So here's one way the World Economic Forum in Davos is not entirely useless: It gave Fox Business Network's Liz Claman the chance to ask several CEOs to name their favorite movies.
The results of this brilliant exercise are revealing. For example, did you know that Jamie Dimon's favorite movie is "Apocalypse Now"? It's true.
The whole list of CEO movies is pretty awesome. Fellini makes a surprising number of appearances. And I'll give you one guess as to what movie two different CEOs of plastics companies most enjoyed, Mrs. Robinson.
But this Dimon revelation is maybe the most intriguing. For one thing, it's a truly interesting choice. Unlike the relentlessly upbeat "Sound Of Music," Bill Gates' favorite movie, or the cheeseball "Top Gun," the inexplicable pick of Goldman Sachs COO (and CEO-in-waiting) Gary Cohn, "Apocalypse Now" is a pretty freaking dark movie. It's a truly great movie, and one of my personal favorites. But it's not the kind of movie you'd expect the golden-haired spokeshero for set-upon bankers everywhere to publicly embrace.
Dimon's explanation of his pick only raises many more questions than it answers:
"I'm a basic guy," he told Claman. "This movie spoke to me."
What is that supposed to mean? What is "a basic guy?" And how exactly does a Vietnam-era telling of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" story speak to "a basic guy?"
And in what way does it speak to Dimon specifically? Is it possible that Dimon identifies with Martin Sheen's character, Capt. Willard, a man on an impossible mission to take out a power-mad dictator, let's call him President Obama? Or maybe Dimon is actually the power-mad dictator, the Colonel Kurtz, who dismisses pesky financial regulators as errand boys, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill?
Or maybe he's just Lt. Col. Kilgore, shouting insane, meaningless pep talks over the roar of helicopters. If Jamie Dimon says it's safe to surf this beach, then it's safe to surf this beach! Jamie Dimon is not afraid to surf this place, Jamie Dimon will surf this whole place!
So many questions.