Three Reviews: Short/Martian/Revenant

"The Big Short" is a docudrama of the Lewis book. I had little hopes for it; the book describes a complex financial story, the elements of the 2008 financial collapse, and I thought would be hard to do. The movie is pretty successful. They accepted the difficulties and simply announced them to the audience. Then they did self-effacing stage whispers and asides to explain the tough parts. While the awful people come across as awful, the victims are a bit removed. (It is tough when so many people--even the average guy--are benefiting right up to when the music stops. Everyone saw the advantages of the free money.) The guys who spotted the problem are well done. They are, dramatically, the most difficult because, as Lewis emphasizes, the only people with clear vision are true outsiders and they, as a rule, are not attractive people or heroes. I thought Bale was particularly good in the difficult role of the unfortunate Burry. My only grouse was the story was a bit sanitized. These people were really terrible people and were unbelievably cruel, much crueler than portrayed. And the government's part was diminished with only the SEC and the ratings people criticized; the easy money government policies and the sub-prime impetus were never really mentioned, as if this occurred in a governmental vacuum rather than the result of a conscious, complicit effort on the part of legislators.

"The Martian" is the result of a thought experiment: What would happen if a knowledgeable scientist was abandoned on Mars? One man shows--like "Castaway"--can be wearying but there is enough variety in the plot-line not to burden Matt Damon too much. It is clever enough and certainly dramatic--several people watching shouted out with dismay at anxious moments. There are some peculiar elements that seem a bit forced--the prominence of female action heroes (of the four hundred seventy or so astronauts with astronaut badges signifying flight at greater than fifty miles from earth, forty are women), the surprising assistance of known and sworn political enemies--and are noticeable (and the movie had a disclaimer at the end--something I can not remember seeing before but perhaps I was just sensitive to the circumstance.) Generally a fun movie.

"The Revenant" is a mixed survivalist-revenge movie with astonishing and relentless action pursued by furious and dangerous men, some pathological. DiCaprio is good, Hardy, whose part is juicier, is terrific. The opening minutes are unforgettable. There are some clear problems. There is no relief for the audience; the terrors are non-stop, relieved only by periodic reloading. You know it is a tough movie when starvation is a respite. And there is some irresolution--a strange quality in so riveting a story played out by men of such intensity. And finally there is the theme; anything named "The Revenant" has a heavy burden, especially when the man returning from the grave has visions. Regrettably the people who made the movie seemed content to create the question and leave it at that.