Stone's Best? - Talk Radio (1989) Discussion

[–] davidyuill_77 18 years ago

i liked this one a lot, probably more than the other stone pics as i dont think ive seen them since childhood with the exception of wall st. which though it may carry more weight, have more of a message etc, 'talk radio' may just have more entertainment value, and that may be doing it a disservice, to say it doesnt have a message as it had something of one itself in places. 'pornography and slasher movies' serving as culture for the american public anyone?

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[–] IRanOverARabbit 18 years ago

This is is excellent by Stone's standards, and indeed excellent per se. He tends to spoil his own films with awful dialogue and OTT acting (his fault not the actors), the worst example being The Doors (an absolutely dreadful film).

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[–] ojdidntdoit6 18 years ago

This is actually my favorite Stone movie, followed by Platoon. And I like all of Stone's flicks (Yep, even Alexander)

I can't really think of something in Talk Radio I didn't like. 'Twas brilliant.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] mikeclaw 17 years ago

I go back and forth between Talk Radio and JFK.

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[–] edwinalarren 17 years ago

"Talk Radio" in my opinion is Oliver Stone's best picture!!

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[–] drexl-8 17 years ago

Talk Radio by quite a margin is Stone's best movie. Not any old hack director can make a radio studio feel like a impenetrable prison for an army of faceless callers.

His second best is Natural Born Killers. I loved the off-the-wall approach, loved the narcissism and abstract stylings.

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[–] [email protected] 17 years ago

I was just pondering this last night while watching Platoon... well, more specifically I was noticing how much I really do love Stone's work. I mean, the streak of awesomeness this guy had from the beginning of his career - Salvador, Platoon, Wall Street, Talk Radio, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, JFK... well, I'm not as fond of Born and The Doors as I am the others, but whatever. They're better than most other movies. For me, though, Natural Born Killers is his masterpiece, and one of the greatest films ever made.

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[–] drexl-8 17 years ago

I Concur, in the grand scheme of movies - you're right - Stones are among some of the best.

However, as marvellous a plot and technical achievement NBK is - I do think Talk Radio is the better film; Stone's best.

There's just something endlessly rewatchable about this particular movie - and perhaps the first in his repertoire that truly shows his anger toward the human race. Scorsese (a film lecturer of Stone's) once referred to him as "an angry filmmaker". Talk Radio, surely, is the first sign of that anger. And when Stone's at his most angriest and conspiratorial, that's when he's at his best.

When he tries to feign meldorama, complicity and fairness (i.e. World Trade Centr) - ugh, he's at his mega-worst.

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[–] [email protected] 17 years ago

Yeah, lord knows he ain't perfect. I've tried two times with Alexander and still can't get past the first hour.

I would say that Talk Radio is my second favorite. It's the film of his where he actually exemplifies a little subtlety, something he's not usually capable of. His point is clear, but more ambiguous, and well integrated into the story. The presence of Bogosian probably helped.

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[–] GotaFeeling 17 years ago

Some people would go with the simple answer and assume he has lost his ability. I do not think creative talent dies so I look for other answers. Yours provides a great reason why his recent efforts have felt subpar.

Someone needs to channel Peter Finch for this guy.

"I want you to get MAD!"

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[–] Paul_Ke 17 years ago

Talk Radio was Oliver Stone's best movie, in my opinion. Wall Street and Platoon round are my 2nd and 3rd favorites.

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[–] Zvoni 15 years ago

Talk Radio has great atmosphere. Well written and acting is great. Not too much of camera-tripping or artsy editing, it's just good as it is. It is Stone's best. Only film from Stone I can't wait to rewatch.

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[–] BobStage 15 years ago

Almost every Oliver Stone film I've seen is a good film at the very least ("U Turn" is my exception to this statement). And he's made some of the best films I've ever seen. "JFK", "Salvador", "Platoon".

And this comes quite close to some of the best work he's ever done. Eric Bogosian should have won an Oscar for his performance, and Alec Baldwin was as good as ever.

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