REVIEWS IN A HURRY for 2004 - W Reviews in a Hurry for 2004 (A) & 2004 Alphabetical Index Reviews in a Hurry for 2004 (V) Reviews in a Hurry for March 2005
Wall Street (1986, 125 min, R) ***1/2 – Directed by Oliver Stone, starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, and Martin Sheen.  Accessible and entertaining examination of stock trading in the 1980s and capitalist ambition in general, centered on the relationship between a young trader (Charlie Sheen) and a seasoned professional (Douglas).  The potency of Douglas’ reptilian and Oscar-winning performance cannot be understated; his amoral trader, who has attained a Darwinian level of perfection, is treated to this day as a real person by people in the business world. West Side Story (1961, 151 min, NR) ***1/2 – Directed by Robert Wise & choreographed by Jerome Robbins, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.  Beloved update of “Romeo & Juliet” that turns the Montagues and Capulets into ethnic street gangs in New York is both sublimely beautiful and utterly ridiculous.  The multi-metered dancing is breathtaking and evocative, the cityscapes and studio sets are terrific, and the music, no matter what the arrangement, is always worth listening to.  But the movie’s emotions are superficial, hammy, and overwrought, and the whole idea of dancing street gangs and all that entails often seems unintentionally farcical.  Still, for all its faults, “West Side Story” remains one of the most accessible modern ballets and musicals, even if it is as much fun to mock as it is to watch. The Wild Bunch (1969, 144 min, R) **** - Directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, and Robert Ryan.  Epic and ultraviolent western about an aging gang of outlaws that flees into 1913 Mexico.  As they become entangled with both villagers and a revolutionary general they come to realize the only positive thing about their dying way of life is their loyalty to each other, and they pass the final test of loyalty with flying colors.  Mercilessly and brilliantly shot by infamous hard-drinker Peckinpah, with tons of slow-motion and a rumored 90,000 rounds of live ammunition. Wings of Desire (1988, 130 min, B&W/Color, PG13) **** - Directed by Wim Wenders, starring Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, and Otto Sander.  Poetic and powerful celebration of humanity from eyes that are not human.  Two angels wander the streets of Berlin invisibly, sometimes passing on hope and encouragement, but mostly just listening, to a struggling trapeze artist, an aging Holocaust survivor, to a first-time prostitute, until one of the angels (Ganz) decides to become human.  Wenders’ brilliant, gentle, and weightless direction deservedly won best director at the Cannes Film Festival. Wonderboys (2000, 111 min, R) *** - Directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, and Frances McDormand.  Entertaining and unpredictable character study of a pot-smoking and philandering author-professor (Douglas) forced together for a weekend with an off-kilter student (Maguire).  The movie rambles delightfully, from place to place in the writer’s life, while director-screenwriter Hanson gives the world of New England a rich, cold look.  Oscar for Best Original Song (Bob Dylan).