‘Margin Call’ Is The Projector’s Movie of the Week

Will Leitch
·Editor


Every week, The Projector gives you our Movie of the Week, the one film that we agree you should run out and see before any other this weekend. We'll recommend a movie, with links to great interviews, our own writings and where you can get tickets. We're not afraid to be service-y!

So, this week's pick is "Margin Call," a smart, of-the-moment financial thriller about a massive securities firm and the lengths it will go to to save itself, even at the expense of the well-being of the country. It does a terrific job of showing the little, almost-bland corporate decisions that add up to millions of people being screwed. It also has Demi Moore. It has been out for a few weeks, but it's now expanding into smaller markets and is also available On Demand and on iTunes. So go see it. Here's all you need to know, and how to make that happen:

The Projector Movie Pick of the Week: "Margin Call."
Director: J.C. Chandor.
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley.
Quote From Our Review: "Chandor is able to tie the excesses and greed that caused the economic collapse to happen to the day-to-day drudgery and dead corporatism of office life. These people didn't ruin the economy because they hated poor people or were trying to make their yacht just a little bit bigger. They ruined the economy because, just like the rest of us, they were trying to win tiny little battles in their offices, they were trying to save their pride, they were caught up in the regular daily rigmarole that's larger than all of us and we're all sort of powerless to resist."
Quote From Another Critic You Respect: A.O. Scott, The New York Times. "It is hard to believe that 'Margin Call' is Mr. Chandor's first feature. His formal command -- his ability to imply far more than he shows or says and to orchestrate a large, complex drama out of whispers, glances and snippets of jargon -- is downright awe inspiring."
Quote From Smart Interview With the Director: "To be here at this moment, where there seems to be a bubbling of the surface of all this discontent, and wanting to understand what's going on, it's pretty exciting to throw your film into the cauldron, and say here's one viewpoint. It's an example of why people did the things that they did. Hopefully that will help you understand the issue a little bit more, in-depth, essentially."
Metacritic Rating: 75.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86.
Clips: Right here.
Where It's Playing: After a couple of weeks of just playing in NY and LA, and then expanding a bit last weekend, it's all over the place this weekend. The movie's official site has a helpful listing of every theater in every city showing the film. (Why don't more movies' sites do that?) It is also available On Demand and through iTunes. Buy tickets here.

So, what are you waiting for, people? Go see it! (If and when it's in your city!)

Previous Picks:
October 27, 2011: "Like Crazy."
October 20, 2011: "Martha Marcy May Marlene."