At this point, most of us are aware of Sacha Baron Cohen, the British actor who has portrayed a Kazakhstanian reporter in Borat; a gay Austrian fashion buff in this summer’s Brüno, and a French car racing star in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby — among many other things. What many of us are not so much aware of is that Sacha has a cousin named Ash, and he’s been here in America and working in movies for much longer than his superstar relative.

In the July issue of Esquire, they did a small story on Ash Baron Cohen, and while he hasn’t made the most well-known films we’ve ever heard of, his story is wonderful and decorated with the praises of cinematic legends. Some of the films he has made are: Bang, which Roger Ebert called one of the best movies of 1997; Pups, which had Mischa Barton and Burt Reynolds; and probably his biggest project was This Girl’s Life, which starred James Woods, Rosario Dawson, Michael Rapaport, and Ioan Gruffudd. He also currently has three movies on the way that are in various states of production.

Most of his projects were directed under the one-name format: Ash. This was because he was initially here illegally. Apparently Oliver Stone loved his movie Bang so much, that he said “We need to get you legal,” and actually wrote the INS to make it happen.

Click over to the other side for one of the best Hollywood stories I’ve ever heard — WITH video! Pre-click warning: this video has some heavy NSFW language from thespian Richard Harris (that’d be Professor Dumbledore from the first two Harry Potter films, for you younger generation folks). Now you’re too curious not to look, aren’t you?

Alright, so we have known for a while now that the Wall Street sequel, Money Never Sleeps would involve the infamous Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas), his daughter, and the young stock trader she’s engaged to (Read: Oliver Stone & Michael Douglas Set To Return For “˜Wall Street 2″²). What we have not known is who exactly would be playing this daughter — a question that we now have an answer to.

Latino Review — who has been the one true source for exclusive Wall Street 2 news — has now learned that actress Carey Mulligan has been cast as Winnie Gecko. Mulligan is an up-and-coming actress whose biggest roles are 2005’s Pride and Prejudice as one of Keira Knightly’s younger sisters, as well as an appearance in this summer’s Johnny Depp and Christian Bale action/crime drama Public Enemies. These two films are highlights of an already-impressive resume for the 24-year old from England, who with a handful of projects in production, is looking to make a name for herself in the near future.

The LA Times is reporting that director Oliver Stone and actor Michael Douglas are now officially set to return for what’s currently being called Wall Street 2 — the sequel to the 1987 hit that snagged Douglas an Oscar for Best Actor. Also being reported is the possible addition is young gun Shia LaBeouf, who is in talks for a role in the sequel.

A sequel to Wall Street has been rumored for quite a while now, but given the country’s harsh economic situation, it was only a matter of time before they all decided it was ripe enough. Just a short time ago, Stone had pulled himself off the project, so some large and impressive changes must have been made to win him back.

The basic word on the plot is that the movie will take place two decades after the first, and it will return us to Gordon Gekko (Douglas), who is now getting out of prison. Thankfully, the talented gents over at Latino Review always find a way to get information on a script, so there’s more to be known. Their report on the sequel tells us that Gekko was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 1988 for Tax Evasion, Security Fraud, and Insider Trading. When we pick up with his release, he has moved on to traveling around and making lectures, as well as writing books. Eventually, he finds himself making a deal with Jacob (possible LaBeouf) in order to reconnect with his daughter, who happens to be engaged to Jacob.

W
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn, Thandie Newton
Lionsgate

Long gone were Presidents Kennedy and Nixon when Oliver Stone decided to dissect them back in the 1990s and those two films (JFK and Nixon) turned out just fine. With President George W. Bush, Stone is not only dealing with a sitting president, but is dealing with the fact that good ole W is among the most discussed presidents of all-time.

Go ahead, try and turn on a news station that isn’t discussing this man’s calamities. It’s impossible. That fact alone would dissuade most directors. But Stone handles W’s issues and dilemmas with a keen understanding and a unique freshness that results in a fascinating foray into W’s desire to break away from his family’s name, but at the same time be accepted by them. Let the debates begin.

Stone’s tactic isn’t to give the audience a lecture or a PowerPoint presentation on the 43rd President of the United States. W (Josh Brolin) isn’t like Lincoln or Washington, or, any president for that matter. Most of them are made out to be monuments, not alcoholic, spoiled, feckless men like the young W. Those prestigious presidents would fill the movie screen in searing dramas and portraits of history that would be directed by the likes of Spielberg.

W.
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn
Rated PG-13
Release Date: October 17, 2008

Any comedian will tell you the secret to a good joke is to make it accessible, have a good setup, and kill with the punch line. I don’t know that there is necessarily a golden formula but this seems like pretty sound advice on a general level. I suppose variations of the same thing can be said about making movies. Director Oliver Stone had nothing if not a golden setup. A movie about the exiting President of the United States, while he is still in office, mere days before the election that would remove him from power, and with just enough time to reflect on his last eight years in office. Stone, being no stranger to controversy or films of historical significance, seemed to be in a perfect position to move in for the kill. Instead we got what those in retail refer to as the old “˜bait and switch’.

W. does show us what we expected to see from this movie; that George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) grew up as a hard partying man of privilege who rarely had to deal with consequences for anything he did or said. He was an irresponsible, womanizing, carousing, spoiled little rich kid who wouldn’t and couldn’t hold a job. Any trouble he got into was fixed by a phone call from his father, George H.W. Bush (James Cromwell). It also told how Dubya fell ass-backwards into politics and eventually became the leader of the free world. It would almost be an inspiring “little engine that could” type story, if not for knowing the details about how everything actually turned out. The pre-release posters and trailers suggested the movie would be a caustic illustration of the rise and fall of the 43rd President of the United States. Turns out, W. shows a surprising lack of poignancy, political or otherwise.