The Big Short (2015)

[Dementeleus]

1 hour ago, redfirebird2008 said:

Bale's character is awesome, especially since it's a real life guy who figured out all this stuff before anyone else.

 

Not only did Mike Burry let them use his name, he apparently lent his clothes to Bale for his wardrobe.

[CJohn]

MARGOT ROBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE

 

9/10

[baumer]

10 hours ago, CJohn said:

MARGOT ROBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE

 

9/10

 

Now fuck off.

[Goffe]

It doesn't matter how didactically delivered the explanations are, it's just too much information for me to absorb in two hours, and McKay already pushed too far with a number of times he stopped the movie to explain what was happening. 

 

In my opinion, movies like these should simplify the lingo as best as they can and not explain anything at all, instead, they should focus on the ethical angle of it all.

 

I like to say that you don't need to understand the movie to fall in love with it, so obviously the plot wasn't the only problem I had with this.

 

Bale was very good though, every scene with him was an instant  attention-grabbing for me. 35/100

[Hatebox]

^ Trust me, compared to the book the movie simplified it as much as it was humanly possible. The lead characters still have to sound like they actually know a bit about finance given its their profession.

[AniNate]

I had a sense the movie was using the complexity of the lingo to push its own agenda.

[redfirebird2008]

2 hours ago, tribefan695 said:

I had a sense the movie was using the complexity of the lingo to push its own agenda.

 

McKay's agenda is to break up the big banks. Good agenda if you ask me. Goldman Sachs just announced a $5 billion settlement for their unethical behavior in the housing bubble and bust. $5 billion is chump change considering what they did. Their CEO and other high level employees should have gone to jail. Our economy should not be held hostage by the mega banks. 

[BK007]

On December 25, 2015 at 1:45 AM, tribefan695 said:

 

The movie so often hints at a deeper, more nuanced presentation of the events that led to the 2008 crash that it's really disappointing to see it fall back on the same old broad cynicism and condescending "BANKERS ARE EVIL!!!!!" asides. It never seems certain of what sort of message it's trying to send or what action it's wanting to call us to make. Mashing up the tones of Inside Job and The Wolf of Wall Street results in a lesser impact than either of those films.

 

Not that we agree on most, if not all, films, but come on.

 

Practically everyone has got away scott free from this episode and have lived to tell or rather, fuck us all once again. Cynicism was and is welcome since nothing has changed. I do wonder if you, or anyone else reviewing or seeing this film, is aware that it's not "just" a film. To step away and solely judge it on its film merits, would be an absolute tragedy and further proves McKay's point about our culture.

 

This was an absolutely stellar movie. Weaves its narratives and themes and its point perfectly. Think its better than the Wolf of Wall Street, which, honestly, compared to this, seems like an overacted fantasy- and this is the one with multiple shatterings of the fourth wall and Margot Robbie in a soap bath. 

[AniNate]

I'm just sick of it, mostly. I'd like someone to talk about possible solutions to this problem rather than just keep reminding us how shitty the world is.

Looking back on this film, though, overall I think I was more entertained than I let on while watching it. I don't hate this movie, I just wish it were saying something different

[Lordmandeep]

Lol unless your a liberal art student..

 

*joking

 

I think the information was provided in the most dumb down way possible with real life comparisons with text on screen as well. I am not sure how they make it make more simple. People in such professions use jargon and lingo like in the film, or else how would work get done. You think people spend all day saying 'Collateralize Debt Obligations' instead of CDO's to each other all day twenty times. 

 

Maybe I am biased as I am Student of Finance I knew what was going on and was going to happen. 

 

Imo this should be required viewing for everyone going into financial industry. I think we should be nuanced in our views. It is true that many high level bankers are pure evil, but the lower or mid levels are just cogs in the wheel just trying to make a living.

 

Personally the performances are decent to good, but the message and narrative are well done. It is not some indie Hollywood film or Micheal Moore film taking a a simplistic viewpoint  "wah saying capitalism is bad" and etc. It is more a critique of peoples humanity, group think and fudicary obligations, government role in society  and so much more.

 

Personally what happened with the financial crisis disgusts me. You all know I am not a idealist or have strong absolute morals, but to me the behaviour of the bankers was just evil.

 

That is why I believe in strong regulations of the banks. I am a realist and think if people are giving the opportunity they will descend to depravity if they face no consequences. Additionally as we have seen in Canada, if you have strong regulation, your encourage a more ethical form of banking overall in the financial institution as well. 

 

A- 

[Goffe]

"liberal art studen"  

 

is there a conservative art student? 

[Lordmandeep]

14 hours ago, Goffe said:

"liberal art studen"  

 

is there a conservative art student? 

It's a North American joke and it's not political based.

 

Liberal arts is more of a generic study then focused study in university. Stereotypes is they have no real skills or specified knowledge but in reality many do.

 

Quite a few people who are  bankers have no financial education.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Lordmandeep

[TheMovieman]

Might write up more later but all I can say is, "Now this is a movie worthy of Best Picture". I loved the heck out of this movie from the performances, direction, editing and writing which was brilliant. It made it easy to understand the complexities of the collapse yet not dumbing it down so much that it detracts from the drama (if that makes any sense). I enjoyed the first two acts which melded the comedy and drama before the third act hits you with a brick in its seriousness (might be just me, but the movie started off with comedy, then comedy/drama, then drama/comedy before finishing almost fully drama). I also enjoyed Steve Carell who was boisterous but never quite over-the-top, really nice, top-notch performance.

 

*****/*****, (A+, 9.8/10, 4/4)

[department store basement]

Pretty bad.

 

We have two characters (Burry and Baum) who are sympathetic and well-developed, yet the film is narrated by a character (Vennett) who just gloats about the fact that he and the others got rich (at the expense of the eeevil banks of course). Ugh.

 

This film also suffers from the cheap jokes that Adam McKay likes so much...while they're fine in a frivolous movie like Step Brothers they drag a more serious film like this down.

 

51/100 - C+

Edited April 7, 2016 by department store basement

[Joel M]

It was a good movie. McKay was a brilliant choice to make this story compelling, funny and comprehensible without feeling like homework. I think the movie is just in the middle between the subtle minimalism of Margin Call and the balls-to-the-walls insanity of Wolf of Wall Street. I liked both of those movies more than Big Short, but it's still a worthy movie that has something honest to say about the whole thing besides the easy audience pat on the back "bankers are EVIL!!!".

 

The cast was stellar from Carell and Gosling to the younger guys who aren't famous enough to be on the poster. The only performance that I found terrible was Bale. I admire him as an actor and I know I'm in the minority on this one, but he was sooo bad in this I couldn't believe it. 

 

B+.