24 janeiro, 2016

Numa sala perto de mim #326

Two recent movies amply nominated for the oscars...
none of them my cup of tea.
The Big Short (2015) shows the artificial buildup of the financial system based on a faulty housing market and its unfolding in 2007-2008. The prediction of the outcome came from a socially challenged individual, who bet against the housing market in 2005 and profited handsomely with the collapse of the world economy. His ideas leaked to a limited number of other individuals that confirmed in disbelief the prediction and also betted on the outcome that no one else thought possible. Impressive acting by all involved, too bad it was Christian Bale getting the nomination for Best Supporting Actor instead of Steve Carrell. Five nominations seems appropriate.
The Revenant (2015) also based on the true story of Hugh Glass. An early nineteenth century explorer of the American West (presently Yellow Stone National Park territory, then Indian territory), Glass was involved in the fur trade, survived a bear attack, and was left behind for dead by his companions only to come back and seek revenge. In the movie Glass survives much more than a bear attack, he also survives river rapids and falls, falling off a cliff mounted on a horse, Indian attacks, French attacks, a pseudo-avalanche, and of course his main enemy. Though violent and rough, the movie can be seen either as a pure survival story in the wild with very little technology and under extreme weather conditions (ideal for the fans of radical sports, or extreme reality shows), or as a compilation of various forms of dealing with loss and revenge (a father for a son, a father for a daughter, a son for his mother, a man for his family). I am not fond of either and I don't find the particular combination of the two very compelling, but in the entire history of movies this is just the sixteenth gathering 12 nominations (only 11 films ever earned more), the others were:

Ben Hur (1950, won 11 oscars)
The English Patient (1996, won 9)
On The Waterfront (1954, won 8)
My Fair Lady (1964, won 8)
Dances with Wolves (1990, won 7) 
Schindler's List (1993, won 7)
Mrs. Miniver (1942, won 6)
Gladiator (2000, won 5)
The Song of Bernadette (1943, won 4)
A Street Car Named Desire (1951, won 4)
The King's Speech (2010, won 4)
Reds (1981, won 3)
Lincoln (2012, won 2)
Johnny Belinda (1948, won 1)
Becket (1964, won 1).

Only six (in italics) did not win Best Movie. Let's see where The Revenant ranks on February 22... the countdown is on and I still want to see quite a few movies!

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