Review of Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps

The new Wall Street film, Money Never Sleeps is terrible. It could have been one of the best films of the fall movie season. But just to be clear, from the onset, this movie sucks.

I will be the first to admit that I am a huge fan of the original. Growing up in New York, Wall Street executives were not hard to find. I remember meeting the parents of my friends from school. The fathers who worked on the stock exchange were almost always alpha-males that could buy and sell small countries. Their signature on a piece of paper, or them pushing a button at work, solidifying a trade, meant big doings. And they made sure you knew just how much of a big deal they were.

I can vividly remember all the double breasted suits, cufflinks, suspenders, wing-tipped shoes and Tiffany business card holders. There was a process and style to all of it. I also remember visiting the vacation homes of these corporate raiders, and going out on their boats with their children. By the way, the kids were almost always named Ashe, Brant, Tripp or Carlyle.


Aside from living a few train stops away, my own family had nothing to do with the bond market or Wall Street as an industry. Our clan have never been one for numbers crunching. Of all the family events and gatherings I have attended, I never met a cousin or relative who had even a remote interest in accounting or observing foreign markets.

That’s probably good karma, as fortunes are usually lost on what people thought was a “sure thing” only to realize later that they lost their shirts. But of course a “numbers person” would be nice around tax season.

The original Wall Street film came out in 1986, when I was all of seven years old. I was more concerned with “Knight Rider” and “He-Man” than I was with the goings on downtown. But I remember the first Wall Street movie for being a big deal even back then.

People were talking about it, not just for being entertaining, but for raising concerns and awareness in the public conscience. Regan was in office and the rich were getting richer. It was on everybody’s lips, in the magazines and on TV. The movie was just the visual rendering of things coming full circle.

Though an actual stock broker named Ivan F. Boesky would declare the famed “Greed is Good” line at a University of California – Berkeley event, Michael Douglas playing the cutthroat “Gordon Gecko” would make it so much more menacing and glamorous in the movie.


The Gecko character mirrors some of the more widely known scoundrels of the day. It was almost as if Douglas was created for that role, and to give that stellar performance. I knew he was Hollywood royalty, being the son of Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, Paths of Glory, Lust for Life). But Michael had that certain look of class and ownership that the real moguls would so often exude.

He seemed cut from the same cloth as the actual people he was depicting. With his slicked back hair, menacing grin and the tenacious speeches that are peppered throughout the film, you just knew that Douglas would not have to work too hard to nail the character.

Back then, I was too young to understand all the intricacies of buying, selling and shorting that go into stock and real-estate speculation. It is safe to say that when I first saw the film, the specific details of how the market works were a bit over my head. But I was deeply drawn to the story. I knew that there was significant relevance at the time to what was being shown on screen.

Families I knew personally had started to crumble when the market tanked in the late 80’s. I could see, firsthand, the hardships they were facing, as well as what loomed on their horizon. The fearful looks and constant dread on the faces of my friends at school were all too obvious. They were not sure they if would be back for the following year at our prestigious, and very expensive, Upper East Side private school.


The first Wall Street film was a way of explaining the economic demise of these once wealthy families. Their grandiose way of life was abruptly coming to an end. Their lights burned too bright, too fast and it finally caught up with them. This turn of events was equally embarrassing as it was shameful.

The traders and other self-styled “Masters of The Universe” all contributed to this stereotype of an entire population of money-hungry people doing unethical things on a minute-to-minute basis. The rest of us in New York and throughout the country just watched in awe and amazement to see what would come next.

In the movie, you could see the characters’ bravado masquerading as entrepreneurship, but it was their flaws that made them human. And the film was more enjoyable and real because, by the end, you could see which characters had a soul and were capable of saving, and which one’s were beyond hope.


In the 1980’s, the business of Wall Street did not so much have a face but rather an identity and an aura. There was a brashness and a definitive allure to the traders and their outlooks on business and the world. To chronicle these highfalutin misadventures, Stone rightly cast two men who were not only talented, but easy on the eyes in Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen.

Charlie Sheen (Hot Shots, Platoon, Navy Seals) plays Bud Fox, a young executive desperately looking for approval from his blue-collar father. The idea of earning a living and grinding out a career do not appeal to the young upstart. Instead, he wants to make it big… quick. He knows the fastest way to do this is to be taken under the wing of a business titan, a real mover and shaker; someone with an abundance of clout who always has the inside scoop.


Enter Michael Douglas (The Game, Traffic, Solitary Man). He plays the master manipulator in the infamous character, Gordon Gecko. He is an evil mentor, spinning a web of lies and deceit that only encourages Bud to further dishonesties.

It’s a wild ride as we see Bud get sucked deeper into a downward spiral. Gecko plays his young apprentice like a harp from hell, constantly dangling the things that make Bud go even further out of control and into harm’s way.

By offering Bud money, expensive possessions and women, Gecko is getting him more hooked on that drug called success. But it is the power and confidence that Gecko wields elegantly but forcefully that eventually imprisons Bud in Gordon’s pocket. That’s the truest effect of Gecko’s charms: the ability to be above everyone and everything. In essence, to be God-like.

It is difficult to take a film about office work and money transactions and make it interesting to the everyday theatergoer. But the first movie places us in the heart of the trading room floor, where these decisions and practices have the highest consequences.


The basic premise of the first Wall Street film, and what made it so enjoyable, even to the layperson, was the fact that grown men were acting like children. They had traded the playground for the corporate board room, and instead of bragging about how many baskets you could score or comic books you could collect, the new measures of success were of course how fat your wallet was, how many corporate boards you sat on and how good your seats were at the opera.

In the film, these bragging rights are presented so much more seductively; in the back seat of a limo with a hot blonde holding a bottle of champagne; riding dune buggies on pristine beaches in the Hamptons; or handing your father a fat wad of cash and telling him to go take your mom out for a nice meal. For a child, it was once a new baseball glove and the most cutting-edge video game console; but for the new found baron of business, it was trophy girlfriends, over-the-top mansions and Italian sports cars.


The lure of Wall Street is easy to understand. The institution represents the possibility of instant millions, giving it the feel of a casino. The famed brokerage houses are like a fantasy land where the super-rich go to play and the rest of us commoners can only imagine what happens in those offices and cubicles on a daily basis.

The first Wall Street film put everything in perspective. Through the eyes of Bud Fox we see the drive and determination within each of us to go after what we want and then succeed…at least partially. And in the Gordon Gecko character, we see a heartless executioner. Through his actions we see the horrible toll monetary aspirations can have on a person and their family.

The tragic tale of Wall Street is told intelligently and unfolds in a comprehensive manner, while continuously building momentum throughout the entire running time. Most importantly, it wraps up in an honest way, befitting the material.


So when I had heard that a follow-up film was being made, I had reservations as well as high hopes. My feeling is that the truly great stories stand alone and that artistic purity should always trump any possible box office rewards. But I'll never deny feeling a tad giddy that one of my favorite stories was adding another chapter.

I was shocked by the positive reviews from the critics regarding Money Never Sleeps. I feel like no one remembers the stylish way in which Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon, World Trade Center) directed his first Wall Street film. After Money Never Sleeps first week in theaters, all I could hear about or read was how the box office loves the new Wall Street movie, and how it is a commercial success.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I was surprised that a film that has as big a following as Wall Street only brought in 19 million dollars in its opening weekend. In contrast, Resident Evil: Afterlife, about space mutants that get turned into sandwich spread by a sexy but lethal heroine, brought in more dough during its opening weekend. And that film did not have an A-List celebrity like Michael Douglas reprising a role for which he won an Academy Award.

And that is probably the most disheartening aspect of all this; you get heavyweights like Stone and Douglas back together and the film falls completely flat. The dialogue is bland and there aren’t even clear-cut heroes and villains. It seems like each character has trouble taking a side or figuring out what their true intentions are.

It is jumbled together, without even glimmers or twinges of greatness, and then wraps up in an unbelievable turn of events that doesn’t make much sense. The ending is a complete departure from the first film and it leaves the audience disappointed and wishing the sequel had never been made.


The first film brilliantly featured the cutthroat nature of the Wall Street marauders. Money Never Sleeps is about Gecko trying to reconnect with his daughter after his time in prison for insider trading.

This focal plot line is the main reason for my disapproval. Gordon Gecko’s family situation is about as interesting as Freddy Krueger’s tax returns.

What everyone wanted to see in the follow-up story to Wall Street was Gordon being the Gecko we know and love. We want to see him on expensive yachts, surrounded by gorgeous women, while pissing off the establishment with his unethical methods of doing business. In essence, he’s the bad guy you want to hang out with.

As the viewer, you are out of luck if you want even a taste of his old behavior. The new Gecko is a shadow of his former self. GG is a reformed man. Prison has taken its toll and done a number on his insatiable appetite for prowess and riches. Gecko’s new existence is mediocre and irrelevant. With a weak central character, the film is a half attempt at the franchises’ earlier glory.


Along with great leading men, there was also a strong supporting cast in the first film. Hal Holbrook (Shade, Midway, All the President’s Men) played the wise old Wall Street veteran that tries to steer Bud in the right direction, but winds up losing him to the talons of Gecko. John C. McGinley (Seven, Any Given Sunday, The Rock) played Bud’s pal, fellow trader and the comedy relief. James Spader (White Palace, Bad Influence, Two Days in the Valley) was another notable talent that was kicked to the curb in this redux.

None of these actors, including Saul Rubinek, Sean Young or Terrence Stamp are anywhere to be found in the second film. But the biggest letdown is that Martin Sheen (The Believers, Apocalypse Now, The Departed) is also left out completely.

The unfortunate reason for all this is simple: the Bud Fox character is not an intricate part of the movie. Sheen makes a brief cameo in the second film. As this was the person that put Gecko in prison, we are expecting fireworks but instead there is a light-hearted and silly dialogue that leaves the audience feeling confused and annoyed.


Money Never Sleeps is completely dumbed down for mass audiences, serving the argument that its only true goal was to make the studios money. You do not even need to see the first film to know the back story. Money Never Sleeps should stand on its own. I would be the happiest guy in the world if I felt that the philistines that actually enjoyed this piece of dreck believed there wasn't a first film. It brings a tear to my eye knowing how spectacular the 1986 movie was, but the sad reality is that it spawned this newest letdown.

For the sake of the genuine fans, this new Wall Street movie should not be compared to or even uttered in the same sentence as the 1986 film. Anyone loyal and appreciative of the first film should stay far away from this sequel, or run the risk of having an iconic story ruined.



Money Never Sleeps does a disservice to the loyal fans that have quoted, epitomized, or used the lessons from the first film in their everyday lives. There was a time when if you referenced "Anacott Steel, "Teldar Paper" or "Blue Star Airlines" people would instantly know exactly what you meant. Listing these fictional companies was the surest way to find out if the person you were talking to was also a knowledgeable fan.

The second film has been simplified to such an extent that a seven-month old toddler could digest it. That’s sad because an industry as complex as Wall Street and a practice as layered as insider trading should not be consumed by your average moviegoer. Particularly one who anxiously waits in line and is most content with features like “Saw VII” in 3D.

The new kid on the block, Carey Mulligan (Brothers, An Education, Public Enemies) is the lone bright spot. She is able to outshine all her male counterparts and deliver a powerful performance, but again, it is the overall content and material that is lacking.


The question that anybody with a brain has to ask themself is how difficult is it to one-up Shia LaBeouf, the talentless cog who plays her love interest? He is completely miscast in this role. For one thing, he doesn’t come close to even resembling a trader. Though he is in his mid-twenties, he looks and acts like a sophomore in high school.

There is a scene where he is garbed in a leather motorcycle outfit and when the audience sees his full frame walking away, he looks eerily like a lower East side dwarf, decked out in S&M gear. His attempts to carry scenes and his overall intensity are tiresome and unnerving.

Apparently LaBeouf is a big box office draw for younger audiences, having appeared in the Transformers movies and the most recent Indiana Jones disaster, “The Crystal Skull.” I could usually care less about the actors that appear in summer blockbusters, but for the kind of caliber material presented during the fall movie season, I thought choosing LaBeouf missed the mark.


I wish I knew what Stone and the producers saw in him. James Franco, (Spiderman, Howl, Milk) Derek Luke, (Antwone Fisher, Lions for Lambs, Friday Night Lights) or even Jessie Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, The Social Network, Adventureland) would have been much better choices.

Douglas’ performance is also not up to snuff. He does not deliver any of the one-liners or business nuances that made him such a memorable character from the first film. In what is supposed to be his big speech, given to students at Fordham University, nothing remotely interesting or memorable is said. This particular scene is filled with jump cuts and his last line doesn’t resonate at all or have anywhere near the importance or substance as was hopefully intended.


The bad guy in the film is not even all that bad. Josh Brolin (The Goonies, No Country for Old Men, Planet Terror) plays a money manager who causes the death of LaBeouf’s mentor. Brolin has all the physical things needed to be the main anarchist; devilish good looks, expensive suits, and all the toys and social status a man could want, but he does not even come off as all that menacing or evil.

He is more like a petty thief than the reason for the economic sector’s woes, which is exactly what he is unsuccessfully painted as. He is pretty tame by Gecko’s standards, and it’s tough to even consider him an intricate aspect of the film.

Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, Thelma and Louise, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) is also in this boat of unnecessary characters involved in senseless plot twists. She plays LaBeouf’s struggling mother who can’t come to terms with the fact that her real estate business has gone bankrupt. She begs and pleads with her son for more money but the argument falls on deaf ears as no one cares for her or her problems. She also tries to deliver her lines in a Long Island accent that comes off as strained and nauseating.


In keeping with terrible accents, Frank Langella (The Box, Dave, Frost vs. Nixon) plays the aforementioned mentor to LaBeouf. He jumps in front of the six train when he realizes that his investment firm is going belly up. He tries to play the experienced financial guru but delivers his lines with a horrific Jewish accent that could not even cut it on a Seinfeld episode, let alone the big screen.

Eli Wallach (The Ghost Writer, Mystic River, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly) appears for about two scenes, neither of them being memorable or befitting an actor of his talents. He plays Brolin’s boss, and at 95 years old, it’s a miracle that he's still acting. But perhaps the bigger miracle would be to actually hear his lines or understand what he is saying.

My biggest worry about this debacle of a movie this that it will spawn a new breed of Wall Street fan. It’s an undeserved following. The feeble storyline is performed by dismal actors.


Will people yearn to see a third installment? Will the once mighty original film become a mockery like the Hannibal Lector or Terminator movies? Probably.

It’s safe to say that if a profit can be generated than the Hollywood studios will make it happen. Like Gecko said, “Greed is good” but the product is anything but.

I am grateful to Money Never Sleeps for giving me an opportunity to write about the first and best Wall Street story. After all this time, the film still stands up, with lessons that are as true today as they were 23 years ago.

I was too young to write about it back then. But with this most recent continuation of a timeless story, I am able to express my joy in what I consider the quintessential film of the 1980’s. Explore the first Wall Street film again and pretend that the story ends when the credits are rolling and the classic Talking Heads song “Home” begins playing.


One and a half out of five stars.

Terminator Salvation

I have been a fan of the Terminator franchise since I was a little kid. I will never forget the circumstances with which I saw the first one. My brother and I were at the video store with our father, who always allowed us to get whatever we wanted regardless of the the content. At no other time could an 8 and 13 year old casually select any R-rated movie they wanted. If our mother had been there, we would have had to settle for The Muppets Take Manhattan or Lady and the Tramp.

Of course our father was too exhausted from his work to stay up with us that evening so we were free to relish in the offensive language, lurid sex scene, and gratuitous violence that is Jim Cameron’s classic science fiction film. The Terminator is one of the early Schwarzenegger blockbusters that would later establish him as the quintessential action/adventure hero. But in his role, he is the ultimate villain: cold, calculating, precise and ruthless.

Roughly seven years later, the entire world was blown away by Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Without question, it remains one of the best sequels ever created. Where as Cameron and the late-great make-up innovator Stan Winston were responsible for giving The original Terminator it’s visionary look and feel, the effects team at Industrial Light and Magic created cinema history with the T-1000 nemesis.



Audiences had trouble comprehending liquid metal, but Robert Patrick, who probably has less than 40 words of dialogue throughout the film played the advanced prototype perfectly. Though much smaller than Schwarzenegger, Patrick showed that the newer model was equally sadistic and twice as deadly.

The third installment Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a decent film but could in could in no way compete with the two installments written and directed by James Cameron. With Jonathan Mostow directing,(Fright Show, U-571, Breakdown) it may be the last time we see Arnold Schwarzenegger act in the series, but it did succeed in opening the door for many more Terminator films to be created, as we find out that Judgment Day – when civilization is destroyed by nuclear war - was inevitable.

One could see that the series had taken a different direction with Rise of the Machines. While entertaining, it lacked the edge, dash and over the top realism of the earlier films. The storyline was greatly altered, and without Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the ultimate survivor, there was an obvious void.


And that lands us to the most recent installment, Terminator Salvation, directed by McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol). We are now thrust into the future, 2018, where man lives underground in the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust that took place at the very end of Terminator 3.

John Connor has fulfilled his destiny and is now leading the human resistance against Skynet, the electronic intelligence system that is spearheading the initiative to eradicate all human beings from existence. John Connor is now all grown up, with a pregnant wife played by Bryce Dallas Howard, (The Village, The Lady in the Water, Spider Man 3) and a baby on the way. He is the spokesperson and most visible figure in an underground network of resistance fighters, hell bent on defeating Skynet and preserving the human race.



Christian Bale, (American Psycho, The Dark Knight, Newsies) plays Connor with a passion and fervor. He is the quintessential, “Never Give Up” guy, and his performance comes through with an abundance of screaming and motivational speeches that would characterize any crazed military leader.

The film is a good action flick but die hard Terminator fans will be let down for a number of reasons; (1) James Cameron did not direct (2) the film is rated PG-13 – The first installment ever to receive anything less than an R-rating (3) There are a number of holes in the plot line and story that leave true enthusiasts shaking their heads in disbelief.

For one, Terminators aren’t as hard core as they once were. We have been led to believe from the three earlier installments that if one of these machines got within five feet of you, than you were as good as dead. Now, human beings can fight toe-to-toe with a much stronger and deadlier cyborg and still walk away. It just does not add up.

What made a Terminator such a menacing and lethal character was how cold blooded and deadly they were. Their main objective was to terminate. The terminators in Salvation have been dumbed down and should be dressed in pink tutus and bobby socks – they just are not efficient killers when compared with the earlier versions. Instead they choose to throw their prey around and toy with them, which is completely contrary to their behavior in the first two films.


In Salvation, we see sunlight, which is unheard of compared with scenes of the future in the other films. One would think that after a nuclear war, the sun would be blotted out from the elimination of the o-zone layer, but Los Angeles looks like a cool, dry place, much like it is right now, in the real world.

Probably the biggest change in this new installment is the philosophy of the people and the attitude of the times. There was an uncertainty in the earlier films, a question of whether the human race was even going to make it. With Terminator Salvation, that morbid hope of survival falls by the way side. There is never a doubt that the good guys will triumph, there is only a question of how bruised the bad guys will be, and how long will it take them to be at full strength again.

I can remember talking for days with friends and anyone who would listen about the outcome of T2 just after I saw it.The only real question that remains after you leave Salvation is, how many more of these lackluster films will follow before James Cameron attempts to rescue his beloved creation and get it back on track with what the fans have known and loved all these years.

I had a feeling this newest episode would be pretty tame. I was particularly disheartened when I saw that a prime time television show was created. I have heard that people enjoy The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I can’t bring myself to watch any of it. My love for the films and their premise is too great to have it relegated to an hour long TV show.


Terminator Salvation does have some startling and eye-catching images. The T-600 Terminator is an early model of the Schwarzenegger T-101. The T-600 is somewhere in between the skinless exo-skeleton and the more refined model which Schwarzenegger made famous. In short, the T-600 looks like Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. With his poor skin job and bulky movements, it may be an obsolete model but it is pretty scary and haunting just the same.

The shots inside Skynet of human prisoners being led through the processing plant like cattle have an eerie, Auschwitz-like feel to it. I have always wondered what the computer genius and its headquarters would look like. It’s a thrill to be taken inside, but it is a little unbelievable as well.

Helena Bonham Carter (Big Fish, Fight Club, Sweeney Todd) plays a multiple roles but she is more effective at the end of the film, within the walls of enemy. Her strong chin, intent eyes and powerful voice throw a twist in the story that I was not expecting.

I was amazed at how easily John Connor and his small militia are able to break into the hornet’s nest and get out unscathed. One would think it would be impenetrable, but Hollywood is calling the shots in this movie and it’s sad that only one Terminator comes out to fight in the big showdown. It could have been an impressive and gritty battle between man and machine if it opened up more.

The entire film reeks of falsehood, as do most of the sets and hideouts. In Cameron’s future, soldiers were covered with soot, scars and grime from a lifetime of fighting. They slept in ditches and showers were a thing of the past.


In McG’s vision, people have straight teeth, expose cleavage and can even ride around in ballistic submarines. Their lives don’t seem so bad and one would think that the worst thing that these people have to deal with, other than the roaming death machines, is a lack of television and takeout food.

It should be noted that there is an impressive truck, motorcycle and plane chase scene. Terminators are actually installed on motorcycles which can maneuver in ways humans never thought possible. It makes for an exciting pursuit, unlike anything I have ever seen before. In the same sequence we also get to see the H.K (hunter-killer) planes round up humans for Skynet and take on the resistance’s meager air force.


Sam Worthington (Hart’s War, Dirty Deeds, Rogue) is a lesser known Australian actor who plays a hybrid Terminator with a conscience. He makes a nice addition to the series and I am surprised that this film is the first I have ever heard of him. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a brief cameo as his younger self, but his name is not listed in the end credits so I can only assume it is not him but a CGI representation.


The real scene stealer in the film is Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Hearts in Atlantis, Alpha Dog). Playing Kyle Reese, the protector from the first Terminator, we see him as a young man fighting the well equiped enemy on his own. He gives a powerful performance that does justice to Michael Biehn’s first portrayal.


For someone like me who enrolled in the Terminator fan club as a young lad, Terminator Salvation is the parsley on the great buffet table. In essence, it is a shadow of the earlier greatness. It gets a thumbs up for being a futuristic adventure film, worth the price of admission. But it comes with a big yawn and question mark from movie geeks like me who have followed the story, studied the films, and hoped for continued brilliance.

I am still shocked at the direction the series has moved in and wonder what I will find to take its place. There may never be a replacement for what I feel is the most famed science fiction icon of the last thirty years.

I don’t think the Transformers are anything to get excited about, but I would not rule out a Terminator vs. Robocop spin-off in the future. Let’s hope its leaps and bounds ahead of the Alien vs. Predator films.

Two out of five stars. Hasta la vista baby.

Blueberry Festival - Labor Day Weekend 2008

My big adventure for the Labor holiday was to Plymouth, IN for the annual Blueberry Festival. I had never been before but I had heard good things about it. It took place on a gorgeous and sunny day. Maybe too sunny. The heat would top off around 96 degrees.

While I did not wear sun block or a hat, I did remember to wear shorts and a t-shirt. Every time I walked by someone in jeans or a black shirt I would grimace. What the hell were these people thinking?

It took about two hours to get there, and I had to awake at roughly 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday, but once I got there and breathed the clean Indiana air and soaked in the attractions, it was all worth it.


Just before finding the fair, we passed a "Discount Bob's" cigarette store on U.S. 30. I had seen these stores in South Bend when I was in college. Back in the day, I would stop in on a Friday night just before hitting the bars. I could get a pack of Parliament Lights for around three bucks, which was a deal back in 2001, compared with the $7.50 they rape you for them in Chicago.



This particular Discount Bob's caught my eye because aside from selling smokes, they also sold coffee, via the drive-thru. What could be more American than that? Coffee and cigarettes – God Bless America.


I wanted so badly to go in the shop and observe the clientele. I imagine it was as far away as you could possibly get from the Starbucks fashionistas sitting with their portable Tolstoy reader, sipping some $8 ice-cream coffee shake. I would love to see the sushi eating, Chihuahua owning set stroll into Discount Bob's on a Monday morning looking to fulfill their chai latte craving.


I would like to think that Bob's was full of Dennis Leary types with their black coffee and their Marlboro reds, one after the other. There is a slice of Americana in these shops and I am sure the Presidential candidates would do well to learn about what was discussed among the patrons. This little shop reminded me of where I was in our great land, and what life is like outside the city.

The Blueberry Festival could best be described as a country fair. There is a travelling amusement park, various food vendors and a slew of travelling salespeople hocking everything from personalized mailboxes and kitchen equipment to obscene t-shirts and on-the-spot henna tattoos.

There is also a pretty big youth softball tournament. It's strange to see children wandering around in team jerseys while other fair-goers are decked out in "French Toast" body-builder pants various styles of cut-off jeans.

While the festival is most famous for the blueberry pies, ice cream and other calorie ridden delicacies, the classic car show was the real draw from me. Attracting the best muscle cars and vintage classics in the area, the show is a modern marvel of American engineering, style, and of course, muscle.

It's a delight for the eyes on so many levels. Some of the most backwoods people break out their automotive pride and joy for the spectators. There is even a swap meet where you can purchase everything from lug nuts to a '57 Chevy or a Playboy from the 1980's.

The beauties are all there from Chargers, Camaros, Dusters, Corvettes, Cudas and everything in between. Each owner raises the hood and the trunk and rolls the driver's side window down for enthusiasts to get their fill. Photo books and owners manuals rest just in front of the engine blocks for passerbys to peruse. Below are photos of the various hot-rods that caught my eye.


I attended the event with two gentlemen who personally contributed to the impressiveness of the show. My friend Glen owns and maintains this maroon colored 1968 Ford Mustang fastback. In essence, this is the classic Mustang that Steve McQueen drives with incredible skill in the movie "Bullitt." Arguably the best chase scene ever caught on film, it was quite a site to see the real thing up close and personal.


My other friend Russ maintains this Mercury Cyclone. The cream white leather interior looks plush and smells like it's right off the assembly room floor. Russ takes exceptional care of it and it certainly shows.


Yes, this is the old Starsky and Hutch car. The El Camino looks pretty cool up close. It even has the light that Hutch is famous for putting on the roof when the boys are in hot pursuit. This was a favorite and drew quite the crowd at the festival because of the popularity in recent years of the film with Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller.


This is an Old Studebaker. I really like the design of this one. The Studebakers were not known for being the most efficient cars, but I always felt that modern day Vikings would crave these automobiles. With designs like this one, I get the feeling that they were meant to ram things or blow through doors. They just seem fit for urban combat.


As you can tell from the sign under the hood, the car was for sale, but I was hesitant to seek out the owner and then inquire as to the price. I did not feel like giving off the impression that I was seriously considering it, for fear of getting the hard sell from someone looking to get out from under it. Getting petitioned by a sales person is one thing, but getting accosted by a redneck with a tire iron is quite another.


The Delorean is something we can all relate to. It was made famous by the "Back to the Future" series but they became even more infamous for being junkers that never get out of the repair shop. Notice the license plate on this one reads, "Entrapment." I would love to know how much the owner has sunk into this one to keep it running.


I am still kind of amazed by these cars though. They certainly have a unique look and frame and I guess that's due to the fact that they are made of stainless steel. The doors opening upward remind me of one of my favorite cars, the Mercedes Benz Gull Wing, except in an 80's look. But glancing at the dashboard, I was surprised that the speedometer only goes to 100 mph. I always thought these were sports cars that could achieve high speeds. I guess they are just movie fodder from a past generation.


This is the frame of an old Corvette but with a more modern engine. I like the old Corvettes compared with the newer ones but this one was a bit bizarre with its fluorescent green coloring. I also don't think I would be able to fit too well in a car this small, so the idea of ever driving one is far removed from my mind.


Above is a 1959 Jaguar convertible. The cherry red finish is beautiful. When walking by this model, I was almost expecting to see Prince William in the driver's seat with a group of hunting hounds sitting outside protecting it from nicks, dents, scratches, dirty looks, or offensive language.

Below are some of the other masterpieces that were around. As you can see, each owner takes meticulous care in their wellbeing. They are more than happy to chat up the attendees as to how the automobile came into their possession and the rigorous work that went into its restoration. It's not uncommon to see someone wiping the hood with a shammy while people walk by and nod in respect and appreciation.