Oliver Stone

Discussion and info on people in film, ranging from directors to actors to cinematographers to writers.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
DarkImbecile
Ask me about my visible cat breasts
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:24 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Oliver Stone

#1 Post by DarkImbecile » Sun Jan 29, 2017 2:32 pm

Oliver Stone (1946 - )

Image

"The beauty of history is that historians have the ability to find patterns, the big picture. When you make a movie, you try to find that. I'm doing in the cinema what historians try to do in their own media."

Filmography

Screenwriter Only (* = Co-Writer)
Midnight Express (1978)
Conan the Barbarian* (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Year of the Dragon* (1985)
8 Million Ways to Die* (1985)
Evita* (1996)

Feature Directing (* = Screenwriter/Co-Writer)
Last Year in Vietnam* (1971) [NYU Student Film]
Seizure* (1974)
The Hand* (1981)
Salvador* (1986)
Platoon* (1986)
Wall Street* (1987)
Talk Radio* (1988)
Born on the Fourth of July* (1989)
The Doors* (1991)
JFK* (1991)
Heaven & Earth* (1993)
Natural Born Killers* (1994)
Nixon* (1995)
U Turn* (1997)
Any Given Sunday* (1999)
Persona Non Grata (2003)
Comandante (2003)
Alexander* (2004)
Looking for Fidel* (2004)
World Trade Center (2006)
W. (2008)
South of the Border (2009)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Savages* (2012)
Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States* (2012)
Snowden* (2016)
The Putin Interviews* (2017)

Producer Only
Sugar Cookies (1973)
Blue Steel (1990)
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Zebrahead (1992)
South Central (1992)
Wild Palms (1993)
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
The New Age (1994)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Freeway (1996)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996)
Cold Around the Heart (1997)
Gravesend (1997)
Savior (1998)
The Corruptor (1999)
The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001)
All Governments Lie (2016)

Web Resources
The Oliver Stone Experience (includes a bibliography)
Cinephilia and Beyond’s collection of resources and links on JFK

Forum Discussion
JFK
The Doors: 15th Anniversary Edition
Nixon: Election Year Edition
Alexander
World Trade Center (Oliver Stone, 2006)
W. (Oliver Stone, 2008)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone, 2010)
Savages (Oliver Stone, 2012)
Snowden (Oliver Stone, 2016)

beamish13
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991)

#2 Post by beamish13 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:50 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:RE: The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991):

I wrote about it on Letterboxd recently, not giving it the greatest props. But it's interesting to me looking at the films about the 60's now as opposed to then. I said it in the Jackie thread, but it feels like we're getting closer to showing the time in a way that strips away the nostalgia and looks at the cold hard facts from a present point of view. This really didn't do it at all, and I'm not sure that if Morrison's story were told today that there is much that could be related to what's going on now. Maybe an exception for his preoccupations with anarchy, and possibly similar feelings held by the current administration.
I like this film quite a bit. It really is astonishing how prolific Stone was during this time-he managed to complete J.F.K. the same year and produced other projects as well. My biggest gripe has always been Meg Ryan's performance; she was terribly miscast, and every scene with her and Kilmer alone is an enormous slog to get through.
Last edited by beamish13 on Mon Jan 30, 2017 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991)

#3 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 4:09 pm

The most glaring mis-casting is Kevin Dillon, who did a good enough replicating John Densmore's drumming style (it's incredible to me that they actually played as a band) but didn't sound at all like him.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)

#4 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:06 am

Taking away from whether or not what Stone presented is what actually happened to a tee, a lot of this feels quite timely now. It builds up quite nicely to the Mr. X scene, and after which it kind of withers (except for much of the trial sequence, including the monologue by Costner in what's probably his finest moment). The stuff with Garrison's family feels almost from another movie, and is kind of cringe-worthy in some places. It's probably cringe-worthy everywhere else for some of you, but this is undoubtedly Stone's best work.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Oliver Stone

#5 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:20 pm


flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Oliver Stone

#6 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:04 pm

Is anyone watching the Putin interviews?

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#7 Post by knives » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:14 pm

The Colbert interview killed off any interest I might have had. If I was going to be stuck with four hours of Russian propaganda I would need a better director than Stone.

User avatar
mfunk9786
Under Chris' Protection
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Oliver Stone

#8 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:49 pm

Showtime is advertising it with that opening question about "why did you hack the election" as if it's some sort of hard-hitting exposé. It took a while, but I'm afraid Stone has finally lost it.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#9 Post by knives » Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:12 pm

Like, I literally have no clue how the director of Salvador would be such a blind follower of a right wing, oppressive, violent ruler. I'm not saying Stone has shown himself to be particularly intelligent in the past and certainly he has a history of gullibility, but Putin seems outside that mold.

User avatar
Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
Location: Great Falls, Montana

Re: Oliver Stone

#10 Post by Big Ben » Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:57 pm

Putin apparently actually has a following among some anti-globalist leftists. As does Trump. I realize how insane this sounds but if Oliver Stone can support Putin nothing really shocks me anymore.

I've not seen "The Untold History of the United States" but I've heard from that he tries to paint Stalin in a better light as well. Whataboutism abounds apparently. Has anyone here seen that and can they confirm or deny that this occurs?

I've never thought much of Stone as a filmmaker but I know he has his fans. I wonder just how many will buy into all this.

beamish13
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: Oliver Stone

#11 Post by beamish13 » Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:59 pm

Stone adores Margaret Thatcher. He's like a political Arcimboldo painting.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#12 Post by knives » Wed Jun 14, 2017 3:53 pm

If I remember rightly at the time of the movie he was also very complimentary of Bush. Maybe he has been on the right the whole time and just seemed on the left due to his anti-Vietnam stance.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#13 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jun 14, 2017 4:11 pm

Oh, he's old school left based on his ridiculous History of America doc

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Oliver Stone

#14 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:37 pm

His son works for RT.

For me, he hasn't done anything interesting since Any Given Sunday.

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Oliver Stone

#15 Post by hearthesilence » Thu Jun 15, 2017 12:02 am

Every time Oliver Stone comes up with me and my Frasier loving roommate, we shove his name into one of that show's classic exchanges.

"Remember when you used to think Oliver Stone was a great filmmaker?"
"Was I ever that young?"

I haven't seen the short Scorsese mentioned, but I don't doubt it's likely a good film because when he first started out, that was his greatest strength - playing out his experiences in Vietnam. It was the best use of his skills and he stood out even more because 1) very few filmmakers in Hollywood knew what it was like in Vietnam and 2) mainstream culture seemed ready to re-examine that topic in a way it hadn't before judging by the commercial success of Platoon (a $100+ million blockbuster in 1986 dollars) and the glut of Vietnam films and TV shows (China Beach for one, but even other shows like Quantum Leap did their own serious Vietnam episodes). I had a history teacher who was a Vietnam veteran and he singled out Platoon as perhaps the only film he had seen that perfectly captured what it was like to be in Vietnam. (At least certain combat scenes - he made that remark after screening the big ambush scene for us.)

In hindsight, it's pretty tiring that the Vietnamese are reduced to perpetual background characters in every Vietnam War film and documentary I've seen. Once in a while I'll hear a comedian make a bitter joke that one would think the soldiers who did the killing in My Lai had a rougher time than the actual dead. But since these are all American films, it's not entirely surprising.

Not a fan of Wall Street but I really started to lose interest when he turned out to be a crackpot. JFK at least seemed remarkable for its bold visual style, but that aesthetic soon looked sloppy, hamfisted and pretty shallow (Natural Born Killers, Nixon).

User avatar
Askew
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:23 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#16 Post by Askew » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:55 am

hearthesilence wrote:In hindsight, it's pretty tiring that the Vietnamese are reduced to perpetual background characters in every Vietnam War film and documentary I've seen. Once in a while I'll hear a comedian make a bitter joke that one would think the soldiers who did the killing in My Lai had a rougher time than the actual dead. But since these are all American films, it's not entirely surprising.
You could check out Stone's own film Heaven and Earth.

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Oliver Stone

#17 Post by hearthesilence » Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:04 am

Did not see this and completely forgot about it- it would actually be a nice corrective. Have you seen it? How is it?

User avatar
Askew
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:23 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#18 Post by Askew » Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:16 am

I would say that Heaven and Earth is one Stone's better films. It certainly helps that it's a movie told from a fresh perspective. I should mention that a good portion of the story takes place after the war though.

beamish13
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: Oliver Stone

#19 Post by beamish13 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 11:02 am

Askew wrote:I would say that Heaven and Earth is one Stone's better films. It certainly helps that it's a movie told from a fresh perspective. I should mention that a good portion of the story takes place after the war though.
Amen to that. I just saw it with the man himself and the film's star Hiep Thi Le several weeks ago at the American Cinematheque. Amazing performances, a beautiful score by Japanese new wave artist Kitaro, who sadly has yet to produce another score for a Hollywood film, and expectedly gorgeous photography by Robert Richardson. Stone felt that the movie's themes of refugees being displaced to new countries and the plight of women who are impacted by war would probably land better today than it did in 1993, and I'm inclined to agree. It's the only Stone film to explore themes like spirituality and motherhood, and the experience of making it and collaborating with its real-life subject Le Ly Hayslip inspired Stone to convert to Buddhism.

User avatar
starmanof51
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 3:28 am
Location: Seattleish
Contact:

Re: Oliver Stone

#20 Post by starmanof51 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:24 pm

Him being back in the news somehow stirred me to go back to his IMDB page. Surprised to find I've only seen 8 of his features, even more surprised to realize I only actually like one of them (Talk Radio). Most have seemed middling, which is probably the last thing he wants.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Oliver Stone

#21 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:27 pm

The last thing any director wants I'd imagine. It's too bad he quit writing for other directors.

User avatar
DarkImbecile
Ask me about my visible cat breasts
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:24 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: Oliver Stone

#22 Post by DarkImbecile » Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:35 pm

<exasperated sigh>
“I don’t know what is going on with the American culture,” Stone told Putin. “It’s very strange right now. So much of the argument, so much of the thinking, so much of the newspaper, television commentaries about gender, people identify themselves, and social media, this and that, I’m male, I’m female, I’m transgender, I’m cisgender. It goes on forever, and there is a big fight about who is who.”

Putin responded by saying the younger generation “lives too well” and has “nothing to think about,” to which Stone said, “Yeah, but it’s not a healthy culture.”

The Russian leader explained, “We have a law banning [gay] propaganda among minors.”

Stone responded, “Yes, that’s the one I’m talking about. It seems like maybe that’s a sensible law.”

Putin continued, “It is aimed at allowing people to reach maturity and then decide who they are and how they want to live. There are no restrictions at all after this.”

Though there’s no way to verify the accuracy of the transcript published by the Kremlin directly, Stone isn’t denying what he’s quoted as saying. He posted a statement to his Facebook page. The director said that neither he nor the Russian president are “anti-gay/LGBTQ” and directed anyone angry with his comments to watch his 2004 historical drama “Alexander.”

“As to gay/LGBTQ beliefs in Russia, again much misunderstood,” Stone wrote on Facebook. “Mr. Putin made himself clear in ‘The Putin Interviews’ – he’s not anti-gay/LGBTQ. Nor am I. Have another look at ‘Alexander,’ for which we took a beating in 2004. Beyond the Hephaestion story in the sexuality department, I prominently featured Alexander’s love for the Persian eunuch Bagoas, certainly an example of a third sex and emblematic of Alexander’s world vision, which I much admired. Do not bring American expectations to Russian life any more than you expect Iran, Korea, Venezuela, or China to follow our political or social demands.”

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Oliver Stone

#23 Post by swo17 » Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:42 pm

"If my comments aren't punishment enough, watch my movie"

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Oliver Stone

#24 Post by domino harvey » Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:00 pm

I noted Stone’s obvious affection for Russia and anti-American sentiment years ago here

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Oliver Stone

#25 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:13 pm

Just checked his twitter feed. The two posts about his interview with Putin and what was said have only attracted 77 and 26 comments respectively. I’m sure these will go up once this indiewire article gets around

Post Reply