Watch Portrayal of American Greed on Satellite TV

Oliver Stone is one of the most controversial American film directors, as his films often deal with historical and political subject matter in a highly political manner, adopting what even his biggest fans would consider to be a decidedly leftist slant. His latest project is the follow up to the iconic 1987 Michael Douglas film, Wall Street - Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Michael Douglas reprised his role as Gordan Gekko, the New York-based financial trader who coined the now-classic phrase "greed is good". Gekko has been released from jail after serving 8 years in a state penitentiary for committing "white collar" crimes like insider trading. While Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah did not come back to reprise their roles, a whole new slew of Hollywood insiders and upstarts joined the cast of the sequel, including Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Frank Langella, and Shia LaBeouf. The film naturally got a lot of attention when it was released in September 2010, perhaps even more so following the actor Michael Douglas' throat cancer diagnosis this year while he was promoting the film. Hopefully, it will be playing on the film channels of your satellite TV package sometime in 2011.

This Oliver Stone movie had a lot to say about the current financial state of affairs in the United States, on what caused and exacerbated the financial meltdown that has been unfolding in the country since 2008. For lay persons watching the film, all of the different terminology and financial mechanisms might be hard to understand. How many people outside of the Wall Street stock trading sector really understand what financial derivatives are, or how insiders manipulate markets and engage in short-selling to their benefit? Not many. But the dramatic plot of the movie allows viewers to understand what Oliver Stone's interpretation of the roots of the financial crisis are - greed. First of all, the guys on top - the stock traders, the hedge fund guys, the portfolio managers - they manipulate the markets and the actions of the average guy with a stock portfolio in order to maximize their earnings, their power, and their glory. To them, the only motivation is profit (once again, in Oliver Stone's interpretation!). Look at Josh Brolin's character, or Michael Douglas' character - they state again and again that they are in it for the game. They like the feeling of having successfully won at a manipulation of human events, not necessarily being able to purchase that new high definition television, and the satellite TV package that comes with it.

Then, there is the consumer greed that also adds to the problem. This concerns the average person who is easily enticed by easy credit they cannot afford. They want to get a second home for the summers perhaps, or a big SUV instead of a more sensible sedan, or a flat-screen, high definition television to replace their five-year-old set. It is this symbiotic relationship between the enablers and the enabled that - in the Wall Street 2 world - allows for such financial catastrophe to befall the United States.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_R._Harrison