Review: Film: Apocalypse Now, by Julie Renee Phelan

Thumps from 1 to 5: Thumps of 4.5

This film “Apocalypse Now” has a release date of 1979. It is a war movie set in Vietnam. This film is inspired by a novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.The movie stars Martin Sheen, playing Captain Benjamin L. Willard, Marlon Brando, playing Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, Robert Duvall, playing Lieutenant Colonel William "Bill" Kilgore, Sam Bottoms, playing Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson, Frederic Forrest, playing Engineman 3rd Class Jay "Chef" Hicks, Laurence Fishburne, playing Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Tyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller, Albert Hall, playing Chief Quartermaster George Phillips, G.D. Spradlin, playing Lieutenant General Corman, Dennis Hopper, playing an American Photojournalist, Harrison Ford, playing Colonel Lucas, Scott Glenn, playing Captain Richard M. Colby, Cynthia Wood, playing Playmate of the Year, Colleen Camp, playing Playmate, "Miss May," Linda Carpenter, playing Playmate, "Miss August" and Francis Coppola, playing himself.

“Apocalypse Now” received two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography by Vittorio Storaro, and for Best Sound, by Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs, and Nathan Boxer. This film was nominated for eight Academy Awards for Best Picture by Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson and Tom Sternberg, for Best Supporting Actor by Robert Duvall, for Best Art Direction — Set Decoration by Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson and Dean Tavoularis, for Directing by Francis Ford Coppola, for Film Editing by Lisa Fruchtman, Gerald B. Greenberg, Richard Marks and Walter Murch, for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, by Francis Ford Coppola and John Milius.

“Apocalypse Now” begins with film found by Francis Ford Coppola in the garbage can in the editing room. This film begins with an explosion and The Doors song “The End.” The film introduces Captain Benjamin L. Willard, played by Martin Sheen, a deeply disturbed special operations veteran, assassin. Two intelligence officers, Lt. General Corman, G. D. Spradlin, Colonel Hardy, Harrison Ford, and a government man, approach Capitan Willard with an assignment. The assignment is to go up the fictional Nung River on a boat into the remote Cambodian jungle to find Colonel Walter E. Kurtz , played by Marlon Brando, a member of the US Army Special Forces, and terminate his command “with extreme prejudice.”

The United States government tells Willard that Kurtz, once considered a model officer and future general, has gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own Montagnard troops deep inside the forest in neutral Cambodia. Their claims are supported by a disturbing radio broadcasts and recordings made by Kurtz.

However, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz is not insane. Colonel Kurtz is the only sane United States military personnel in Vietnam or Cambodia. Kurtz simply displays and projects the insanity of war without lies, misinformation, hidden truths and deception. At the end, Kurtz capsulate the outcome of war with a whisper “The horror... the horror.”

Review: Film: Falling Down, by Julie Renee Phelan

Thump from 1 to 5: Thump of 4.5

The film “Falling Down” is a 1993 action, psychological crime film, now considered a cult classic, directed by Joel Schumacher. The film stars Michael Douglas as the protagonist, William Foster, a marginalized divorcee and former federal agent for the defense contractor business. His ex-wife is played by Barbara Hershey, and the antagonist, police detective, is played by Robert Duvall. During the filming the Los Angeles riots broke out in 1992, they had to delay production until LA was back under control. Some areas filmed that Michael Douglas’ character traverses over by foot before the LA riots, were burned during the riots.

The film revolves around the mental breakdown of Michael Douglas’ character, William Foster. Imagine a very hot smoggy day in LA with bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway. The traffic is moving so slow that it is stopped and so is the air conditioner in the car. Foster becomes fed-up so he abandons his car on the freeway and starts walking home, approximately 20 miles. He wants to get home because it is his baby daughter’s birthday. He stops at an Asian grocery store to get change to make a $.50 telephone call, but to no avail. The owner will not give him change for a dollar without Foster buying something. Foster tries to buy a soda, but the soda cost $.85 which leaves him with only $.15, not enough to make his phone call.

Foster is at the end of his rope, and loses touch with socially appropriate behavior. Along his sojourn home he has many more encounters, some trivial and some not so trivial. He reacts to each one with an increasing amount of detachment in his personality, animosity, rage and violence. Although the Foster character is repellent, he is still relatable.

The antagonist, Martin Prendergast, played by Robert Duvall, is a LA police detective on his last day of duty before he retires. He is disgruntled and has his own personal demons including a nagging out of control bitter wife at home. However, with an oh-oh and empathy he follows the scorched earth path left in the wake of Foster’s rage and violence. Barbara Hershey believes her ex-husband, Foster, to be “potentially violent” and currently has a restraining order against him.

The film is a sardonic observation of life, social commentary on poverty, crime, racial tensions, commercialism and economic effects of marginalized individuals, similar to Foster. The title of the film “Falling Down” is cleverly taken from the nursery rhyme “London Bridges Falling Down,” signifying the mental collapse of a outcast character similar to Foster within an urban jungle like LA. The nursery rhyme appears after each mental break throughout the film. There are all different individuals, elements and neighborhoods for a man suffering a mental implosion to try an overcome in order to reach his baby daughter’s birthday party with his ex-wife in Venice Beach, California. Suggested viewing time … after a bad day because you may identify with the Foster character better. There are things we all think about, but do not do but Foster did!