Apocalypse Now

The last time I saw “Apocalypse Now” was probably back in high-school, and it was with the Russian translation.  So I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t seen this movie until now.  I saw parodies, some scenes, and heard a lot, but I never actually sat down and watched it from beginning to end.  Until yesterday.

What can I say?  There’s probably nothing that I can say that haven’t been said about this movie already.  It is, after all, a classic.  And it’s even better in the version that I watched – digitally remastered director’s cut, lasting 3 hours and 22 minutes.

Two things that I liked about watching old films are actors and music.  Who even remembers any actors from this film, except for the Martin Sheen, who plays the main character?  He wasn’t alone there, was he?  Of course not.  Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, and even a very young Laurence Fishburne are there as well.

As for the music, it was an interesting contrast.  Some pieces sound as good now as they did back then.  These include tracks by The Doors and The Rolling Stones.  Others, mostly background loops and orchestrated pieces, stand out and awake you from the view, reminding that many years passed since it was released, and that things are done differently now.

Surprisingly, the special effects, costumes, and the make-up stuff still looks nice.  There is not much action in this film, so maybe that’s why those background explosions and shooting don’t attract too much attention.

Overall, as I said, the film is a classic and a must see for anyone interested in great actors and directors, movie history, or the genre of war drama.  5 out of 5.

21

I got really surprised today.  I was checking out which film should I go and see, and out of five movies that I checked, none had an IMDB rating of less than seven.  That’s a hard choice!  So, I asked a friend to come with me.  I couldn’t decided which one of the top three films I wanted to see.  He wanted to see only too.  Only one was common, so we got in and watched “21“.

Do you know those films where a bunch of guys think up some sort of system to beat the casino and win a lot of money?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where a girl falls in love with a guy for how nice he is, and he starts walking a dangerous line and she tells him so, but he responds with something like – “that won’t affect me”?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they show good friendship of really weird people, and then some of those people make some huge mistakes and let their friends down, but after, when they realize that they were wrong, and they are sorry, their friends let them back in?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they cast one or two celebrities and surround them with a bunch of unknown but really nice actors and it all plays out nicely?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they have some really nice photography, especially if any scenes take place in Las Vegas?  That’s one of those films. Do you know those films where … eh, enough.

This is a really nice movie which is mostly entertaining, but reminds of a few things that we should never forget about.  There is some really nice photography and sound.  There is enough good acting to make it really enjoyable – Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne are on the opposite sides of the fence, surrounded by a few young actors and actresses.  There is a bit of drama in this film, and there is some sense of humor.  There is nothing major about this film, but it’s made of quite a few small and nice bits.

Overall, 7 out of 10. Good entertainment.