Watch CBS News

Jan Wahl Movie Review: 'Margin Call' & 'The Way'

You can hear KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl's movie reviews on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM Fridays at 8:53am & 4:53pm.

(KCBS) – Jan Wahl reviews the drama "Margin Call," set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, starring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons & Zachary Quinto.

Also, Jan reviews "The Way" starring Martin Sheen and written/directed and starring Sheen's son Emilio Estevez. The film also stars Deborah Kara Unger and James Nesbitt.


Listen To Jan Wahl's Movie Reviews


MARGIN CALL (R)

Experiencing Kevin Spacey onstage at the Curran Theatre in a fresh, exciting Richard III made Shakespeare relevant, and here Spacey is onscreen in a movie that feels as true as the 2010 Oscar winning documentary Inside Job. In this dramatization of high stakes finance during the meltdown of a multinational investment corporation, Margin Call is a smart, sad film. There are no winners here, but some fine acting. It's hard to find the heart of this story, but Spacey is the closest as the guy in the middle, dealing with silky smooth amorality of Jeremy Irons and a group of employees he leads in market manipulation. Three hats, well worth seeing.


THE WAY (PG-13)

You'll need uplift after Margin Call, and this is a movie that inspires. Martin Sheen is a grieving father who takes a spiritual journey to a church in order to come to peace with his son's accidental death. Along the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago, he meets international seekers of redemption, hope, eccentrics..from people needing guidance with everything from writer's block to addictions. The cinematography is beautiful and begs for the big screen experience, the direction and writing by Emilio Estevez brilliant storytelling. Four hats…a cinematic journey worth taking and one that uplifts the soul.

Watch On Video/DVD:
Page One: Inside The New York Times, Inside Job, Taking Woodstock, Shrek (Remastered)

See Now:
"50/50" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, Kevin Spacey at The Curran Theatre in "Richard III", "Movies That Inspire Us" at The New Rheem Theatre in Moraga 10/23 1:30pm and Louie Prima Jr. Show at Yoshi's San Francisco 10/23 7:00pm.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.