Jan. 15, 1996

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Oliver Stone has become one of the most honored, and most controversial filmakers working in Hollywood. Born in New York on September 15, 1946, he started off as a respected screenwriter and director of modest fare. His first film was a low-budget horror film called Seizure(1974), made for about $150,000 and starring Jonathan "Dark Shadows" Frid. Of course, it wasn't entirely successful, because of a mediocre screenplay and even more mediocre acting. He later wrote a screenplay that won him the writers guild, Golden Globe and Academy award for writing the prison drama, Midnight Express(1978). His next directorial effort was an even less respected horror film, The Hand(1981), starring Michael Caine, about a cartoonist's severed hand, which comes back to kill him. Such efforts didn't really help his career much as a director, but he continued writing screenplays. Some of his most well-known are Conan The Barbarian, Scarface and Year of the Dragon.

However, with Salvador(1986), Stone began tackling social and political issues, such as the civil war of El Salvador. He did it with skill and commitment, along with doses of bombast. His next film Platoon(1986) gained much acclaim and rocketed Stone to top Director status. This film, based on Stone's time in Vietnam, is a sad look at the insanity of war. The film garnered four academy awards, including Best Picture and Director. Though Stone has been said to make a lot of films about the sixties, he makes plenty that have taken place in the now. He went up against corporate America in Wall Street(1987) and the pressure of radio in Talk Radio(1988). It was his next film that garnered critical and public attention. Born On the Fourth of July(1989), based on the novel by paraplegic-Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, is a stunning portrait of Kovic (excellent performance from Tom Cruise), who changes over the era from naive kid to frightened soldier to embittered parapleg ic to anti-war activist.

The film gained another Oscar for Stone and a Best Picture nomination. He returned in 1991 with two films, one of which would become very controversial. First their was the biopic, The Doors, which follows the life of rock star Jim Morrison and his long winding road to death. Then, their was JFK, which brought out all the conspiracy theories on Kennedy's assassination over the last few decades. The film spurred much uproar, many lauding him for being so bold, others despising him because they thought he was full of shit. Stone later produced the low-rated sci-fi show, Wild Palms, and directed the third in what has been called Stone's "Vietnam Trilogy", called Heaven & Earth. The film was received with mixed reviews and lukewarm box office.

He returned in style in 1994 with a film that was even more controversial than JFK. The movie, Natural Born Killers about two people who go on a cross-country murder spree, made many people think that Stone went too far. However, it has required a sort of cult following that has become as big as the Blade Runner or Rocky Horror fanatics. His most recent film, Nixon about the life of the both loved and hated president, is considered to be full of untruths and speculation. Whether or not any of the material in the film is true or not, is irrelevant. It still provides entertainment. Stone can be a little heavy-handed with his subjects and usually shows the film from an incredibly masculine point of view, but Stone is still highly respected in Hollywood and by some of the public. He is also very fluent with his camera-work and has always painted a fascinating look at life in the sixties. I like him mostly because of his boldness in some of his subj ects, and their aren't many out there in Hollywood that are like Stone.

My rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

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