Nell.
Carrie Anne’s brother Ryan survived
the massacre and still lives in the family home, a social pariah who the
rebellious Elissa immediately finds herself drawn to. He’s quiet and shy and secretive, and wait –
hold on – who is that young girl he’s clandestinely taking care of in his
basement?
It’s
decent, not amazing. It was a bit
meandering at first. I couldn’t see
where it was headed, but not in a fun way.
Ohhhh, but then the twist is interesting! I probably only like it because I think Shue
and Lawrence are awesome. Give it a go
if you’re looking for something lightly scary and not too heavy.
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