Bear Stearns was under tremendous pressure on the weekend of June 17. Two hedge funds managed by the company were near collapse.

What did Richard Marin, chief of the asset management unit that oversees the funds, do? He went to the movies. Then he blogged about the film, Mr. Brooks. (Marin gave it a thumbs down.)

“I had been working 24-7 on this thing. Taking a small amount of time to clear my head seemed reasonable,” he told the New York Times.