Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is one of the most strange and violent movies, but without a doubt the best movie the war genre has to offer. The movie is told through the eyes of Capt. Willard, played by Martin sheen as he travels through Vietnam on a mission hand picked for him. More than any other movie Apocalypse Now shows the darkness of war as well as "The Horror."

As well as a amazing story line Apocalypse Now has an incredible cast through out the film. Featuring big name celebrities in small roles. Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Denis Hopper, a very young Laurence Fishburne, and above all with Marlin Brando as Col. Kurtz, the over all target of Capt. Willard's Mission.

The movie starts with the memorable sequence that any one who watches films has either heard about, read about or seen once or twice in their lives. I myself have seen it four times and I have only seen the movie all the way through once. It starts with a long shot of the jungle and as the Door's "The End" starts to play along with the noise of helicopters fades in the tree line explodes into Flames, setting the tone for the rest of the film to follow. From there the movie unfolds as we travel up river on a small patrol boat with Capt. Willard and crew.

This movie is far and beyond what I expected when I heard it was a war movie. Starting with the plot, Capt. Willard is sent up a Vietnam river into Cambodia to kill Col. Kurtz and American Officer who has apparently gone insane. Around each turn of the river the story strays further and further from the usual plot we come to expect from the war movie, and we begin to wonder if Kurtz has actually gone crazy or if he is the only sane person out here.

The most amazing scene in this movie is the Duvall scene, where he orders his men to take over a small city on a beach for its awesome surfing conditions. When he is told that it is an especially dangerous area controlled by the Vietcong he replies "Yea well Charlie doesn't surf." They take the town and start surfing before the gorilla warriors have even been stopped, but Col. Kilgore (Duvall) will not be reasoned with, the whole time he doesn't flinch as explosions are going off all around him. He orders an air strike on the tree line giving his most famous line in the movie "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning" showing once and for all how insane his character really is.

The movie travels down this river to less and less stable conditions as it comes closer and closer to its shocking conclusion, passing through Vietnamese camps, USO shows, and even through a French plantation, on their way to Kurtz's civilization. If you haven't seen this movie I suggest watching it. though it isn't for the faint of mind it is truly worth seeing.

The movie No Country for Old Men has been given very high reviews, and I intend to see it as soon as possible. I have been busy lately and hvent found time to go to the thearer to watch it but the reviews of No Country for Old Men have been out standing. I have read many reviews of this movie where critics have praised for how well created and acted this movie is.

In a review I read by Peter Travers, that was in Rolling Stone Magazine, Travers writes about how well acted this movie is. he points out the great acting of Tommy Lee Jones, saying:

The so-called codger representing besieged law and order is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, played by Tommy Lee Jones with the kind of wit and assurance that reveals a master actor at the top of his game...He's a hard-ass. And when he chews into a good line, you can see the bite marks.

he also speaks well of Javier Bardem the actor who plays the psychopathic killer saying that he was "stupendous in the role, a monster for the ages."

Travers also congradulates the Coen Brothers on how deep the plot is. It isnt just a movie that goes for shock and awe it also has a deeper meaning to it. He says that thoes who believe that it was a movie that just went out to get the attention of the audience and tell a story were not paying close enough attention.

Travers also is amazed at how well the Coen brothers stuck to the the plot of the Cormak McCarthy book that the movie is baced upon. saying that:

Not since Robert Altman merged with the short stories of Raymond Carver in Short Cuts have filmmakers and author fused with such devastating impact as the Coens and McCarthy. Good and evil are tackled with a rigorous fix on the complexity involved.

Over all from what I have read in varrious reviews and heard from people who have actually seen No Country for Old Men it sounds like it is the best movie that I just haven't been able to find time to see yet, but hopefully I will see it soon.

My New Blog

I haven't seen very many movies in the past year, but that is only because I have been doing many other things. However I feel that since this is my new blog and it is for Art of film I must comment on some of the movies that i have seen in the recent months. So here goes.

The most recent movie that i have seen is Cloverfeild it was well done and interesting, it gave me a headache but that was the cost for making a movie in a new way. The second most recent I've seen is Superbad which i found to bee hilarious. (I don't suggest watching it with your parents though).