12 arts SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 The Retriever Weekly Premiere promises season-long hilarity

Anissa Elmerraji “Nobody But Me” by the 60’s rock struts around with an even more Editorial Staff band The Human Beinz. Lip-singing elevated sense of self-importance (if and choreographed dance moves in- that’s possible) while holding onto a The seventh season of The Office tensified the excitement of the long giant ring of keys. Wanting to make premiered last Thursday, and no awaited premiere, but nothing was a Jim proud, Pam, the self proclaimed doubt fans everywhere more enduring sign of a good season “Bart Simpson of Scranton,” takes a sat poised on their sofas, waiting for to come than when Michael, stern- stab at pranking Dwight when she the oh so lovable Michael Scott to do faced and dressed as a magician, re-programs elevator buttons, caus- or say something painfully inappro- ended the dance number by miracu- ing Dwight to believe that the eleva- priate. The sixth season left fans reel- lously making (fake) birds material- tor is disobeying him. This ends up ing from a series of ridiculous plot- ize from his magic wand and orange leaving Pam in the elevator with a twists: notably, the dramatic buyout flames burst forth from the palm of full-bladdered Dwight, which proves by Sabre (note: not Sah-brey) and the his hand. to be a little, well, you can probably introduction of Jo to the cast, the fiery Much has changed in the Office imagine the consequences. southern businesswoman played by since last season. First, there’s Luke, Erin’s and Andy’s relationship is Kathy Bates (although, at this point the newly hired young office assistant not only over, but now Erin is dating she appears in the show primarily whose apathetic work approach and Gabe, the lanky and unpopular Sabre through MacBook video chats). But tendency toward messing up coffee representative. Andy is noticeably perhaps even more exciting, espe- orders, leaving urgent packages in unhappy with this, and it is assuredly cially for those who can’t help but the backseat of his car and other en- only a matter of time before his latent sympathize with Michael’s recently dearing traits quickly earns him the anger problem resurfaces in response tumultuous love-life, was the sug- resentment of the entire staff. Con- to this new awkward office romance. gestion that Scott’s soul-mate, Holly flict arises when it is revealed that Unfortunately for Michael Scott, Flax, would return to the Scranton Luke is actually Michael’s nephew. there’s no sign of Holly Flax just branch. Giving him one final shot at When Michael is accused of nepo- yet, although rumors suggest that true love before Carell’s character left tism and asked to fire Luke, Michael, her character is confirmed to reap- the show for good at the end of the always veering away from the logical pear in the new season. Until then, season. approach, thinks a spanking might we can look forward to watching as The Office premiere showcased straighten him out. Michael undergoes what are to be a all the lovable characters, who, you In the new season, Dwight has re- series of uncomfortable counseling could say, welcomed fans back from a tained his belligerent weirdness; he session with Toby–his punishment painful summer-long Office hiatus as sports a camelbak to eliminate trips for spanking an employee. the show opened with a high-energy to the water-cooler, thus maximiz- Courtesy NBC UNiversal Television and confusingly hilarious song and ing productivity. Having bought the Comments may be sent to Dwight sports a camelbak in the season premiere of the Office. dance montage featuring the song Office building, he [email protected]. Too little, too late for Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sequel

The film revolves around Jacob Money Never Sleeps. He integrates ter- Moore (Shia LeBeouf), a young stock- rible 1980’s-grade visual effects with broker who has just witnessed his overbearing multi-layered split-screen, mentor be ruined and commit suicide. and in some points uses other strange In trying to discover who caused this, split-screen and fading techniques that Moore runs in with Gordon Gekko, hurt the visuals taking place on screen. played once again by Michael Doug- It’s so bad, it’s distracting. It gets to las, who has recently been released the point that when a dialogue scene from prison. Gekko tries to lead him comes up that’s just cutting between in all the right directions, while also two characters rather than being fancy using Moore, who is currently shacked in presenting them, it’s a sort of relief. up with Gekko’s estranged daughter It isn’t as though the whole film falls (Carey Mulligan), as a way back into flat. The acting is almost uniformly her life. good, despite a clunky script. Michael The funny thing about Money Never Douglas is good as Gekko, even if he Sleeps is that it seems to openly admit doesn’t have the same pizzazz he had its irrelevance. After opening with his first time around. Shia LeBeouf Gekko leaving prison and setting up does a good job in a role that finally his significance in the story to come, doesn’t have him playing some hapless, he’s barely in the movie until maybe put-upon hero type. There are shades forty minutes in, and even after that of a better actor in his performance. we’re constantly reminded of how ir- That aside, they’re working with an relevant he is to the corporate world aforementioned irksome script, which

Courtesy Edward R. Pressman Film that now exists. It also never makes at times is laughably on the nose, and Shia LaBeouf plays Jake Moore, a young Wall Street trader in Oliver Stone’s sequel to the 1987 classic, Wall Street: any valid points or paints an interest- has some characters that are more cari- Money Never Sleeps. ing picture. All the things it’s saying cature than archetype. about today’s stock market game are Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is not Daniel Supanick don Gekko, one of film history’s most that gained him praise and accolades, things we’ve already seen on the news, the film it wants to be. It doesn’t make Staff Writer famous villains, played by Michael hoping to reach that status again. We making it redundant. By the end, un- any valid points or present any solu- Douglas. Gekko was the embodiment see a director, once relevant and inter- like the first film, it doesn’t come to tions in relations to its subject, and In the 1980’s, Oliver Stone made of everything that was wrong with Wall esting, who hasn’t had a significant or any sort of legitimate, realistic conclu- isn’t nearly as relevant as it wants to be. great, socially relevant movies. Among Street. He committed corporate crimes appealing film since the 1990’s, who’s sion, so, ultimately, the whole movie It is simply a portrait of a director try- these films were Platoon and Born and scammed people out of money, all rehashing an older, more successful amounts to nothing. ing to be significant again, but failing. on the Fourth of July, but in between in the name of staying one step ahead film of his, hoping it can gain his cred- The film also serves as an example If Oliver Stone wants to be relevant, he these two films was Wall Street, a film of the curve. ibility back. We see a movie, thinking of a director’s desperate attempt to fit should stop trying to make films like about the stock market and the greed In Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, it is more important than it really is, in with the cool kids. Oliver Stone uti- the ones he used to make and find new and corruption that runs it. Wall Street Gekko is introduced to a new world and then dashing all hopes of attain- lizes some similar editing techniques water to tread. As it stands, though, was a mostly good film that was mem- of corporate greed. The only problem ing this relevance once it completely from the first film in this one, although his revisiting of his classic material has orable for two reasons: it was made is, he isn’t terribly relevant anymore. invalidates its goals at the film’s end. in that film, his use of split screen was proven quite fruitless. relevant by the points it made about its With Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, This is just one more film in a recent somewhat reserved and never per- subject and the solutions it presented, we see a few different things. We see an trend of unnecessary sequels to much meated the film. Stone is constantly Comments may be sent to and it provided the world with Gor- actor trying to return to an iconic role older, classic films. trying to be fancy with his editing in [email protected].