Directed by Ted Kotcheff In First Blood a PTSD-riddled Vietnam veteran responds to passive aggression with absolute havoc. He is John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), a stoic drifter whose shaggy hair threatens the local sheriff, Teasle (Brian Dennehy). The sheriff drives him across a bridge, encouraging him to keep walking, but Rambo turns around and is promptly … Continue reading First Blood (1982)
vietnam war
Coming Home (1978)
Directed by Hal Ashby Hal Ashby once worked as an editor under William Wyler, and Coming Home has a lot in common with Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Both are anti-war films concerning the tough readjustment into society for several returning veterans. Ashby's film tells this tale through a romance between Sally Hyde (Jane … Continue reading Coming Home (1978)
Hal (2018)
Directed by Amy Scott Hal is a wonderful little documentary if only because so much of Hal Ashby's life feels as of yet unearthed. Or maybe that's just my perspective. Hal Ashby (1929-1988) was one of the best directors of the 1970s. A former editor, mythologized for how he would work nonstop, in a cloud … Continue reading Hal (2018)
Punishment Park (1971)
Directed by Peter Watkins In Punishment Park, those arrested for crimes agains the country have three days to make their way a couple dozen miles to a designated location in order to earn their freedom. They are mostly nonviolent protestors of the Vietnam War, but by a tribunal and the U.S. government they are seen … Continue reading Punishment Park (1971)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Directed by Bob Rafelson Five Easy Pieces is at the forefront of the New Hollywood, at least I think it is. Released at the beginning of the 70s, the film precedes many of the classic movies from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, Altman, Bogdanovich, Boorman, De Palma... [deep breath]... Friedkin, … Continue reading Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Point Blank (1967)
Directed by John Boorman Lee Marvin works on autopilot, but in a good way, in John Boorman's Point Blank. He scowls and leers his way through a revenge mission, playing the part of the ghost everyone assumes him to be after he was once left for dead. Marvin plays Walker, a man who is a little … Continue reading Point Blank (1967)
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