Choosing between Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Town last week required careful consideration at first. However, after reading how the sequel to the 1986 opus against unbridled capitalism fell off the rails in the final moments – apparently Oliver Stone chose traditional Hollywood fare over meaningful social commentary – the decision became much easier to make. Luckily, despite occasional threats to do the same, Ben Affleck kept it together — to the relief of all in attendance. Affleck’s second turn as a director demonstrates both skill and the potential for further improvement. The camera angles adeptly capture the …
Solitary Man
I meant to see Solitary Man for almost two months but something always got in the way. The film is mostly known for the performance of Michael Douglas as a disgraced businessman looking back on his youth and trying to move on. Actually, this film should have been the sequel to Wall Street; the screenplay seems better and it does not star Shia LaBeouf. A former car magnate experiencing a midlife crisis ruins his personal and business life with a series of indiscretions. After experiencing a significant amount of success, Ben Kalmen somehow became extremely arrogant. Believing that the rules …