5 comments about Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room [Blu-ray].

1. This movie was easy to watch, but upsetting that capitalism was allowed to take advantage of so many people, and so self serving. Very interesting movie, easy to watch, and very informative.



2. Director Alex Gibney has crafted a fine film, making crystal clear the arrogance, duplicity and horror of the Enron scandal. Previous reviewers have covered it all, but I must reiterate that the events are put in a perspective that any middle-schooler could understand. I was angry watching this film, so I guess it secceeded in its mission. The greed and intentional cruelty are well-examined, especially in the references to the traders' comments regarding the California energy crisis. Former Governer Gray Davis was painted as the bad guy, but he was duped, as many others, by the false promises of the Enron bigshots. I have empathy for him and the misunderstanding. Evil takes many forms; the public at large will believe a lot if the lie sounds good enough. Thousands of people were destroyed by Enron, and the punishment of those responsible cannot, ever, be put in terms that anyone could understand. Lives were crushed and destroyed, and because of their association with Bush & Cheney, there's a chance they'll be around again. This kind of thing goes a lot deeper than anyone is aware. Films like this may curb that trend.



3. Even after reading Kurt Eichenwald's Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story, I was not prepared for the near-Greek tragedy presented in this smartly produced documentary of the Enron scandal based on yet another book, Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron, by journalists Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. Directed by Andy Gibney, the 2005 film follows the complicated rise and fall of Enron in an easy-to-follow, chronological order since the mid-1980's, using actor Peter Coyote's lucid voice-over narration. Enron started as a moderate-sized Houston gas-pipeline company that grew exponentially, reaping benefits for shareholders and far more so for the Enron executive team for a long, uninterrupted stretch. Billions of dollars were collected due to speculative mark-to-market accounting techniques approved by the SEC, and Enron consequently became one of the world's largest natural-gas suppliers.
   
   What resonates most from this searing film is how circumstantially pathological the chief villains are in this true corporate morality story. While the infamous Ken Lay comes across as the corrupt figurehead we have already come to know through news reports, it's really Enron CFO Andy Fastow (dubbed appropriately "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") and especially President and COO Jeff Skilling, who are mercilessly exposed here. Skilling is portrayed as a brilliant leader and a corporate Darwinist, whose favorite book is Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, which he apparently translated into a bloodless performance review policy that worked like a genetic algorithm for people. Employees were rated on a 1-5 scale based on the amount of money one made for the company. Skilling mandated that between 10-15% of employees had to be rated as 5's (worst). And to get a rating of 5 meant that one was immediately fired. This review process was dubbed "rank and yank". Such was a typical example of his survivalist thinking.
   
   The corruption spread throughout the company, as Enron was responsible for, among other things, gaming the Northern California "rolling blackouts" in 2001, whereby the company profited as huge parts of the state were plunged into darkness. Citizens were threatened by a deregulation plan that essentially enabled a number of immoral Enron traders (led by Tim Belden) to place calls that drove up energy-market prices and took advantage of power-plant shutdowns. Of course, the Bush family dynasty does not come across unscathed in the Enron story and justifiably so according to their inextricable ties to Lay. Gibney effectively uses video footage from testimony at congressional hearings, as well as interviews with disillusioned former employees such as Mike Muckleroy and whistle-blower Sherron Watkins (who uses some effective pop culture references like Body Heat and Jonestown to get her points across).
   
   There are some amusing vignettes and images that tie some of the disparate elements together with excessive glibness. The documentary is best when it sticks to the facts, for this is one inarguable case where fact is truly stranger than fiction. Extras are plentiful on the 2006 DVD. Gibney provides an informative albeit verbose commentary track, and four deleted scenes, about twenty minutes in total, are included that become redundant with the film's portrayal of corporate malfeasance. There is also a fourteen-minute making-of featurette, as well as a "Where Are They Now?" snippet on the principals and three separate conversations with McLean and Elkind on how they got the story, how they validated their findings, and their enthusiastic reaction to the film. Other bonus materials include Gibney reading from scripts of skits performed at Enron and a Firesign Theater sketch about Enron's demise, as well as Fortune Magazine articles written by McLean and Elkind and a gallery of editorial cartoons.



4. You all probably know the story: It briefly dominated the news the late 2001.
   
   Enron, named one of "America's Most Innovative Companies" by Fortune magazine for six consecutive years, from 1996 to 2001. On the Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" list in 2000. Reported 111 Billion in earnings that same year. Purportedly one of the ten most valuable American corporations, throughout the Nineties. Audited by Arther Andersen, the oldest and one of the most respected accounting firms in the country. Touted and endorsed by nearly all the biggest Wall Street brokers, backed by all the biggest international banks. Called the most important and cutting edge energy trading firm in the world. A halcyon of the new economy, champion of globalism, huge contributer to politicians both Democratic and Republican, but most especially the Bush family dynasty (largest single corporate contributor to George W. Bush's 2000 campaign)..
   
   Just evaporated, imploded seamlessly in upon itself in late 2001.
   
   Other events later in that year naturally distracted us all from what would have otherwise been the singular most important story of that year.. Much to the relief of many in Washington, and on Wall Street.
   
   So it seems that the significance of what happened never really set into the public consciousness.
   
   This film will recollect your mind, and help you understand. I say every American needs to meditate on this story, most especially as it now seems that it may not be the odd aberration that most of our political and financial elites then claimed.
   
   I was living in Monterey, California during the time. During the oh so odd rolling blackouts that killed so many traffic lights, air conditioners, and life support apparatuses.. along with some of the poor people that depended on them.. It was the same summer it seemed that half the state was on fire. Warm Corona in the fridge, Apocalypse in the air..
   
   Ah, Good Times..
   
   This film unsparingly reveals who was really behind that catastrophe. Here - amongst many other astounding things - you'll hear tapes of the Enron energy traders (like their colleagues in other energy companies) as they deliberately manipulate the power grid, shutting down power plants at peak demand, thereby driving up electricity prices and blacking out large parts of the state, all the while watching the havoc they make.. and laughing about it. All as their company, along with the pensions funds of tens of thousands of ordinary employees, was collapsing around them.
   
   Enron: True Champions of Deregulation. Pihranas in the kiddie pool. Nihilists, with with no thought of the people they were harming, their only thought on the billions they made off the public's soaring utility bills. All as they were going bankrupt. True black comedy.
   
   The thing is that that this story, all the irresponsible greed and corruption, is supposed to have been localized. It was "only" Enron, World Com, and Tyco that were led by the bad apples. Remember President Bush assuring us? And Congress rushing to pass all those new, tough accounting laws?
   
   Get this film, pop some corn, snuggle up on the couch, and push play.
   
   Watch this, think about about it, and wonder. Do you believe them? Do you still trust them?
   
   As a great American orator once put it "Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."
   
   Yeah, right. Ain't that the truth.



5. "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" is a chilling,engrossing,and surprisingly timely documentary on how a corporation fleeced tons of hard-working Americans and made millions in the process. It starts with ordinary,talented men like the late Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling,as well as an Asian man fascinated by numbers and strippers. They started out as entrepreneurs; they weren't born with silver spoons. In retrospect,it's fascinating to see their ads depicting Enron as an innovative company bringing light to the world.
   
   "Enron" shows the consequences of following Gordon Gecko's "Greed is good" motto. Lay, Skilling, and his associates began to consider themselves above the law. They created artificial shortages and rolling blackouts. In one chilling scene,employees laugh about leaving a grandmother in the dark while shaking her down for money. There was undisciplined speculation, business at its worst. While the movie plays up Enron's connections with the Bush family, Enron also had Democratic connections,and Democratic California governor Gray Davis let them get away with highway robbery.
   
   When people talk about the hikes in oil prices as "Enronesque",this documentary shows why. Enron played the system... and it paid. What goes around comes around.

3 comments about Receiving Prosperity.

1. Life seems to occasionally knock you off of your blocks and it's so great to close the day with this DVD to remind you to open yourself to wealth and to know who you are. All things are possible. I so appreciate having this message available whenever I need it.



2. I love Louse Hay her videos and CD have help me alot in my personal life as well as in my everyday strugling with my fears. This is agreat video for someone who is ready to hear it and start changing to all the good she offers in this video.



3. If I could give no stars, I would. I'm putting this review on each of Louise Hay's titles to warn people who fall into believing that this is a caring, compassionate person. I met her recently at an event and was about to compliment her on one of the books her company publishes that Dr. Dyer wrote for children. Louise Hay was so incredibly rude to me before I even got to open my mouth that I was shocked. The woman seemed to be only about capitalism, power and ego and, though I had been a previous customer of her publishing company, I will NEVER purchase anything by them again nor will I recommend them. I will not give money to someone so ill-behaved, let alone someone who's telling others to be nice when they haven't learned that lesson themselves. Louise Hay, I hope someone on your team shares this with you. You should be ashamed of yourself for being so nasty!
   
   By contrast, I have dealt with the people at Sound's True a zillion times and all of them are as nice as can be and behave in accordance with their products. I spoke with their people at the same event (and others before it) and they were all lovely.
   
   And, no, I do not work for or am in any way compensated by Sound's True. I simply people should know the truth about who practices what they preach and who doesn't. In my opinion, Hay's behavior was one step down from Cruella De Ville. If you're shocked reading that, imagine how shocked I was experiencing it from her.

5 comments about Suze Orman - For the Young, Fabulous & Broke.

1. I watched this special on PBS three times and was impressed not only by the amount of information on the show but by her motivational speaking abilities. A wealth of knowledge for those who need a little direction. She explores many aspects of building financial wealth and security, including credit reports and FICO scores, paying off debt, handling credit cards, etc. A must see for young people starting out as well as older ones who may have made a few mistakes along the way.



2. Suze only spreads the lies and misconseptions that the credit card company's want you to believe. Listen to Dave Ramsey instead. Debt is NOT A TOOL!!!! Try living debt free and you will accumulate much more in the way of wealth.



3. Suze wrote this follow up piece because some folks found her old advice to be impossible. Having several months of emergency money put aside etc. The notion that someone hungry for job advancement should work 12 hour days and put groceries on their credit cards may also be impossible. It could also backfire when the company you are giving all your time to fails to notice your efforts. I was actually scolded for staying around too long at work even when I wasn't trying to collect overtime. I did learn something about credit scores though.



4. Suze Orman " The Young Fabulous & Broke " DVD Provides basic financial management information for people that are always struggling with bad money, credit cards management issues. She really motivates people on how to be concious about to create a good income source and how to get rid of the bad spending habits.



5. Wish I had seen this DVD at age 10, Suze's advice applys at any age...Grandparents can take advantage of all these principles and make it work for the future of their children and grandchildren. It shows YF&B, how they can stand on their individual financial strength and stay independent and gain self-esteem.

5 comments about Startup.com.

1. This will be as valuable to future anthroplogists after this civilisation has gone the way of all self-indulgent greed-obsessed cultures, as the murals of Pompeii's preening elite. The two main characters are equally obnoxious and equaly revealing of all that's wrong with this culture of money and ignorant selfishness. All the 'extras' floating around in the background who get churned in the delusional business fantasies of these two idiots are far more interesting, but we dont get to hear much about them. Enron wasnt a fluke, judging by this film.



2. One of my favorite documentaries, "Startup.com" follows two high school friends as they create an internet business together.
   
   Besides catching history on film, the filmmakers document what happens when friendship enters the business realm.



3. As I write this review,I am two days removed from hearing of the tragic and senseless suicide of an acquaintance who had it all, risked it all,lost his family,fell into depression and substance abuse and hung himself.Why?.....his life WAS his startup and it came crashing down around him and he couldn't bear it.
   STARTUP.COM is a timeless look at the rise and fall of businesses and the people who rise and fall with them.Some people who will view this film will only want to know one thing:How do I succeed in building a business and make money? Others will view this film and learn about the trmendous sacrifices to self and interpersonal relationships that comes from examining the failures of others driven by an intense desire or need to "succeed".This documentary examines both aspects of business-the technical and the personal.The two aspects are always competing.The lives of the "twentysomething"founders of gov.WORKS.com are examined in intimate detail as Kaleil and Tom are followed from the infancy stage of their internet organization,through it's quick rise to fame,(they were on every major mag cover and even had audience with President Clinton!!!)and it's crashing in 20 months.Loyalties and passions are questioned.This is a very realistic look at the down -and -dirty business world as portrayed in the .com rush of a few years back.What this film has to teach us is about the price that one pays in blood for what one thinks is necessary for "success".This film is a sobering look for anyone,any age who needs to possibly reexamine their priorities in business and in life.



4. Anyone with the faintest un-suppressed memory of the Internet boom should watch the cautionary "Startup.com," an intense look at the treacherous waters of American business start-ups. Chris Hegedus ("The War Room") and Jehane Noujaim ("Control Room") were lucky enough to capture the full dramatic arc of Tuzman and Herman's venture, from the height of the Internet frenzy to the dot-com bubble's big burst. "Start-up" demonstrates how the rules of cut-throat modern entrepreneurship can transform positive human ambition into nerve-shredding obsession.



5. This documentary is about more than just the failure of a company. This movie is about friendship. Set against the backdrop of the dot com bubble burst, what I loved about this movie is that it is basically a story of two guys with a solid friendship. I can't blame them for starting a business on a dream. Everyone was doing the same thing in the late 90's. I don't blame them for the business failing. Most of these ventures failed. During the rise and fall of the company there is a lot of drama between the two founders of the company. They have been friends since kids and the failing business almost tears their friendship apart. In the end I got a great sense of hope that there is more to life than just making profits and that true friends can get through anything and come out on top at the end. I think too many people go into this movie wanting to know all the details about why the business failed and what went wrong. A lot of people have bashed this movie because it focuses on the relationships of the players but that is the same quality of this movie that endears it to me. Money comes and goes. Sometimes you may fail at something. It's easy to lose sight of what is truly important in life. To me, this was a beautiful movie because it shows the true meaning of friendship... through thick or thin.

4 comments about Suze Orman: Women and Money.

1. I saw this on PBS originally and knew right away I wanted the DVD. Suze is very inspiring and speaks in terms the everyday woman can understand.



2. This was a great DVD!! Suze Orman: Women and Money. Very inspirational, easy to follow, and easy to understand. That's what I like most about Susie Orman.



3. If you need inspirational cheerleading, this is the DVD for you.
   
   I love the Suze Orman TV show and wait eagerly to see more, so, I ordered a few of her products. In this first to arrive DVD "Women & Money" Suze recounts her path into the big boy's world of financial investment and brokerage. She enthusiastically outlines an overview of characteristics and attitudes that she deems necessary to achieve and maintain control and prosperity of your money as a woman in America. For example, be happy and be able to say your name proudly, boldly, with confidence.
   
   This type of encouragement could be labeled "inspirational", but, Suze could have been chatting about grocery shopping and it would be inspirational coming from her. In a DVD on the subject of women and money though I expected a portion of real meat and potatoes to put on my plate, some actual practical information and content to digest and nourish the growth of my financial autonomy. In that respect this DVD was lacking.
   
   Back to the TV show for me.



4. Suze is Direct! and she calls it as it is. If you are in debt she helps you see why you got there - because its about you - your values,perceptions and programming - of you and money. A Resource for Men & Women, Teenages, Elderly a must have if you want to learn about YOU and your money - no one will look after your money like YOU!

5 comments about Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy.

1. This is an amazing documentary. It starts off slowly but soon you find yourself absolutely riveted. It is an incredibly eye opening look into global economics that is easily understood even without much knowledge on the subject. I tell you it will make you start thinking about where you stand in the world.



2. Absolutely AMAZING movie! must see even if you are not interested in economy, you might be surprise how interesting it might be. great weaving between history, general human factor, politic and economy of the 20th century.
   
   I was very glad I had it. Now I understand the difference between socialism and open markets. The authors speaks to you on your language and made it easy and available to anyone.



3. I've never seen such a documentary on the battle of ideas over world economy in the post-war era.
   I strongly recommend it, specially for college students and young voters around the globe.



4. This is an excellent historical overview of how The Chicago Boys were able to influence the developed world away from Keynesian philosophies.



5. I dont purchase CD's or DVDs anymore. I think they are overpriced, and specially now that you can download almost anything, i find it difficult to spend my green in any DVD.
   
   Then i read the reviews that this documentary had , based on the book. I thought the premise was really interesting. So i bought it, and i watched it. I didn't feel ripped off after, and i still watch it! (and in fact bought another set for my sister)
   
   This is truly the best analytical documentary ever devised. It is such a piece of art, it stands on its own and has no other real similar.
   
   I read other reviews and i concurr that sometimes it seems as if the analysis doesn't go deep enough. BUt that's the beauty of the narration. It never inserts its tilt or spin - it just tells you the facts and shows how things unfolded, only getting interviews to add color to the scene at hand but always letting the viewer come to its own conclusions.
   
   I own this and Blue Planet. Once i buy Cosmos, i think i have all the DVD's i could ever need.

5 comments about Maxed Out.

1. this movie is very good and will show you many of the truths behind the way credit companies work.I wish every one would watch this movie and then get all of their friends and family to watch it as well.



2. Debt, particularly credit card debt, is the modern version of sharecropping, which replaced slavery. The beauty of sharecropping, from the landowner's point of view, was that labor was much cheaper. Slaves had to be housed and fed; sharecroppers didn't. And with sharecropping, white people could be owned as well as black people.
   
   The best kind of slavery, again from the "slaveholder's' point of view is invisible slavery. The "slaves" don't even know they are slaves, therefore they don't rebel.
   
   The slick marketers of debt, like predators in nature, prey on the most vulnerable; the young, the old, the unsophisticated, and the desperate. It is a conspiracy between the debt marketers, the government, and the colleges and universities. The American school system does not teach the dangers of debt, or how to avoid the trap.
   
   Buy "Maxed Out" in both forms: book and video. And share them.



3. Information is knowledge. When it is revealed to the public many of the corporate practices, many of us get it. We can no longer make bad choices without referring back to our conscious that reminds us "we were warned". I would only hope that one day we get smart people to do documentaries in Part 1 of 2 and followed by a Part 2 for a solution.



4. Maxed Out (2006)
   
   This film should be required viewing for anyone over the age of 18. Because that's the target age that credit card companies go after.
   
   The chief culprits identified in this film are MBNA, one of the nation's largest credit card companies, major contributor to the George W. Bush campaign, and writer/sponsor of the revised bankruptcy law that Bush pushed through in 2005; Providian, a credit card company that targets the poor, mentally handicapped, and willfully waited to cash payment checks so overdraft fees could be charged to their customers, and also in bed with Bush (he appointed the head of Providian to his Ethics Committee on Fair Lending); Wells Fargo, which owns most of the country's cash advance stores where they charge more interest than pawn shops (shocking, isn't it?); and Republicans who continue to push the idea that bankruptcy is bad and to be an American you must pay your debt the old-fashioned way--hard work. Unfortunately, when credit card companies wrack up $[...] in fees for every $[...] you owe, that's never going to be possible.
   
   I loved that this film addressed so many different ways people get into debt. One woman starts using her credit card to pay her mortgage after her husband dies because she can no longer afford her house, but doesn't want to move because it holds so many memories. Two women discuss their teenage daughter and son, who both killed themselves during their sophomore years of college because they ran up credit card bills in excess of $12,000. I think that's the most tragic--a life ended for just $12,000. Another woman's 40 year-old mentally challenged son signs a credit card application and wracks up astronomical debt just in fees (because he didn't understand what he signed and his mother didn't know about it). Another couple discusses their mother who killed herself because she had wracked up over $47,000 in credit card bills and didn't know how to pay them. Another young man was a fireman sent to Iraq, where he was paid next to nothing. His family used credit to pay their mortgage and food, that's all. But when he came back, Bush had changed the bankruptcy laws, so he couldn't even do that.
   
   There's a point in this film where an analyst describes it as DEBT SLAVERY and compares it to the old sharecropping system of the post-Civil War era. We're all slaves now, though, but that's a pretty good assessment of the wide gap between the haves and have-nots in our country.
   
   Just as in the Enron film, there are young yuppies in this one bragging about how they collect personal information from people they call about their bills and then use that info to get them into more and more debt. Frightening how completely immoral these young men are. Some of them not so young. I imagine them in Dante's seventh layer of hell (or was it the sixth?).
   
   Unlike some of the other reviewers, who say this film gives no solutions, it actually does.
   1. Read what you sign BEFORE you sign it. If you're unsure about any part, don't sign it.
   2. Don't get cash advances. If you must borrow, do it from a friend or relative and stop buying things.
   3. Don't bank at Wells Fargo, a major culprit in charging excessive fees. They also own most of the cash advance companies in the U.S.
   4. Don't be afraid to declare bankruptcy and write to legislators to get the bankruptcy restraints reversed. It's frightening how many people commit suicide because they don't know how to pay their debts; and most of those debts are 90% fees and interest charges, not principal.
   5. Get help from Americans for Fairness in Lending at [...]
   6. Don't kill yourself. There's always a solution if you know where to look. (Sad that I would ever have to put that in a review.)



5. I am a huge fan of documentaries and sample as many as I can. The credit card industry makes for a perfect subject as there are so much abuse from both its users and its issuers so I was hoping that the documentary would not limit its to the sleazy practices of the credit industry and how government has not done much to keep these people in check. That story has been told many times yet the angle that would have made it more interesting is how we as consumers fall prey to our own greed, entitlement, and how some really good people who can't make ends meet also can fall prey to a gangster-like industry.
   
   But our accountability is thrown out the window and bulk of the documentary tries to expose a known sleaziness and in my opinion those telling the tale resort to exploiting their subjects in a very heavy-handed matter. Did they have to talk to resort to milking tears from mothers who lost their children to suicide when the kids could not keep up with payments? A missing woman is used for similar purposes as are the mother of a developmentally challenged man, and a war veteran. The documentary also uses a cheap propaganda film from archives for maximum snarkiness and takes pot shots at some many people, including some who have done some pretty good things when it comes to training people not to live beyond their means.
   
   I knew that it would not be a good documentary when I started looking at my watch within the first half-hour. The documentary beat the same drums over and over again with a documentary by the numbers check-list that I assume has or would make a great 20 minute story for a show like 60 Minutes. Even the title is deceptive as I was expecting to see a documentary of the misuse of credit and how the industry preys on those who do the worst job of managing it. They are sleazy, but what's the message here? Pointing fingers is easy, but what about us? I am a bleeding heart Democrat so it's not about politics nor being clueless about how hard it for our population to get by. Better luck next time.

5 comments about I Think I Love My Wife.

1. I think I love this movie! Funny, intelligent, silly and surprisingly adult in many areas. So why is the film so under-appreciated? Expectations. The problem with Chris Rock is he's the best stand-up comedian working today. He has honed his craft to appeal to almost everyone. So no two audience members will see him in the same light. This works well in stand up. The imagination is fully engaged to assist every callback, and one liner that Rock acts out. Our minds literally re-create Rock in our own image. But it's harder to achieve onscreen.
   
   However one might interpret Rock's material onstage is over ruled by the visual images in the movie. One person sees him as a defjam comedian and expects an extension of that in the theatre. Another sees a more politically astute persona and anticipates that to play out onscreen. And someone else figures he will be an edgier Bill Cosby type.
   
   This movie contradicts all those expectations. It certainly includes elements of Rock's stand-up, but it's not bound by them. Rather, Rock has made a film for adults about adult relationships! In reality, marriage gets boring. Family life gets to be monotonous and sexy women are always a temptation. Chris Rock, nevertheless, did a commendable job of reminding us of the big picture. If you watch this film with an open mind, you will enjoy it. Rock chose to do something adult rather than pander to our baser instincts...
   
   Rock and Louis CK should be applauded. Oh and Kerry Washington -- just flawless!



2. The Woman in Red tells you that this is a long term problem for people. The wife no longer wants to have sex
   and the man still has his urges. Really successful men with no love or real morals, just ditch the dragging old lady and get a newer model.
   That is why you have a lot of older women who really hate men?
   Men never seem to grow out of sex; we need a little blue pill for women?
   Chris Rock is a comic philosopher like Gene Wilder before him.
   In this movie he uses it wisely!



3. First of all, I watch movies for entertainment and not to offer my personal approval for handing out Oscars OK? If 90 minutes are that critically important to you, then you should only watch what the professional critics tell you to watch...oh and in that case, get used to reading subtitles! Some of the best movies that I have seen more than once were not critically acclaimed (sometimes quite the contrary). Some of the worst movies that I have seen were critically acclaimed.
   
   Being well into the second decade of my marriage, I could relate to a few aspects of the movie, even though not exactly by the script. What I got in this movie was a chance to confront and examine my own experiences by comparison with an extreme, and that if nothing else was a bit captivating. If you are married, were married, or ever plan to get married, watch the movie; at the very least, you'll get another reference point from some aspect of the movie which you'll probably relate to at some point to some degree. ***I say this only to the men reading this review.*** At the heart of this movie there are some perfectly natural male issues brought to light that not all women may digest in a healthy manner :-)
   
   If you really feel the need to draw out a moral to the story scene by scene, then you could do that as well. Mid-life crises are real. Sexual temptation is real. Free-spirited people exist. "There are different strokes for different folks" is true (cheating isn't for everyone). "Why can't or shouldn't I do what I really want to do?" "What DO I really want" is another one. "You can't have your cake and eat it too." (Yada, Yada, Yada) Depending on your experiences, you might have a "I remember a similar encounter that could have gone down this road" moment.
   
   My only point is that I enjoyed the movie and would/will probably watch it again. Be careful what you read in these reviews if you are trying to decide on whether to view this movie. I actually go in reverse order and read movie reviews after I've watched the movie. Reading the reviews I've seen here, I get the feeling that reviewers' life experiences (subject related or otherwise) outside of the 90 minutes spent watching this film are shining through their words (see "healthy manner" above).



4. I did like the moral of this movie, which is fidelity in a marriage is a choice. The main male character, Richard, is a good husband and father who is going about his normal life when an old fried (and hot woman) Nikki shows up at his work. She represents the question that all married people have to deal with at some point in marriage: is the grass greener on the other side? Brenda, his wife, isn't having sex with him (and I do feel sorry for him for that), but she is busy and tired at the end of the day (which I can relate to having four kids). So this movie is very realistic in terms of "Could this really happen?"
   
   I don't think anyone goes into a marriage with the idea of cheating on their spouses so Richard isn't looking to be unfaithful, but temptation does arrive and this movie is about his decision to accept it or reject it. If the language hadn't been so foul, I would have given this movie five stars. It's worth watching at least once. Very well done, especially the scene when he is at the crossroads of whether or not to cheat. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 18.



5. I loved the movie! Chris Rock did a great job directing it. It was funny especially the viagra scene, everytime I watch it i laugh till I can't laugh no more!! It's so easy to relate to his character; although I'm female. Kerry Washington as nikki did a fantastic job!! charming sexy mischevious...just fun!! And of course Mr.Rock was funny as always but he didn't overdo it which sometimes comedians tend to do in their movies. It was perfect and i will recommend it to all my friends.

5 comments about Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

1. This movie was easy to watch, but upsetting that capitalism was allowed to take advantage of so many people, and so self serving. Very interesting movie, easy to watch, and very informative.



2. Director Alex Gibney has crafted a fine film, making crystal clear the arrogance, duplicity and horror of the Enron scandal. Previous reviewers have covered it all, but I must reiterate that the events are put in a perspective that any middle-schooler could understand. I was angry watching this film, so I guess it secceeded in its mission. The greed and intentional cruelty are well-examined, especially in the references to the traders' comments regarding the California energy crisis. Former Governer Gray Davis was painted as the bad guy, but he was duped, as many others, by the false promises of the Enron bigshots. I have empathy for him and the misunderstanding. Evil takes many forms; the public at large will believe a lot if the lie sounds good enough. Thousands of people were destroyed by Enron, and the punishment of those responsible cannot, ever, be put in terms that anyone could understand. Lives were crushed and destroyed, and because of their association with Bush & Cheney, there's a chance they'll be around again. This kind of thing goes a lot deeper than anyone is aware. Films like this may curb that trend.



3. Even after reading Kurt Eichenwald's Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story, I was not prepared for the near-Greek tragedy presented in this smartly produced documentary of the Enron scandal based on yet another book, Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron, by journalists Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. Directed by Andy Gibney, the 2005 film follows the complicated rise and fall of Enron in an easy-to-follow, chronological order since the mid-1980's, using actor Peter Coyote's lucid voice-over narration. Enron started as a moderate-sized Houston gas-pipeline company that grew exponentially, reaping benefits for shareholders and far more so for the Enron executive team for a long, uninterrupted stretch. Billions of dollars were collected due to speculative mark-to-market accounting techniques approved by the SEC, and Enron consequently became one of the world's largest natural-gas suppliers.
   
   What resonates most from this searing film is how circumstantially pathological the chief villains are in this true corporate morality story. While the infamous Ken Lay comes across as the corrupt figurehead we have already come to know through news reports, it's really Enron CFO Andy Fastow (dubbed appropriately "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") and especially President and COO Jeff Skilling, who are mercilessly exposed here. Skilling is portrayed as a brilliant leader and a corporate Darwinist, whose favorite book is Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, which he apparently translated into a bloodless performance review policy that worked like a genetic algorithm for people. Employees were rated on a 1-5 scale based on the amount of money one made for the company. Skilling mandated that between 10-15% of employees had to be rated as 5's (worst). And to get a rating of 5 meant that one was immediately fired. This review process was dubbed "rank and yank". Such was a typical example of his survivalist thinking.
   
   The corruption spread throughout the company, as Enron was responsible for, among other things, gaming the Northern California "rolling blackouts" in 2001, whereby the company profited as huge parts of the state were plunged into darkness. Citizens were threatened by a deregulation plan that essentially enabled a number of immoral Enron traders (led by Tim Belden) to place calls that drove up energy-market prices and took advantage of power-plant shutdowns. Of course, the Bush family dynasty does not come across unscathed in the Enron story and justifiably so according to their inextricable ties to Lay. Gibney effectively uses video footage from testimony at congressional hearings, as well as interviews with disillusioned former employees such as Mike Muckleroy and whistle-blower Sherron Watkins (who uses some effective pop culture references like Body Heat and Jonestown to get her points across).
   
   There are some amusing vignettes and images that tie some of the disparate elements together with excessive glibness. The documentary is best when it sticks to the facts, for this is one inarguable case where fact is truly stranger than fiction. Extras are plentiful on the 2006 DVD. Gibney provides an informative albeit verbose commentary track, and four deleted scenes, about twenty minutes in total, are included that become redundant with the film's portrayal of corporate malfeasance. There is also a fourteen-minute making-of featurette, as well as a "Where Are They Now?" snippet on the principals and three separate conversations with McLean and Elkind on how they got the story, how they validated their findings, and their enthusiastic reaction to the film. Other bonus materials include Gibney reading from scripts of skits performed at Enron and a Firesign Theater sketch about Enron's demise, as well as Fortune Magazine articles written by McLean and Elkind and a gallery of editorial cartoons.



4. You all probably know the story: It briefly dominated the news the late 2001.
   
   Enron, named one of "America's Most Innovative Companies" by Fortune magazine for six consecutive years, from 1996 to 2001. On the Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" list in 2000. Reported 111 Billion in earnings that same year. Purportedly one of the ten most valuable American corporations, throughout the Nineties. Audited by Arther Andersen, the oldest and one of the most respected accounting firms in the country. Touted and endorsed by nearly all the biggest Wall Street brokers, backed by all the biggest international banks. Called the most important and cutting edge energy trading firm in the world. A halcyon of the new economy, champion of globalism, huge contributer to politicians both Democratic and Republican, but most especially the Bush family dynasty (largest single corporate contributor to George W. Bush's 2000 campaign)..
   
   Just evaporated, imploded seamlessly in upon itself in late 2001.
   
   Other events later in that year naturally distracted us all from what would have otherwise been the singular most important story of that year.. Much to the relief of many in Washington, and on Wall Street.
   
   So it seems that the significance of what happened never really set into the public consciousness.
   
   This film will recollect your mind, and help you understand. I say every American needs to meditate on this story, most especially as it now seems that it may not be the odd aberration that most of our political and financial elites then claimed.
   
   I was living in Monterey, California during the time. During the oh so odd rolling blackouts that killed so many traffic lights, air conditioners, and life support apparatuses.. along with some of the poor people that depended on them.. It was the same summer it seemed that half the state was on fire. Warm Corona in the fridge, Apocalypse in the air..
   
   Ah, Good Times..
   
   This film unsparingly reveals who was really behind that catastrophe. Here - amongst many other astounding things - you'll hear tapes of the Enron energy traders (like their colleagues in other energy companies) as they deliberately manipulate the power grid, shutting down power plants at peak demand, thereby driving up electricity prices and blacking out large parts of the state, all the while watching the havoc they make.. and laughing about it. All as their company, along with the pensions funds of tens of thousands of ordinary employees, was collapsing around them.
   
   Enron: True Champions of Deregulation. Pihranas in the kiddie pool. Nihilists, with with no thought of the people they were harming, their only thought on the billions they made off the public's soaring utility bills. All as they were going bankrupt. True black comedy.
   
   The thing is that that this story, all the irresponsible greed and corruption, is supposed to have been localized. It was "only" Enron, World Com, and Tyco that were led by the bad apples. Remember President Bush assuring us? And Congress rushing to pass all those new, tough accounting laws?
   
   Get this film, pop some corn, snuggle up on the couch, and push play.
   
   Watch this, think about about it, and wonder. Do you believe them? Do you still trust them?
   
   As a great American orator once put it "Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."
   
   Yeah, right. Ain't that the truth.



5. "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" is a chilling,engrossing,and surprisingly timely documentary on how a corporation fleeced tons of hard-working Americans and made millions in the process. It starts with ordinary,talented men like the late Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling,as well as an Asian man fascinated by numbers and strippers. They started out as entrepreneurs; they weren't born with silver spoons. In retrospect,it's fascinating to see their ads depicting Enron as an innovative company bringing light to the world.
   
   "Enron" shows the consequences of following Gordon Gecko's "Greed is good" motto. Lay, Skilling, and his associates began to consider themselves above the law. They created artificial shortages and rolling blackouts. In one chilling scene,employees laugh about leaving a grandmother in the dark while shaking her down for money. There was undisciplined speculation, business at its worst. While the movie plays up Enron's connections with the Bush family, Enron also had Democratic connections,and Democratic California governor Gray Davis let them get away with highway robbery.
   
   When people talk about the hikes in oil prices as "Enronesque",this documentary shows why. Enron played the system... and it paid. What goes around comes around.

5 comments about Short Circuit 2.

1. I have always loved this movie. It is even better than the first one!



2. What to do now there's no more Short Circuit movies to watch? Why was there never a third? And why, apart from Johnny 5, was Fisher Stevens the only original character brought back?
   
   Those were only minor quibbles for a great movie. And the god awful cover art, which the more I look at, the more I hate. But then they could have done worse. It could have been a white background with the two main characters photoshopped in.
   
   I really enjoyed the first Short Circuit movie. The second? Even better. With more fun from Johnny, including even more interaction with Ben (Fisher Stevens), and more fun-ness, including making the toy Johnny 5's dance, and more, Short Circuit betters the first.
   
   I was kinda disappointed that Stephany didn't reappear for the second movie, she was a bit of a miss, and was only mentioned a couple of times, apart from a voice recording - but at least she wasn't completely forgotten about.
   
   What's good about reading other reviewer's ... reviews is that the amount of people is saw this when they were young. I always seem to get introduced to these movies a lot later in life - for example I'm a nearly mid-twenty something and seeing this for the first time. What would it have been like to see it as a child? That, I can only dream about.
   
   Short Circuit 2 pretty much follows on from the first, with Ben now in the big city, trying to sell his toy Johnny's on the street, next to a fake Rolex selling vendor. A toy buyer, Sandy, stumbles across a toy Johnny after it 'escapes' and brings it back. Talk of money is banded about, and next thing Ben knows, he needs to make 1000, in 31 days. With the fake Rolex selling vendor, Fred (Michael McKean) as his partner. But bad guys want to break into a bank to steal some priceless jewels, but how are they going to do it? The rest is predictable, but fun.
   
   Jack Weston appears as one of the bad guys, who befriends Johnny, in order to get him on his side, finding out he is incredibly naive. For any eighties rom-com fan will recognise him from Dirty Dancing, as Max Kellerman. (For anyone who hasn't seen this or Dirty Dancing, boy do you need some education!) Short Circuit 2 actually appears to have been Jack Weston's last movie before he died from lymphoma in 1996.
   
   I'm disappointed there was never another Short Circuit movie. And another one. And another one. And another one. It could have been a great franchise. But what's good is normally best left to a minimum, before it loses its glow. Short Circuit didn't pander to the major franchising deals, the endless mindless sequels, and instead left the world a different place with just the two films.
   
   Now where do I buy a little Johnny 5?



3. This is a wonderful film! I think this one is even better than the first one. It's one of those that we can watch again and again. You might want to buy both and make it a night of Short Circuit fun.
   Short Circuit 2
   Short Circuit
   Short Circuit (Special Edition)



4. This film should be rated PG-13 due to the prolific swearing in nearly every scene. There were even a couple of sexual references. My 3 year old pulled this off the shelf at the rental store from the family section. He's seen the ads for the upcoming Walle movie and the robot on the cover of this DVD box has a similar look.
   
   While this film might appear at first glance to be a good candidate for family viewing - it isn't. Adult's who liked the first film will probably enjoy this sequel, but keep it out of reach of your young children, unless you'd like to expand their vocabulary!



5. This movie brings back a lot of memories. Growing up, I went to the theater and watched this film. Same casts of characters as the first one with a few new people in it. Johnny Five is a wonderful example of what a true friend is like. Helps his friend Ben build rebots that would help out his company. Johnny Five also learns the differances of good friends and those who just want to take advantage of others and use him for bad purposes. All in all, this movie rocks!!!!