U Turn

Amazon.com

Oliver Stone used such words as "liberating" and "fun" to talk about U Turn's relatively quick production schedule of 42 days. Stone's ideas of film fun, however, are something older generations would call sick. This film is a Southwestern noir tale about Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), a hotshot who is stuck in the tight confines of Superior, Arizona, when his car breaks down. His subsequent adventure is a meatball comedy--loud, obnoxious, and violent, and stuffed with diffused light, a hot cast, and a no-fat Ennio Morricone score. This film has plenty of odd characters, but you never really find out much about them. Bobby's first encounters include a repulsive mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton under the grease) and a blind Indian (Jon Voight under the makeup). Then there's Grace McKenna (a sizzling Jennifer Lopez), who is as dangerous as the curves of her red sundress. Bobby's got time to kill, and Grace seems more than willing. Unfortunately, it seems that Bobby has never seen a movie such as A Touch of Evil; if he had, he would know it can only get worse. About the time Grace's husband, Jake (Nick Nolte), shows up, Bobby is knee-deep in murder plots and double-crosses.

The first 40 minutes or so are "fun" to a point. Penn is the perfect near-creep to root for, and as he wanders back into town after meeting Grace, the eclectic characters pile up. But soon it gets monotonous, tiring, and just plain ugly. And when incest and bloody fights begin, the fun is gone. If Penn weren't so solid an actor and able to be empathetic in the most morose situations, the movie would be unwatchable at stretches. Lopez makes another good impression, but this is not a performance that stands out. Nolte, raspy and ill-looking, is the Lee Marvin of the '90s. Before U Turn is over, you are already wondering if Oliver Stone will do something else, something more important, soon. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

An overlooked Oliver Stone film with a twisted plot and first-rate cast.......2007-04-30

Oliver Stone's U Turn is a small town Arizona story with love crosses and plot twists galore. A drifter (Sean Penn) breaks down in the Arizona back-woods and gets entangled with a spitfire (Jennifer Lopez) who wants to leave her twisted, abusive husband (Nick Nolte). The husband, on the other hand, wants his wife murdered. The town mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton) is a greasy local who dislikes city slicker outsiders and doesn't aim to make Penn's character's life any easier. Our hero also gets mixed up with a cute local waitress (Claire Danes) seeking refuge from her abusive boyfriend (Joaquin Phoenix).

The movie is a day-in-the-life-of look at a strange little desert town with hidden undercurrents and long-standing family secrets. With an all-star cast and plot upheavals galore, the viewing is a full-on thrill-ride. Highly recommended. Also check out Clay Pigeons.

Ridley + Stone + Penn = serious rock 'n roll........2007-04-13

U Turn (Oliver Stone, 1997)

I'm a big fan of Stray Dogs, the John Ridley novel upon which U-Turn is based, and I avoided the film for while because, really, how many film adaptations of your best-loved novels actually work the way you want them to? I shouldn't have worried, though; U-Turn is the stuff, most decidedly.

The plot: Bobby Cooper, an on-the-run tennis pro (Sean Penn) has his car conk out on him just shy of a very, very weird little desert town. One of its residents, Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez), immediately catches his eye, but he soon finds out she's married to a nasty old character named Jake (Nick Nolte), who'd just as soon see her dead-- and offers Bobby fifty grand to do the deed. Immediately, a complex web of deceit unfurls among all the characters, complicated by a number of even stranger events happening at just the wrong time to make Bobby's life miserable.

The main thing that sticks out about this movie is the caliber of its cast, and the caliber of the performances they give. When you have to stick Jon Voight and Billy Bob Thornton seventh and eighth in credits order, you've got a high-powered cast working for you. All of them are spot on. The plot moves forward at almost blinding speed (just as it did in the book; Ridley adapted his own novel), and the viewer has very little time to do anything but clench his teeth and hang on for the ride until the final credits roll. It's just plain fun. I'm not sure why I stopped watching Oliver Stone flicks in the late eighties (okay, yeah I am-- Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, and JFK back to back got a little heavy in to the world of way-out conspiracy theory for me), but I'm glad I've started again. *** ½

Not Stone's best, but thoroughly entertaining.......2006-12-03

Anyone who doubts Jennifer Lopez's acting abilities, as I once had, needs to see this movie. In this movie, she shifts from seductive and manipulating to vulnerable and desperate and back again with surprising ease. Jennifer Lopez can be a good actress when she isn't stuck in a bad movie.

And now to the rest of the film. U Turn treads on familiar territory of the mysterious drifter Bobby (Sean Penn) who, on his way to pay his debt to some kind of mob boss, finds himself stranded in a creepy desert town. He quickly becomes enraptured with the town sex object Grace (Lopez) whose husband (Nolte) catches them together. But instead of getting mad, Grace's husband asks Bobby to kill her so that he can cash in on her life insurance. When Bobby is robbed at a convenience store, he is left without the money he owes to the mob, so he takes up the offer to kill Grace. Thus begins a very complicated and violent series of events.

My only complaints are the underused characters of the wild-child town Lolita (Claire Danes) and her very short-tempered boyfriend (Joaquin Phoenix). It is kind of funny, though, to see Joaquin Phoenix basically dressed like Johnny Cash in a scene where "Ring of Fire" is played in the background.

U Turn also treads on a lot of the same metaphorical territory as Stone's Natural Born Killers--the desert, dead animals, prophetic Native Americans, etc. In this way it sometimes feels like a rehash of Natural Born Killers; and if I hadn't seen that movie, I'd probably like U Turn even more. But the story is gripping enough and the performances are intense enough that the movie is definitely worth watching.

Great film noir.......2006-10-24

I am not a big fan of Olvier Stone, but this is a great movie with interesting characters and great actors. I don't want to reveal any details and spoil the movie, but it is great if you enjoy film noir type movies.

My two-cents worth..........2006-10-20

This is a great, dark, funny, scary, roller-coaster ride of a modern noir B-movie that felt like it was discovered in Jim Thompson's waste paper bin. It might be pastiche, but it's entertaining pastiche. I don't know! Give you people a good film and, firstly, you don't go and see it and, secondly, if you do catch it on DVD, all you do is moan, moan, moan, not even like would-be critics but distributors or accountants. Everyone knows by now that the B pictures are usually much better than the A pictures. Now, of course, they make B pictures with A budgets. True pulp should be made for chump change, not $20 million, with big stars. For me, Stone is interesting but deeply flawed. He just loves the big subject. Here he has virtually no subject at all, and it's great fun seeing him take a breather and let his hair down. I understand this did no, or little, business but now has cult status, which is justice of a sort and probably the best you can hope for these days. Hay, lighten up. Have a few beers and slip it on the DVD. If you're disappointed then you have no taste and deserve what the studios throw at you. By the way, I'm an English noir fan. What do I know?

The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Salvador / Platoon / Wall Street / Talk Radio / Born on the Fourth of July / JFK Director's Cut / The Doors / Heaven and Earth / Natural Born Killers / Nixon / U-Turn / Any Given Sunday Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite director's; far from ultimate box set
COLLECTION ALMOST PERFECT
1600 MINUTES OF GREAT MOVIES !!!!!!!!
Not a Good Deal!
One technical quibble

The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Salvador / Platoon / Wall Street / Talk Radio / Born on the Fourth of July / JFK Director's Cut / The Doors / Heaven and Earth / Natural Born Killers / Nixon / U-Turn / Any Given Sunday Director's Cut)
Starring: Val Kilmer , and Woody Harrellson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002ZSKMS
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

This 14-disc set is at least the third massive DVD collection with the Oliver Stone moniker. New to this set are two documentaries that aired on HBO: Looking for Fidel (2004), Stone's second film shadowing the Cuban leader, focusing on the regime's iron-fisted defector policy. Persona Non Grata (2003) is an examination of Palestinian conflict. Both of the films have a constantly moving camera, giving us a you-are-there feel to the subjects including Stone, who is seen often. His warts and all interviews are certainly a different type than the usual newsmagazines and are especially interesting in Non Grata since we've seen too many cut-and-dried interviews with these players over the years.

The main theatrical films on single discs have been released before although several of them have been released previously with more content and bonus discs, creating a debate on how "ultimate" this collection is. Otherwise, all his films are here, from his Vietnam trilogy (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven & Earth), his iconic pop culture films (The Doors, Wall Street, Any Given Sunday), experimental films (Natural Born Killers, U-Turn, Talk Radio), and political operas (JFK, Nixon, Salvador), plus the documentary Oliver Stone's America. --Doug Thomas

Description

The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection includes twelve of this legendary filmmaker's best films. This collection contains 14 discs filled with hours of commentary and bonus features. Also included is a bonus disc made exclusively for this collection. The collection contains: Born on the 4th of July, The Doors, JFK (Director's Cut), Platoon, Salvador, Talk Radio, Wall Street, Any Given Sunday (Director's Cut), Heaven and Earth, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, Oliver Stone's America, U-Turn, AND the Ultimate Oliver Stone Bonus Disc.

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite director's; far from ultimate box set.......2007-08-11

I'll keep this short and sweet, as most of you have already touched on this before me. None of the 2 disc sets include their second disc. That means collectors like me basically had to repurchase the DVDs if they wanted any supplemental material included with their fave flicks. I found this to be a bit of a money waster, and basically an expensive way to purchase the Stone documentaries, that as far as I know, can only be found here. I'd have rather just paid 20 bucks for them on a seperate DVD, however.

I do have a question for owners of this set:

Have any of you ever experienced small purple and green bars on both sides of the image during the entire playback of JFK? I'm trying to find out if it's just my disc, or if this is a common issue with the set.

COLLECTION ALMOST PERFECT.......2006-10-26

This filmmaking collection is almost perfect, but not quite superior to, the previous Oliver Stone collection that was released. All of his directorial efforts starting with Salvador are included, and they are packaged similar to the way television series dvd sets are packaged (like Grey's Anatomy and Lost), with two overlapping discs per side of the package. Platoon is the special edition that was released by MGM/UA many years back, it is not the most recent special edition. Salvador, Wall Street, and Talk Radio are all the single disc special editions that are available separately. Born On The Fourth of July is the remastered version that was released not too long ago (picture is vastly improved with more natural hues and tones). The Doors, JFK, Nixon, and Any Given Sunday are separately available as two-disc editions and only the first discs of each (basically only the movie) are available in this set. Heaven and Earth and U-Turn are the same as what is available separately, and finally Natural Born Killers is the RATED version of the film, not the Unrated released by Trimark. The picture is much better than the Trimark Unrated release of the film but it is missing up to three minutes of footage needed to achieve an R rating. The NBK disc does include deleted scenes, commentary, and a theatrical trailer. I'm not sure why Warner Bros doesn't release the Unrated version since it does with all of its other films (except for Eyes Wide Shut, I suppose) but whatever. The extra disc on this set includes Stone's recent documentaries Persona Non Grata and Looking For Fidel. It does not included Comandante which is still not available in this country (you can get a Region 2 copy on Amazon.co.uk but you'll need a region free player to play it). There is also a little blurb about Alexander included. Oh, and the documentary Oliver Stone's America is also included including the full version of his student film Last Year In Vietnam. So, all in all this is a great buy. If you really end up wanting the two-disc editions of some of the films after you watch them, you can always buy them later. If you buy this, Alexander (either or both versions), and his upcoming World Trade Center, you will own almost all of Oliver Stone's directorial efforts for a pretty cheap price all things considered. Enjoy!

1600 MINUTES OF GREAT MOVIES !!!!!!!!.......2006-10-01

Are you kidding me ???Where can you get 13 GREAT movies and EXTRAS for this price?? I cant believe people that find fault with a set containing so much for so little!!!!Each of these movies is highly entertaining in its own way. A diversified group of films you'll never find in a single collection!!!!I cant believe this doesnt cost$150 or more!!!

Not a Good Deal!.......2005-06-14

This DVD set consists of one outer and two inner Boxes, each has 4 glassy DVD case, 3 double, 1 single. DVDs are not indipendent in this set, so if you want to buy it used, beware of the condition of the box. some movies like "THE DOORS" and "Nixon" are originnaly two discs editions but only first discs are included in this dvd set and worse is, there is a word "disc 1" printed of them which indicates that these are the first DVDs of a 2 disc set and that makes you feel there is something crude about this box set! and there is something really crude!
the quality of boxes and print is low. outer box could easily be damaged or worn and it's very loose. it's not a good deal, specially at the price of 116 dollars!

One technical quibble.......2005-04-06

All great movies, but I couldn't help but notice that every time I try to eject the JFK Director's Cut DVD, the disc pops out of the DVD player and then makes an unexpected move back and to the left.

Average customer rating:

Good enough for rock and roll...
The Poor Collection of a Great Film Maker
Do I need to comment on my rating?
This is great
great collection!

Oliver Stone 10 Feature Collection
Starring: Oliver Stone , Wall Street , and Talk Radio
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Amazon.com

While this monumental retrospective of Oliver Stone's directorial career doesn't include Salvador or Platoon--Stone's early, acknowledged masterpieces of history and remembrance--it certainly sheds light on the more controversial arc of his work ever since.

Beginning with 1987's Wall Street, Stone's barbed tragedy about corporate raiders and blinding greed during the Reagan years, this cinematic 10-pack represents a curious odyssey of generational touchstones, outright obsessions, and feverish experimentation. The minor, 1988 Talk Radio, for instance, introduced Stone's then-evolving critique of inflamed media in a society of hapless onlookers. But it was 1994's Natural Born Killers that exploded the theme in a wildly ambitious farce concerning two lovers who defy manufactured perceptions by becoming notorious murderers. Killers pushes the limits of screen violence, visual literacy, and the mixed-media technique (juggling film stocks, incorporating video, etc.) that Stone introduced in JFK. If the result is cold and forced, it's also brazen.

Most significant is the way this collection underscores Stone's drive to fuse historical drama with lingering emotions about the past. Stone, a Vietnam War veteran, revisits that haunting debacle here in the masterful Born on the Fourth of July and the moving Heaven & Earth. Yet some of his most famous efforts still draw heaps of scorn for narrative hubris and factual recklessness. (Does anyone really believe John F. Kennedy was assassinated during a Lyndon Johnson coup d'état?) But time is on Stone's side. Eventually, JFK, The Doors, and Nixon will be seen not as a failed objective history, but as the experience of a tumultuous era in the imagination of a man who lived through it all and can't shake it off.

The collection concludes with the flawed contemporary noir U Turn and the unexpectedly entertaining football saga Any Given Sunday. Stone bided his time following this extraordinary body of work, until the humanitarian relief drama Beyond Borders (not included) found the director on familiar footing. As Stone's legacy continues to grow, there is a remarkable career here to revisit with these 10 films. --Tom Keogh

Description

The Oliver Stone Collection 10-Movie Giftset includes Extra Special Features on most Titles: Any Given Sunday Special Edition Director's Cut (2 discs):Behind-the-scenes DocumentaryFull Contact: The Making of Any Given Sunday2 Feature-Length Audio Commentaries by Oliver Stone and Jamie FoxOver a Dozen Deleted/Extended Scenes3 Music Vides Featuring Jamie Foxx and LL Cool J Jamie Foxx Audition Tape and Screen Tests Instant Replay Feature Allowing Direct Access to Game Action Scenes Gag Reel, Football Outtake Montage and Much More Also Includes Enhanced Features for DVD-Rom. JFK Special Edition Director's Cut (2 discs):17 Minutes of Footage Not Seen in North American TheatersNew Digital Transfer in Remixed Dolby 5.1 SurroundReissued in Dual-Layer Format Allowing Uninterrupted PlaybackFeature-Length Audio Commentary by StoneDeleted/Extended ScenesInterview with Fletcher ProutyVisual CommentaryMultimedia EssayAlso Includes Enhanced Features for DVD-Rom. The Doors (2 discs):Expanded Double-Disc EditionDocumentary The Road of ExcessDirector CommentaryFeaturetteAdditional Scenes. Natural Born Killers:New Digital Transfer in Remixed Dolby 5.1 SurroundDocumentary Chaos Rising: The Storm Around Natural Born KillersFeature-Length Audio Commentary by StoneDeleted Scenes and Alternate EndingOriginal Theatrical Trailer. Wall Street: Director CommentaryCharlie Rose Interview. Heaven and Earth: New Digital Transfer in Remixed Dolby 5.1 SurroundFeature-Length Audio Commentary by StoneDeleted ScenesOriginal Theatrical Trailer. Nixon: (2 discs) Expanded Double-Disc Edition with Deleted Scenes Reinserted into the FeatureDirector Commentary. Talk Radio: Prod

Customer Reviews:

Good enough for rock and roll..........2004-08-31

... ok.. i admit that i don't own this collection...and i haven't watched all of them as they are in this collection or seen any of the new features.. but i've seen Most of the movies in the collection.. and they are Mostly Kick-a$$ -- more than anything.. it seemed like a couple of the people that left reviews were being Down on the DOORS movie.. and for that.. i say 5 stars!!!!! cause that movie was cool enough to give all the rest of his movies 5 stars...

The Poor Collection of a Great Film Maker.......2003-06-17

I'm not sure who this collection is for. Die hard Stone fans (like me) already own his classics on DVD. And those new to Stone probably won't spend [this much].

But just in case we needed it, it's here. But who put this collection together? It's got the greats like 'JFK' 'Born On the Forth of July' and 'Wallstreet' but it also has Stone's follies such as 'U Turn' 'Heaven and Earth' 'Talk Radio' 'The Doors' and 'Any Given Sunday.' I believe Roger Ebert explained that when a man puts out gold five days a week he's entitled to put out lead on the weekend.

Why are we reliving the horrors that even the most hardened Stone fan (like me) couldn't stand? This is clearly an attempt to get fools to spend [this much] by mixing classic films in with bad ones.

Stone began his career as a sci-fi screen writer (remember 'Conan the Barbarian') who did some part time directing (remember 'The Hand') His first hit came with 'Scareface' in 1983. By 1986 he had two Oscars under his belt and was the hottest director in Hollywood. Just when you thought things couldn't get any better, they did. Unlike most directors his films just got better and better.

But with his last film in 1999 and his last good film in 1995 Stone is not exactly a big name today.

Stone was the defining director of the late 80s and early 90s. Not only was his directing great but his films gave us a hard look at modern America. No one can take that away from him.

Here's the real lowdown.
Platoon
Wallstreet
Born on the Forth of July
JFK
Natural Born Killers
Nixon

Do I need to comment on my rating?.......2002-08-25

Very good looking and full with excellent extras Set. If you like Oliver Stone's work you'll be very pleased with this Collection. You'll forget how much you paid for it, this set deserves it's own room in your house... Stankey Kubrick's and Best of Hitchcock Collections are excellent sets also.

This is great.......2001-12-29

This is a great collection. The Oliver Stone Collection it is extremely wonderful. I watched all of them. They all have great quality. I love Wall Street, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, and Any Given Sunday.

great collection!.......2001-10-21

This is a great collection of Oliver Stone's films. Born on the Fourth of July is truly amazing. The Doors is extremely entertaining. Natural Born Killers is absolutely insane. Any Given Sunday was definately edge of your seat. JFK and Nixon is totally interesting. But I was dissapointed in a lot of things. U-Turn and Talk Radio should not have been in the collection. They are good movies but do not deserve to be in a collection. I am mostly dissapointed that the one of the greatest war movies ever, Platoon, did not make collection. What were they thinking? It is brillantly acted, has a great story, and is captivating. Not to mention it won best picture. This is one of if not the best Oliver Stone picture he ever made. But all around, the collection is great. It is worth the money and the sound and picture quality is excellent.

Average customer rating:

WWII B-Movie Propaganda Film

Submarine Base
Starring: John Litel , Alan Baxter , Eric Blore , Georges Metaxa , and George Flaherty
Director: Albert H. Kelley
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001DMWUC
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Customer Reviews:

WWII B-Movie Propaganda Film.......2007-07-12

If B-Movies are your thing don't past this one by. Everything about this film screams made-in-a-hurry, low buget, no name actors, poor story line, etc.... BUT, it is still worth seeing just for the historical aspect - 1943 - in the thick of the war which was still far from certain who'd win.

Charlie Rose with Sean Penn (September 23, 1997)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Sean Penn (September 23, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Average customer rating:

U Turn [Region 2]
Starring: Sean Penn , Nick Nolte , Jennifer Lopez , Powers Boothe , and Claire Danes
Director: Oliver Stone
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00004VXZ3

Charlie Rose with Oliver Stone; Spalding Gray (September 25, 1997)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Oliver Stone; Spalding Gray (September 25, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000IU34XC
Release Date: 2006-09-18

Description

Filmmaker Oliver Stone talks about his time as a marine in Vietnam and his new book, A Child's Night Dream. Plus, Author Spalding Gray shares his most recent monologue, It's a Slippery Slope that he has published as a book.

Average customer rating:

An overlooked Oliver Stone film with a twisted plot and first-rate cast
Ridley + Stone + Penn = serious rock 'n roll.
Not Stone's best, but thoroughly entertaining
Great film noir
My two-cents worth...

U Turn [Region 2]
Starring: Sean Penn , Nick Nolte , Jennifer Lopez , Powers Boothe , and Claire Danes
Director: Oliver Stone
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00004CXLB

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

An overlooked Oliver Stone film with a twisted plot and first-rate cast.......2007-04-30

Ridley + Stone + Penn = serious rock 'n roll........2007-04-13

Not Stone's best, but thoroughly entertaining.......2006-12-03

Great film noir.......2006-10-24

My two-cents worth..........2006-10-20

DVD:

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