Or so I learned last night when I streamed it from Netflix last night.
In preparation for tonight's Meetup screening of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I watched 1987's Wall Street, starring Michael Douglas as fiercely cutthroat businessman Gordon Gekko and Charlie Sheen as hot-shot broker Buddy Something (cast alongside his real-life Dad, Martin Sheen). I was seven years old when the first movie came out, so I never saw the movie when the tiny little green-on-black computer screens and hugely chunky cell phones were cutting edge technology. i enjoyed the movie. I thought Buddy was a little naive in operating so carelessly around the line between inadvisable and outright illegal. His descent from decent to despicable was pretty rapid, fueled by money and sexy, money-hungry Daryl Hannah. The best part had to be the amazing eyeglass styles back then (my favourites were worn by the lady on the private jet, and by Carl, Buddy's brokerage firm buddy, played by John C. McGinley, who I only ever knew as the mean doctor on "Scrubs". We didn't really learn what happened to Gordon Gekko. So I guess that's what I'll find out tonight.
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watched it this weekend. Thoughts are forthcoming.
Tuesday - In a Better World, directed by Suzanne Bier. Set in Denmark, it tells the tale of two boys who get into more and more trouble. I think every pre-teen and parent should see this movie!
Wednesday - The High Cost of Living Sunday - The King's Speech Voted "People's Choice" for TIFF 2010. After the breakdown of her marriage and another doomed relationship, writer Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) decides to pack up and spend a year in Italy, India, and Bali, where she – you got it – feasts, gets spiritual, and finds love once again, in that order. It’s too bad that the title gives it away, because before she even left Italy, I found myself bored knowing I was only one-third of the way through her journey of self-indulgence. I mean, self-discovery.
Her time in Italy was spent dining out with a new set of best friends, gabbing in Italian with her mouth full, and – in a cute if superficial moment of feminist friendship – buying bigger jeans with her Swedish gal pal. This movie got a few things right. For example, I enjoyed the characterization of the first ex. He was both charming and pathetic, and I really believed his heartbreak at the marriage ending. Chemistry between writer Liz and the next guy – a younger actor who poorly brought her writing to the stage – was believable, but the subsequent development and deterioration of the relationship was hurried. This was likely in the interest of time. And we should feel relieved because the whole movie was a little too long. Aside from the length, the movie suffers from some bad dialogue, so-so acting, and its fair share of unintentionally awkward and confusing moments. Though it was very loudly (again with the awkwardness) implied that she wasn’t spending her time abroad in luxury, I still wondered where she got the money for a full year of travel with no apparent income. And this after she’d dramatically decided that her ex could take “everything” – house and all. In one scene, an important emotional revelation by her companion at the Indian meditation centre, gruff Texan Richard, is ruined – first, by coming out of nowhere, and second, by leading the viewer to think he’s confessing to something much more tragic and shameful than he actually is. Italy, India, and Bali - it would have been an enjoyable trip. But even the effervescent Julia Roberts couldn’t make this an enjoyable movie. From what I gather, you have the best chance of liking this movie if you have happened to have to have read and enjoyed the book. I did not read the book, and, as it happens, I did not like the movie at all. I wish I’d used that $12 instead to do my own feasting on a plate of fresh marinara spaghetti. ...you should check out Inception.
The visuals were pretty incredible. And Ellen Page is lovely, if a little annoyingly self-confident as an architecture undergrad. I was warned ahead of time that the film can be confusing - people talked about going back a second time to make sure they understood it - so I worked extra hard to pay attention. Meanwhile, two of my friends fell asleep! By the end, I was satisfied that the logic had been neatly wrapped up. I was also pretty satisfied with my overall comprehension, although there was some intentional ambiguity that leaves you wondering at the end whether it was all a dream. Next week - Dinner For Schmucks! Reviews have been, on the whole, less than kind, but with stars like Steve Carell and Jemaine Clement, you couldn't keep me away from the Americanization of a great French comedy (Diner des Cons). Last night, I went to see "Despicable Me" starring one of my favourites, Steve Carrell.
It was a delightful, hilarious story about Gru, an aging super-villain competing to out-evil the younger, slicker, up-and-comer wannabe villain, Vector. The cold, awkward, and conniving Gru adopts three adorable little girls as part of his scheme to steal Vector’s coveted shrink-ray, and then has to deal with the consequences of his new role as dad. I bet you can guess whether or not the three little darlings are able to melt his frozen heart! This movie is packed with laughs. Though his accent oscillates bizarrely between Russian and Scottish, Carrell is charismatic and endearing. It was fun to see him deal with the consequences of bringing three rambunctious girls home to his decidedly not child-proof villainous lair. Knowing nothing about children, he sets out a bowl of candy for them to eat and newspapers for them to do their little-girl business. It was also fun to indulge in this imaginary world where the villains had sidekick scientists to whip them up inventions like cookie robots and lived in super-high-tech shark-tank protected fortresses. Adult references like “Bank of Evil: Formerly Lehman Brothers” kept the adults laughing at least as loudly as the kids. One actor we didn’t get nearly enough of was Kristen Wiig, who voices the sadistic Miss Hattie who runs a home for orphaned girls. Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from 30 Rock) was briefly funny as a carnival game operator. The best part of the movie? The giggly, squirmy four and a half year old seated next to me. Everything delighted her, from the popcorn we shared to the fact that halfway through the movie I shifted to hug my knees into my chest. “You copied me!” she whisper-squealed. She embodied the exuberant, innocent happiness of the three little girls that ultimately win Gru’s heart. Go see "Despicable Me". You’ll have a great time and your inner kid will squeal with delight. |
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I'll use this space to write about movies, bikes, communications trends, pop culture, and my adventures as a new New Yorker. Archives
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