Money Never Sleeps & The Sentinel

Ok, yesterday we watched "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", the sequel to the iconic '80's original.. I think director Oliver Stone must have had trouble deciding where to focus his ire, because to me it seemed listless and devoid of the passion and righteous indignation of the Charlie Sheen vehicle. Michael Douglas was superb and LaBeouf was adequate, but Carey Mulligan, who played Gekko's daughter, should take home an award for Most Lifeless, Boring, Personality Deficient Portrayal in a Motion Picture. Cut twenty minutes from the film and tighten its focus and I'd bump it up a grade, but as is I mark it down for a B/B-.

Meanwhile, over the weekend Lisa & I Netflix'd "The Sentinel", a 1977 horror film about a fashion model whose furnished apartment comes with a catch - it's built over the gates of Hell! I have a deep and unhealthy love for '70's horror films, and this is no exception. But while the movie seems to have been widely well regarded, I thought it was subpar. That's surprising, given the amount of star power at play: Chris Sarandon, John Carradine,José Ferrer, Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jerry Orbach, Beverly D'Angelo, Jeff Goldblum and Tom Berenger. On the plus side, lots of boob and butt shots, plus an odd scene where D'Angelo masturbates until orgasm to annoy a guest at a tea party. An odd, but fun movie experience. Grade: C.