Who's Reviews - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

It seemed like a good recipe: topical subject matter, a follow-up from an immensely popular 80s movie, same director, same big-name actor... But to be honest, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps failed to live up to the hype. I left the cinema disappointed: the trailer has a lot of explaining to do.

The gist of the whole movie is revenge. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) wants revenge on Bretton James (Josh Brolin - who has a fantastic rage scene at the end where he destroys a priceless artwork... best scene). Jake Moore (Shia) wants revenge on Bretton James but then he sets his sights on Gordon Gekko. It's pretty circular. And the whole 'payback' thing got a bit tired at the end. The movie is 15 mins and one plot twist too long.

And maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to the finer details of the dialogue, but I also felt that the plot progressed in a bit of a stilted fashion. The scenes in the movie seemed contrived, and some ideas (like why Shia really wanted $100m for the development of some alternative energy project) seemed completely random and unexplained - I couldn't help thinking "but WHY are you so interested in this project?"

I love Carey Mulligan, who plays Winnie Gekko - Gordon's daughter and Jake's girlfriend/fiance/babymamma - with an American accent which was not bad. Susan Sarandon was probably the only other woman I saw in the whole movie. She played Jake's mother in an extremely peripheral and underdeveloped role. It is very much a male-centric film. It could have used some fresh female perspective (or am I just being biased?) because there are only so many scenes with slicked hair and clean-cut suits that can be tolerated in one sitting.

Overall, the plot seemed to opt more for style than substance. Given the subject matter and the timely nature of the film, it could have gone a lot further in terms of making an impact, rather than throwing words like "moral hazard" around.

I'd give it a 7/10. Edward Darcy agreed though he suggested a range between 6.5-7.0. Final conclusion: not as good as you were hoping. Money might not sleep, but it put me to sleep.

~ Hurley Who?

PS. Profuse apologies for the very un-punny joke.

Google it!

This is where I want to work! I just came back from a tour of the Google offices in Sydney. Definitely one of THE coolest workplaces I have ever visited/seen.

The living wall!!

Although I didn't take a picture. the offices are also complete with 'micro kitchens' - small spaces complete with a fully stocked fridge of delicious drinks, a coffee machine, a range of cereals, mueslis, nibbles and snack foods. Oh, and did I mention that all three meals of the day are free? Oh, the perks of the job!

~ Hurley Who?

PS. Click on the photo to make them bigger...

PPS. This post has been edited as it is against Google policy to post pictures of their office... (except for the wall).

I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You

Check it out.

and if you have time, check this out. It's pretty funny.

~Louis Tiffon

iPods, unfortunately

Has anyone seen the new iPod nano? Does anyone even care anymore? Well, you probably should, as these days, the height of ignorance is probably best epitomised by an inability to tell between the elusive shuffle and the latest nano:

(image courtesy of Apple)

Do you even remember when nanos used to look like this:

(image courtesy of Fanpop)

Yeah, neither do I. I do, however, understand that Apple offers a product going by the name of iPod shuffle:

(image courtesy of Apple)

Has anyone actually spotted one of these? Its dimensions dictate that it would serve best as a paperclip. I cannot comprehend why Apple/Steve Jobs would think that anyone would pay for that inevitable panic attack after you've been fumbling around your pocket, before coming to a gut-wrenching realisation that you've paid for your 50c cone with your shuffle.

Shuffle aside, they've also significantly revamped the touch. It is now equipped with two cameras (front and back), enabling 'FaceTime' (ie. video conversations, typical of Apple's aversion to the space bar) and HD video recording (although I imagine Apple has very generously given us five minutes battery life to do so, so that you'll actually have to purchase two of these revamped models to capture a video of decent length). Some day, we'll have a laugh about every electronics company's attempts to miniaturise and amalgamate all possible features into the one device.

At a RRP of $289 for the 8GB model, I may consider a purchase, had I not already mortgaged the majority of my worldly possessions for one single night of my entire life. Or perhaps a thirty minute trip to JB Hi-Fi will satiate my curiosity, doubling up as that obligatory comparison of the old vs. the new to ascertain an appropriate degree of that I-wish-I-had-stuck-out-just-that-bit-longer sentiment.





- no name -



[As a sidenote, I really must apologise for being an iPod owner. In my vigorous attempts to be anti-mainstream, it was only logical that I was anti-iPod. But it wasn't long before I realised that Australia was not about to import any of iPod's worthy competitors (eg. the Zune, iRiver Clix and any Cowon) any time soon in the next half-century, so I caved. My deepest regrets.]