tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post4809763371529730628..comments2024-02-10T01:22:29.316-08:00Comments on Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: Oliver Stone: Salvador and PlatoonKevin J. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-6010128094693773822010-08-24T13:41:14.677-07:002010-08-24T13:41:14.677-07:00For me there were a couple of scenes that stood ou...For me there were a couple of scenes that stood out on this one, like the one where the photo journalists are dying to take a great picture as the plane is about to pass...they want to get so close to the action that the plane shoots them! <br /><br />I also dug that scene where the two photo journalists are taking pictures of all those dead bodies on the field, kind of creepy. <br /><br />And the tension as woods is telling the kid on the bus how he is going to Disneyland and all that and suddenly the border patrol comes in and screws everything up! And that tension as they almost blow Woods head off! <br /><br />Insane stuff, tense. <br /><br />One thing I noticed in the making off documentary for this movie is that James Woods is kind of a prick! He is a tight ass dude! <br /><br />He mentions that had he not asked for some one to check on the gun that was going to be pointed at his head, he would have been dead right now! The interviews on the dvd are awesome, check them out.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-20035854743838145072010-08-24T11:30:50.833-07:002010-08-24T11:30:50.833-07:00TFC:
You aren't the only one disagreeing with...TFC:<br /><br />You aren't the only one disagreeing with me today! Hehe. I just felt like the tone was all wrong for SALVADOR. It has its moments, and it's not a terrible film, just not Stone's most memorable for me. I remember thinking that certain scenes really stood out (the aforementioned church slaughter), but I just didn't feel like it didn't think it all coalesced into a great, memorable movie experience. <br /><br />Your link to HEAVEN AND EARTH is much appreciated. I'll be reviewing that one shortly, so I'll look forward to reading it. Thanks for checking this out and for commenting. Always appreciate having you stop by here.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-3894540929844157782010-08-24T11:26:05.383-07:002010-08-24T11:26:05.383-07:00J.D.:
Yeah, SALVADOR just didn't jive with me...J.D.:<br /><br />Yeah, SALVADOR just didn't jive with me. I remember thinking throughout the film that there had to be something more happening, but it all just felt very basic to me. Perhaps it's because I watched it on the same day as PLATOON, but the only thing that really stood out to me was Woods' performance. Don't get me wrong, the film is good, just not as memorable as Stone's other films. But it is the template for what would follow in his career for nearly ten years.<br /><br />I like what you say about the FEAR AND LOATHING comparison, and I briefly thought about that during the film but failed to mention it in my review (I also see that I didn't even write it down in my notes), and you're right about that church scene...whew. Woods' acting is brilliant during and after that scene.<br /><br />I like what you say about the friction between Woods and Stone bringing out the best in each other. I did read somewhere that Woods was offered a role in PLATOON and said that there was no way in hell he was going back into the jungle with Stone. Hehe.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment, J.D.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-53771592452435703882010-08-24T11:16:12.226-07:002010-08-24T11:16:12.226-07:00Geoff:
Thanks for checking this out and for the k...Geoff:<br /><br />Thanks for checking this out and for the kind words. I appreciate it.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-54108829215201569092010-08-24T09:05:26.334-07:002010-08-24T09:05:26.334-07:00Gonna have to disagree with you on Salvador man, c...Gonna have to disagree with you on Salvador man, curiously enough, I just recently re-watched this one and I found it to be a very profound experience. <br /><br />I give kudos to Stone because the film rings true. I mean, the film exposes an evil government, a murderous government which killed more than 800 people simply to quiet down their voices, because they were willing to fight for their rights as humans in a country that was stomping them, murdering them. <br /><br />Everything is made that much more immediate, when we take in consideration that all these evil deeds happened for real, which is something that happens to me while watching an Oliver Stone film, everything is believable, and plausible, because for all intents and purposes, these things happened. And this film is based on the story of a real person who survived through all that evil and saw it first hand. <br /><br />Which is something I appreciate about Oliver Stone's films, he takes a real story and adapts it to film, making the impact of the film that much stronger. <br /><br />I do agree with you on the similarities between Stone's films. Actually, I believe Salvador has a lot more in common with Heaven and Earth than with Platoon. If you see Heaven and Earth you will see whole sequences that are extremely similar to the ones in Salvador, yet Heaven and Earth is its own thing. <br /><br />I recently reviewed Heaven and Earth and its basically the same story, but instead of Salvador, we go to Vietnanm. Where Tommy Lee Jones plays an American soldier who falls for a Vietnamese girl and wants to take her out of that hell hole. But Heaven and Earth goes a bit further, because it shows us what happens after he takes her to America, and the problems she encounters while there. <br /><br />Heaven and Earth is extremely epic! I reviewed it in my blog a couple of weeks ago and loved the hell out of it, HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! Here's the link to my review for it if you are interested: <br /><br />http://filmconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2010/08/oliver-stones-heaven-and-earth-1993.htmlFranco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-219175093064123852010-08-24T08:21:34.690-07:002010-08-24T08:21:34.690-07:00Excellent analysis! You write:
"Salvador is ...Excellent analysis! You write:<br /><br />"Salvador is wholly unmemorable"<br /><br />I have to strongly disagree with you on this one. If anything, it is one his more memorable in the sense that differentiates his film from others of that ilk (THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, UNDER FIRE, etc.) by making the film so gritty and intense and intimate. You really get under Boyle's skin, thanks to James Woods' stellar performance but I never felt that there was any confusion on Stone's part: he knew exactly what kind of film he was making. Essentially, he starts making a riff on FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (James Belushi as Dr. Gonzo?) and then once he's introduced these two guys and their relationship towards each other, the film mutates into an angry message picture as Stone rails against the injustices of El Salvador. I don't think I'll ever forget the assassination of four American churchwomen in the film. That scene chills me to the bone every time and the aftermath and how Woods reacts to it is very powerful indeed and I would put it up against anything else in Stone's filmography.<br /><br />There was all kinds of friction between Woods and Stone during the filming of SALVADOR and it comes out in a good way on screen as both pushed each other to really draw out their best.<br /><br />As for PLATOON, I watched it a few years ago and was struck by how amazing Tom Berenger is in this film. I mean, he hadn't done too much up to that point, most memorably films like THE BIG CHILL and EDDIE & THE CRUISERS, roles that did not prepare us for what he pulled off in Stone's film. Ditto for Willem Dafoe who had been cast has a heavy up to that point in films like STREETS OF FIRE and TO LIVE & DIE IN L.A. but he really is the heart and soul of the film and a great counterbalance to Berenger's sociopathic sergeant.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-65947151161055770762010-08-23T21:29:40.622-07:002010-08-23T21:29:40.622-07:00Great analysis of these two films-- I haven't ...Great analysis of these two films-- I haven't seen either one since the 80s. I remember liking SALVADOR, and of course, PLATOON was a powerful experience at the movies. I'll have to check these out soon.Geoffhttp://www.briandepalma.orgnoreply@blogger.com