Call me Gekko.. Gordon Gekko!

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

By Naman Kapur

Oliver Stone's 1987 film "Wall Street" had taken it's viewers into an exotic world. 23 years later, Oliver Stone returns with it's sequel. Apparently this is the first ever sequel Stone has directed. First movie was a huge hit as came at time when financial news was just a news for everybody and suddenly there was this movie on banking that looked like thriller. This time there's nothing exotic about it anymore. Its based on the nightly news on unemployment corporate downsizing.

But, it is that rare sequel that took its time-23 years and not only it advances its story but also has something new to say. Stone and his sawy writers Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff, have crafted a tale that takes advantage of viewers' newfound knowledge and cynicism. Stone has cast his movie well with Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan to attract younger viewers, and Michael Douglas' return as Gekko can't help being a major lure.

The story settles quickly on young proprietary trader Jake Moore (LaBeouf), who just happens to be in love with Winnie Gekko (Mulligan), Gordon's estranged daughter. Despite Gekko's attempts to warn Wall Street of the economic downturn and stock market crash no one takes him seriously because of his early crimes. Then Gekko tries to rebuild his relationship with his daughter who always accused him for her brother's suicide. In the mean while, global economy is on the verge of disaster, Jake, a young Wall Street trader joins hands with Gekko on a two tier mission.

Can you win two Oscars playing the same role? An actor rarely gets the opportunity to revive a breakthrough role in a way that allows him to rethink the character and to reflect on where fatal flaws once lay. Douglas does this brilliantly. LaBeouf is top notch. He nicely balances his character's idealism and shrewdness. Mulligan and Brolin deliver strong supporting roles with attention-grabbing characters.

Stone has tried a different way of direction this time. His camera work can be either praised in a great manner or people might be turned off. Either ways, no one can ignore the class he has put in the movie. As stated earlier, camera work is glittering and glossy. Background score is scintillating.

To conclude, I would just say that go for it to experience Gordon Gekko after 23 years and of course the class of Stone in a movie on finance, thrill and banking and the brilliant camera-work!

Notes from Nathan: When we met Wendy

t had been a cold and rainy weekend.  Due to the weather, I allowed myself to completely shut down.  The television was my entertainment.  I found myself watching outdated movies on Lifetime, remember they used to call it television for women?

Monday came around and it was off to the races.  Dwight and I were finally going to have the opportunity to be on the set of The Wendy Williams Show.  Neither of us knew what to expect.  We had it in our minds how we wanted it to go, but of course we were on someone else's time.  We got there just as Wendy wrapped her show for the day.  We were ushered over to her where her make up and hair stylist fussed over her prior to her time with us.  Everything happened so fast.  It was our hope to get at least 6 minutes with her, but that was chopped in half.  Never the less, Dwight jumped in and seized the day with that charm that only Dwight Allen O'neal can deliver.  I could tell he felt rushed, but it worked out in the end.

After Wendy, the staff and crew set the stage and allowed me to interview Merrell Hollis, Wendy's make-up artist.  The interview was great!  Merrell talked about how he met Wendy as well as what he thought about a few celebrities and their make up.  Ooh the scandal.  It was a great deal of fun, we shared a few laughs and concluded our interview.

Nathan

Zolra's Corner: Career Passion vs. Career Money

After years of loving, studying, testing, and pursuing what you want to do in life, you are finally at the point where your career is in the palm of your hands. Every time you wake up in the morning, you are off to your job that you always wanted to have. You put all your intelligence, passion, and sweat into those hours you’ve spent at your job. Then once you come back home you feel like you brought home the bacon, even though it is time for dinner. No matter what the payment is, you are excited to do what you wanted to do in life.

This is an example of career passion. This is when someone is so passionate about their career they will do it no matter what the cost. As long as you work hard, your compensation will increase. It can also be included in the term “Nonpaid to Paid.”

Not only that, but it can also follow the quote “It’s a blessing to do what you want to do, and it’s a miracle that you get paid to do it.”

Apart from career passion, there is one thing that many people can’t believe is happening. Some people have experienced these things and couldn’t believe that they’ve gone through this. When you’re at a point in your life where you choose you’re career, some people choose a career simply because of its high compensation.

One look at the career and some are thinking “During the first year, I can get paid this much? I’ll take it.”

It’s situations like this that brings up a similar question. Are we so consumed by money, we replace our passion to get close to a piece of paper?

How I discovered "The Secret"

So it was around 3AM and I was fast asleep in bed with my new boyfriend, when all of a sudden something woke me up right out of my sleep. When I woke up I noticed that the light from his cell phone was being hidden under the cover and that he was obviously texting someone in the middle of the night. I was so upset that I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to splash water on my face, because Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” was pounding in my head and was burning from anger. I had finally met someone that I was really falling hard for and this guy was just like all the others it appeared. The next day I had an attitude toward him and what few items I had left at his home I gathered up to take back to my own; because I had already decided that this was the beginning of our end. As I was venting to my best friend about what happened I passed a book store and I thought about this book that everyone was telling me about called “The Secret” and how it had changed their lives and how they felt like I should read it. I knew that I had a business trip coming up so I decided that I would take the book with me on it and read it while I was in San Francisco.

When I read the book it really reflected how I was currently feeling sad, broken, loveless, and lost. I did not really understand what I was going to really get from the book, but my intuition told me not to discuss the cell phone incident with my partner until after I return from my trip. When I read the book it really taught me a great secret, one that I had used without realizing it. It taught me that I have a great magic inside of me and that everything in my life I was attracting it. I had always thought that men were worthless and I was not worthy to be loved the right way and that is what I got. In that moment I decided that I was worthy of love and that I was beautiful on the outside as well as inside, instantly tingling went throughout my body. I also declared that I wanted to be successful and that I was going to have a booming career. I am not saying these things to just brag; however if you look at my life and my circumstances they do reflect these blessings. I noticed a difference immediately when I shifted my thoughts, on my trip I received a financial blessing on my plan ride home, a free shuttle ride, entire new wardrobe within a month, and a repaired romance (Come to find out he was checking the time on the phone, because he accidentally unplugged the clock and didn’t want us to over sleep, he hid the phone to keep the light from waking me). I urge you to sit in a quite still place on today and keep saying over and over what you want as if you always had it and watch how quickly it will become yours. God gave all of us equal gifts and the one that we usually misuse is our power to will. My daily mantra is “I am happy, healthy, and wealthy… Yay Yay Yay” and whenever I say it, it reminds me to radiate thoughts that bring me those things. May the power of your thoughts bring you many blessings, that is my prayer for you, Amen.