Movie of the year! (and it's not Star Wars)

[NastyRiffraff]

I am a Star Wars fan, and I intend to see the latest. I'm waiting for the mob to thin out, though.

But..today I saw The Big Short and I'm telling you, you've got to see it. For those unfamiliar with the book by Michael Lewis (writer of Liar's Poker, it's a chronicle of the 2008 banking disaster. If that sounds kinda boring (it did to me, until someone highly recommended the book), let me assure you it's not. Trouble is, it made me furious at the banking industry all over again. The film is very well done with an excellent cast.

Brad Pitt produced the film, and played a relatively minor role. Other stars were Christian Bale (excellent as the guy with Asperger Syndrome), Ryan Gosling (the selfish but smart one who nobody trusted) and the scene and film stealer: Steve Carell (The Office), a comedic actor who does great drama in this (but is still funny).

See this, You won't regret it. I did what I hadn't done in years: go to an actual theater to see a movie.

[longship]

1. It is a wonderful book.

I have read it multiple times. Michael Lewis has a way of choosing characters around which to weave his narratives. And get this right off the bat; it is all about the narrative. Humans are a story telling animal, and Michael Lewis understands that in spades.

The main character of the book is Steve Eisman, in the film played by Steve Carell (strangely cast as Mark Baum). Christian Bale plays Dr. Michael Burry (strangely cast as Michael Burry). Other main characters have new names, but some don't. Eisman's partners Vinny Daniels and Danny Moses retain their real names.

I have not yet seen the film, but knowing the book so well I wonder why the production company would want to make the story so confusing. Why not just use everybody's real names?

BTW, it is a great read. Lewis has a great sense of humor. And Steve Eisman offers plenty of opportunity to exploit that. His interaction with the head of a Japanese real estate firm is illustrative. Eisman, through an interpreter, is discussing whether he will invest in the company.

Here is how Michael Lewis relates it:

Eisman noted that the guy's financial statements didn't actually disclose any of the really important details about the guy's company; but, rather than simply say that, he lifted the statement in the air, as if disposing of a turd. "This is toilet paper," he said. "Translate that."

"The Japanese guy takes off his glasses," recalled a witness to the strange encounter. "His lips were quavering. World War Three is about to break out. 'Toy-lay paper? Toy-lay paper?'"

Yup! Eisman is brutally honest.

However Eisman is also the ethical center of the story. When the whole financial world is crumbling, and Eisman and his partners are sitting on the steps of St. Patricks, all having got extremely wealthy betting against Wall Street, it is Steve Eisman who takes no joy in it.

I recommend the book and I have some friends with whom I will see the film. One of them is a professor emeritus in economics. Yes, there will be plenty discussion and beer served after the movie. We all have read the book.

[longship]

2. Ryan Gosling plays Greg Lippmann.

Strangely cast as Jared Vennett.

Eisman's compatriot Vinny Daniels notably asked Lippmann when he pitched his credit default swaps to them, "I just want to know how you are going to fuck me."

Lippmann is an utter sleaze bag in the book, but one on the right side in some respects. He also helped bring the world's economic system down. It is a strange situation.

Knowing the players in the game and how the game was played helps.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Lippmann probably asked that his real name not be used n/t.

[CrispyQ]

3. I saw it yesterday.

I hardly ever go to a theater but a friend & I went yesterday. We both thought it was really good. I'm not sure I would have fully understood what was going on had I not seen "Inside Job" first. Which of course is a dry documentary, although I didn't find it dry at all.

Bale is a phenomenal actor.

So how was your theater experience? We went to a theater I've never been to before. They have reclining seats & you can reserve a specific seat ahead of time. We didn't know that & ended up in the 2nd row. Of all the trailers for new movies, there wasn't one I'd care to see.

[NastyRiffraff]

4. I loved the reclining seats!

We went to an unfamiliar theater also. No reserved seats but they were very comfy. The trailers went on FOREVER and I didn't want to see any of them either.

[davidpdx]

5. I just downloaded it here in Korea and will watch it tonight

I happened to hear about it through a post on Facebook by Robert Reich who strongly recommended it.

[valerief]

6. Saw it the other day and loved it--and hated Wall St. Again.

And to think it was all flamed by Clinton's decimation of Glass-Steagall and Bush the "Homeowner President." Just rely on the SEC's lack of oversight, the banks' greed and recklessness, and S&P's whoredom, and you can make a bundle of money without a war.

[shrike]

7. Anyone paying attention during those years knew something screwy was going on

We just weren't privy to the details.

2008 will always remind me of a line in a Bob Dylan song. In the song, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, a gang of robbers are drilling their way into a bank. The line goes like this:

The drillin' in the wall kept up, but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

Bob get it exactly right without knowing it. That was 2005-2008.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. I knew something was screwy when I looked into

buying a home in 2006 I had good credit and money for a down payment, but the lenders I talked to said they could only get me approved for a "stated income" lone and an ARM. I said I would wait.

The thing is, I bought a foreclosure back in 86. Fully half the homes in the subdivision had been foreclosed. The loans when the houses were built in the early 80s had been ARMs or fixed rate loans at FOURTEEN PERCENT. So it's not like this hadn't happened before, just not on as big a scale.

[bigwillq]

8. Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton, Big Short, Creed, Inside Out

Would be my Top 5 so far. With Beasts of No Nation at No. 6.

Still have a few more to see.

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Writers just won for Best Adapted Screenplay n/t

[CrispyQ]

10. We got this from Netflix & watched it last night.

I'd seen it before, but it was better the 2nd time. Caught a lot of little stuff I'd missed before.

Highly recommended!

[PavelKO]

13. TV series of the year...

I am not sure what movie is that of the year, but if you have asked me about TV series, I would mention Game of Thrones and Lost, above all.

[pressbox69]

14. I thought it was overrated.

Kept nodding off.

[dylb2]

15. reply

Hear really mixed reviews on this one