Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

So money never sleeps..... But if you are under the age of 20, you will probably sleep during this movie.   With that being said, this was an extremely well acted, well-done movie.  When a person goes to the movies, it is usually to escape the real world.  For example, a person who went and saw Inception would usually come out of the theater thinking about how cool it would be to invade people’s dreams.  However, what do you do when you watch a movie that discusses real life issues?  This movie is no escape from the real world.  It IS the real world.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a sequel to the movie Wall Street that was released in 1987.  I didn’t know it was legal to make sequels over twenty year later.  But I guess it’s legal.  I am pretty sure everyone in the theater last night had seen the first movie because the audience mostly consisted of people over the age of fifty.  Lots of old people.  I have never seen the original movie, but I mad sure to Wikipedia it before I went and saw the movie tonight.  If you have not seen the first movie, it would not hurt to spend five minutes reading what the first movie was about. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_(1987_film)

So, I loved this movie.  To be completely honest, it sometimes felt like I was in an advanced stock market class or something and I was lost for parts of the movie.  I didn’t understand exactly what was going on, but the movie still kept my attention.  The acting was phenomenal.  Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko) and Shia LeBeouf (Jack Moore) are the two main players in the film and their acting skills are just awesome.  Carey Mulligan(Winnie Gekko) plays as Gordon’s daughter and is also a great actress.  The movie may be confusing, but the characters are so real, and so engaging that you don’t really care that you get lost with all the money terms.

Jack and Winnie are living the life.  They’re rich. They’re happily dating.  Everything is going great, until the housing bubble burst of 2008.  The movie follows their life as they try to cope with the economic crisis that the country experienced during this time.  Jack looks up to Gordon and asks for advice during these hard times.   Gordon becomes Jack’s mentor, at the strong disapproval of his girlfriend Winnie (Gordon’s daughter).  The movie plays out from there.  I don’t want to give out plot details.

So the big question! Do I think you guys should see it? Yes! The acting is great.  The story is engaging.  It does feel long at some parts, but it moves along fast enough to keep your interest.  If you have absolutely no interest in the economic crisis that we face today, then don’t go see this movie.  There is one point in the movie where Gordon gives a speech to college students.  I really felt like he was talking to me, and it made me think about what I am doing in my life to stay financially stable.

“Wow Justin, a movie that you will actually apply in your life?”

“Yes, I haven’t been able to build my dream-invading machine yet, so this is the next best thing.”

Go see the movie.  It’s good.   

WARNING( 2 F-bombs).  Just fyi.

DEVIL (again) Yeah, I saw it again

So I went and saw Devil again.  I really liked that movie.  Go see it.  If you like M. Night Shyamalan, then you will like it.  It's intense for a while and then ends with a good message.

EASY A

Did anyone see "She's the Man?"

I thought it was a pretty funny movie.  Amanda Bynes is hilarious.  You all remember that day when she announced over Twitter that she was quitting acting?  I was devastated.  And she couldn't even tell me to my face that she was quitting.  I mean, if you are gonna quit acting, have the decency to tell me to my face. She quit acting over Twitter.  So I got online when I heard this terrible rumor and beginning searching the web to find out why.  I came across a lot of articles saying that she quit acting but would be starring in one more movie.  Easy A.

What the heck is Easy A? I had never heard of it, but if it had Amanda Bynes in it, I was gonna see it.  I looked at the previews and thought, well, maybe it could be good.  Looked a little sketchy.

The movie is called Easy A in reference to the letter "A" that was attached to women's clothing when they committed adultery back in the olden days.  Like in the book "The Scarlet Letter."

The movie has a pretty scandalous premise.  A girl is accused of "being with a guy" and she decides to play along with it.  Oh the consequences of one little lie.  Let the drama begin!

Emma Stone plays Olive,the lead, and she is hilarious.  A whole bunch of guys decide that she can save their social lives by lying to everyone in the school that Olive has been with each and every one of them.  She takes a lot of them up on their offer and lies to the school about her loose ways.  She takes payment in gift cards.  Not a bad business venture idea.  I mean, she is making some good money without "actually" sinning.  Well, minus the lying of course.

Olive sheds her good girl image and embroiders red "A's" on all her clothing.  She walks around school reveling in the fact that she is the school bad girl.  It goes all fine and dandy till...well, you can see the movie and find out for yourself.  She then tries to deal with the consequences of all her lies.  Amanda Bynes plays the good, Christian school girl who despises Olive and her sinful ways.  Amanda Bynes is hilarious.  Have I already said that?

So in the movie no one really "does" anything bad.  But sex is talked about pretty loosely throughout the whole movie.

I laughed a lot and thought it was overall a funny movie.

Would I want my little sisters to see it? Nah.

Will I see it again? Nah.


Everyone has their own moral standards so you can all decide whether or not to see it.  I thought it was really funny.  But yeah......kinda sketchy. Not exactly a "family film."

And one last confession.  The only reason I did see this movie was cuz it got amazing reviews (which is rare in the movie world), and cuz was gonna be Amanda Bynes last movie.

In other news: Amanda Bynes has officially "unretired". Once again, through Twitter. She didn't tell me directly.

DEVIL

"Oh....no....Justin....your first movie review is of a movie called....DEVIL?"

"Yup"

"Oh, ok."

So I believe I was sitting in the movie theater, waiting for Inception to start, when I saw the first trailer for DEVIL.  I remember sitting there watching a group of random strangers get into an elevator as some eerie music was playing.  I am a sucker for scary movies.  Not the blood and guts type, just the ones that kinda scare you and stuff.  So I remember watching this preview thinking, "oh, man, this looks crazy!" A whole movie inside an entire elevator! I liked the movie Red Eye which was all on an airplane so the concept of an entire movie being shot in an elevator intrigued me.  It looked way good.  Anyway, the last 20 second of the trailer is just clips of the scary stuff happening in the elevator as the famous elevator "dinging" noise is going.  Lady screams.  Pitch black theater.  And BAM, the title DEVIL appears on the screen.  I knew right then and there, ok, I am going to be there opening night for sure.

Another thing to add is that during the preview the name M. Night Shymalan appeared.  The entire theater groaned and laughed.  I was one of them.  I had just seen The Last Airbender.  If you've seen that movie, you'll know why I was groaning when I saw this same directors name attached to this new DEVIL movie.

I like M. Night Shymalan movies in general. The Sixth Sense is probably one of the greatest movies of all time.  Unbreakable was pretty good.  I really liked Signs.  And I am also a fan of The Village.  People are always shocked to hear that I liked those movies, but there you go, you know my taste in movies.  I hated Lady in the Water.  Anyways, I knew Shymalan could pull through with this DEVIL movie if we just trusted him.  (And thank goodness DEVIL was only his "idea" and didn't write, direct, and produce it.)

So DEVIL.

The movie doesn't all take place in an elevator.  But the majority of the movie does.  I don't like giving too much away in reviews cuz I think that it defeats the whole purpose of seeing the movie if you know everything before you see it.  But I don't think there is anything wrong with givin some general plot details.

The movie starts with a bang.  That's all I'm gonna say.

From the very beginning I was intrigued with what was going on.  The strangers all get into the elevator and I was way interested as to what was going to happen.  I was thinkin "Ok, the movie is called DEVIL but is it really the " Devil Devil"? Or is it just a name? Or what?

Pretty soon into the movie you find out what you are dealing with.  If you have read any of the plot descriptions you find out that one of the strangers is the Devil, so yeah, they weren't lying.  The whole movie you are pretty much just watching trying to figure out who the Devil is.  Yeah, "the Devil Devil."

I don't like satanic movies, but I didn't feel this one was really satanic.

"But Justin! It is called DEVIL! How is that NOT satanic?"

The whole movie one of the strangers is disguising themselves as the Devil.  So its not like there are holy rituals and stuff to cast devils out and stuff.  No exorcism stuff.  Just your normal, what's-gonna-happen-next scary.

So the movie moves along fast enough to keep your interest.  I was way interested to find out who was the "bad guy" was.

I thought there were some holes in the movie though for sure.  I came home and wikipedia'd the movie cuz I didn't understand all the connections and stuff.  And this is coming from guy who loves the show LOST.  But I left the movie satisfied.  Like all M. Night Shyamalan movies, it has an uplifting message at the end. Overall, I was pleased.  M. Night Shymalan needs to stick to his ideas, and leave the rest to other writers and directors.  If you are an M. Night fan, you will not be disappointed with the movie.  Best movie ever? No.  Glad I saw it? Heck yeah.

P.S. I called it before the movie started who the DEVIL was gonna be.  And yes, I was right.

Let's do this thing

So I see a ton of movies.  I am a poor college student who needs student loans for the sole purpose of seeing movies.  I see every movie I want to on opening night.  What is the point of waiting till week two when you wait months after seeing that awesome trailer.  I give my opinions about movies too.  Alot.  And guess what...? A lot of people disagree with what I have to say.  But you find me one movie critic that everyone listens too and says, "oh, hey, if so and so liked it it has to be good!"  Cuz if you can find that movie critic....let me know.

So real quick I wanna clarify some things.  I'm Mormon.  What does that have to do with anything??? I don't see EVERY movie.  I tryyy to be selective.  You won't read a movie review for a rated R movie.  I don't see them.  Sorry.

 "But Justin, in order to be a movie critic you have to see EVERYTHING!"

"Then I'm not a movie critic."

"Then what are you???"

"I'm a poor college student who is obsessed with movies and wants people to know what I think about them."

"Well that's dumb.  You should see everything!  Then you could truly be successful!"

"Then quit reading this and go find someone who does see EVERYTHING!"

My point is this.  I love movies.  I am easily entertained.  I try to find the good in every movie(except the only good I saw in The Last Airbender.....was....well....still working on that...). People will disagree with my movie recommendations and stuff. But people always ask me if I've seen "such and such" movie.  And I usually have.  So here it is...

iSeeMoviesToo