Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Went to the symphony tonight, which was pretty good but needed something more modern to entertain myself.  Went by CVS for some ice cream and then got this from the red box outside.

As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two-tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor.

38/50 Eggs

In the original Wall Street (1987) director Oliver Stone presented a dire warning for Wall Street brokers everywhere. It came at a time when the financial bubble was close to bursting, and a healthy dose of Oliver Stone's traditionally moral spinning plots seemed both relevant and necessary. While practically all sequels are relevant, very few can claim to be necessary, and it's in the majority that Money Never Sleeps unfortunately falls.

On paper it's a thriller as cold as cash and as calculating as the most experienced of any of Wall Street's real brokers, with Michael Douglas's Gekko as good as it gets to the definitive anti-hero of the financial age. Gekko is just as complicated and compelling as when we left him, all the way back in 1987.

It's a shame then that his vehicle this time round is a slow and derivative script with believability issues uncharacteristic of the usually well-researched Stone. In revisiting Wall Street, Stone seemingly attempts the impossible task of fully comprehending it. It leaves us with a baggy, unbalanced yet ambitious film that spikes at some occasional highs, and bottoms out at some bankrupt lows.

Traffic (2000)

Had to wake up and be around the house while some guys came and fixed some stuff in the kitchen.  Since I have to be around the house for most of the day while they work, the movie marathon begins.  My Dad had been talking about Traffic, and how much he loved Benicio's performance recently so when I saw it was playing on AMC, I put it on.  I've seen it twice I think.  One right around when it came out and once a few years ago.  It was pretty good both times and I new it'd been great once again.

Traffic is a fragmented plot profiling the many sides and facets connected in the ebb and flow of drugs across the Mexican border.  It follows a specific few such as A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is an addict.  The wife of a major drug dealer on trial in America, and a corrupt, yet dedicated Mexican cop who is giving information about cartels to the DEA.

43/50

Traffic was among one of the first fragmented plots and therefore must be credited for its originality.  I love fragmented plots.  As long as they're executed well they can be very captivating, carry a lot of details, and create an unexpected ending.  The execution on this film is perfect, and it definitely deserved the academy award.  Steven Soderbergh, in all his films, has great execution.  Sometimes the movies he decides to direct aren't always the best but everything from the music, editing, lighting, acting, is spot on.  I loved the color used in the shots throughout the film.  Specifically the yellow in the Mexican scenes.  The grittiness and impoverished feeling came through and gave that aspect of the plot great character.  Michael Douglass, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Benicio Del Toro were all great and well cast.  I Highly suggest this movie to anyone.