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Stone Goes South of the Border, Sees Future, Reports Back That "It Works"
Matt Welch points to this profile of Oliver Stone in today's The New York Times, which details the Hollywood conspiracy theorist's plans for a sequel to Wall Street, his 1987 indictment of New York's downtown money men. The Times neglects to mention that Stone is currently in Venice premiering his newest film, the Hugo Chavez hagiography South of the Border. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, scripted by Marxist writer Tariq Ali, is "a rebuttal of what he views as the fulminations and lies of right-wing media at home and abroad regarding the socialist democracies of South America."
Also premiering in Venice—and also noted by Welch—is Michael Moore's new documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, which received a rave reviews and a standing ovation for its brave declaration that "Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil." Huzzah, Michael!
Check out the trailer for Stone's South of the Border:
In the trailer, notice that Stone shows CNN's John Roberts declaring breathlessly that "he's more dangerous than bin Laden, and the effects of Chavez, his war against America could eclipse those of 9/11." For the record, this is a deceptive edit intended to suggest that CNN is irrationally hostile to Venezuela, that Roberts hysterically compares Chavez to Bin Laden. Here is the full quote, from a Roberts interview with Democratic pollster Doug Schoen, author of the anti-Chavez book The Enemy Closer to Home:
"Right off the bat in the very front of the book you quote Otto Reich who was the former ambassador to Venezuela back in the 1980s as saying that he's more dangerous than bin Laden and the effects of Chavez, his war against America could eclipse those of 9/11." (emphasis added)
According to this recent AFP story, Stone recently met with Fidel Castro, subject of his fawning documentary Comandante, and his brother Raul, during which time they lamented that the United States, once a nation of laws, was now attempting to justifying the torture of enemy combatants.
Update: I forgot to note that Stone's celebration of Venezuelan democracy opened the very day that Chavez ordered 29 more radio stations critical of the government shut down.
Daniel|9.8.09 @ 12:23PM|#
It is easy to criticize America secure within it's borders. And
the hypocrisy of both of these asshats getting rich because of
capitalism and then lambasting it is an economic policy.
Perhaps they would just be happier if they were paid a pittance for
their films and the proceeds going directly into taxes.
!|9.8.09 @ 12:42PM|#
Venice? I am purchasing my ticket for California right now so I don't miss the second showing!
@|9.8.09 @ 12:43PM|#
Stone's celebration of Venezuelan democracy opened the very
day that Chavez ordered 29 more radio stations critical of the
government shut down.
I'll bet Stone supports the "Fairness" Doctrine. A true champion of
free speech.
|9.8.09 @ 12:44PM|#
I had no respect at all for Oliver Stone before this. Now, he's
way into negative territory.
-jcr
|9.8.09 @ 12:52PM|#
So, I understand the economic and moral arguments against socialism/communism, but what keeps these countries functioning? I know Venezuela has oil, but what are the other main contributors to the their GDP?
Xeones|9.8.09 @ 1:02PM|#
I am no more nor less interested in seeing either of these movies now than i was before i had even heard of them.
Mark|9.8.09 @ 1:05PM|#
This might be a tempest in a teacup. If W. is any indication, Stones creative and box office mojo is waning, not unlike Bob Dylan playing amateur baseball parks with Willie Nelson. And I would assume that both men would thrive in opposition, but now that the Democrats are firmly in power, most of their potential audience will be content to stay home. Most Dems, not unlike their Rep counterparts like to think they are liberal or conservative, when in reality, they just cheer for their team irrespective of the parties actual policies.
|9.8.09 @ 1:05PM|#
When Joe used to post here (Joe, I know you still lurk!), he
would sort of defend Chavez by saying his anti-Americanism and
heavy handedness towards the media were the result of America
supporting his opponents.
As far as I can tell, America has taken a hands off approach to
Venezuela and is content to let Chavez run his country into the
ground.
I wonder what Joe (and other leftists) think of Hugo's silencing of
opposition radio stations now?
|9.8.09 @ 1:07PM|#
I love the smell of totalitarian apologists in the morning. Smells like...re-ingested bullshit.
Tomcat1066|9.8.09 @ 1:12PM|#
Oliver Stone, or the dump I took earlier today. Guess which one
I hold in higher esteem.
One hint: It's the one that hasn't made a movie.
|9.8.09 @ 1:17PM|#
what keeps these countries functioning?
The same thing that kept the Soviet Union going. They call it the
"black market".
-jcr
Anomalous|9.8.09 @ 1:19PM|#
Oliver Stone has never been able to restrain his
pompousness.
Denis Leary did a great rant on The Doors not needing 140 minutes
to tell the story: I'm drunk, I'm nobody; I'm drunk, I'm famous;
I'm drunk, I'm fuckin' dead.
Michael|9.8.09 @ 1:23PM|#
Every time I come across a reference to Stone, the first thing that comes to mind is that vile cinematic abortion, Natural Born Killers. I have no idea how anyone with a three-digit IQ can take this hack seriously.
Abdul|9.8.09 @ 1:44PM|#
Oliver Stone and Michael Moore will learn one of the iron laws
of capitalism:
No hagiographic bio-pic of a South American dictator will be
commerically successful without Salma Hayek's cleavage.
Jim Garrison|9.8.09 @ 1:49PM|#
Now if you look closely at Stone's most recent videos you can see clearly that his career is going down and to the left...down and to the left...down and to the left.
Kevin|9.8.09 @ 1:54PM|#
I thought Michael Moore quit directing after he got that role on Family Guy?
Ben|9.8.09 @ 2:04PM|#
"Michael | September 8, 2009, 1:23pm | #
Every time I come across a reference to Stone, the first thing that
comes to mind is that vile cinematic abortion, Natural Born
Killers. I have no idea how anyone with a three-digit IQ can take
this hack seriously."
God I remember when I finally watched that 2 and half hour acid
trip. Man I get a migraine and was nauseous after the first 30
minutes of the film. Lets face it, it would go from color to black
and white, switch from standard 35-mm film to super 8-mm shots, and
interspersed in between were those bizarre and violent animations.
After it was finally over and wondering just the fuck it was about
(besides being his "post-modern" interpretation of the Charles
Starkweather killings), I decided for the guy who had to edit this
thing.
|9.8.09 @ 2:18PM|#
Brian DePalma hates you, Warty. He wants to use the drill on you like in Body Double.
Warty|9.8.09 @ 2:24PM|#
Maybe David Cronenburg could make a decent documentary about Chavez, or if not, maybe David Lynch. It's about time for Oliver Stone to get sent to the knacker's, though.
|9.8.09 @ 2:29PM|#
The same thing that kept the Soviet Union going. They call
it the "black market".
You racist.
|9.8.09 @ 2:41PM|#
Brian DePalma hates you, Warty. He wants to use the drill on
you like in Body Double.
I didn't know Warty was a chick and that hawt.
|9.8.09 @ 2:42PM|#
Spectacular Optical: Keeping an eye on the world.
Scarface really isn't that great of a movie.
Philistine.
|9.8.09 @ 2:42PM|#
Maybe David Cronenburg could make a decent documentary about
Chavez, or if not, maybe David Lynch. It's about time for Oliver
Stone to get sent to the knacker's, though.
I nominate Ken Russel. *No one* will see it.
|9.8.09 @ 2:54PM|#
I join the thumbs down to Scarface.
You know who'd I like to see do a political film? John
Carpenter.
|9.8.09 @ 2:58PM|#
North America's getting soft, *patron*, and the rest of the world is getting tough. Very, very tough. We're entering savage new times, and we're giong to have to be pure and direct and strong, if we're going to survive them. Now, you and this cesspool you call a libertarian blog and your people who wallow around in it, your readers who watch you do it, they're rotting us away from the inside. We intend to stop that rot.
|9.8.09 @ 3:00PM|#
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women."
|9.8.09 @ 3:01PM|#
Because it has something...that you don't have, Tulpa. It has a philosophy, and that is what makes it dangerous.
|9.8.09 @ 3:05PM|#
I am so happy that people like Oliver Stone get to put their garbage out to the public. Three cheers for the 1st Amendment. It gives everyone an easy example of how not to think and how not to be.
T|9.8.09 @ 3:16PM|#
Your reality is already HALF video hallucination. If you're not careful, it will become TOTAL hallucination. You'll have to learn to live in a very strange new world, Epi.
|9.8.09 @ 3:55PM|#
JW: what about Altered States? Gothic? Lair of the White
Worm?
OK, I'll give you Altered States, I forgot that he did that, but
Lair? You and 3 other guys saw that one late autumn Saturday
afternoon.
|9.8.09 @ 4:17PM|#
Grammar Nazi time,
"which received a rave reviews and a standing ovation for..."
Need to drop the "s" from the word "reviews."
Thank you, that is all
Cabeza de Vaca|9.8.09 @ 4:53PM|#
Stone really loves dictators. When I was watching his horrible, god awful film Alexander the Great. All I could think is this is no man to idolize, he was a mass murder like Hitler or Stalin. Makes me wonder if 300 years from now historians will be talking about Mao the magnificent or something.
jester|9.8.09 @ 5:40PM|#
maybe it will turn into a comedy by the time it makes DVD format. Comedy is Tragedy plus Time.
zoltan|9.8.09 @ 7:57PM|#
I thought Oliver Stone was going to a Hannibal movie. SOMEONE do a Hannibal movie already!
|9.9.09 @ 8:22AM|#
Here in the USA, anti-capitalists and anti-economy folk can't
even START to open a TV or radio station. It requires honoring
money and ownership to do that. That's what happens when one
company (AmWay/American Way) has the exclusive on the type of
survival coupons (money) that are honored and legal tender.
Monetary discrimination is a way of life... here in the USA. And
then there's that Colombian freemason pyramid scheme symbol on the
back of the USA dollar, and the USA gov is in a "district of
Colombia" and not even part of the USA! Need we say more? Thank God
all pyramid schemes eventually collapse, and capitalism is doing
that as I type. Yay! Maybe someday, monetary discrimination will be
seen as the totally uncivilized thing that it is, and will be made
illegal. That would be AFTER the Christians actually wake up and
demand some fairness laws, though. That won't happen as long as
capitalists run the churches and media. Its simple. If you joined,
condone, or promote the pyramid scheme called capitalism, you're
bought into a serve-the-imperialism con/sham. Do a Google IMAGE
SEARCH for 'pyramid of capitalist' for more embarrassment. Stick
with the USA military supply/survival system, and the USA public
library system, for socialism done right. Moneyless and
price-tag-less. Yum. Communes all the way, gang. The Amish,
Quakers, Menonites, and hippies... had it right all along.
Competition is the exact opposite of cooperation, and competition
is NOT healthy, and never was. Cooperation is healthy, but NOT
cooperation with an imperialism/pyramid scheme. That's unhealthy
and a forced religion. "Get a job or starve" is the same as "join
the free marketeers competer's church, or die". That's felony
extortion. ANY "do it or else" is felony extortion as a severe lack
of freedom of choice. USA 18 years olds are subject to the parental
policy change from share share share... to fight fight fight when
they get "nest kicked" and sharktanked into "out there". While "in
here", the kids shall cooperate and share. USA folks have been
conned into believing that there is a difference between out there
and in here. But a civilized nation... would allow the 18 year olds
to carry their childhood SHARE SHARE SHARE policies... right on
through adulthood. That's not possible when the USA forces folks to
join the competer's church (capitalism), or else. Pretty sick.
Forced religion to the gills. I don't foresee capitalism
joiners/condoners having a very smooth afterlife AT ALL. Ya'll
should have stuck with Christianity... and cooperating. ie.
communes and economyless... just like the moneyless military supple
system... which gives out requisition forms instead of money, and
has free basic issue (survival supplies) for all. It puts luxuries
into repositories called "recreational services" for ALL to share
equally, no matter the "rank". Now if we could JUST get that kind
of sharing and fairness on the civilian side, huh? Not a chance.
Capitalism is a rat-racing system... which condones competing and
every man for himself. Military, instead, uses "we're all on the
same team... no reason to bill the hide off-of each other"... which
is not only more logical, loving, and proven to be more efficient,
its more Christian, too. its not called COMMUNE-ity for no reason,
gang.
Larry "Wingnut" Wendlandt
MaStars - Mothers Against Stuff That Ain't Right
(anti-capitalism-ists)
(system fighters, not role-playing-people fighters)
Bessemer MI USA
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