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Wall Street vs. Boiler Room

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View Poll Results: Wall Street vs. Boiler Room
Boiler Room
17
30.36%
Wall Street
39
69.64%
Voters: 56. You may not vote on this poll

Wall Street vs. Boiler Room

Old 03-21-04, 05:51 AM
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Wall Street vs. Boiler Room

This is the big question... I just watched Wall Street (it's been awhile since I'd seen it all the way through) and man it's starting to show its age at nearly 20 years old now. It's still a good film, but I have to say, I think Boiler Room is a better film. I have a feeling that this poll will show that most people feel Wall Street was the better film, but we'll just see. I think if you watched them back to back today, you might see it my way. Who knows. Anyway - it's not a pre-requisite to answering the poll... just a suggestion.

Sorry for you folks who want a twikoff or some other movie like Other People's Money or Glengarry Glen Ross. This is a slug-out between these two films. If you haven't seen one or both of them, then try not to answer the poll.

fyi - on IMDB - Boiler Room has a 6.8/10 with over 6000 votes and Wall Street has a 7.2/10 with over 8000 votes. Pretty close.

Last edited by Trigger; 03-21-04 at 05:53 AM.
Old 03-21-04, 07:39 AM
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Wall Street is okay, considering it was made by Oliver Stone whom I really can't stand.

But I think Bolier Room is better. Not a perfect movie (the subplot with the girlfriend could have been dropped with no loss), but I connected with it. Gotta respect guy who subsidizes his studies by running an apartment room card game!
Old 03-21-04, 09:18 AM
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Wall Street is better.
Old 03-21-04, 10:13 AM
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I wont vote since i havent seen Boiler Room,i love Wall Street and now i have another movie i have to see
Old 03-21-04, 10:15 AM
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The Gordon Gecko Greed speech is one of the classic scenes in motion picture history,Douglas gives the best performance of his career in this movie ,a great movie about greed in the 80's, Wall Street is the much better movie
Old 03-21-04, 10:53 AM
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Are you kidding?

WALL STREET is far better -

Michael Douglas' incredible performance, the dialogue, the ending....

I mean, even BOILER ROOM quotes from WALL STREET. WALL STREET may be dated in look and style, but its themes are everlasting.
Old 03-21-04, 10:58 AM
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Re: Wall Street vs. Boiler Room

Originally posted by Trigger
This is the big question... I just watched Wall Street (it's been awhile since I'd seen it all the way through) and man it's starting to show its age at nearly 20 years old now.
I'm curious what you mean by "starting to show its age". The whole point of Wall Street is that it encapsulates a specific place and time, so I think there would be something wrong with it if it didn't. Or do you mean that the technical aspects of the film seem dated, like the sound quality and things like that?

Personally I think it's Stone's best film, along with Talk Radio and Salvador. It's probably no coincidence that these are just about the only films he's made where the subject matter is serious and are not set in the '60s or early '70s. Any Given Sunday is fine, but inconsequential. and Platoon, Nixon, JFK, etc. are all marred by muddleheaded politics and, in the case of the latter two, historical revisionism.
Old 03-21-04, 12:39 PM
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Boiler Room for a few reasons:

1. I'm not a big fan of Oliver Stone. He's made his gems, he's made some okay films, and he's made some crap. Wall Street I'd classify as one of his "okay" filns.

2. Boiler Room misses out on ten minutes of Ben Affleck greatness.
2a. I prefer the cast in Boiler Room to the cast in Wall Street.

3. Wall Street doesn't have Simon Says by Pharoahe Monch blasting over the end credits.

Old 03-21-04, 01:00 PM
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This poll should not even be close,Wallstreet is a classic with great performances while boiler room is a nice little mild diversion ,Wallstreet should win by a landslide,but i am always surprised by the results in these dvd talk polls so i guess it would not surprise me if boiler room wins
Old 03-21-04, 02:32 PM
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Originally posted by Matthew Chmiel
3. Wall Street doesn't have Simon Says by Pharoahe Monch blasting over the end credits.

No, but it does have several tracks from the Brian Eno/David Byrne collaboration My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts as well as "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads. So I'm gonna go with Wall Street on this one.
Old 03-21-04, 03:53 PM
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Other People's Money is far better than either.

Larry the Liquidator's speech blows Gekko's out of the water.
Old 03-21-04, 04:56 PM
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Without a doubt Wall Street is the better movie.

I felt Boiler Room honestly could have done without half of the swearing. It just didnt make it believable that everyone talks like that. But thats just a minor nitpick.

I liked Boiler Room, Wall Streat was great though.
Old 03-21-04, 05:25 PM
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Other People's Money is a terrible movie (I think), but you're right about that speech... best part of the film and better than Gecko's speech.

As for my comment about Wall Street being dated - that has a few meanings... first and superficially, it's supposed to be about greed and wealth and the way they were living seems pretty middle class by today's standards and all the technical gadgets were kinda laughable. Gecko pulls out a mini black and white tv and shows it to charlie's character saying it's a gift for his neice - they both marvel at the technology. Another thing is the technical aspects - like the film just looks and sounds old... they did a poor job of looping too - especially with Daryll Hannah. Also - the girls that Charlie gets involved with are dogs by today's standards (well, my standards at least) and don't reflect his position in life. Aside from that I just felt the dialogue was too simplistic.

Wall Street is indeed a good film and it has a few key moments in it. So does Boiler Room. Gecko's greed speech is one of them. It's a good speech, but so is Affleck's speech in Boiler Room. Neither of them really hold a candle to Baldwin's speech in Glengarry Glen Ross, so they're both fighting for second place as far as I'm concerned. As for their fight between each other, I suppose I can give Douglas the slight edge on Affleck for that one. Another key scene is the powerful scene between Charlie Sheen and his father while he's in the hospital. Great scene and the best piece of acting from Charlie in the entire film. However, that scene can't touch the scene between Ribisi and his father in Boiler Room which is not only fathoms deeper and more poignant, it's heaps more powerful. Plus, Ribisi blows Sheen away in his performance - not just in that scene, but in the entire film.

Performances were a factor here too - I didn't think this was Douglas's best performance... surely one of them, but not his best. Sheen has for sure done better work. Both of these actors typically act the pretty much same in every film they are in... neither are as versatile as Ribisi and the cast of Boiler Room. Also - Boiler Room does quote Wall Street in the movie - showing proper and due respect to the film.

I don't like much Oliver Stone has done, but this is one of his likeable movies - even for a Stone hater.

Those who are voting Wall Street and haven't seen either filim in awhile - I'd like to pose a challenge for you to watch em both in one night and see if you change your mind. I mean - if you hated Boiler Room the first time, then nevermind - but if you liked em both, but picked Wall Street and haven't seen either in awhile...
Old 03-21-04, 05:26 PM
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Originally posted by Stu 17
Without a doubt Wall Street is the better movie.

I felt Boiler Room honestly could have done without half of the swearing. It just didnt make it believable that everyone talks like that. But thats just a minor nitpick.

I liked Boiler Room, Wall Streat was great though.
Having worked in telemarketing, I can tell you that people actually do talk like that.
Old 03-21-04, 06:02 PM
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I like both, but I think Wll Street is better.
Old 03-21-04, 09:41 PM
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Originally posted by NEUMANN
This poll should not even be close,Wallstreet is a classic with great performances while boiler room is a nice little mild diversion ,Wallstreet should win by a landslide,but i am always surprised by the results in these dvd talk polls so i guess it would not surprise me if boiler room wins

Amen, brother.

I mean, we should just give up. WALL STREET, being the better film, is almost a given.

But, this is DVD Talk, so be prepared to slap your forehead and wonder "WTF?!"
Old 03-21-04, 10:06 PM
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I have not seen Boiler Room, so I will not vote yet.

However, Boiler Room sure has its work cut out for it. Wall Street is a d@mn good movie. The casting and performances by each is top notch (just like Glengarry Glen Ross).

Personal confession: after seeing this movie in the late 80s, I started wearing suspenders to the office!
Old 03-22-04, 12:05 AM
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I just watched Wall Street (for the first time) on Friday and Boiler Room (for the nth time) the previous Saturday. I must say I think Boiler Room is underrated, and I like it alot, but wow--Wall Street was very good. I like alot of Oliver Stone films, but Wall Street might be my favorite. Michael Douglas is incredible, and so are Charlie and Martin Sheen. I'd definitely recommend both though.
Old 03-22-04, 01:30 AM
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Wall Street.

Boiler Room is an ADD child playing dress-up with daddy's clothes.
Old 03-22-04, 05:08 PM
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Originally posted by jeffkjoe
Amen, brother.

I mean, we should just give up. WALL STREET, being the better film, is almost a given.

But, this is DVD Talk, so be prepared to slap your forehead and wonder "WTF?!"
LOL,i cannot count the times i have slapped my forehead and wondered "WTF?!" at the results of a DVD talk poll,one of these days someone is going to put up a Dude wheres my car vs citizen kane poll and dude is going to win,and i will just sit back and laugh

Last edited by NEUMANN; 03-22-04 at 05:11 PM.
Old 03-22-04, 05:19 PM
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Considering that Boiler Room outright takes stuff from Wall Street prove which is the better film. You can have Vin Diesel doing the "Greed is Good" speach or you can have the man, Michael Douglas doing it.
Old 03-22-04, 05:57 PM
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I thought Boiler Room was a hoot, but even the characters in Boiler Room watch Wall Street.
Old 03-22-04, 08:06 PM
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Wall Street
Old 03-22-04, 09:12 PM
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Boiler Room is a very solid film, but c'mon guys. No contest.

Oh, and OPM is a great movie. Where's the stinkin' DVD already?!?
Old 03-22-04, 11:43 PM
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Both are excellent, but Wall Street is clearly better, I think.

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