POS on the Page - Bailout by Neil Barofsky

So in my MBA program, we were discussing the sorry state of the economy and who is to blame for the mess our country still is in, 6 years after the housing bubble burst and wrecked things. This book came up in the conversation as a great read, so having read it I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Bailout by Neil Barofsky.  My recommendation: Must Read!

Bailout is an inside account of the TARP program and what went on within the Treasury Department in the waning months of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama one. The author, Neil Barofsky, has a unique insiders perspective as to what went on in that time. He was appointed to be the Special Inspector General in charge of Oversight of TARP, aka SIGTARP. In his role as SIGTARP, he was supposed to monitor how Treasury was using TARP monies to help the economy and to protect the money from fraud. During his time in DC, he saw how programs ostensibly designed to help those of us down on Main Street instead wound up helping Wall Street while screwing over the rest of us.

This book will make you angry, very angry, at the massive incompetence and blatant asskissing of Wall Street by those in power in DC. It makes me want to grab a torch and pitchfork and form a mob to storm the Treasury in protest and outrage. The book pulls no punches, and regardless of your political affiliation you have to read this book. Just like I recommended the works of Matt Taibbi in a post a while back (which you can read here), I absolutely recommend this book for all to read. (Additionally, you can read Taibbi's thoughts on the book at this link here). It really helps to explain the financial crisis in clear terms, and it also makes you realize how another financial crisis wrecking the economy is not a matter of if but when, thanks to the government's continued worshiping of Wall Street.

PCP on DVD - Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is an older movie that I'd always wanted to watch.  It narrowly missed being on my list of 15 movies I'm embarrassed to have not seen, but it was something that I'd always wanted to watch.  My wife is not a fan of gangster movies however, so I had to wait until I was home on a sick day with my son to finally catch this one on DVD. Even though the plot twist had previously been spoiled for me, it was still worth the wait.

Eastern Promises - 2007, rated R.  My rating:  9 out of 10.

Eastern Promises is a story about a mafia that is very rarely the focus of gangster films, the Russian mob.  It is a complex character study about the rise of a low level mobster, Viggo Mortensen, the right hand man to a powerful London mob boss' son (Vincent Cassel), up the food chain of the Russian mob.  He crosses paths with a nurse, Naomi Watts, who has obtained evidence that can be potentially very damaging to the mob boss, evidence that is so hot it is very hazardous to her health.

I don't want to discuss the plot more because I do not want to give away the twist in the final act of the film, one that turns the whole film up to that point completely on its head.  Suffice it to say, it was a pretty good whammy that I probably wouldn't have seen coming had I not had it spoiled for me previously.  The film is so good though, the acting performances so excellent, that even though it was spoiled for me I still enjoyed the film very much.  Mortensen's Golden Globe nominated performance seriously delivers, it is probably the best role he's ever had.  His mobster is downright chilling in his undercurrents of malice, and his tattoos (as seen partially on the poster) are very intimidating.  His performance makes the film, and without it the film would be rated far lower.

A funny story from filming: one day Mortensen went to a London Russian bar after filming without going through the makeup process to remove his tattoos.  The place apparently grew very silent, as his tattoos spell out his character's criminal history to those that know their meanings, and there were many in the restaurant/bar that were frightened by his presence until he explained who he really was.

Anyways, if you like great acting performances, mobster movies, movies with twist endings, or have ever wondered what Viggo Mortensen looked like naked, then go see this movie, it is not to be missed.

PCP on DVD - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

David Fincher is one of my favorite directors.  Seven and Fight Club are two of the best movies of the 90s, and his last film The Social Network was outstanding (my review here).  He is great at doing dark and twisted films, and also great at getting excellent performances out of his actors.  So even though I had already seen the Swedish version of this movie (my review here), I was excited to see his take on the franchise.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 2011, rated R.  My rating:  8 out of 10. 

I really wanted to love this take on TGWTDT.  I did like it, but I found myself continuously comparing it to the Swedish version.  Also, having seen the Swedish version, I already knew who the killer was going to wind up being, (I never read the books), so that took some of the suspense out of the film.  Also, I mentioned in my review of the Swedish version of the film that not having familiar faces increases the suspense because you have no idea who the killer may be. Knowing who the killer was here killed a lot of the tension, so perhaps I would have liked this movie better had I not seen the Swedish version first and been comparing it to this one at every turn.

This version of TGWTDT is pretty good though, and if you haven't read the books or seen the Swedish versions, I do recommend it.  Fincher again isn't afraid to go dark on the film, showing some rape sequences that are horrifyingly brutal. Relative newcomer Rooney Mara is outstanding in the titular role, coming very darn close to if not surpassing at times the take by Noomi Rapace in the Swedish version.  All in all though, this film is good albeit bleak and depressing due to the violence and stark nature of the subject material.  The movie is definitely worth checking out, but not on a date night, that's for sure!