Platoon (Special Edition)
from MGM (Video & DVD)
Platoon put writer-turned-director Oliver Stone on the Hollywood map; it is still his most acclaimed and effective film, probably because it is based on Stone's firsthand experience as an American soldier in Vietnam. Chris (Charlie Sheen) is an infantryman whose loyalty is tested by two superior officers: Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), a former hippie humanist who really cares about his men (this was a few years before he played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), a moody, macho soldier who may have gone over to the dark side. The personalities of the two sergeants correspond to their combat drugs of choice--pot for Elias and booze for Barnes. Stone has become known for his sledgehammer visual style, but in this film it seems perfectly appropriate. His violent and disorienting images have a terrifying immediacy, a you-are-there quality that gives you a sense of how things may have felt to an infantryman in the jungles of Vietnam. Platoon won Oscars for best picture and director. --Jim Emerson
Emotional look at the war in Vietnam, seen through the eyes of a young man who discovers that the Viet Cong are not the only enemies he has to fight.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 11-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD
Rough Riders
by John Milius
from Turner Home Ent
In 1898 the US government led by Theodore Roosevelt (Tom Berenger) back when he was still a young ambitious Naval Secretary intervenes on the side of the Cuban rebels in their struggle against Spanish rule. Always ready for action Roosevelt leaves the confines of the sidelines and forms a volunteer cavalry regiment which later became infamously known as the "Rough Riders." Roosevelt's regiment brings together volunteers from all corners of the nation to fight against a far superior adversary in one of the most rousing victories in American history.Running Time: 183 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. UPC: 053939758023 Manufacturer No: T7580
Platoon - 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Widescreen)
from MGM (Video & DVD)
Winner of 4 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and based on the first-hand experience of Oscar®-winning** director Oliver Stone Platoon is powerful intense and starkly brutal. "Harrowingly realistic and completely convincing" (Leonard Maltin) it is "a dark unforgettable memorial" (The Washington Post) to every soldier whose innocence was lost in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam.Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young naive American who upon his arrival in Vietnam quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong but also with the gnawing fear physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. While his two commanding officers (Oscar®-nominated*** Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other the conflict chaos and hatred permeate Taylor suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value life.System Requirements:Features: Audio Commentary with Military Advisor Dale Dye Audio Commentary by Director Oliver Stone Deleted Scenes Documentaries Featurette: Preparing for 'Nam Running Time: 120Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 027616144874 Manufacturer No: 14487
Platoon put writer-turned-director Oliver Stone on the Hollywood map; it is still his most acclaimed and effective film, probably because it is based on Stone's firsthand experience as an American soldier in Vietnam. Chris (Charlie Sheen) is an infantryman whose loyalty is tested by two superior officers: Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), a former hippie humanist who really cares about his men (this was a few years before he played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), a moody, macho soldier who may have gone over to the dark side. The personalities of the two sergeants correspond to their combat drugs of choice--pot for Elias and booze for Barnes. Stone has become known for his sledgehammer visual style, but in this film it seems perfectly appropriate. His violent and disorienting images have a terrifying immediacy, a you-are-there quality that gives you a sense of how things may have felt to an infantryman in the jungles of Vietnam. Platoon won Oscars for best picture and director. --Jim Emerson
The Old Man and the Sea
by Jud Taylor
from KOCH VISION
It takes courage for any actor to fill shoes previously worn by Spencer Tracy, but no one could accuse fellow two-time Oscar® winner Anthony Quinn of cowardice. It was, in fact, a longtime goal of the Mexican-born actor to take on the role of Ernest Hemingway's luckless fisherman Santiago. It would be churlish to suggest that he bests Tracy (who received an Oscar nod for his performance), but there's little doubt that Quinn, in his 70s at the time (Tracy was in his 50s in 1958), looks and sounds more right for the part. This 1990 telefilm is also a family affair as Quinn's daughter, Valentina, portrays Santiago's concerned daughter and his son, Francesco, portrays the Cuban as a scrappy young man. Gary Cole and Patricia Clarkson provide strong support as an American couple who take inspiration from Santiago's quest to catch just one fish after an 84-day dry spell. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
The heroic saga of Santiago, in his prime the greatest fisherman of them all and now 84 days without a catch. The villagers claim he's too old - he has "lost his luck." His daughter thinks he should give up the sea and live with her in Havana.
Determined to prove them wrong by bringing back a magnificent catch, Santiago goes out to sea. Farther out than ever before. Out to the battle of his life.
The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway's "signature" novel won a Pulitzer Prize and was specifically cited when he won the Nobel Prize in literature.
Platoon
from MGM (Video & DVD)
Emotional look at the war in Vietnam, seen through the eyes of a young man who discovers that the Viet Cong are not the only enemies he has to fight.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 2-APR-2002
Media Type: DVD
Platoon put writer-turned-director Oliver Stone on the Hollywood map; it is still his most acclaimed and effective film, probably because it is based on Stone's firsthand experience as an American soldier in Vietnam. Chris (Charlie Sheen) is an infantryman whose loyalty is tested by two superior officers: Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), a former hippie humanist who really cares about his men (this was a few years before he played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), a moody, macho soldier who may have gone over to the dark side. The personalities of the two sergeants correspond to their combat drugs of choice--pot for Elias and booze for Barnes. Stone has become known for his sledgehammer visual style, but in this film it seems perfectly appropriate. His violent and disorienting images have a terrifying immediacy, a you-are-there quality that gives you a sense of how things may have felt to an infantryman in the jungles of Vietnam. Platoon won Oscars for best picture and director. --Jim Emerson
Con Man (aka Cannes Man)
from Vanguard Cinema
Film producer Sy Lerner makes a bet with a fellow film executive that he can turn any nobody into a star at the Cannes Film Festival. A New York cab driver that is visiting the festival is chosen as the test subject to settle the bet. Sy uses his skills of hype and manipulation to try and turn the cab driver named Frank into a genius screenwriter and the talk of the town. Loaded with celebrity appearances, the film takes you on a surreal trip through the world of the Cannes Film Festival like you have never it before.
Platoon (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
from MGM (Video & DVD)
Platoon put writer-turned-director Oliver Stone on the Hollywood map; it is still his most acclaimed and effective film, probably because it is based on Stone's firsthand experience as an American soldier in Vietnam. Chris (Charlie Sheen) is an infantryman whose loyalty is tested by two superior officers: Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), a former hippie humanist who really cares about his men (this was a few years before he played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), a moody, macho soldier who may have gone over to the dark side. The personalities of the two sergeants correspond to their combat drugs of choice--pot for Elias and booze for Barnes. Stone has become known for his sledgehammer visual style, but in this film it seems perfectly appropriate. His violent and disorienting images have a terrifying immediacy, a you-are-there quality that gives you a sense of how things may have felt to an infantryman in the jungles of Vietnam. Platoon won Oscars for best picture and director. --Jim Emerson
Winner* of 4 Academy Awards(r), including Best Picture, and based on the first-hand experience of Oscar(r)-winning** director Oliver Stone, Platoon is powerful, intense and starkly brutal. "Harrowingly realistic and completely convincing" (Leonard Maltin), it is "a dark, unforgettable memorial" (The Washington Post) to every soldier whose innocence was lost in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival in Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. While his two commanding officers (Oscar(r)-nominated*** Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value life.
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