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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Money Monster (2016) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

Money Monster (2016)

2016 | Drama

6.1

(7 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Growing up, whenever a political or economic scandal was featured on the news, my father would utter the words, “Follow the money.” This phrase was made famous by “Deep Throat” during the Watergate scandal that eventually brought down the Nixon Administration. In the film Money Monster which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, this is a question that we start to ask ourselves as a financial investment show is taken captive by a disgruntled investor while it is airing live.

Clooney, who serves as the show’s host, quickly finds himself in the middle of a storm of tension and deception as he and his captor try to discover what happened to over $800 million in investments. The film itself is sufficient as an overview for satisfying our need for some sense of understanding at how corrupt and unstable the financial industry can be. Through much of the film, I found myself wondering about how many people wanted these same answers in 2008 during the financial market meltdowns and the collapse of the housing markets. The film approaches this anger that hit the American working class, but do not delve deeper than the superficial issues and discontent. There is a major lack of depth and this might be a metaphor for the industry itself that is built on confusion, misdirection, and a lack of substance. The plot is simplistic and does not allow for any surprises or twists.

It is a very straightforward movie where a flawed character wants answers. He wants closure. He wants to bring to justice the people who ruined the lives of countless Americans and took advantage of their desire to experience the American Dream. Despite the lack of complexity and a few holes in the storytelling, Money Monster provides a few laughs and leaves the audience asking questions about how deep the problems and corruption may be within our financial system nearly 8 years after the collapse. It makes us want to “follow the money” in the hopes that we will find answers.

Kudos

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Young Jane Young in Books

Jun 10, 2021

Young Jane Young

Gabrielle Zevin | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

7.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

An emotional, character-driven tale

This is the twenty-fifth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!

YOUNG JANE YOUNG weaves together the story of five women--Rachel Grossman, who worries about her college-aged daughter, Aviva and her future. Jane Young, who lives in Maine with her daughter, Ruby. Ruby Young, who has led a quiet life with her mom, until now. Embeth Levin, the wife of a famous congressman. And Aviva Grossman, who became Internet famous after a terrible scandal. These five women are bound together by this scandal and the man at its center.

This was an interesting read, told from the perspective of each of our female protagonists. Zevin is excellent at portraying different voices, from young Ruby to the older Rachel and Embeth, and I really enjoyed how strong of a storyteller she was. Some of the women's stories were told in unique formats, such as all email or a "choose your own adventure" style. It was different, took a little getting used to, but overall worked for this book.

This is less of an action packed tale than a character-driven one, focused on how Aviva's actions affect everyone going forward. It has a political bent, but centers more around emotion, relationships, and family. It does a good job portraying the double standards applied to women--in politics, in marriage, and more. My favorite character was probably Ruby, but I thought Zevin did a good job of bringing each woman to life and showing their complex feelings and flaws.

I would have liked more of an ending to this story, especially finding out what was next for Ruby and Rachel. But this was an interesting and different read, and I'm glad I picked it up. As always, as I get nearly to the end of the alphabet, I'm glad my challenge has gotten me to choose some books I might not have otherwise.

Kudos

Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, the Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class

Luke Barr

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

In a tale replete with scandal and opulence, Luke Barr, author of the New York Times bestselling...

Deborah (162 KP) rated Lady Drusilla's Road to Ruin (Ladies in Disgrace, #2) in Books

Dec 21, 2018

This novel by Christine Merrill does feature as it's hero a character who first appeared in a previous book, but I hadn't read that and it really doesn't matter as Lady D stands quite well alone!

The Lady Driscilla of the title is the responsible older sister who is on her way to Scotland to save her flighty younger sister from a great deal om imprudence and probably a great big scandal! When Druscilla is harassed by an oily, unpleasant merchant on her journey, our hero's gentlemanly side takes over and he ends up assisting Druscilla - in more ways than one!

This was a fun romance with believable characters and understandable objections and misunderstandings to be overcome. Even getting near the end of the book I couldn't quite see how everything could be resolved satisfactorily - but of course it is! In fact I would have liked to have 'seen' a little more of our hero and heroine's adventure!