JFK

“directors cut” read more

who killed john f. kennedy? by mixing authentic images with re-enacted scenes, black and white with color and with fast, complex editing and camera work, a dizzying cocktail of history and theories is created, from which no unambiguous answer can be given to the central question. a new question is raised: what is fact and what is fiction? in oliver stone's masterpiece it all runs together. the director has never claimed to be filming the truth, just a tantalizing alternative to the warren commission's conclusions that lee harvey oswald was the killer and fired three shots. the "evidence" of... read more

film #12 in operation: rewatch my blu-rays i havent seen in a long time true story: in high school, i was fairly obsessed with the kennedy assassination. this was just after when jfk came out and while i can't remember the first time i saw the film, i can't imagine that there wasn't a correlation even if it was only the publicity that the film had received. whatever the reason, it is safe to say that oliver stone's film had a massive effect on who i was during my formative years. a couple of decades removed from that point, i can also safely say that jfk is a good film, if not quite a great... read more

oliver stone '85-'05 marathon - film 6 (previous: the doors next: heaven & earth)  stone was one of the first directors i started following, as he was making dynamic, impactful films right when i was old enough to start picking films apart and not just escaping into them. i'm well familiar with his major films, so for this revisit, i'm watching docs or listening to commentary on the films i already know very well. this time i watched the directors cut of jfk with stones commentary on. its 17 minutes longer for a total runtime of 3h26m. a few bits and bobs are added here and there to read more

if only we had a jim garrison and oliver stone to deliver on events like 9/11. read more

Hitler always said: "The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it." A powerful thought-provoking film with a masterful blend of drama, suspense, and historical facts. And it does succeed in challenging our assumptions about history, politics and power. read more

"Pandemonium" A goliath effort, diving into the madhouse of mid-century American politics, conspiracies and cover-ups. A blend of docu-film and 90s crime thriller; at times things got so melodramatic it felt like I was watching a John Grisham adaptation rather than a recounting of one of the most singular moments in American history, and I mean that as a compliment. Formally sturdy, incredibly well edited, completely fucking bonkers. read more

After having read Stephen King's 11-22-1963 (still need to watch the series) and Cold Case Kennedy, this movie feels like the perfect continuation of my newfound Kennedy assassination interest. Very long and slow at times, but it's an amazing piece of storytelling. Kevin Costner reminds me a lot of Nicolas Cage is this for some reason. read more

(My 1992 review from the weekly magazine "Sfruttaroma" - in Italian) J.F.K. - UN CASO ANCORA APERTO (J.F.K., USA 1991) di Oliver Stone, con Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman Un film di Oliver Stone è sempre prepotente e fragoroso, perentorio nell'esigere l'attenzione del pubblico ed inamovibile nella convinzione di aver detto l'ultima parola sul tema scelto; caratteristiche tuttavia che si accompagnano ad un'innegabile efficacia spettacolare. Uscito in Italia sull'onda del consueto diluvio di polemiche, più o meno giustificate ma infallibili nell'attrarre il pubblico read more