Tag Archives: 1970’s

#113- Apocalypse Now

Quick recap: During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a top secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, who has gone insane.

also considered to be a fine surfing film also considered to be a fine surfing film

Fun(?) fact: The making of Apocalypse Now is so interesting that there is a documentary about it called ‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse’,so I’ll save the good trivia for when I watch it. However, one of the most interesting aspects of this film is how much of it is ad-libbed or improvised altogether, such as the beginning scene with Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando’s speech as Colonel Kurtz.

My thoughts: I give up. After having been proven wrong time and time again, I can no longer say I dislike war movies. Just as ‘foreign’ is not much of a genre, neither is ‘war’. Maybe I’m still not big on WWII era films (I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong soon), but Vietnam era films will always be a source of fascination with me.

Apocalypse Now is great for so many reasons- the acting, the soundtrack, the cinematography, everything. I was hooked from the first scene and felt a little disappointed when it was over because I could’ve watched it for several hours. I especially loved the mounting apprehension as the crew came closer to their encounter with Kurtz. And then actually finding Kurtz was every bit as evil and creepy as I had imagined it would be. As insane as he was, his fortress or compound or whatever it was called practically screamed, ‘This is what war really is’.

Which leads me back to the beginning where I admit that I don’t hate war movies. I don’t enjoy the killing and technical talk, but I do love a movie with a deeper meaning. Like most high schoolers I was forced to read ‘Heart of Darkness’, which this movie is based on. I remember hating it, not because it was hard to read (it wasn’t), but because I couldn’t identify with it. In fact, the only thing I remember from that whole book is the phrase ‘British Imperialism’, which I am too lazy to find out if that was the meaning or not. But Apocalypse Now totally means something to me, that as pithy as it sounds- war is hell. I loved the exploration of sanity and how someone could go so far away and yet still make logical sense in the context of war. War makes everyone a little insane and it changes you. As Captain Willard said at the beginning, ‘When I was here, I wanted to be there’ when I was there, all I could think about was getting back to the jungle’.

apoc13

Final review: 5/5. Because of course.

Up next: Wild Reeds

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#111- Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Quick recap: Set in Texas, a family of cannibalistic murderers hunt down a group of teens with-what else- a chainsaw.

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Fun (?) fact: Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, had only one shirt to wear during the entire four weeks of filming. By the end, none of the cast wanted to sit or be near him because he smelled so bad. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was also shot in the summer in Texas, which to me is the most frightening part.

My thoughts: Like most Texans my age who grew up in a small town, I believed the  Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be fact.  This was pre-internet mind you, so if someone said it happened there was no way to dispute it one way or the other. Parents would say it didn’t happen but they weren’t too emphatic because after all, it’s a great cautionary tale about the perils of wandering off alone. I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was in middle school and found it to be pretty lame, as far as horror movies go. Cannibals are scary but a chainsaw carrying maniac just didn’t do it for me. So when it was time to revisit this movie again for the list, I figured that the best way to do so would be on the big screen.

As I settled into my seat, I looked around and saw a great mix of people: guys out with their girls on a date, groups of teens and a few sets of monster aficionados. The show was almost completely sold out and there was an energy buzzing around that made me glad I chose to watch the movie here. The first few minutes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre was much creepier than I remember, starting with a news report about bodies being dug up out of the cemetery and then images of bones and the sun through a harsh red light. Actually, the movie up until Leatherface was sufficiently scary. I really enjoyed the buildup, especially the whole scene with the hitch hiker. I’m not sure how someone outside of Texas would experience watching this movie but the fact that it was ‘local’ made it all the more creepier.

As for the con to the movie, the biggest is that I just wasn’t scared when Leatherface appeared. And actually, as the movie progressed I began to feel sorry for him more than fear him. I also may have cheered when he chainsawed Franklin (the guy in a wheelchair) because that guy was so annoying. It was for the best. The end of the movie with the entire family sitting down for dinner was my favorite, not because it was terrifying but because if you look past the fact that these were cannibals eating barbecued people, what you really had was a nice little family dynamic. Everyone was included, even Grandpa who was some sort of zombie vampire? Leatherface rose to the fancy occasion by donning a nice suit and makeup. Sure it ended with the entire family attempting to murder Sally but at least they bonded doing so.

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Final review: 4/5. If I want something scary I won’t choose this, but it’s still a very well made horror film and required viewing for any Texan.

Up next: Ashes and Diamonds

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#107- Stalker

Quick recap: A guide takes two desperate men into a dangerous place called The Zone, which grants your innermost wish.

Where dreams come true!

Where dreams come true!

Fun (?) fact: Supposedly, 3 members of the crew died from chemical contamination while shooting this movie in Estonia.

My thoughts: Not only is this movie in Russian, but it is over 2 1/2 hours long which means I wasn’t jumping for joy at the prospect of watching Stalker. Nonetheless, I threw on my pajamas, poured a drink and settled in. And you know what, you guys? It wasn’t that bad. I think I’ve finally realized that many of the movies I fear watching turn out to be the most interesting and the ones I get excited about let me down in some way. Especially Psycho which I am still in recovery from my disappointment.

The colorization (I’m sure that’s not the technical term) of the film is what stands out the most for me. The beginning of the movie up until the men entering The Zone has a sepia tone to it, much like the beginning of The Wizard of Oz. The Zone is gorgeous, in a ‘zombies from a nuclear disaster are about to eat my face’ way. Throughout the film, as The Stalker reminisces about something or recites a poem, the color shifts back into the sepia tone. It was a great use of symbolism to contrast the real world with that of dreams.

There's also that

There’s also that

While the Stalker takes The Writer and The Professor to The Room (side note: I really appreciate these names because it would be too difficult to keep up with all the Russian names), he mentions a previous stalker who went by the name ‘Porcupine’. Porcupine eventually took his own brother to The Zone but then let him die. When porcupine entered the room he begged for his brother back but when he got home he was instead made filthy rich. A week later, he hanged himself. As the Stalker points out, The Room only grants your innermost wish, not your conscious one. I thought this was a novel take on the ‘wishes’ trope and also a pretty good commentary about the minds of people.

My husband found out before I watched the movie that Stalker was loosely used as inspiration for the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It makes sense because of the Zone being fraught with danger. None of the traps are visible and may not even be real, but there are certainly some spooky things that happened that made the movie a little disconcerting at times, like when the men finally get to The Room and a random phone starts ringing or the various military equipment scattered about from a failed invasion. In the end, after trekking through this dangerous place, the men end up not entering The Room after all as they learn to be careful what you wish for (which I too learned back in 4th grade from reading a Goosebumps book).

goosebumps

Final review: 3/5. Interesting, but not worth sitting through again. Overall, the movie was too heavy with philosophical dialogue but if you are just itching to watch something like that, you might enjoy it.

Up next: Sergeant York

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#106- The Conversation

Quick recap: Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) records a conversation for a mysterious client and comes to the conclusion that the couple he heard are going to be murdered. I’d say this is a good lesson about the dangers of eavesdropping, but that’s this guy’s job so this is more of a story about doing a job really well.

Homer: Marge, my ears are burning! Marge: Homer, we weren't talking about you. Homer: No, my ears are really burning. I wanted to see what was inside so I lit a Q-Tip Homer: Marge, my ears are burning!
Marge: Homer, we weren’t talking about you.
Homer: No, my ears are really burning. I wanted to see what was inside so I lit a Q-Tip

Fun (?) fact: Continuing with my coincidence fact series, The actress who plays Ann in The Conversation played Laurie in American Graffiti. It’s like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon except nothing like it all, and much more boring. You’re welcome!

My thoughts: With a title as simple as The Conversation, I knew that the movie was either going to be awesome or worse than The Dead, which at least gave me hope that someone would expire by the end of the movie (Spoiler alert: no one did).  But with The Conversation,  I already knew I was getting something that every movie has, except for all those silent films, of course. Luckily, director Francis Ford Coppola cut to the chase and showed the aforementioned conversation first. What was said between the couple sounded a little off but gave no indication or hint as to how the rest of the movie would turn out.

Don't be fooled! This is The Conversation, but there is no actual conversation going on right now Don’t be fooled! This is The Conversation, but there is no actual conversation going on right now

As you can imagine, The Conversation is an introspective film that gives more information about Harry Caul than the actual mystery of the couple. Caul is an anti-social man who would rather listen in on other people than give any information about himself. He is also extremely paranoid, which makes sense when your job is to basically spy on other people. On the other hand, he spends so much time lost in his world that he misses all these big clues around him. For example, during a convention about spy equipment (which is just as interesting as you can imagine), a competitor slips a ballpoint pen into Caul’s pocket that will record his conversations the rest of the night. IRONY! I knew the second I saw the pen what it actually was, but Caul didn’t think twice. As he becomes more concerned about the fate of the couple, Caul decides to destroy the tapes instead of handing them over and potentially having blood on his hands. After a drunken party at the spy convention, he sleeps with a woman who-you guessed it- stole the tapes! It was completely obvious what was going to happen which I thought was silly except after thinking about it, the whole scene just made me feel even more sorry for Caul and understanding his loneliness.

I have to stop here. At this point, when the tapes were stolen I was prepared to give this movie a 2/5 because although some of it was interesting, it was also rather boring. But then, as Caul followed the couple to the hotel room to find out their fate, my opinion changed. I LOVED this movie. The ending was much more complex than I ever expected it would be and I have many questions. Although this movie is 40 years old, I’m going to hold off revealing anymore spoilers. Francis Ford Coppola, the guy who directed the Godfather movies, has said that The Conversation is one of his personal favorites and I completely understand why.

8095-the-conversation

Final review:  5/5. I’m tempted to watch the movie again to see what other clues I might be able to pick up that will help me with the ending.

Up next: E.T

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