MOVIES
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Director Oliver Stone’s sequel to his 1987 classic Wall Street, in theaters Friday, has been highly anticipated by fans eager to experience once again the high-stakes world of wealth and greed.
Michael Douglas returns as wealthy, unscrupulous Wall Street raider Gordon Gecko. The film focuses around the 2008 financial crisis, where Gecko, fresh out of jail, finds the world that he once dominated is now foreign to him.
In an attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Gecko forms an alliance with her fiancé Jacob (Shia LeBouf) and quickly alters his philosophy of “greed is good” to “it’s not about the money – it’s about the game.” And Gecko still knows how to play.
The consequences of these games will either make or break the relationships in the film, and leave the audience wondering: Has Gordon Gecko really changed?
– Anastasia Zhuravleva
The Social Network
Coming to theaters Oct. 1, The Social Network chronicles how Mark Zuckerberg created the website everyone knows and ‘likes’, Facebook. Having 500 million friends is not as nice as it may seem.
Starring Disney’s Brenda Song and singer Justin Timberlake, this drama depicts what Mark’s experience was like while creating the most popular website today seven years ago as an undergraduate student at Harvard. Through his trials and tribulations, Mark’s journey to become a 20-something billionaire revolutionized the way we communicate today.
– Lea Murillo
Due Date
Looking for comedy meshed with romance and big-name stars? Due Date may do the trick for you when it opens on Nov. 5.
Due Date follows a neurotic dad (Robert Downey, Jr.) while he hitches a cross-country ride with an aspiring actor (Zach Galifianakis) to make it on time for his daughter’s birth. Along the way the men involve themselves in mishaps, shenanigans and, of course, some moments of bonding. Due Date promises laughs, bucolic scenery-much of the filming was done in Las Cruces, Mexico– and a disgruntled pug dog who accompanies the men on their journey.
The film will be released a week after Halloween, so a bag of post-Halloween candy corn ought to put your blood sugar and energy level in line with the road trip’s frenetic pace.
– Eleni Stephanides
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
There are some films made for pure entertainment, some for artistic experimentation, and some LOL or scare-the-crap-out-of-you kind of films. Then there are others which completely redefine popular culture and reveal a nerd alter-ego within us we never knew existed. The Harry Potter series is this kind of film.
Splitting the last novel by J.K. Rowling into two parts, the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I film hits theatres this year on Nov. 19.
Like many students, Najwa Argandwall, junior biochemistry major, is looking forward to the film she grew up with. “I read all the books and I’m really looking forward to seeing the movie.” Argandwall said.
In this installment, Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their journey which Dumbledore sent previously to destroy all Horcruxes. With many more dark motifs and close-call moments with The Dark Lord, audiences will find themselves experiencing in a great range of emotions. Forget about pale good-looking vampires or unnecessarily shirtless werewolves, wizards for the win.
– Uyen Cao
Tron Legacy
Keeping in style with the latest 3-D movement in Hollywood, Tron Legacy combines all things that equal success at the box office: action, a quest and amazing visual effects. The film opens in theaters on Dec. 17.
The story begins in reality but switches into a virtual world that rivals James Cameron’s Avatar in innovation. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) goes looking for his missing father (Jeff Bridges) and finds him living in a virtual reality that he created. Together, both father and son, along with the beautiful Olivia Wilde, must fight to triumph over the chaos that has been brewing in the cyber world.
– Brittany Pearlman
THE ARTS DESK can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
