Margin Call, War Horse and Coriolanus

There are so many good movies out at the moment that I am going twice a week. And sometimes a small film pops up that I find far superior to those with big budgets. Margin Call is one of those. It is written and directed by J. C. Chandor, his first ever feature film. It certainly will not be his last. He previously worked on commercials and documentaries and wrote and directed one short movie. His taut screenplay is amazing, well plotted, excellent dialogue and  filled with tension. I am so pleased it has been nominated for an Oscar. And I think he should win it. The movie takes place in just over 24 hours at an investment bank in Manhattan, teetering on the brink of the financial crisis. The cast are top notch. Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci and Paul Bettany are first rate, but even they cannot match up to Jeremy Irons as the boss. Best thing he has done for years. Even Demi Moore puts in a performance of which I never thought she was capable.

I find it difficult to say what I thought about War Horse. It is not a bad movie, but knowing how the play on which it is based was so successful, I was somewhat disappointed. The first section set on a farm at the edge of Dartmoor is fairly tedious. I just don't think director Steven Speilberg knew how to present a period English story. We were then off to war, but in no time the central character (Joey the horse) is in the hands of a French family. I had just imagined we would see how Joey fitted into the British war effort, but no. Most of his war experiences are on the other side. There is then a passage which does not involve Joey at all. All a bit unsatisfactory. I have to say that the movie looks and sounds very good, and there are the odd standout performances. Why Emily Watson has not been nominated for an Oscar, I really don't know. Her performance is superior to that Of Meryl Streeps' Iron Lady. Just a shame she was only there at the beginning.

I was so looking forward to seeing Coriolanus, one of the few Shakespeare dramas I have never seen. And if the movie is anything to go by, it works better on the big screen than it would in the theatre. The modern setting also works really well. The battles scenes invoke modern street warfare as well as any recent movie. I had no idea of the plot, and it turns out to be a superb story of politics and military power full of intrigue. Ralph Fiennes has to be congratulated for his performance in the title role and as a first time director. John Logan has done a fine job to edit the long play into a solid screenplay. Fiennes did seem a little wooden at times, but Coriolanus is just a magnificent soldier and General but not at all articulate and unwavering in his ideology that the people should be subservient to the military. Vanessa Redgrave as his mother is terrific, but the best acting for me was from Brian Cox as Menenius. Another Oscar worthy performance.