Oliver Stone 6 Feature Collection

Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Collection of Work By A Great Artist.
Review: Here we have one of the greatest collections of film work ever assembled by a filmmaker. The work of Oliver Stone stands as one of the greatest creative bodies of work in the history of film. And sure, they are brilliantly filmed, written, performed and photographed, but Stone's work is appreciated because of the power and influence it weilds. Unlike typical directors, Stone's films make us think and look at ourselves in the mirror. Some of the films here like "JFK" and "Natural Born Killers" serve in fact, as important film documents of the 20th century. "Wall Street" is a brilliant study of greed in American society. It uses the world of the stock market as a backdrop to explore the themes of ambition, greed, lust and power. "Born On The Fourth Of July" is one of the best films ever about Vietnam, a powerful story about a man who thought he was doing the right thing for his country and returned a crippled, disillusioned man. "The Doors" is the greatest rock film of all time. Val Kilmer gives a stunning performance, almost on the verge of possession, as Jim Morrison. The concert scenes are amazing and with the authenticity of a documentary. It's also an effective study of how excess can kill a great artist. Then comes "JFK," the best film in the collection. Here Stone paints a disturbing, powerful portrait of the forces that killed John F. Kennedy. It is a study of how politics and power work in the world. "Natural Born Killers," a stunning stylish wild ride, is a brilliant satire about violence and our obsession with violence in the world. "Any Given Sunday" is the best football movie of all time! I was a little disappointed with the extra documentary, "Oliver Stone's America," which is interesting and watchable but is just a simple conversation. The extra Charlie Rose interview in the "Natural Born Killers" DVD is enough. But here we have work that is obviously done by a genius. He is willing to cross the line to present something that opens the eyes and mind. His films are haunting, hypnotic, stylish, intelligent and provocative. This special collection is jam-packed with extra material. "The Doors" and "JFK" are special two-disc editions that have deleted scenes and in the case of "The Doors," a special making-of documentary. Be warned, "Natural Born Killers" is not the Director's Cut, but the original version. However, edited scenes found in the Director's Cut are on the DVD. Oliver Stone is probably the most important American director currently producing films. This is a unique, powerful collection of film, of provocative art.

Rating:
Summary: if only it had nixon
Review: to be honest, while i am excited to have this box set in my hands, especially the remastered special edition of jfk, i am a bit disappointed. firstly, nixon isn't included (platoon isn't either, but i bought it the same day since it's an inexpensive dvd). i know nixon's in the 10-dvd set, but i think it fits nicely into the themes of this edition, although i'm not sure what dvd they would take out to fit it in (maybe any given sunday, but i'm sure the box wouldn't sell as much without his most lucrative film). so, no nixon, not too big of a problem. the second problem, and i think the bigger of the two, is the poor quality of the born on the 4th of july dvd. while not my favorite of his films, it is one of his least questionabley great films. there isn't the same kind of love/hate relationship that viewers and critics have with natural born killers. it doesn't achieve stone's trademark excesses, it's just an all around powerful film. thus, why wouldn't universal do a little more with the transfer (remaster it at least, anamorphic maybe). it really is a substandard transfer. the doors, jfk and natural born killers all got special edition treatment, so why not a film for which he was awarded an oscar? i really don't know, it just puzzles me why a box set that classifies itself as a fairly definitive collection of oliver stone's career (excluding of course salvador and platoon) would skimp on providing us with a definitive edition of born on the 4th. well, oliver stone's not a perfect man or a perfect director, so i guess it figures that this isn't the perfect box set. nonetheless, although i've complained for most of this review, the rest of the set is excellent. jfk, my favorite, is finally given its deserved treatment on dvd--excellent transfer, commentary, to name a few. the any given sunday dvd is a slight improvement over the standard edition. the commentaries, from stone and jamie foxx are not the best i've heard, but they're worth listening to for some behind the scenes info. i haven't checked out the rest of the extras, but i'm not disappointed with this edition. natural born killers is essentially the same as the early director's cut release, except that it isn't the director's cut and it's anamorphic. the extras are all included, deleted scenes and alternate ending, and i think the commmentary is the same. why they couldn't get the director's cut is i'm sure a matter of distribution rights or something of that matter, but it's still a great dvd. wall street is the same as the individual release, it has a decent transfer, plus commentary. the doors dvd is an all out special edition with a great transfer, commentary and lots of interviews, extra scenes, etc. they should'vd put this kind of effort in born on the 4th of july. i haven't seen oliver stone's america yet, i'm sure it's a solid look into oliver stone's career. well, that's it for my thoughts. i haven't checked all the dvd's out entirely, but i'm generally satisfied with my purchase.

Rating:
Summary: if only it had nixon
Review: to be honest, while i am excited to have this box set in my hands, especially the remastered special edition of jfk, i am a bit disappointed. firstly, nixon isn't included (platoon isn't either, but i bought it the same day since it's an inexpensive dvd). i know nixon's in the 10-dvd set, but i think it fits nicely into the themes of this edition, although i'm not sure what dvd they would take out to fit it in (maybe any given sunday, but i'm sure the box wouldn't sell as much without his most lucrative film). so, no nixon, not too big of a problem. the second problem, and i think the bigger of the two, is the poor quality of the born on the 4th of july dvd. while not my favorite of his films, it is one of his least questionabley great films. there isn't the same kind of love/hate relationship that viewers and critics have with natural born killers. it doesn't achieve stone's trademark excesses, it's just an all around powerful film. thus, why wouldn't universal do a little more with the transfer (remaster it at least, anamorphic maybe). it really is a substandard transfer. the doors, jfk and natural born killers all got special edition treatment, so why not a film for which he was awarded an oscar? i really don't know, it just puzzles me why a box set that classifies itself as a fairly definitive collection of oliver stone's career (excluding of course salvador and platoon) would skimp on providing us with a definitive edition of born on the 4th. well, oliver stone's not a perfect man or a perfect director, so i guess it figures that this isn't the perfect box set. nonetheless, although i've complained for most of this review, the rest of the set is excellent. jfk, my favorite, is finally given its deserved treatment on dvd--excellent transfer, commentary, to name a few. the any given sunday dvd is a slight improvement over the standard edition. the commentaries, from stone and jamie foxx are not the best i've heard, but they're worth listening to for some behind the scenes info. i haven't checked out the rest of the extras, but i'm not disappointed with this edition. natural born killers is essentially the same as the early director's cut release, except that it isn't the director's cut and it's anamorphic. the extras are all included, deleted scenes and alternate ending, and i think the commmentary is the same. why they couldn't get the director's cut is i'm sure a matter of distribution rights or something of that matter, but it's still a great dvd. wall street is the same as the individual release, it has a decent transfer, plus commentary. the doors dvd is an all out special edition with a great transfer, commentary and lots of interviews, extra scenes, etc. they should'vd put this kind of effort in born on the 4th of july. i haven't seen oliver stone's america yet, i'm sure it's a solid look into oliver stone's career. well, that's it for my thoughts. i haven't checked all the dvd's out entirely, but i'm generally satisfied with my purchase.