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'Money Never Sleeps' earns interest
Showtime with Sasha
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Shia LaBeouf and Michael Douglas star in "Money Never Sleeps." - photo by From 20th Century Fox poster
Today we’re talking about the Wall Street sequel that re-teams director Oliver Stone with actor Michael Douglas some 23 years after the original. And here’s my two cents.
They call “Money Never Sleeps” a cautionary tale and that’s true enough, but it also makes the film sound terribly boring. I was initially excited about this film, not just because the first one was pretty good, but also because I’m a fan of newcomers to Wall Street, Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan.
It was after the film debuted that I became more dazzled by “The Social Network” and “The Town,” which are slightly higher caliber films — the sort that garner Oscar buzz. But I’m glad I returned my interest to Wall Street.
I was also worried “Money Never Sleeps” would be just a remake of the original. It wasn’t. This time, audiences get a little history lesson about the recent financial crisis. We also learn that greed isn’t the only evil there is. Revenge can be just as nasty.
A new villain takes the stage thanks to actor Josh Brolin. He’s kind of a go-to man for Hollywood villains these days, but I simply cannot wait to see him in the Cohen Brothers’ remake of “True Grit.”
In “Money Never Sleeps,” he and Shia characterize their rivalry with a head-to-head motorcycle race. Looking back, that was probably a little silly, but the worst thing about the movie winds up being its terrible graphics.
Oliver Stone, we understand money doesn’t sleep, but did you have to waste it on those lengthy sequences of cheesy computer animations? The year is 2010; we know technology has changed the game. But don’t bring Pong-level graphics to a Modern Warfare 2 audience.
And while I’m throwing jabs, I may as well let you know your soundtrack can stand for some improvement as well. Reusing the same track three times in one film only really works for Disney.
The best thing about “Money Never Sleeps” is probably Frank Langella. He played Dracula in 1979 and I haven’t seen him since last year in “The Box.” It was nice to see the man act in a human role, you know, one where he isn’t a sci-fi monster.
But when it comes to film, I find you’re either a fan or you’re not.
This one won’t win any Oscars but it was entertaining, so I’m a fan.
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