The Big Short: Laugh, Cry, Rage, Or All Of The Above
Posted: December 12, 2015 Filed under: Rant-a-palooza | Tags: 2015, Adam McKay, Brad Pitt, Charles Randolph, Christian Bale, Film Review, Financial Crisis, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Michael Lewis, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carrell, The Big Short 2 Comments
The thing about “docudramas” is that, while the really well-made ones can be thrilling and engaging and impactful (see: Spotlight), they are also very likely going to be understated, dry affairs to some extent or another. A stylized approach is never really expected for films that purport to directly dramatize real-world events, especially if they also want to educate the audience in the process. But with The Big Short, Adam McKay says “fuck that shit” and takes the dry and intellectual subject of the financial crisis and turns it into a furious, irreverent expose that entertains as well as any other movie this year while also being informative and intelligent. This is angry, provocative filmmaking, that illuminates and drives home exactly how much the elite financial world fucked us all over, and demonstrates how everyone basically allowed it to happen out of ignorance, stupidity, ego and greed.
Monthly Preview: December 2015
Posted: December 1, 2015 Filed under: Monthly Preview | Tags: Adam McKay, Amy Poehler, Anomalisa, Brad Pitt, Chi-Raq, Christian Bale, December 2015, IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! STAR WARS IS HERE, Joy, Justin Kurzel, Macbeth, Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender, Monthly Preview, Quentin Tarantino, Ryan Gosling, Sisters, Spike Lee, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Steve Carrell, The Big Short, The Hateful Eight, The Revenant, Tina Fey Leave a comment
This is it, folks: the last month of 2015. It’s been a damn good year with tons of great films, and that trend looks to continue right up to the final buzzer. And for me, it feels like the whole year has just been a prelude to the last two films on this list. These films are the latest installments in cinematic bloodlines that have defined movies for me as much as anything else that ever hit the big screen, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next. Chances are you can probably guess which ones those are in advance, but for those who can’t you can see for yourself after the jump.
For Ant-Man And Marvel, Smaller Is Just What The Doctor Ordered
Posted: July 17, 2015 Filed under: Rant-a-palooza | Tags: 2015, Adam McKay, Ant-man, Corey Stoll, Edgar Wright, Evangeline Lilly, Joe Cornish, Marvel Studios, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Paul Rudd, Peyton Reed Leave a comment
Imagine a father and mother that share interests and passions and get together and have a child. But as the father and mother set about raising the child they realize they have different ideas and goals and hopes for the future and they can’t find a middle ground. So then the father decides it’s best to step away rather than subject the child to further strife between him and the mother. Eventually the mother falls for someone else and the child gets a step-father. And while the biological father certainly had an influence on the child it’s ultimately the step-father’s support and encouragement that allows the child to grow up into a fully functional adult.
Now imagine that the father is Edgar Wright, the mother is Marvel Studios, the step-father is Peyton Reed and the child is Ant-Man. While much was made of Wright’s departure from the film, I feel like it was best for everyone involved, and ultimately for the movie itself. It’s better that Wright not make a compromised version of his film, better that Marvel not get a movie that doesn’t fit their franchise, and better that Peyton Reed brought an unbiased perspective to balance both ends of the equation to make a more complete film. That is my take on the behind-the-scenes saga of Ant-Man, and thankfully the film itself has proven to be worth all the effort.
CREATION FROM CHAOS 