Word: filming
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Cockburn—a longtime investigative journalist and former Princeton professor—is no stranger to the compact and powerful exposé. While the subject matter of “American Casino” seems far removed from her many films about global atrocities in Asia, South America, and the Middle East, the impact is no less shocking. As the title indicates, Cockburn—along with her husband, Andrew, who co-wrote and co-produced the film—suggests that the deregulation of financial institutions turned Wall Street into a virtual casino, one that operates on stakes...
...home,” she explains. “You lose your identity, you lose your space, you lose your church, you lose your community, you lose your local friends...You lose everything.” Through juxtaposition of gritty financial details with tales of personal turmoil, the film renders the massive and technical complexity of the economic crisis real and palpable on an individual scale...
However, because the Cockburns offer so many viewpoints, the film does not always provide enough sources when it comes to individual aspects of the financial crisis. For instance, when profiling one of the most controversial topics—financial companies like Wells Fargo allegedly targeting minority communities for subprime mortgages—the Cockburns rely on one unquestionably biased source: John Relman, a civil rights attorney involved in a lawsuit with Wells Fargo for minority targeting. Wells Fargo declined to comment and the film offers no rebuttal from anyone else, and the result feels a little one-sided...
...mapping the wide and varied repercussions of the crisis, the film inevitably wanders at times. One of the most far-fetched segments comes from the assertion that as a result of economic hard times, the spike in the number of abandoned or unclean backyard pools has led to the dramatic rise of dangerous mosquitoes, rodents, and snakes. This facet of post-recession America, although argumentatively substantiated by Cockburn, does not have quite the same resonance as the film’s other angles. But despite its occasional flaws, “American Casino” is subtle in its delivery...
...sees potential in “Yeast Lords,” and with the help of her friend Lonnie Donaho (Héctor Jiménez), who has a speech impediment, a bowl haircut, and most importantly, a production company, she decides to turn it into a low-budget film...