Revenant, as in Come Back to Taunt Us

Revenant, as in come back to taunt us, returns not just as the epic film but as the epic escape film.  The hero's escapes ring falser than even the "spiritual" moments.   Whether he's falling down the mountains or rolling down a water fall, the theme song seems to be "Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again."   

I liked Leonard di Caprio's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes as much as did any movie goer who's read The Sixth Extinction. 

But it's too bad that the movie he starred in is getting so much more attention than more nuanced,  convincing movies "based on a true story." 

Before the Golden Globe Awards  I was marveling at how many good movies came out late last year.  Brooklyn and Room are as good as the books.  Spotlight and The Big Short both deal more artfully and honestly with problems we need to confront.  The only film that disappointed me was Revenant, which I saw only because it had been nominated.   I hate to think of how many not very good movies I've seen over the year because they've been nominated for--and sometimes won--the Oscar!