It takes a very tough person to stand in the ring for more than a few rounds. Same goes for this movie. It is not for the weak-minded or faint of heart. But it is well worth the pain of watching horrible people ruin each others lives. Mark Wahlberg was the main character here and did a great job, but as in the fiction, his older brother played by Christian Bale, gets all the glory and won the Oscar. And their clueless, self-serving mother played by Melissa Leo also won. There is no lack of talent or great performances here, but one one can win. Amy Irving was also nominated for her role as the champ's love interest, but the wicked witch of Lowell won out. Based on real people and events, this movie is a mix of actual and mocked footage. Very well done. And, some of the people in the real story of the early 2000s play themselves. This adds a great feel to the movie. Watch this movie with someone who feels they have to choose between family and success.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
It appears that 8 Hollywood years have passed in the last 23 real world years. But then again if you factor in the court time and appeals etc, the ratio may be much closer. Either way, and the bottom line is, this sequel is not as good as the original. Hopefully they will let it end at that.
Michael Douglas and his character make one helluva comeback here. Charlie Sheen and a few others from the original make cameos. But the story is really about young idealistic lovers played by Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan. It is also about Fathers and Daughters; greed and trust; and a small dose of redemption mixed in.
If you have not seen the original I recommend watching it first even though you may feel let down by the second. A decent job is done telling the back story because so many of today's movie public never saw the first one. But having seen the original I didn't have to spend any time trying to figure out who did what to whom.
Watch this movie with someone who does not understand the financial industry bailout.
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