2010 Sundance Day 3: Alex Gibney’s Casino Jack & The United States of Money

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My first ever screening at the Temple theater (or the Doc Temple as they call it), a place I avoided like the plague because it seemed far off the map…and who do I see walking out of the Tilmann Story screening which showed just prior to mine was Michael Moore. I would have liked to have seen Amir Bar-Lev’s film but I was there for Alex Gibney’s latest. I’m dubbing Casino Jack & The United States of Money as a marathon-telethon, Jack Abramoff’s track record of greed and raising money (greed is something that we also saw in the Enron doc) spans back a couple of presidents and is so extensive that Gibney takes 120 minutes to reveal the blueprint. 

Alex Gibney Temple Casino Jack

I couldn’t help but think during the lengthy doc that if its money that turns capitol hill into a farce, how come there isn’t a salary structure like professional sports with assigned watch dogs keeping tabs on each member of congress like their life depended on it. This is a fairly complete portrait – the roots of evil spread from country to country and from senate seat to neighboring senate seat – and yes, even the Democrats have been found to stick their hands to long in the cookie jar. Read my full review coming soon.

Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). He is a Golden Globes Voter, member of the ICS (International Cinephile Society) and AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma).

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