Thursday List – Top 10 Oliver Stone Films

SAVAGES hits UK Cinemas this week and to honor its release we look at the work of the director, Oliver Stone.

There is one thing you can say about Oliver Stone, he is not dull. No matter what you think about this Hollywood Heavyweight there is no denying he has made some cracking films over his long career, which started in 1979 with the screenplay of Midnight Express

SAVAGES is out this week in UK, starring Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro, looks an interesting concept and story. Teri was lucky enough to see the film last week and will follow up this list with here review tomorrow. But is it going to be the success that we expect from Stone? Will the actors be as lucky as those from previous films in recognition from the academy? It remains to be seen.

In honor of Mr Stone here is a list of my Top 10 Favourites from the director

JFK

JFK, Oliver Stone’s powerful film about the shots heard round the world and the mystery that still surrounds them, is one of the most provocative movies of our time. In addition to its box office success, critical acclaim and awards, it played a major role in the national debate that led to the passage of the 1992 Assassination Materials Disclosure Act.

World Trade Centre

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster, hope is still alive. Refusing to bow down to terrorism, rescuers and family of the victims press forward. This is the true story of John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, the last two survivors extracted from Ground Zero and the rescuers who never gave up.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

Life is a contact sport and football is life when three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and a dynamic acting ensemble explore the fortunes of the Miami Sharks in ‘Any Given Sunday’.

At the 50-yard line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D’Amato, the embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team strife plus a new, marketing-savvy Sharks owner (Cameron Diaz) who’s sure Tony is way too old-school.

An injured quarterback (Dennis Quaid), a flashy, bull-headed backup QB (Jamie Foxx), a slithery team doctor (James Woods) and a running back with an incentive-laden contract (LL Cool J) also provide some of the stories that zigzag like diagrams in a playbook.

W.

Josh Brolin stars as George W. Bush in acclaimed director Oliver Stone’s new biopic W.!

Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that America’s 43rd President is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. W. will take viewers through the trials and tribulations of Bush’s eventful life – and joining Brolin on the ride will be the fair Elisabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Richard Dreyfuss, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn, Ioan Grufford and Scott Glenn.

Nixon

Nixon takes a riveting look at a complex man whose chance at greatness was ultimately destroyed by his passion for power – when his involvement in conspiracy jeopardized the nation’s security and the presidency of the United States! With a phenomenal all-star cast.

Born On The 4th July

Tom Cruise delivers a riveting and unforgettable portrayal of Vietnam veteran, Ron Kovic, in Oliver Stone’s Academy Award winning masterpiece.

Based on a true story, the acclaimed film follows the young Kovic from a zealous teen who eagerly volunteers for the Vietnam War, to an embittered veteran paralysed from the mid-chest down. Deeply in love with his country, Kovic returned to an environment vastly different from the one he left, and struggled before emerging as a brave new voice for the disenchanted.

Oscar nominated for eight awards, the film picked up two gongs: Best Director (Oliver Stone) and Best Editing (David Brenner and Joe Hutshing).

Wall Street

Wall Street: a place where honour is traded for power, and peace of mind for a piece of the action. Against this background, two men form a dangerous friendship – one a ruthless multi-millionaire corporate raider, the other a newly minted power hungry young broker. Two men trading their women, families and each other against all odds and every rule in the book…

Natural Born Killers

From two of the world’s most controversial filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone, comes one of the most controversial films ever made. Meet Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) – the most terrifying and relentless cold-blooded killers imaginable. Rejected by society, these two lost souls embark on a murderous rampage. But as the body count soars, so too does their notoriety, and before long the greedy tabloid press has made them into cult heroes. In the media circus of life Mickey and Mallory have just become the main attraction…

Salvador

In El Salvador, injustices of the civil war are as plain as the day. Boyle’s mission is to expose the savage government which employs the murderous death squads to deal with dissenters. It’s a powerful, moving film experience from Oliver Stone that you will never forget.

Platoon

Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director, this harrowingly realistic war film (based on director Oliver Stone’s firsthand experience) arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in this 25th Anniversary Edition – loaded with explosive extras that take you to the front lines of moviemaking. Starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen, Platoon is a powerful, riveting and starkly brutal tale of an American soldier’s descent into the chaos and horror of the Vietnam War.