Margin Call (2011)

Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Simon Baker and Demi Moore negotiate the end of a fictional investment bank (Lehman Brothers) during the 2008 financial crisis, and writer-director J.C. Chandor uses taunt dialogue and few sets to make a thriller.

d: J.C. Chandor | imdb.com | trailer

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

In her first feature film, Elizabeth Olsen brilliantly portrays her desperate mental state after escaping from a cult in rural New York. John Hawkes (“Winter’s Bone”) is just as excellent as the cult leader. But the movie has no third act.

d: Sean Durkin | imdb.com | trailer | Elizabeth Olsen | the story

The Ides of March (2011)

George Clooney directs an elementary story of an idealized presidential candidate (played by Clooney) who turns out to be just as human as any politician, and aid Ryan Gosling realizes what everyone already knows — that politics is a cynical business.

d: George Clooney | imdb.com | trailer | Charlie Rose
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