The Joneses

Year: 2009
Directed by: Derrick Borte
Written by: Randy T. Dinzler (story), Derrick Borte
Starring: Demi Moore, David Duchovny, Amber Heard
IMDB page & official trailer:

movie girl:

What if there was a marketing technique that involved pretending to be a member of the target group of consumers and showing-off products that the group would buy if influenced by your charming personality? The movie describes this scenario.

It presents a dream family from an advertiser's point of view – rich, charismatic, set to convince everyone they meet that what they have are the greatest products in the world. But what they really are is a business unit, a cell in a network of artificial families competing against each other and aiming at becoming an "icon", an inspiration for product design for the greatest brands.

Being part of the family is a difficult job because you have to hide your true feelings, values and personality and you also risk that your influence on the ones you tricked into buying stuff they don’t need will have bad consequences. And it has.

The film makes you think about what brands do to people that cannot afford them - they make them feel not good enough so they buy them to feel better about themselves, and then they accumulate debt and then descend into despair. Maybe what others have matters to much these days. And maybe brands should not be a condition for social acceptance.

Rating: 6

movie boy:

I started watching this movie with no high hopes, misjudging it from the beginning and to be honest, expecting for a laugh. When I finally realised this was not supposed to be a comedy, I started watching closely. David Duchovny was not so bad, Demi was... perfect and, must say, Amber Heard was that kind of girl that could have convinced me to buy something terribly expensive and totally useless.

And this is the exact point of this movie:to create perfection so that others would want to reach it and overcome it. In a world of mimetism in which people have other people to think for them, where they only agree or disagree, seduction is a very important component.

This could be interpreted as a reminder, as a protest or as an artistic documentary. The signals are very clear: we are living in a consumeristic society and the higher our social position, the higher the buying tendency. The trigger must simply direct you towards the right product and the competition spirit will do the rest. This is a lesson about marketing and how merciless it is, about how it understands human nature and how it responds by offering virtual rewards to what sometimes goes as far as to the supreme sacrifice. "If people want you, they'll want what you've got". Sounds familiar?

Rating: 5,8

Margin Call

Year: 2011
Directed by: J. C. Chandor
Written by: J. C. Chandor
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore
IMDB page & official trailer:

movie girl:
This movie was a demonstration. It was like "If you start at this point and do that you will end up here, and these are the reasons for it." Every move of the characters, every step of the story was explained very clearly - through images and the words of the characters.
The movie shows the way an investment bank reacts to the discovery of the imminence of the financial crisis. This is the moment where decisions have to be taken at the top management level and where the most important interest of the company is revealed. This turns to be survival at all costs – ethics are ignored and reputation is sacrificed.
These "extraordinary times" are a wonderful opportunity to watch closely how the relations between the managers at different levels evolve. I like movies that look at strategy and influence within the business or political environment, so I enjoyed this in Margin Call too.
I found it interesting that during those 24 hours of crisis none of the characters spoke on the phone with family or friends, only at the end Sam (Kevin Spacey) talks face to face to someone I assume was his ex-wife. Maybe the writer wanted to underline the focus these people have on work/money versus personal life.
I liked Demi Moore in this movie; I think she acted very well, given the lack of substance of her character. Kevin Spacey had this slightly distracted air throughout the movie, I liked that too. I think it is that protective detachment you have when you do things that go against your values.
Overall, I would say it is a movie without artistic value, one that tries desperately to make a point. Being director’s JC Chandor first movie, I think it suffers from that eagerness of the fresh creator to make his statement clear, not knowing how much to show/hide/suggest.
Rating: 6,0

movie boy:

This is a good movie for the simple fact that it's comprehensive. In a world of numbers and stock market happening on the 40th floor over Wall Street, Margin Call succeedes to translate for any ordinary viewer the problem of the economic crisis by addressing it as to a "Golden Retriever".

The movie has a wonderful triplet - Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore - that provides credibility and also very good acting in a story that doesn't necessarily requires acting. In a nutshell, Margin Call is the definition of a margin call but also it is about the process of taking high-risk decisions at the highest financial level. It is a story about a sick dog that dies at the end.
It is a movie about hierarchy but also about the respect for the dedication in and for the firm. A sad dedication when you know that by what you do today everyone else will hate hate you tomorrow; a dedication so ruthless you even won't tell your son that he will lose everything the next day; a dedication that above all, is based on the need for money. 

What intrigued me the most in this movie was the apparently peacefulness of the characters despite the disastrous situation - there are no exaggerated shoutings in this film, I felt that even "fuck you" is said with a tone of politeness, it is a great feeling of seeing people acting responsably even though they don't know what to do or even if it is against their beliefs. A not so good directing, with awkward lights but with a well transmitted message about what happened - as it is inspired by a true story. 

Rating: 7,3