FILM REVIEW: THE BIG SHORT

Adam “Anchorman” McKay goes semi-straight with his comedy-drama about the 2007/08 financial crisis. 

The Big Short is a pretty hard sell. In fact, if it wasn’t helmed by beloved comedy director Adam McKay and didn’t feature such a star studded ensemble, it probably wouldn’t sell at all. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Michael Lewis, the film is about the 2007/08 financial crisis and, more specifically, the guys that bet against the banks.  The financial crisis ruined the lives of literally millions of people, so why would anyone want to see a film about guys who essentially got rich off of the greed and stupidity of the bankers who created the mess? Like I said, it’s a hard sell…

However, the film is worth seeing for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it is a complete and utter takedown of Wall Street and everyone involved in the sorry mess – McKay is, perhaps surprisingly, quite political and insists that most of his work is told from a leftist slant, with anti-corporate ideas running throughout. In a recent interview with Vulture he said:

“Anchorman was clearly, like, what the fuck happened to the television media, what a joke it’s become. Talladega Nights was about this weird stubborn pride that was showing up in America, kind of the corporate takeover of Southern pride. Stepbrothers was about how consumerism turns grown-ups into little kids.” 

Sure, some of it may be a stretch, but the ideas are no doubt there. The financial crisis in all its intricacies is something that is so ridiculous and awful that maybe all we can do is laugh, and that’s the route McKay has gone down with The Big Short – a comic satire that tries to explain what the hell actually happened.

The aforementioned star-studded cast includes Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Brad Pitt as men who all in some capacity see what others don’t – that the US housing market is built on a bubble which, as bubbles tend to do, is going to burst. It’s a credit to McKay and co-writer Charles Randolph that they have written a script where the men who got rich off the disaster come off as the good guys. Everyone involved gives a good performance, but there isn’t much by the way of character development. Carrell perhaps comes closest, playing Mark Baum – a man traumatised by the death of his brother who believes everything is a conspiracy – but even he finishes up much the way he started. John Margaro and Finn Wittrock also hold their own as two young investors who cash in on the crisis, realising in the process just how broken the system really is.

The film is heavy-handed with its themes (seriously, you won’t meet a banker in The Big Short who isn’t a total prick) and will leave you suitably outraged by the time the credits roll, but it suffers from constant tonal shifting. McKay’s comedic roots are clear, but it feels like he should have either committed to all out satire or something more rooted in drama – either could have worked, but the switching between the two can be jarring. McKay and Randolph have however tried to make the dry as a bone financial jargon that is necessary to the plot as accessible as possible, with Ryan Gosling’s Jared Vennett providing informative voiceover alongside various celebrity cameos (including the likes of Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie) to explain the concepts. Whether or not you think these work will come entirely down to personal preference – some will find them laugh out loud hilarious, whilst others will see them as a cheap gimmick that takes you out of the film (I fall somewhere inbetween).

The Big Short’s real strength lies in the editing – Hank Corwin’s quickfire approach allows the film to build up rapid momentum and he would be fully deserving of taking home the Best Editing Oscar next month. Visually the film is far more interesting than the subject matter should allow it to be, and Barry Ackroyd’s cinematography and McKay’s direction should be celebrated – who’d have thought that one of the pioneers of dick jokes would be a real contender for the Best Director Oscar?

Perhaps not as scathing as it could have been, The Big Short is still an interesting take on the madness that was the biggest financial crisis since 1929 and is well worth a watch.

 

FILM REVIEW: KRAMPUS

An anti-holiday flick that owes more to Gremlins than Black Christmas

Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Certificate: 15

Directed: Michael Dougherty

Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Colette, David Koechner

IMDb: 6.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 65% critics/62% audience

Horrorbuzz

It’s the most wonderful time of the ye- wait, what? Krampus is coming? Perhaps not then. Based on Austro-Bavarian folklore, Krampus is the so-called “shadow of Saint Nicholas” who is sure to punish you if you find yourself on his naughty list, which is exactly what happens to a suburban family in Michael Dougherty’s festive horror-comedy.

Paying heavy homage to Gremlins (1984), the film has a lot more in common with The Gingerdead Man (2005 – it’s a real film, which features Gary Busey and spawned two sequels) than yuletide slashers such as Black Christmas (1974) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), meaning Krampus errs much more on the side of comedy, and is relatively gore free as a result.  This is not necessarily a criticism, as the film has various laugh out loud moments (perhaps not all intentional) and there is heaps of B movie appeal. However, horror fans may feel shortchanged after an ominous marketing campaign focused around what turns out to be sparse scares.

The comedy element should have perhaps been clear based upon the cast, featuring Parks and Recreation alumni Adam Scott and Anchorman (2004) joker David Koechner as part of a greater ensemble, with further star power injected by Toni Collette. Whilst the cast is strong, the characters are generally unlikeable which means that it never feels like the stakes are very high – nobody really cares what happens to them.

Metro

The script is (hilariously) deadpan and thus somewhat of an acquired taste, whilst Krampus himself is a bit of a letdown. The big bad isn’t remotely funny, and doesn’t have enough scare factor to counteract this. His little helpers on the other hand are the perfect blend of creepy and outright hilarious – a particular highlight are the evil gingerbread men, who are like the love children of Gizmo and the Gingerbread Man from Shrek (2002).

There are unexpected moments – such as the animated sequence – that keep the film from being a paint by numbers flick, but suspense is short in supply, and Chuck Wilson at the Village Voice argued in his review that Dougherty has been:

“….charged with delivering a wide appeal PG-13 film”

This point has a strong basis, as it feels like Krampus is holding back from being the sort of film it wants to be. Dougherty is known for 2007 cult hit Trick ‘r Treat, and it would perhaps be interesting to know what this film would have looked like without any input from Universal Pictures, who were obviously keen to cash in on the holiday season and appealing to as many people as possible.

Various quibbles keep the film from being the anti-christmas classic that it wants to establish itself as, but there is still plenty of fun to be had and a fair chance that Krampus will go on the Santa list of those people who find that annual viewings of It’s A Wonderful Life isn’t their bag.

Score: 3/5

What did you think of Krampus? Did it jingle your bells, or are you happy to stick with Santa? Let me know in the comments section below!