Born of the Fourth of July

Film gets better each time I watch it.

I think that Daniel Day-Lewis will deservedly take home the statue next for There Will Be Blood.

But, sorry, I still think Tom Cruise was everlastingly fucking robbed of the 1989 Best Actor. My Left Foot was excellent, but, to me, the performance wasn't quite the same.

Cruise not only handles the massive physical upheaval in the middle of the film, but also the 180-degree mental turnover. Impressive.

 

The book was better.

 

Agreed, Cowbell.

Cruise was robbed, especially because voters had to realize he'd never again be that good. Daniel Day-Lewis is great in everything he does.

 

Shocker: I've actually seen several movies Tom Cruise has been in. Since I rarely watch movies, that's a feat. If it weren't for his hopping-on-a-couch Scientology meltdown, he might draw some notice for his acting skills.

However, now people just think of him as a brainwashed L. Ron Hubbard loony toon. He should get down on his hands and knees and fellate thank Britney Spears for taking his crown as Tinseltown's biggest serial nut case.

 

The film is a visual marvel.

 

With the blown transmission thread right above this, I initially though the thread title was Blown on the Fourth of July.

 

And since Simon hasn't said it, it's on HBO2 at the moment.

 

Have spoken with vets who can't handle it, particularly VA hospital vets.

 

The idea of such a sacrifice being for nothing, or for a lie... has to be utterly revolting.

 

Many great moments. In my mind it's Cruise's best film.

The afterbars fight with his parents, which literally brings his mother to her knees, alone is painful to watch.

 

In 2004, I remember wondering why this movie wasn't part of the debate, when Kerry's turn against the war after returning from Vietnam suddenly was rendered unpatriotic. Implicit -- hell, sometimes explicit -- in all that swift boat veterans bullshit was the notion that there was something odd or dishonorable about being disillusioned by Vietnam service.
That wasn't exactly how I remembered the early '70s, even though I was just a few years too young to serve.

 

The outdoor GOP convention scenes were filmed at the Dallas Convention Center; as I recall Stone trucked in a couple of palm trees to try and make it look like Miami.