The Writer:
Oliver Stone has written, directed, and produced some of the most powerful films of the last thirty years. His films are always controversial, dark, and unforgettable. Known for writing such classics as Scarface, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, and Evita, Stone is a true Hollywood legend.
Credits:
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (characters) – 2010
Singularity (short) (short film “Michael & Marie”) – 2008
Alexander (written by) – 2004
America Undercover (TV series documentary) – 2004
Comandante (documentary) (narration) – 2003
Any Given Sunday (screenplay) – 1999
Evita (screenplay) – 1996
Nixon (written by) – 1995
Natural Born Killers (screenplay) – 1994
Heaven & Earth (screenplay) – 1993
JFK (screenplay) – 1991
The Doors (written by) – 1991
Born on the Fourth of July (screenplay) – 1989
Talk Radio (screenplay) – 1988
Wall Street (written by) – 1987
Platoon (written by) – 1986
8 Million Ways to Die (screenplay) – 1986
Salvador (written by) – 1986
Year of the Dragon (screenplay) – 1985
Scarface (screenplay) – 1983
Conan the Barbarian (written by) – 1982
The Hand (screenplay) – 1981
Midnight Express (screenplay) – 1978
Seizure (written by) – 1974
Last Year in Viet Nam (short) (uncredited) – 1971
Quotes:
I consider my films first and foremost to be dramas about individuals in personal struggles and I consider myself to be a dramatist before I am a political filmmaker. I’m interested in alternative points of view. I think ultimately the problems of the planet are universal and that nationalism is a very destructive force. I also like anarchy in films. My heroes were Buñuel and Godard. Breathless was one of the first pictures I really remember being marked by, because of the speed and energy. They say I’m unsubtle. But we need above all, a theatre that wakes us up: nerves and heart.
I love intelligent films that come at you fast. I don’t have attention deficit disorder, my mind moves fast. There’s a lot to deal with in my films. We had so many facts to go through, so the governing style was flash, cut, flash, repeat.
I wasn’t prophetic. It was there all around us. Money was the sex of the 1980s.
Just curious, what is your favorite of Stone’s work? I just watched and reviewed Savages and Natural Born Killers, but I’ve got to say that by far my favorite film by his is still Platoon. I recognize that any film
maker who takes as many risks as Stone is bound to rub a lot of viewers the wrong way a good portion of the time, but without boldness in movie making we would never have been given some of our most classic films.
In any case feel free to check out my reviews of Savages and Natural Born Killers, I always love feedback from fellow bloggers 🙂
http://rorschachreviews.com/2012/07/10/ghost-of-movies-past-natural-born-killers/
http://rorschachreviews.com/2012/07/08/savages-review/