Platoon

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Platoon!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 59 (1986)

There seems to be a 'Big Four' of Vietnam War movies: Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter and this: Platoon. Of particular note is that the latter two have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Which is quite a feat as the Vietnam was regarded as a very unpopular war. 

Compared to the other Big Four, Platoon has the unique advantage of being director by an actual Vietnam veteran. For this I don't doubt this movie's realism, nor do I doubt it's message on the brutality and futility on the conflict. More than any other movie, this is the view from the grunt's perspective, facing death, mayhem, conflicting COs, uncertainty as to what they're doing there and struggling to keep it all together.

Okay I admit it: I'm struggling to get the words together but perhaps that is a testament to this movie's power.
I mean, any film that opens with Barber's Adagio for Strings isn't messing around...

Kramer vs Kramer

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Kramer vs Kramer!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 52 (1979)

Actually forget what I said about The Sting: This has a more compelling case for being the 'forgotten' movie of 70s Best Picture winners. So while everyone props up the other eight, The Sting and Kramer vs Kramer are left fighting over the table scraps.

Still, this movie has plenty going for it: Firstly it is showing a divorce in process which is already a ballsy move.
Secondly, we are seeing a lousy dad slowly improving himself to become a better dad.
And thirdly there is a degree of nuance that would be foreign to modern audiences: Both the mother and father are treated well and not made out to be the bad guy. 
Its certainly a bold move to show divorce on screen and how it effects the people involved, socially and psychologically. Certainly it seems that a lot of people can relate to the situations being put forth on the screen - so if the film has resonated in such a manner, it must be doing something right.

It seems to me that other people are annoyed that this won Best Picture over Apocalypse Now. But to me, there's something to be said for the long, bombastic film losing out to smaller film. 

And with that, we leave the 1970s, it's cynicism and the era of New Hollywood behind. Ahead lies.... *checks schedule*....Hoo boy....

Full Metal Jacket

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Full Metal Jacket!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st August 2014

What can I say? It was an intense movie and one that held my attention all the way through - which is what a movie should do.

Mind you, it is interesting to see Full Metal Jacket when last week I saw Apocalypse Now - whereas the latter left me with mixed feelings, the former has more bite and a lot more R, Lee Emery

That being said, I think I've had my fill of war movies for now - next week will be something fun...

Apocalypse Now

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Apocalypse Now!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th July 2014

Can't say war movies are my thing but this was....something. Still, I don't regret watching it and am now interested in seeing Hearts of Darkness.....