Posted on 09/25/2010 2:52:24 AM PDT by dennisw
In "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," Gordon Gekko is introduced slowly, and deceptively casually. Hovering around like a banished king waiting to prosper, the onetime Master of the Universe is flinty, his suits a summery olive, his hair wavy.
But Douglas is the nexus. He won a Best Actor Oscar the first time around, and this time gives Gekko uncounted layers as he fakes, deals and fuels fires. Stone makes Gekko the speaker of hard truths, and Douglas makes that investment pay off - big-time.
Everyone involved with Oliver Stone's sterling sequel to his '87 classic brings their A-game.
Costumer Ellen Mirojnick puts heroes in morally ambiguous gray, and Josh Brolin's villain in demonic red.
Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography makes the city a character, with the Manhattan skyline eerily transparent.
On the street, characters sink low or have reconciliations on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum.
That's where Gekko and his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), connect after Gekko, who mellowed serving seven years in prison, starts mentoring Winnie's fiancé, Jake (Shia LaBeouf). It's mid-2008, and as the recession looms, Jake is looking for answers to why his investment firm collapsed.
Gekko may be shady, but Bretton James (Brolin) is pure evil - he's Gekko 2.0. James, a kingpin with SEC connections, has his dirty hands in a lot of pies, and he also wants Jake as his protégé. As the housing bubble bursts, Jake must choose which devil he'll trust more.
In "Money Never Sleeps," greed is a constant high, with everyone chasing the dragon.
Brolin, as a memorable villain, charges through his scenes as if hell-bent on destruction, while LaBeouf plays Jake as if he can smell success just around the corner. Even Charlie Sheen shows up as Bud Fox, the wanna-be who helped put his mentor, Gekko, behind bars.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Saw it yesterday
It has some cutting humor in some places
Michael Douglas is over the top good
Shia LaBeuf is credible
Josh Brolin....Very good and evil
The girlfriend had the weakest part
Best movie I’ve seen in months
One good laugh is the crude computer monitors of the Wall Street One movie compared to the 4-LCD displays the traders use in Wall Street 2 and also have at home.
Another thing....... the plot is very coherent and well written. Some critics give it the rap that the story jumps around and makes no sense. That is BS and shows the critic has little idea what goes on in New York and Wall Street
In some exterior shots NYC/Manhattan looks quite shabby and in some exteriors very sleek and modern
Many cameos in this movie of Wall Street big shots. Even Graydon Carter
Wall Street Cheat Sheet: Know Your New York Cameos
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/09/wall_street_cheat_sheet_know_y.html
Have to admit I loved the first movie. Gordon Gecko is one of my favorite characters. Perhaps it’s his lines? They are so loaded you cannot help but laugh at them. I’ll probably go see this movie. It will be the first movie in years I have been to.
Another big liberal whose taxes should go up.
It will be the first movie in years I have been to.>>>>>>>>>>
I have not been in a movie theater for a year or two..... Until I went to see this one. One weak spot is the lame tunes sung by David Byrne with Eno collaboration.
Last movie I went to was Saving Pvt. Ryan.
Also, the ads currently running on television have Gekko quoting Cramer's famous "Bulls make money, Bears make money, ..." line, so I assume that in the movie Gekko is quoting Cramer (perhaps from a previous cameo?)
“Gekko, of course, was conceived as a dyed-in-the-wool creep, and his return to the multiplex after almost two decades set me to thinking about how screenwriters have treated the brokers, arbitragers, and other Wall St. moneymeisters who handle their fortunes.
Not well, as it turns out — they must’ve lost their Hollywood clients a bundle. Is there a profession more reviled in Hollywood? Hookers are given hearts of gold, lawyers can be crusading. Hell, even drug dealers get the girl. But brokers. Nope.”
Since it a Stone product, I’ll be waiting for it on Netflix, or maybe from the library.
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