The Heights
Monday, September 27, 2010
B3
Scandal is golden in ‘Wall Street’ sequel By Enrique Saldivar For the Heights
“It’s not about the money, it’s about the game,” expounds Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), in Oliver Stone’s sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Stone’s sequel is a parody of what happened during the weeks in the late summer and early fall Wall street: money of 2008, with never sleeps the collapse of Oliver Stone Lehman Broth20th Century Fox ers and Bear Stearns and everything else that troubled the economy. The film begins with Gekko’s release from prison in 2001 after being there for eight years. The true story, however, does not take place until seven years later, when Gekko reclaims the general public’s attention with the release of his new book. Among one of his fans is Jake Moore, played by Shia LaBeouf. He is a young investment banker working for Keller Zabel, the film’s fictional fusion of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. When Gekko speaks to a group of college students about his new book he tells them, “You are all f—ed. You are the ninja generation. No investments, no income, and no assets.” After Gekko’s
presentations, Moore approaches Gekko and tells him that he is going to marry his daughter, Winnie, who has not spoken to him in years. Will the father-daughter bond be reconciled? Will Moore fall into Gekko’s old path? Has Gekko changed his mindset? The parodies and ironies that are presented in the film are what make it relatable and realistic. “A fisherman always sees another fisherman from afar,” Gekko tells Moore. Since Gekko has been in prison all these years, another seductive villain has taken his place: Bretton James, as played by Josh Brolin. After the death of Moore’s mentor, Louis Zabel, he begins to think that his hedgefund manager, James, has something to do with it. Moore seeks revenge with help from Gekko, but for all who have seen the first film, Gekko is too smart to do anything without something in return. He asks for Moore to help him reconcile his relationship with his daughter. This is the basis for their relationship. Is Gekko getting a little sentimental? Have those eight years inspired a change in him? Moore is the central character in the film. Though he portrays the typical investment banker, his character remains likeable. He seems driven by some personal morality despite the fact
that he is clearly in it for the money. Moore endures challenge after challenge over the course of the film, some money-related, and some more personal. Zabel, whom he looked upon as a father, dies. Moore must constantly fight back against Bretton James, the so-called antagonist of the film. James is more corrupt and ruthless than Gekko was in the first Wall Street. James shares Gekko’s ostentation; he shows off his Goya painting and his Ducati motorcycle to illustrate the benefits of wealth. Gekko even charmed Bud Fox, as played by Charlie Sheen, with money, women, and a comfortable lifestyle in the debut film. One can’t help but wonder if Stone is trying to make a statement about the Wall Street life. Moore realizes how corrupt James is after only a couple of days, when James makes a Japanese firm invest in a company that he knows will fail in order to reap a profit. Seeing this only gives Moore greater incentive to take James down. The twists and turns that are presented in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, are very real. Stone personifies the events that occurred during the beginning of the financial crisis in the film. The subplots, relationships, and
Families feuding in ‘You Again’ By Blake McLaughlin For The Heights
With her teeth in braces, dorky glasses, bad hair, and awful acne, Marni (Kristen Bell) is the epitome of a high school loser in You you again Again. She has no Andy Fickman friends to sit with Touchstone Pic. at lunch, is made fun of by ruthless cheerleaders, goes completely unnoticed by her crush, and is the mascot of the men’s basketball team. But after her hellish high school years end, Marni revamps her gruesome geeky look and becomes VP of a competitive public relations agency. But just when she thought she had left her high school horrors behind, she discovers her older brother Will (James Wolk) is engaged to her teenage archenemy Joanna (Odette Yustman). Upon Marni’s return home for her brother’s wedding, she is horrified to learn that her family has emotionally replaced her with Joanna. Joanna’s newfound commitment to community service and nursing sick children has enchanted Marni’s family. She cannot believe that of all the women in the world, her brother has chosen her high school tormenter as his bride to be. The worst part of all is that no one can remember how evil Joanna was in high school except for Marni.
Family tension escalates when Joanna’s aunt, Ramona (Sigourney Weaver), arrives for the wedding. The audience realizes that Marni’s mother, Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Ramona share a rocky high school history of their own. From here, the movie revolves around the women’s desire for revenge. They go to ridiculous lengths to outdo one another, embarrassing themselves along the way. The competition reaches its height in a hilarious dance lesson and a disastrous rehearsal dinner. The plot culminates when Marni feels she needs to expose Joanna’s evil past to her brother Will once and for all, before he makes the mistake of his life. Although the “revenge of the nerd” plot told in You Again can be very familiar to the audience, it is difficult to relate to because of Kristen Bell’s all-around poor performance. Bell’s over the top and silly portrayal of a high school geek is not funny or believable. She relies solely on the stark difference of her physical appearance during and after high school. Bell uses slapstick humor as a crutch throughout You Again, unsuccessfully. Humor happens to her in the movie; whether she is kicked in the face during cheerleading try-outs or falling in a bed of ants and nearly bitten to death, Bell is not creating the humor. She relies on her circumstances to do the hard work for her.
Aside from this shortcoming, Bell is truly gorgeous and fun to watch on the big screen. She comes off sweet and charming. Her character traits are likeable and easy to believe. However, Bell was great in Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Jason Segel, so it’s possible that she is better suited in a supporting role than as a lead. As far as personal performances go, Betty White and Jamie Lee Curtis steal the show. White’s portrayal of Grandma Bunny was hysterical. She plays a cougar-grandma who is always on the prowl. Jamie Lee Curtis (in the best shape of her life) plays the mother of the groom and makes the audience roar with laughter. Curtis relives her high school glory days through cheer routines and banter with her ex-best friend, played by Sigourney Weaver. In addition, James Wolk, who plays the groom, is someone to watch out for during the next film season. His character is both a lawyer and a family man, is both athletic and handsome, and, on top of that, drives a Jeep Wrangler. Wolk was so convincing that he is sure to land many upcoming movie roles. In the end, You Again is 27 Dresses meets Mean Girls. The movie satirizes the trials of getting married and the high school experience, but unfortunately it fails to portray either of them memorably. n
of allmoviephoto.com LaBoeuf, Brosnan and Sheen star in ‘Money Never Sleeps,’ a sequel tocourtesy the 1980s original.
characters are extremely realistic. That’s unsurprising, since Stone reportedly had both LaBeouf and Michael Douglas spend several weeks with investment
bankers, firm managers, and brokers who went to prison for insider trading before filming, for inspiration. It seems to have worked. n
Box Office Report title
weekend gross
weeks in release
3 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
1. Wall Street: Money NEver Sleeps
19.0
1
2. Legend of the Guardians
16.3
1
3. The Town
16.0
2
6
8
4. Easy A
10.7
2
5. You Again
8.3
1
6. Devil
6.5
2
7. Resident Evil: Afterlife
4.9
3
8. Alpha and Omega
4.7
2
9. Takers
1.6
5
10. Inception
1.2
11
bestsellers of hardcover fiction
photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Bell, and Betty White star in ‘You Again,’ a tale about how pesky (not to mention tangled) our past can be.
1. Freedom Jonathan Franzen 2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Stieg Larsson 3. No mercy Sherrilyn Kenyon 4. Getting to happy Terry McMillan 5. the help Kathryn Stockett
6. the postcard killers J. Patterson & L. Marklund 7. lost empire Clive Cussler 8. ape house Sara Gruen 9. Dark peril Christine Feehan SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly
‘Legend of the Guardians’ adaptation is far from a hoot By Alexander Bernstein For The Heights
Many recent films have abandoned quality writing, character development, and engaging plots in favor of stunning visuals. Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is nothing more than confirmation of Legend of the this tendency. Like guardians: the George Lucas’ Star owls of ga’hoole Wars: Revenge of Zack Snyder the Sith or James Warner Bros. Cameron’s Avatar, Snyder’s most recent film is filled with pretty computer generated images of breathtaking scenery and fast-paced action sequences, but fails to deliver in other essential ways. The story follows the adventures of Soren (Jim Sturgess), a young, idealistic owl. While growing up, his father told him and his brother, Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) stories of a legendary race of owls called the Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Soren is enthralled by the stories while Kludd spurns the fan-
tastic tales. One day, Soren and Kludd are captured by a group of evil owls, called the Pure Ones, who want to conquer the whole owl kingdom. After a daring escape from the fortress of the Pure Ones and leaving his brother behind, Soren must seek out the help of the mythical Owls of Ga’Hoole to rescue the owl kingdom. Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians does have some positive aspects. The movie has an all-star cast of voice actors, including Sturgess as Soren, Kwanten as Kludd, Hugo Weaving as Noctus (Soren’s father), and others, including Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, and Sam Neill. The movie is based on a series of young-adult novels by Kathryn Lasky, which Snyder manages to condense into one cohesive film. Legend of the Guardians is also fairly entertaining to watch. Though the story and characters are lacking, the screen always displays Snyder’s signature visual displays. The lighting is dramatic. The action sequences are violent, intense, and difficult to follow. The background is seemingly airbrushed behind the characters on the
screen. The film’s crew also does a good job of making dozens of owl characters look somehow distinguishable from one another. Despite myriad bird faces, one can usually tell which owl is which. The cinematography is impressive, as well. There are gripping shots of swooping owls in flight and remarkable panoramas of fantasy landscapes. Overall, the movie is beautiful to look at. However, Legend of the Guardians has little else to offer. Though it has minor entertainment value, the movie has no genuine originality. First, the entire movie is populated by one-dimensional stock characters. Soren is the brazen idealist who can achieve anything if he believes in himself. His brother, Kludd, is the underappreciated, slightly miffed sibling. The villains of the movie, the Pure Ones, are evil and destructive just because they are, with no further explanation. Conversely, the Guardians of Ga’Hoole are altruistic sworn protectors, without any supporting explanation. In addition to the main characters, there is a host of minor owl characters, none of them characteristi-
photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
‘Legend of the Guardians’ may be full of all-star voices, but the film is convoluted at best. cally distinct or adding much to the story. Besides stale comic relief and providing an unnecessary love interest for Soren, the secondary characters of the story do not contribute to the movie at all. The plot also has little to offer. The message “you can achieve anything if you believe in it,” is trite and overused in the movie. Good and idealism win out in the end over greed and cynicism. Soren’s journey is pretty uneventful, and the troupe of
owl friends that follow him to find the Owls of Ga’Hoole become quickly tiresome. Legend of the Guardians is not worth seeing. The movie is too dark and violent for children, yet too nebulous and uninteresting for adults. Snyder makes a decent attempt to turn Lasky’s series of books into a feature film, but it seems he was unsure of what he wanted to achieve. The result is a movie that submits to a mass of fantasy film cliches. n