In terms of movies that combine war, psychological behavior, and deep characterization, Apocalypse Now Final Cut is even more in depth in this special released than the original 1979 version. I saw the movie at Navy Pier’s IMAX where the advanced technology, sound, and the additions to the cut of Apocalypse Now makes the audience feel like it is brand new. Francis Ford Coppola is the master of directing films which focus on enemies and their connections. In Apocalypse Now Final Cut, the enemies are psychologically thrilling throughout the movie. This is a ride that is engrossing, yet haunting (even forty years later).

The film takes place in the 1970s during the Vietnam War. Our hero is Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen). Willard is given an assignment to assassinate the ruthless Colonel Kurtz (played by Marlon Brando). Willard is assigned to this because Kurtz went crazy and violent deciding to make a few plans of his own including not taking orders from any of his superiors. Willard is on a Navy Patrol boat with some young college-aged soldiers. He later meets an Air Cavalry officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (played by Robert Duvall). Willard’s trust is most with Kilgore, but as he continues with his team in the shady rivers of Vietnam, the films tone gets darker as he later comes across a bizarre photojournalist (played by Dennis Hopper). Apocalypse Now Final Cut is one of those films where the audience is left feeling uncomfortable yet enticed.

When I first watched Apocalypse Now back in 2011, I remember what captivated me the most about the movie was the deep narrations as the film progressed. The narration is Willard and given the old cut of the movie is grainy with audio, not every narration seemed clear to me.  In Apocalypse Now Final Cut, things are much more crystal clear as both audio and visuals were restored. When I saw this in IMAX, I found myself curious about what conflict scenarios will be featured in the next three-hour cut of this film. The film is a thrill ride of horror, realistic warfare, betrayal and confusion. The additional time which was added provides even more shock value to the viewers.

After seeing this film, I have tons of respect for Martin Sheen as an actor. He plays the role of someone who has some mental health disorders very well. He is serious and stays in character while acts out the addiction scenes due to his character’s mental health struggles Also, I remember reading through trivia pages that Sheen suffered some health issues through the process of filming but continued to do this movie. I believe that Apocalypse Now Final Cut will make fans grow even more impressed by Sheen, because his performance was truly Oscar-worthy. Overall, I found Sheen’s role to be so memorable I consider it to be one of the best performances in cinema history.

Apocalypse Now Final Cut is a film that can be seen on some select days in some select locations. For fans of war movies and Francis Ford Coppola, this is one that I believe all cinema aficionados need to see. Especially if someone has never seen this movie on the big screen or has never seen any of the other cuts. Most re-released cuts for movies do not turn out to be very good and just tend to drag. However, this cut of Apocalypse Now is a visual and marvelous sensation that will take its audience on a rollercoaster ride of darkness. I give Apocalypse Now Final Cut four stars.

I saw Gaspar Noe’s Climax back in March with some level of excitement. However, after I saw the film itself, I had a hard time determining whether Climax is good, bad, or just a disturbing headache. Climax is a dark movie where viewers will feel dizzy or nauseous if they are prone to vertigo or cannot handle flashing lights. Climax is inviting, yet disconcerting on many levels. The film is a dance party that goes awry and there are multiple violent scenarios that breakout. The film takes place in France and the whole film is with French subtitles.  As a director, Noe has a twisted and clever mind, but Climax was a bit over the top. Not because of its scenarios, but because of how the technical elements purposefully give viewers a haunting experience by utilizing odd camera angles that cause dizziness.

Climax focuses on a dance team dancing in a night club for a weekend to get ready for a dance competition. The film opens with a long interview sequence with many of the stars, and a long dance sequence that looks to be quite complicated so that viewers can tell the dancers are professional. Once the practice is over, the dancers decide to retreat to an after-party. There are all kinds of snacks and beverages, but drinking the beverages is where the troubles start to emerge. As soon as the dancers begin drinking sangria, they can feel the side effects of drugs and soon they realize that someone spiked the sangria with LSD. With that, everyone starts to hallucinate, point fingers, get into all kinds of fights, and exhibit very poor judgment. It quickly escalates into an irreparable disaster.

The reason why Climax is a challenge to watch is because the shots rarely transition. The camera pans on many of the characters when they are hallucinating. The camera is set to make viewers feel odd because it is bouncing back and forth.  On top of that, the lighting is dark. Also, there are many moments where insane things go wrong, like a person getting injured, killed, or accidentally doing something they did not intend to do.  Again, this is all being caused by the LSD.  Now, I did find the film to be thought-provoking, but I admit I was also disturbed. It got to the point where I asked myself how much longer I am going to have to endure this shaky camera.  While I have seen many films where the camera is jittery, Climax really makes the viewers feel they are in the movie with the realism created by the of the technical effects.   It is like Cloverfield (2008) meets Requiem for a Dream (2000) in a bad way.

There is no question that Climax is brilliant with the audacity of its creativity, visual elements, and choreography.  However, the conflict of the movie is not a very fun experience and in truth is quite negative.  Noe is talented, but this film was just over the top for me. I didn’t absolutely dislike it, but I was a bit annoyed with it. While I may decide to watch it again someday, it will be awhile since I’m still feeling dizzy and disturbed. Therefore, I can only give Climax two and a half stars.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider on the big screen again for the 50-year anniversary. Now, when I watched Easy Rider for the first time back in 2010, I was not fond of it.  But then I watched it again, a few months later, and started to come to realize why people appreciate Easy Rider and why they still do 50 years later. Easy Rider is a unique movie that challenges the problems in its plot with culture, drugs, and a long trip with two hippies on motorcycles. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper are both quite brilliant and so is Jack Nicholson. I found that I grew to enjoy Easy Rider more when I began to focus on some important elements in the movie. Those elements include important conversations, the moments of segregation, and the main characters always wondering what they are looking for on their long road trip.

The film is about Wyatt and Billy (Fonda and Hopper) and their trip heading from Los Angeles to New Orleans. They are on their way to a Mardi Gras celebration and try to be frugal with money along the way.  However, on their trip they start to run into some challenging encounters with some other hippies, some gaps in culture that they are not very familiar with and a rather odd man who joins them named George Hanson (Nicholson). Wyatt and Billy have different attitudes on the trip. Wyatt is more positive and not that nervous, but Billy is testy and aggravated about what may happen due to the weird people they encounter. George is already strange as demonstrated by his conversations and mind-set.

Over the years, I have grown to respect the films of Dennis Hopper, mostly due him playing characters that are either psychotic or angry. Being angry in Easy Rider was something that worked well for Hopper given he also was the director. I read through trivia pages that Hopper was also negative on set while filming.  According to reports, he would be in a drug-induced paranoia and would go ballistic on everyone associated with the movie. That eventually caused many people to quit working on Easy Rider. While Hopper was said to be insanely angry, his real-life anger fits the character he played and helps his audience realize how realistic the side effects of certain drugs are. I found that historical trivia to be an important insight into the cultural problems in Easy Rider. Wyatt and Billy believed they were free and could do all the drugs they wanted in unoccupied spaces.

Watching this movie for the 50-year screening was the best choice for me. The imagery is restored and re-captured. Viewers can understand more of the dialogue because it’s now more crystal clear. and they can also see more of the key moments that are hard to see in the original cut of Easy Rider.  The film is a ride full of curiosity, searching, and tides that are hard to fall into. As Fonda said, he went looking 50 years ago for America and today he is still looking. Easy Rider is a film that every film fanatic needs to experience.  If you only watch it once and do not enjoy it, it then demands a second viewing. It is simply one of those films that grows on you the more you watch it and therefore deserves four stars.