Just saw "The Big Short" in a movie theater

[Tom Rinaldo]

I have to think that most anyone who sees it who is considering voting in a Democratic Presidential caucus or primary and is not already strongly committed to Hillary Clinton, will find their interest in supporting Bernie Sanders elevated after viewing this film. Absolutely superb and deeply infuriating. Electoral politics doesn't come up, but I think it may well influence some votes. The timing of its release really benefits Sanders.

[WillyT]

1. Look Forward To Seeing It...

Most of us have our eyes glaze over with... for instance...

Derivative Trading...

But movies like this allow us peons to understand how we are being screwed.

[NJCher]

2. interesting

I didn't know that is what it was about. My neighbors saw it yesterday, and while not one per centers, they're close. I think it's intriguing because they never go to movies.



Cher

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. I would be curous how they reacted if you ever find out.

This film is worth a thousand lectures.

[CorporatistNation]

20. The Film IS A Lecture With Explanation In Simple Terms ANYONE Can Understand.. REQUIRED VIEWING

for ANY Primary Voter... It is implicit who has the proper perspective on matters pertaining to Wall Street... Bernie hands Down!

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. And the thing is it actually is entertaining on top of everything else

Full of quirky characters who really pull you in, and this film actually is a true story. It even clues you in directly when it takes a minor artistic liberty. It's all real and mind boggling.

[JRLeft]

3. That movie is a great reason to avoid corporatist like Hillary.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. I thought it was really well done.

[senz]

7. Entertaining movie, fast-paced, nice glimpse into invesetment bankers, hedge fund mgrs.

IOW, Hillary types. And the terrible damage they do to real people.

Another reason to vote for the candidate who wants to re-institute Glass-Steagall and break up the big banks.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. Just for the record there are no direct digs at any politicians in this film

The closest it comes to that is one scene where someone who works for the SEC talks about her plan to quit and seek employment at a Wall Street firm. Classic resolving door. That and making note that just one person did jail time for crashing the world economy while massive and blatant fraud was wide spread.

Honest, no Clinton was hurt in the making of this film. If you agree there is a problem with Wall Street and think that Hillary can tackle it, you too should enjoy this film and bring others to it.

[chervilant]

18. Now, see, there's the rub.

If you agree there is a problem with Wall Street and think that Hillary can tackle it...

How possibly is HRC going to "tackle" the problem with Wall Street, when so many of the worst Wall Street criminals are her major contributors?

The corporate megalomaniacs--who've usurped our media, our politics, AND our global economy--expect their quid pro quo. And, it's obvious to the most casual observer that HRC is their favored candidate.

(And, pay close attention to the main players in "The Big Short." It's not hard to determine which CEOs of which banks were complicit in the crimes that tanked the economy in 2008.)

[Tom Rinaldo]

22. Well yeah, there's that

I will leave it to the viewer to reach that conclusion on their own. I was just assuring Clinton supporters that this film in no way is a hit piece aimed at her. It just sheds light on a very relevant piece of recent American history that virtually all Democrats who care about justice and the working and middle classes and the poor should have strong feelings about. Like I said, I think this movie underscores the message of The Sanders campaign, big time. I tend to connect the dots the same way you do

[chervilant]

34. I was working for Countrywide

when Mozilla (Countrywide's CEO) colluded with other bankers and Wall Street crooks to market "sub-prime" mortgages, for the express purpose of bundling these mortgages with conventional mortgages, then presenting the whole shooting match as triple A investments called CDOs. By the way, Mozilla cashed out his stock options (somewhere in the ball park of $700 million) about two weeks before Countrywide went belly up.

I refused to market the sub-primes, which resulted in my departure from Countrywide, right before the bovine feces hit the fan. The vast majority of my colleagues were happy to collect the higher commissions on the sub-primes, just as the borrowing home buyers were happy to get approved for loans on properties that weren't even close to affordable. In defense of some of the home buyers: they were "sold" a bill of goods by loan officers who assured them they could sell their homes or refinance their ARMs before the teaser rates expired. Still, it seems like a lot of greedy people were looking for "something for nothing."

I had no idea financial "wizards" were buying credit-default swaps, which--in my book--is just as egregious as the crimes committed by those who bundled worthless crap and sold it for triple A paper.

[jhart3333]

40. I always wondered what ARM's were good for.

The only answer I could ever get was from a friend in real estate who said you could use it to get a starter house in an up market and hopefully sell before the teaser rate goes up. It's my theory that the reason interest rates have stayed so low is that raising them will bump the ARM rates up and a whole lot of mortgages will roll over and die.

[chervilant]

48. That's an interesting theory, jhart.

IMHO, the entire banking industry is corrupt and they always, always, always -- have I said always enough? -- ALWAYS get their money.

[jeff47]

57. You don't have to sell. You can refinance.

And in markets where housing prices are shooting up, refinancing several times can make sense. Your crappy 0% to 3% down ARM can turn into a 20% down fixed just by appreciation.

But housing prices do not always go up.

[senz]

42. Well the first place I'd heard about CDOs was this film

which actually explains them. Although I'd heard about sliced and diced mortgage loans previously without understanding how they were used. Also, did not know "Mozilla" was a person's name; did he start Firefox? Hope not, b/c they seem like good people.

I respect your refusal to play along. My then next door neighbor was a victim of all this; bank took her house, she and her boyfriend were forced to move, extremely bitter, sad situation. In an entirely different context, I once refused to do something on ethical grounds when working for a major corporation in a job I loved, but my boss was an exceptional human being and agreed to assign me to a different project. I still look back on the decision with pride as I hope you do, too.

[chervilant]

50. I appreciate your kind words.

I was a program assistant to the loan officer who trained me. Before I was promoted, I helped him book close to a cool million in commissions. In fact, he delayed my promotion to insure he would continue to rake in the big bucks.

Now, traditionally, loan officers gave their assistants a bonus at the end of the fiscal year -- usually a small (1-10) percentage. That greedy man gave me a book that he had received as a gift from our district manager. I've not forgotten that.

Oh, and, he was having an affair with one of our clients (half his age) at the same time he was putting together an anniversary soirée at Vargo's for his wife of 25 years.

[Peace Patriot]

44. Thank you for your explanation and for your ethics, chervilant!

I wish more people involved in American business and finance had your ethical principles!

The "credit-default swaps"--when I first grokked what they were (are?) (--the very rich betting on the debt defaults of the poor; counting on getting richer when ordinary people failed)--my jaw dropped. It was kind of like the moment that I learned that Dick Cheney had awarded huge, no-bid contracts in Iraq to his own company, Halliburton. I just couldn't believe--for a few moments anyway--that anybody could get away with such outrageous things--the most outrageous I'd ever heard of in the modern era.

This is me on "credit-default swaps" and Dick Cheney/Halliburton:



Both things sobered me up, though. The first red-alerted me to how much trouble we (and others in the world) were in, with Cheney and his puppet in the White House, and with a pro-war, pro-1% Corporate Media. There were many other indicators, of course, but the Halliburton contracts blew my mind, and the lack of coverage in the news, and lack of outrage across the board in our political/corporate establishment, blew it again.

Then came the rich betting like Las Vegas gamblers that the poor wouldn't be able to make their mortgage payments....

Well...

me! So much for peace and patriotism among our Overlords.

[chervilant]

52. I hope you've watched,

or plan to watch "The Big Short." I recommend Michael Moore's "Capitalism-A Love Story," and every other documentary that explains how bad things are. More of us need to understand how the "titans" of industry are securing their hegemony at our expense.

[KoKo]

53. ..!

[Tom Rinaldo]

47. "buying credit-default swaps..."

Yes, that thought kept gnawing at me throughout the movie. I kept having fairly tale ending wishes, that those who saw it coming would use a large portion of their "windfall profits" to help those who were devastated by the collapse of the economy. There is no indication in this film that any of them did, though it was good to see the example of that one man who turned his back on the industry. I'm glad also that the guy who first figured it out made the choice that he did at the end. Don't want to be more specific and spoil anything for those who haven't seen this yet.

It is possible to live a good life and turn your back on greed - I thank you also for your stance at Countrywide.

[chervilant]

55. Each time I was involved with

Last edited Mon Jan 11, 2016, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)

the banking industry, I saw first hand the greed and graft intrinsic to the entire system.

I was a branch manager at the largest thrift in Texas before the S&L debacle of the mid-80s. The "officers" of our thrift elected to change the fee structure of our flagship checking account without warning (they "hid" the news in an enclosure made to look like it only applied to a small subset of our wealthier customers). One of my jumbo customers brought the enclosure to me, and hit the ceiling. I promised him I would find out what was going on -- and he promised to remove every bit of his millions in our bank if the new "fees" were not rescinded.

I made enough noise to cause a mandatory meeting in downtown Houston, where the SVP told the VP of Branch Operations to "make sure" we all had at least two glasses of wine because he didn't want us "thinking too clearly." (I heard this bizarre bon mot because I was waiting behind a ficus tree while my tellers used the restroom, and neither officer knew I was there.)

Anyway, the meeting was ridiculous, and the key players wouldn't admit their error in judgment. Shortly after this incident, most thrifts closed their doors. I was gone six months before, since my research told me things were about to blow apart.

Ironically, I found out decades later that the SVP committed suicide by cops after his wife called 911 because he was beating her and threatening her with a pistol.

[Tom Rinaldo]

56. Money corrupts at least as much as power does. And then it buys power

These are some amazing stories you have to tell. I don't mind the simply affluent, but obscene wealth is pornographic unless a really large percentage of it is being redirected toward the common good by those who somehow manage to accumulate it. None of them should object to being in high tax brackets, instead they buy the politicians to lower them.

[saltpoint]

9. From your post here and a couple

others, I feel as if I need to get in to see this film.

[peacebird]

10. Me too.

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. I very rarely see first release films in theaters

I am so glad that I made an exception for this one. I really want all of middle America to see this one. The acting is great, maybe that will help it break out.

[senz]

21. I didn't recognize Ryan Gosling at first with the dark curly wig

and the intense, greedy character he was playing so well. Many of scenes were hilarious, if horrifying. The genius who figured it out was clearly Aspergers imo. It was fun. And, ultimately, sad.

[Fuddnik]

12. I read the book when it first came out. Loved it.

I'll get over to see the flick soon.

[swilton]

13. I agree with your assessment

as I think that the movie "Suffragette" enables the campaign of Hillary.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-moving-historical-drama-suffragette-rings-all-too-true-today/2015/10/29/58df4786-7d81-11e5-afce-2afd1d3eb896_story.html?tid=kp_google


Our culture is highly influenced by the film industry in ways we don't realize.

[senz]

25. I was wondering if it was timed to come out before the primaries

because, for thinking people, it makes Bernie's pro-Glass-Steagall case beautifully.

As for Suffragette, I didn't see it but the name has always irritated me, as the "ette" word ending is considered diminutive, i.e., non-feminist. Feminists have long considered "suffragist" the preferred term.

[Kentonio]

45. Changing to a more modern feminist term is fine for people engaged in activism today

But the Suffragettes wore that title proudly while they sacrificed everything to win their basic rights. It feels a little disrespectful to try and change the names people used proudly back then just so they sound more palatable to modern ears.

[SharonAnn]

14. Just saw it this afternoon. I agree compleely. It was awesome.

[cantbeserious]

15. Agreed - Very Well Done

eom

[90-percent]

16. What will be really infuriating

Is the upcoming crash of 2016. Our government will probably dole out more trillions in taxpayer supplied bailout money so the Titans of Big Finance can lavish themselves once again with their bonuses for doing God's work.


-90% Jimmy

[davidpdx]

17. I happened to see it last night

It was hard to follow in some places and not as clear as documentaries as Inside Job. The part where they explained the packaging and repackaging the mortgages was quite interesting. The character that Christian Bale and Steve Carell played were quite strange. I didn't even recognize Brad Pitt until the middle of the movie, so I'd say his character was played very well. I just found the whole movie very weird.

[Tom Rinaldo]

19. Given how information dense it was

I found it to be an amazing movie. I will gladly sacrifice 10% of the clarity of a documentary for an experience that keep me involved for over two hours caring about the characters and learning boat loads of stuff that I didn't know before. In a metaphoric way, probably intentional, the weirdness of the world that this movie explored was in an odd way in sync for me with the literal experience of watching it. Much better than trying to turn the film into a suspense thriller/love story set on Wall Street before the crash with some actual content snuck into it.

[senz]

28. I think it's intentionally weird

to make up for the inherently dry subject matter. But I do not doubt that some who work in high finance are, well, sociopathic and like to live high, fast, and reckless.

[Art_from_Ark]

61. You're in Korea, right?

Did you watch it on the Internet, on Korean TV or in a Korean theater?

[davidpdx]

62. I downloaded it

Can you get away with that stuff over there? I know the laws in some countries are stricter than others. I believe if you go to Kickass you can find it. I highly recommend having a pop-up blocker like AdBlock on your computer though because that sucker can give you viruses.

[BlueJazz]

23. Saw it last week. Rather pisses you off but in an informative way.

[gordyfl]

24. I Saw It, Too

Left the theater thinking Bernie is on the right side on this issue of Wall Street.

I saw movie way back called "Rogue Trader". Another good one.

[sense]

26. I was surprised by it.

I expected that it might be quite dry, but it was entertaining and easy to watch, although truly disheartening. Since nothing has changed, the debacle will repeat.

[senz]

27. Another good movie about the 2008 Wall St. crash was "Margin Call."

It came out a few years ago and is not as lively and fun as The Big Short, but it's riveting in a suspense/thriller way. It takes place in a Lehman Bros. type office building over the span of one night, the night they learned what was about to happen. Very intense.

Not as educational as The Big Short.

[Ilsa]

31. Yes, with Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, and

Stanley Tucci. Released in 2011. Good movie.

[shadowmayor]

29. This is from an earlier post from before Christmas

I highly recommend that America flock to this movie like we do for Star Wars. Well, one can hope? However, if you want to have a peaceful holidays, best wait until after Christmas. Took my oldest son and 14 year old daughter to see it late last night. When we got home, my daughter said: "How in the hell am I supposed to go to sleep now? I'm really really pissed-off." All I could tell her was to not worry too much as every little thing that Congress has tried to rein in the greedy careless assholes who run the show has been nibbled away, taken apart and de-fanged by the Republicans and some of the spineless whores posing as Democrats. It's the usual response by the United States of Amnesia. My son who has a degree in Mathematics and is finishing a Masters in Economics just shook his head and said: "Thank god they made it funny in parts, otherwise it would be too depressing to make it as a movie."

It's not a documentary, it's a movie designed to tell a story and for my part, I feel it does this extremely well.

[senz]

35. Thank you for that.

I'm wildly impressed with your daughter for understanding it at that depth. I'm also pleased that your clearly intelligent son has a parent(s) that have given him good values, because we need young people like that. Sounds like you've done a great job, shadowmayor.

[ismnotwasm]

30. Just finished the book

Am more committed than ever to Hillary.

[senz]

36. ...

[cantbeserious]

51. Too Sad To Comment

eom

[INdemo]

33. Here is the "Trailer" for The Big Short

Last edited Mon Jan 11, 2016, 01:09 AM - Edit history (2)

Definitely invites you to see it.

Heres the Link

[Uncle Joe]

38. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the preview, Tom Rinaldo.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. Saw 99 Homes and The Big Short

Saw 99 Homes and The Big Short and more importantly as working in a real estate affiliated industry and losing everything those experiences didn't influence my vote. Florida, California, and Nevada were Ground Zero for The Great Real Estate Unraveling. I lived in Florida. In fact I can identify the motel depicted in 99 Homes where people who lost their homes ended up.

What I took issue with in the movie is that only a handful of people saw it coming. Lots of us did.

[Kentonio]

46. Yeah, some people saw it coming and told those nasty people to 'cut it out!'

Which went as well as expected..

[LWolf]

49. I'd see it if

it were playing locally. I'm keeping an eye out.

[Skwmom]

54. Disagree with the trailer - more than a few people knew what was going on. n/t

[ozone_man]

58. Bernie and Elizabeth.

Heroes, for more than a day.

[mobeau69]

59. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Read the book. It's head and shoulders above the movie.

[longship]

60. Michael Lewis' book is fucking wonderful.

It is humorous. It is true. And it is fucking scary!!!

And one cannot read it without loving Steve Eisman (the character played by Steve Carell in the film). In the book, Eisman has a soul. I have not yet seen the film, but I plan to, if it ever shows in rural west Michigan. (Or when it is available on NetFlicks on DVD.)

[EndElectoral]

63. Finally got around to this movie. Disturbing. How anyone could take 250K speaking fees from Goldman

and not feel dirty and compromised is beyond me?