I just watched documentary "Inside Job". A comment I posted below.

http://www.insideredbox.com/movies/?i=3376

Movie and good directors commentary included on Redbox rental.  I've watched the CNBC "House of Cards" and the PBS shows on the crash several times.  This is like an upgraded version of the PBS show.

It has criticism of Obama but has a mild left wing tilt similar to the PBS documentary versus a History or Discovery Channel documentary on the same subject.   Not a strong tilt but it is there.  For example Rep Barney Frank claimed that thirty years ago mortgages were made by the banks which received payments.  Actually, this type of "It's a Wonderful Life" type mortgages from demand passbook account money was responsible for the S&L bailout when interest rates rose.

I bought FHA fixed in 1986.  My mortgage was resold several times.  They were bundled and the idea then was diversification so you don't have all the eggs in one basket if a city has an natural disaster or major industry closure. (Think New Orleans after Katrina).

Also, they discussed Iceland mentioning the "raping of the environment" to use geothermal and build dams to generate electricity primarily for aluminum refining.  They showed basically glacier scarp "badlands" to build dams and other facilities.   An implication but not description of any significant environmental or financial harm caused by this development  beyond subjective "visual pollution".

As far as I can tell the aluminum production business (which requires huge amounts of electricity) will be a "cash cow" for Iceland for many decades.  Unless we eventually develop a "hydrogen economy" which is unlikely with "fracking" natural gas finds, the surplus Iceland electricity is basically useless except for aluminum refining.

The director, in the commentary admits he didn't do enough to delve into US gov Fannie and Freddie which repurchased these subprime trances and gave them US government insurance.  Big flaw!

As to the Academy Awards, they totally ignored the far more meaningful "Waiting for Superman" (which was against the Hollywood sacred cow, unions) but gave nomination to this and the highly flawed documentary "Gasland".

That said, if taken with a grain of salt Inside Job is a good documentary on the financial collapse.  Basically because I had other "pots on the stove" I had all my investments in low risk fixed interest placement.  Very little loss but I am constantly running into people who lost 40% or more in their investments.

That said, worth the Redbox rental if just for the excellent cityscape views.  If you can't understand some of my comments here you get it all from the DVD but some of it will sink in.

To say it is complicated is an understatement.