Oliver Stone has always been a lightning rod of controversy, and his latest saga is no different, as he takes on the deadly world of Mexican drug cartels. Stone is back in his wheelhouse with this one, and the big question surrounding Savages is whether or not this will be the film that finally turns Canadian Taylor Kitsch into the A-List star everyone expects.

PHOTO CREDIT - IMDB.com

Edmonton - July 5, 2012 -

Before you bask in the gory glory of Oliver Stone's ultra-violent return to form, Savages, make sure you've seen these stone cold favorites...

Filmmaker Oliver Stone has always been a lightning rod of controversy, and his latest saga is no different, as he takes on the deadly world of Mexican drug cartels. Stone is back in his wheelhouse with this one, and the big question surrounding Savages is whether or not this will be the film that finally turns Canadian Taylor Kitsch into the A-List star everyone expects him to be. Coming off the dual disasters of John Carter and Battleship, he certainly needs a hit!

Savages also stars Kick-Ass headliner Aaron Johnson, and Gossip Girl beauty Blake Lively, but let’s face it: Stone is really the big draw here. So let’s take a stroll down memory lane, with my Top 5 Oliver Stone flicks…

5. ANY GIVEN SUNDAY - yeah, it’s kind of uneven, a bit too long, and Cameron Diaz is pretty mis-cast, but how can you not love the film that gave Al Pacino one of cinema’s all-time great motivational speeches??! In a career filled with scenery-chewing moments, this classic Pacino performance really takes the cake…




4. WORLD TRADE CENTRE - Stone’s surprisingly restrained and moving ode to the police officers and firefighters who sacrificed their lives on 9/11 features Nic Cage’s last truly great performance before becoming a complete caricature of himself. A lot of people avoided this one because it was just too painful to relive this awful moment in US history, but do yourself a favour and seek this one out - it’s really a terrific film.




3. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY - Whenever anyone says Tom Cruise ‘can’t act’, I point them in the direction of this brilliant film. While the critics (and audiences) all went gaga over Platoon (a movie I never did love as much as the rest of the world), I think this is easily the better of Stone’s Vietnam stories. Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Ron Kovic (he lost out to Daniel Day Lewis), and this remains one of the crowning achievements of his career. In honour of the US 4th of July holiday, what better time to see this amazing film again.




2. JFK - Stone’s massive conspiracy-thriller of a biopic remains as groundbreaking and thrilling today as it did when it was first released 21 (!) years ago. With a who’s who of great acting talent (Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Lemmon, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek…the list goes on), and a dizzying array of visual tricks and treats, JFK was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, very deservedly winning for Cinematography and Editing. And if you want to talk conspiracies, it’s absolutely criminal that this film didn’t win Best Picture. If you haven’t seen this film, stop reading NOW and get to it!




1. NATURAL BORN KILLERS - In a career filled with controversial moves, this was EASILY Stone’s most controversial moment, with this ultra-violent and polarizing - yet undeniably brilliant - media satire (based on an early Quentin Tarantino script!). Shocking, yet so prescient as a sign of things to come (go watch it again and see just how far ahead of its time this film really was) NBK infuriated many critics, was blamed for a rash of copycat killings, and even had the prolific author John Grisham sue Oliver Stone and Warner Bros in a wrongful death suit connected with one of said copycat killing sprees. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a comedy?




That’s my own personal top 5 Stone flicks, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of his body of work. I’d love to know what YOUR favorites are…email me and let me know!