"The Big Short" Review

I'm on a hot streak, and although that luck didn't carry over to the Powerball drawing, I did catch another fantastic movie. The Big Short will make you confused, it'll make you laugh, and terribly depressed. It is a very important film to watch before this year's election.
The movie shows you the horrendous underbelly of capitalism and deregulation. You see what happens when the greed of our species, a species that mostly evolved during times of scarcity and is hardwired to hoard, is handed a system that allows greed to act without impunity.
The movie moves swiftly and is mostly reckless, much like the financial sector. There are hefty temporal and spatial jumps, but you are never lost. The cuts are quick and disjointed. You are given shots for fractions of a second and the jump cut is utilized often, but all the coverage is worthwhile. There a many scenes shot with a long lens that gives the film a very voyeuristic feeling. The fourth wall is not only broken in this film, but it is knocked over with a wrecking ball and jackhammered to pulp. You are in the movie, and you are an accomplice to the greatest financial failing in the history of mankind.
There is no shortage of names attached to this film. Brad Pitt is not only in the movie, but helped produce it. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling all put on great performances. I have a feeling most people will rave about Carell and Gosling, but it was how Bale handled his character that struck me. His character had very distinct characteristics, and he owned and gave life to all of them. There are no prominent actresses, and I that is only a poor reflection of Wall Street. It seems to me that any institution that is void of a female presence fails to hold any moral standard. For example, religion.
See you at the Oscars, The Big Short.

"Steve Jobs" (2015) Review

Audiences really missed out by not catching Steve Jobs. I doubt that the platform release hindered its box office performance, but maybe two Steve Jobs movies in two years had something to do with it. How unfortunate the Ashton Kutcher film had to come out first, although that's me judging without having seen that movie. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I thought, "Another Steve Jobs film?" but then I quickly saw that Aaron Sorkin wrote film and Danny Boyle directed it. Instantly I thought it was a must see. Then I saw the box office numbers and I thought maybe the film was a miss. It isn't. Don't let the lack of commercial success dispel you from watching this movie. It has the quick wit and pacing like Sorkin's other works, and it's all tied together by the creativity that Boyle always brings.
Many viewers claim that the film depicts Jobs as an egomaniac. Perhaps there is some truth to it. However, I am jealous, turned off, and I admire Jobs in equal parts. His conviction/stubbornness wouldn't allow himself to fail or succeed in any other way than his. That is the complete opposite of what I am. My timid personality is content with walking down the middle as long as no one is hurt. I do not see this as a Jobs bash movie, but rather a deep and honest look into three major and stressful times in Jobs' life. 
The performances throughout are great. Michael Fassbender seems to have a one-on-one scene with each of the other actors and each dance is full of angst and direction. I also really enjoyed Boyle's choice to shoot with film and digital. He always seems to tinker with some production mechanics in each of the movies, and it really pays off in this one. Two different types of film helped show which year the events took place in, but it also showed where Jobs was professionally. Then shooting shifted to digital leading up to the release of the iMac. This choice may be subtle, but I think it made a big difference. The movie is two hours long, but it won't feel that way. I hope it gets some Oscar consideration.

Marco Rubio's New Ad

I'm positive this will play well with most Republicans, but please keep in mind that it offers absolutely no substance. Not a single policy was offered or even suggested. Approach on education? Nope. What are we to do about climate change? Who knows. Should America be so involved in the Middle East? Try again. How should we handle gun violence? Maybe next time.
Everyone is allowed to have faith and practice it. As an agnostic/atheist/anti-theist, I tend to think faith is a detriment to intelligent thinking. But who cares what I think. If you have sound policies, and faith is an important part of your life, then so be it. You at least still have sound policies. In this case, Marco Rubio's faith took up the entire spot, and we learned nothing (Well, something, but probably not what Rubio had intended).

I Saw "Hateful Eight"

Finally got around to checking out The Hateful Eight tonight. When the crazy and talented Quentin Tarantino puts out a film, you just strap yourself in and you expect a crazy ride that honors cinema. Without a doubt this is a Tarantino film. Plenty of dark humor that is timed perfectly. Moments that'll make you uncomfortable, but fit into the context of the film. Lots of dialogue and excess that traditional Hollywood would be too afraid to attempt. Easter eggs for the cinema buff. All of that neatly laced together by the usual Tarantino conventions that we have gotten so used to. Hateful Eight is a slow burner. The movie plays out almost in real time. There aren't many temporal jumps, nor are there many spatial jumps. I think that really tested Tarantino as a writer, and it also challenged the actors. I remember walking out of Inglorious Basterds thinking, "That's not one of my favorite Tarantino films", but it is apparent now that I jumped to a decision too quickly. Perhaps I had to let it absorb and sink in. Basterds is one of my favorite movies now. So, I won't be hasty with my grading of Hateful Eight.

Racism Is Alive And Well

This video has been popping up in my feed a lot lately. I've been reading the comments and it's very apparent we approach racism the same way we approach illness. We're very adept at recognizing the symptoms and remedying them, but in our fervor the cause(s) often slithers by out of sight. I wrote an op-ed for a blogging site a few years back where I touched on how racism is much harder to clearly show to others these days. I described it as a "Veiled Racism". Racism in the form of physical and verbal harassment, relatively, aren't as prevalent these days. I believe racism has become more crafty, and it has found a cozy home within systemic racism. Mr. Pisone has failed to keep up with the evolution of racism, and now finds himself in hot water. What I find troublesome is when racism of Mr. Pisone's nature is documented, we can get everyone on board. But when evidence about systemic racism is presented, it is often written off as "Liberal Sympathy". Don't be distracted by how raucous the symptoms of racism are, but focus on the cause.

My New Year's Resolution

I don't usually care for New Year's Resolutions. Although I do not doubt the feeling of a "Clean Slate", January 1st is a completely arbitrary day on the Gregorian Calendar. There is nothing intrinsically important about this day other than the meaning we give it.
However, I am using this arbitrary starting line to change a habit. Not for just another revolution around the sun, but hopefully for my remaining time as a sentient being. New Year's Resolutions usually fizzle because a year is a long time from the perspective of a human being, but the circumstances of society change rapidly. What you might need to adapt to today, you may not need to tomorrow.

With all that in mind, I want to make better use of the word "Love". The word "Love" in the English language is very limited. It doesn't differentiate the sort of love like some other languages do. That could possibly contribute to why I haven't learned how to use the word properly. Words have meanings, and we need to do a good job protecting the value of words. I quit using words like "Epic" because society has tarnished its value. A hamburger with 3 patties and 3 different kinds of cheese is hardly "epic". I didn't want to contribute to the contamination of the word "Love". It's too important of a word. I think in an overcompensation, my use of the word "Love" has become too conservative. Does "Love" really lose its value if I tell my friends and family that I love them all the time? Should it matter if my use of the word is genuine? I can't think of the last time I told my friend Mitchell that I loved him, even though I love him deeply. I didn't have a chance to tell him thank you, and that I love him, before I had to say goodbye.
Is "to love more" a unique and new New Year's Resolution? Absolutely not. But you look around, and you can see world could use a bit of love.