Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a follow up to the classic film Wall Street (1987). Both directed by Oliver Stone and starring Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. New to the second film is Shia LaBeouf as Jake Moore; Carrie Mulligan as Gordon's estranged daughter Winnie who's also in a relationship with Jake. Also there's Josh Brolin as Bretton James. This just isn't a commentary on Wall Street greed and how it can change the world, it's a story focused on family and relationships.

The first thing to say about Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is that it's a valid sequel. That's something that cannot always be said when sequels come rolling around. This new movie fits the modern era and state of economic affairs the same way the original applied to the situation of the latter 1980s. It's scary to see a group of about 10 people sitting around a table deciding how financial situations are going to be for everyone else in the world and only thinking about themselves.

The main themes are clear: Greed, envy, and revenge. But it's more specifically how those three things can affect how we treat and view other people around us-whether they be professional associates or, especially, family.

It's this main focus on family that I think make Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps a movie that everybody should be able to watch, appreciate, and connect with. It's certainly not just for those who understand (or think they understand) Wall Street market stuff. That's not really the story being told.

I need to comment on the great acting. This is the best performance to date for Shia. I've always liked him but he really did well in this movie. Also too, this may be the best I've seen from Michael Douglas. Tough to say but maybe it is. It's great to see Josh Brolin in something good (not Jonah Hex). Brolin's character is really tough and dark and he pulled it off wonderfully.

Finally, without any spoilers, the ending was great and well written and played...I really think this is a great movie for everyone...GO NOW!

Let Me In

Let Me In, the Americanized and Hammer produced version of the Swedish film Let The Right One In, is out in theatres. It stars Chloe Moretz as Abby and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen. It's directed by the same guy that did Cloverfield. It tells the tale of lonely and bullied Owen and his strange relationship with his new neighbor Chloe. Chloe is "not a girl" but a vampire completely dependent on human blood to survive. This is all set against the background of 1983 somewhere in the northern US.

I will open up by saying this. Let Me In is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I left the theatre just barely leaving Kick Ass as my favorite for the year (which also co-stars Chloe).

This movie has an incredible story. It's oddly very heart warming but also filled with suspense. There's one scene that just kind of creeped up on me. It was really good. Also you cannot overlook the extremely high level of acting by Chloe and Kodi. Their performances are the best for a duo since...I don't know, Elliot and ET? (There's a great deal of similarity between Let Me In and E.T. when you think about it).

Let me reveal some of the underlining themes of the film. All over this movie is lonliness and isolation. I think it may be prevalent in ways not immediately noticeable the more. There are parents too consumed with their own problems to really give the attention and care to their son. And we also have a relationship between two outcasts that are two different types of people...or beings (This is alluded to by a certain play being read for a school assignment). This relationship develops into an innocent romance between two 12 year olds. All of this is beautifully woven together and developed in a very careful way.

In addition to all this Let Me In has a great atmosphere which is reminiscent of the classic Hammer films (Dracula movies with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee for example). It's very dark and gothic. You can feel the cold air coming right off the movie screen. In contrast to this though is the, for me anyway, sense of nostalgia of the 1980s. There are countless things that contribute to this. Some more obvious than others.

For me, Let Me In is an instant classic.....GO NOW!!