Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

After having to endure the bloated trailer for this sequel at multiplexes for numerous months while its release date ping-ponged about, one can't help but be curious about all the fuss over Oliver Stone's much delayed follow-up to his '80s cult classic, which taught us that "greed," for lack of a better word, "is good." Twenty-three years later, Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas have teamed up once again to further the story of iniquitous villain Gordon Gekko, reformed after spending seven years in jail for insider trading. Taking place during the beginning of the economic crisis that hit the stock market in 2008, Gekko is promoting his new book and helping Jake Moore (Shia Lebeouf), a stockbroker engaged to Gekko's estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan), avenge his mentor (who was driven to suicide) in exchange for repairing his relationship with his daughter. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the engaging moral quandary the first film explored, Stone is far too interested in telling a sappy, implausible tale of redemption infused with gratuitous testosterone-riddled moments rather than concentrating on the financial meltdown that continues to impact people worldwide to this day, and will for years to follow. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a mediocre drama under Stone's sleek and impersonal direction that only stands out because of Michael Douglas's boastful confidence and charisma. The DVD features an in-depth commentary with the smooth talking director that highlights many brutal truths with working with Michael Douglas and a hung-over Josh Brolin, a quick featurette on how Gordon Gekko is back, a "how to watch a digital copy" for dummies instructional demo and Blu-Ray/DVD sneak peeks of Fox films.