TRAILER: Wall Street 2: Money never sleeps

I want to like this one, I really do. I quite liked the original Wall Street, and this sequel has a terrific cast which includes Carey Mulligan, who was luminous in An Education.

To be honest, though, if I didn't know Oliver Stone was directing this movie, I never would have guessed it from this trailer. If not for the cast, I would have guessed direct-to-DVD sequel. And I really could do without the RRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWKK soundtrack.

Stone has been maddeningly inconsistent lately. World Trade Center aside, he hasn't made a great movie since Nixon. And (cinematographer geek moment here), Oliver's movies just haven't been as good since Robert Richardson quit shootin' em. Coincidence? Maybe not entirely.

(Explainer for non-cinematographer geeks: Richardson is the director of photography who worked with Stone from Salvador on through JFK [for which Richardson won on Oscar) and up through U-Turn. He has also shot The Aviator (second Oscar), Kill Bill, and Inglourious Basterds, among others, and in my opinion is the best American cinematographer working today) 

Then again, the trailer for World Trade Center was lousy too, and that turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year. I guess we'll see on April 23.