Gordon Gekko is back; and this time he's softer, more sensitive and, alas, far more boring and predictable. Back in his 1980s heyday Michael Douglas tore up the screen with slogans like "Greed is good", "Lunch is for wimps" and "Money never sleeps" as he trained Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox in banking shenanigans.
Here, Gekko is released from jail in 2001. This makes little narrative sense, as Gekko would not have received such a long sentence for the insider trading that was the centrepiece of Wall Street. Stone attempts to solve the problem with a number of expositional statements about lengthy appeals and further charges, but in the end the numbers simply don't add up. Jokes such as Gekko getting back his enormous 1980s mobile phone on leaving prison simply draw attention to the fact that the timeframe doesn't work.
However, with a September 11 link made, the action jumps forward seven years to 2008, a time when several banks found themselves undone by their exposure to sub-prime mortgages, leading to the global financial meltdown.
References to the collapses of real banks are barely concealed behind fake names, and the director has much fun making the banks' corporate heads look like gangsters.
For the most part, Stone fails to tie in a story about Gekko trying to reconnect with his daughter (Carey Mulligan) against the backdrop of the banking crisis.
She is underwritten, but that's no surprise as the depiction of female characters has always been the director's Achilles' heel. The casting of Shia LaBeouf as the young buck Jacob Moore, who is trying to make his mark in the financial world, is remarkable, mostly because the Transformers star is an actor who makes Charlie Sheen look like Laurence Olivier.
The best action in the movie comes before Moore tries in vain to organise a détente between father and daughter in an attempt to win Gekko's favour.
Stone has always been a director who works best when weaving real life incident with grandstand drama. When recreating the banking turmoil of 2008 the director is in his element. He's helped considerably by Frank Langella's turn as Lewis Zabel, the head of the first bank to fail in the 2008 crisis. Zabel is clearly from the old school of banking and is as confused by the activities of modern financiers as the rest of us.
But Stone sadly seems to have misunderstood what people liked about his most famous character. Despite its overriding message that greed is definitely not good, the original film is not remembered with affection because of Gekko's downfall, but because of his questionable exploits ahead of it.
Part of the attraction of Gekko was his ability to provide quotable dialogue but attempts to recapture that facility just seem clunky in the sequel. And when Gekko starts to get sentimental it's time to withdraw all interest in this legendary character.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Indika
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Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
