Welcome to this special edition of LaF: LaF goes to the Oscars.

Our review today features Adam McKay's dissection of the 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short. Boasting five academy award nominations, this movie made quite an impact at the end of the year, and, like its subject matter, took many people by surprise. Marked by witty dialogue, snappy editing and innovative film techniques, The Big Short solidified its Oscar chances by winning top honors at this year's Producer's Guild Awards. Other Oscars nominations go to Christian Bale for his performance as financial analyst Michael Burry, and Best Director Adam McCay who also earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nod along with Charles Rudolph. Rounding out the nominations is Hank Corwin for Best Film Editing. In addition to Bale, this film boasts an impressive cast which includes Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and Steve Carrell. 

The LaF Podcast wanders into the confusing world of Default Swaps, Hedge Funds and Synthetic CDOs to analyze The Big Short.