Flix & Sips: Platoon (1986)

and welcome to another episode of Stamper Cinema. Although we've got my buddy John Rose, so this is actually more of a Flicks and Sips episode. What's going on, John? Hey, feeling pretty good. Got a beer. Got a got a movie to talk about. Got a friend. Yes. All is right in the world. So, yeah, we got it. You know, we're going to be talking about we're going to be talking a little platoon and I'm super excited. So.

I am not nearly as well versed in this film as you are, but I think I've got some thoughts and I think we are going to have a really, really fun conversation nonetheless. But. Before we do, this is a flicks and sips, so before we do anything, what are you sipping on this evening?

Yeah, well, I was looking around for some Vietnamese beer, but the closest I could find with China. It's called Sing Tao. Oh, okay. I believe. And I also brought some... weiser along just because i feel like they had it in the movies so they did they did a couple couple topics you know I imagine Americans were importing Budweiser and I like to pretend that the Vietnamese were importing Sing Tao.

So, yeah, it's pretty good. I think that should be forever our new cheers. Sing Tao. Sing Tao. I believe that's how it's said. There's a T. Yeah, why not? It sounds good enough. It sounds good enough. It's pretty good. Yeah, so I'm shaking it up a little bit. It is, you know, I thought about doing a little Budweiser. I love that you went a little Asian inspired. I went seasonal because of the fact that here we are. We are in that.

autumnal equinox uh phase right so i wanted what is something very fallish so i'm going with a little southern tier pum king so a little pumpkin uh you know just because it's a little fall and this is really the only time that you can do pumpkin beer because you can't have a pumpkin beer in july that's just that's just weird

And I'm not even sure that you really can have pumpkin beer even in October or November, but I'm doing it anyway. I'm going for it, so I'm having a little pumpkin imperial ale right now. Sounds great. And I mean, this movie is a bit about imperialism. And one of the most likable characters is what did have the beer.

I like it. I like it. So for those that don't know, yes, we've already hinted at it, but we're going to be covering Platoon, Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam War masterpiece. Film stars Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, many, many, many, many other actors, including Forrest Whitaker, Keith David, Johnny Depp. And other actors whose names are escaping me. But what's great about this film is it doesn't just show war. This movie really immerses you in it. And Oliver Stone wrote.

this film directed it and it was all kind of like loosely based on his own experience experiences as a soldier during vietnam and that authenticity kind of like seeps into Every muddy smoke filled, you know, like frame of this accolades movie went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. And best director. And yeah, I mean, it's regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war statements ever put on film. But before we go, before we get too deep into.

you know, the seriousness of it. You know, I think this is an episode that will find places to laugh because we've got Charlie Sheen and... There's definitely opportunities to always smile if Charlie Sheen is in a discussion, especially if Charlie Sheen's in a jungle, then you can easily fast forward and discuss a little hot shots or hot shots.

uh you know so we'll we'll probably cover that but you know for those that haven't seen platoon in a while i'm certainly you know like no exception the story uh follows this guy is it chris uh anyway taylor is the character's name. Chris Taylor. Chris Taylor, yeah. A young, idealistic college kid who volunteers to fight in Vietnam, thinking that it will give his life some meaning.

And from the moment he arrives, like reality hits him quite literally like a bullet. And he's dropped into this remote jungle. And, you know, he's immersed with a platoon that's completely. you know, exhausted, who they've seen a lot and, you know, they're kind of not really super trusting. And within this particular platoon, it's led by two specific sergeants who are a complete opposite perspectives on.

And one of which is played by Tom Berenger and the other is Willem Dafoe. And, you know, we see what these contrasting philosophies are, how it's going to. come to a head eventually in how this is ultimately going to affect Taylor as he tries to find his own place. And, you know, so there's definitely chaos and moral confusion that's going to test.

you know, every fiber of his being. And then in the end, you know, we see where that leaves them. And this movie isn't really about heroes, you know, or villains, quite frankly. It's about... survival at least for me it's about survival and conscience and what happens when kind of like that line between good and evil essentially disappears

and so that's what i get out of it and of course we're gonna have a really fun discussion but that is kind of like my my cliff notes version of this film what are your what are your thoughts did i did i kind of hit that right do you have any different perspectives oh absolutely

Yeah, absolutely. To give you a couple of quotes, day by day, I struggle to maintain not only my strength, but my sanity. It's all a blur. I have no energy to write. I don't even know what's right and what's wrong anymore. And then I think now looking back, we did not fight the enemy. We fought ourselves and the enemy was within us. The war is over now, but it will always be there. The rest of my days.

I'm sure Elias will be fighting Barnes for what Ra called the possession of my soul. So I think that's basically what you just described.

But it is. As for this compared to other Vietnam movies, it always seemed to me the most realistic one where in a way, Charlie Sheen is the most. I guess I can understand his character or see myself as him compared to Matthew Modine's character in Full Metal Jacket or Martin Sheen's character in Apocalypse Now. It just...

Because, I mean, part of it's the filming and just how... scary war could be and it doesn't grandize it I heard a funny story about when they were shooting this when they got back the big blockbuster that summer was Top Gun and they looked at Top Gun gun and all the reviews and go we wasted our time you know it's it's a it's almost the exact opposite of war movies yeah going for so um

But it's a fantastic film. Oliver Stone does a great job. And I do think it's rare that a director can bring his first person experience into making a film. I'm excited to talk about it a bit more. No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I was going to ask a question, but what were you just saying? Oh, no. That's just it. It's just the experience. I mean, I know.

that he took them through a rigorous boot camp where, you know, like two or three weeks had, you know, real drill sergeants out there and just. So I don't know if we're going to talk a bit about how they made this movie, but it's very authentic.

and it works yeah no i'm i'm excited to obviously unpack this movie now you i i know that you've got a lot you know long history do what are you wearing a little camo do i see some camouflage that you're you're even wearing right now i see yeti on there but i I think you're feeling a little fatigues, you know, inspired right now. Oh, you see that? I thought I was blending in. Wait, where's John? I can't even see him. Yeah, the white wall behind me, you can see me.

We have a Veterans Day coming up, you know, something for the troops and something to remember. People, I think a lot of us had. uncles or uh maybe at this point some listeners had grandfathers who fought in vietnam and uh so maybe they'd want to hear a little story about or see a movie of was maybe this

those veterans went through or what Oliver Stone was going for whenever he made this movie. At this point, I don't know the chronological order of something. John and I are recording a lot of episodes. Right now. So I don't know if this is the first, second or third episode. But for the listeners, John and I are going to be doing, you know, work.

It's going to be part of the Stanford Cinema Network. But John and I, when we record, we're going to be doing flicks and sips. So this is our specific show. And while my name right now is technically on the banner of the stream. This is our show. So flicks and sips each each episode. We will we will dedicate a drink. I might even curate some cocktails for particular episodes. But this is just an opportunity for two best friends to have a good time.

you know, chat about movies and, you know, we might get a little silly. uh, here, you know, here and there, and we encourage you to do so. So when you listen to these episodes, we want to know if you're, you know, if you're having a drink, uh, and what you're drinking as we, as we have some of these episodes, we're going to unpack these movies, but we're gonna have a little bit of fun doing it.

um we're gonna have some casual conversations we will take some in-depth uh perspectives on these we might not necessarily go into this movie scene by scene but just kind of some of the thematic elements that make this movie impactful. Why it's stood the test of time or why certain things that maybe haven't worked or even some things that connect. We're going to be talking obviously about a Charlie Sheen film and certainly those that were around.

10 to 15 years ago, Charlie Sheen had a very interesting moment, you know, during his tiger blood phase. And there just might even be some fun conversations to talk about. Charlie Sheen, super.

high on coke because in this movie they were high on pot and they were obviously high when they did some of the shooting in this movie which is also kind of a fun conversation so it actually blends pretty well for flicks and sips tiger blood absolutely and it you know probably all started right there at his first big movie there's you know pre-platoon and post-platoon yes

One thing I do want to share is, again, John and I will have this particular show, Flicks and Sips, and this is a very, very specific thing. Now, for the listeners, I do want to share that the mothership of this. the Stanford cinema, kind of like the idea you choose it, I watch it. We've actually been picked up.

from a podcast network perspective. So we will continue to do those shows. So John and I, when we release our episodes, those will come out on a Friday. And when I do the You Choose It, I Watch It episode, So those will typically come out on a Tuesday. But hey, man, congrats to our little show that could. We are now part of the Podmatch podcast network. So if you would like to be a guest.

you know whether it's on the flicks and sip show or on the you know the stanford cinema you choose it i watch it certainly you know reach out i will have a link in the show notes and of course you can visit my website stanfordcinema.com or take a look at the link but Look at that, man. Like we're, we're, we're growing. So in 2026, yeah, yeah. So yeah, John and I will have our show.

and uh if john ever wants to appear on the you know you choose it i watch it we discuss it kind of plug i i still i don't know what i'm gonna do with that it's kind of like i said it's still under the stamper cinema podcast network, if you will. But when John and I are doing our thing, we're going to be doing our thing because this is something very, very special. And John's been on the show 20 times and we.

You know, we want to have what we do be a little bit separate from some of the other things that that we've done on here. And when I when I do an episode with John. It's never it's never work where some of the other episodes have to do a little bit more digging for interviews. But with, you know, granted, I take a good I take these episodes very seriously, but this is more fun. And John and I get an opportunity that we get.

to hang out for an hour hour and a half and uh this is just a just kind of like an icing on the cake so Just something to kind of celebrate that we're expanding and that's all a credit to all the listeners and subscribers that have have been with us, quite frankly. I know it has my name on the marquee, but.

you know john's helped build this up from the ground floor you know whether we were recording episodes here whether we were doing viewings on the stream lounge uh platform for you know five years john and i have been have been trucking along. And so I'm super excited. I can't wait to see what is in the future for us. Let's roll on. Awesome. All right. So.

Now comes the the fun part when we break down. Obviously, we started by doing a little summary on this film. But I am curious because of the fact that I know that you've seen that you've known of this movie for a long time. When did you first see Platoon? Early on, I probably would have been about 10. It was one of the ones that was okayed. I mean, there's cursing in it. There's a scene with abuse in it.

Some of those things you might be able to ask the child to get out of the room or close their eyes or something. But I always remember, one, it was... Almost one of the impossible movies to buy on VHS and find. I could never find it at like a blockbuster video. And a place got shut down, a video store.

or and i finally was able to buy it for five bucks and i must have been around 12 or 13 but i was over at my grandmother's who had a vhs set in her back room not her front room and me and my best buddy were back there and watching it and she just periodically come back and check. And she comes back in and I just go, oh, they got some bad language. And I remember just going, funny how it started when I walked in. She wasn't quite full.

But this was well before the times of I could drive. So I just know it was one of those movies I'd seen probably since I was 10 or 13. And so it was just it was a fine, OK movie. Yeah. I know my uncle who served in Vietnam, it wasn't one that he would really be interested in watching. There were a few family members who didn't want to talk about the movie too much or weren't interested in watching it.

Yeah, Vietnam, like Vietnam films certainly do. I mean, well, all war films, but Vietnam was just something it certainly in cinema, because obviously.

movies at this era because it was kind of like the that era of like the film on tour so it wasn't a lot of the movies weren't just becoming kind of like propaganda these are like creative filmmakers that are showing other sides of it kind of whether war is hell it wasn't the the old patent uh kind of perspective or some like the john wayne war movies where it's like yay hurrah us like we're amazing you know like the 70s with apocalypse now uh the deer hunter you know then we move into the

80s platoon, you know, we're seeing a different side of war films and, you know, like how PTSD obviously has affected many people, you know. Full Metal Jacket, you know, just this this era we were seeing now we're now being a little bit more immersed on the other side of of war and the effects and. you know, this movie, it, it captured an audience, you know, and obviously the movie.

accolades critically they they loved it uh roger and ebert gave it you know uh rave reviews again the movie was nominated for um you know for eight oscars winning four of those But at the point that you just mentioned, it came out the same year as Top Gun, which was more of a recruiting tool for the military in many respects. It's like, hey, the Navy's fun, man.

uh you get to you get to drink with your boys and you know hit on women this is great uh where this movie had a slightly different story and it was If it wasn't the first film, it was certainly one of the earlier films where a service member actually wrote, you know, the background. So you're getting.

a more realistic perspective of what it's like to serve during warfare and not necessarily all the fun. Although, you know, there are moments in this movie of beautiful levity and some of the the the great things about like the camaraderie you know of just silliness there were a couple scenes you know with with the guys and they were you know just getting drunk and and

And silly, sorry, had a little knock at the door. It reminds me of a time that when I was in the Navy and we pulled into Bahrain and... It was like only our ship at like one of the bars and like maybe five or so people that were stationed at Bahrain. And it's like, OK, I guess it's just a. bar party with our shit but okay let's let's do it uh so just some of those moments that you know uh you're able to see that the human side where it's not it's not neither bad nor good

but just opportunities for, you know, kind of like connection. So there were things in this movie that I'm like, yep, obviously I didn't serve in the army, but that close.

perspectives that you have but also what is true within this film is you know differing styles of leaders some that you know operate by this side of the book and then those that operate by that side of the book and where you yourself are going to fall could obviously influence what your your military record is going to show and um yeah i i i don't know uh what my original question is because i want a little soapbox but um the movie it was a it was a fun journey nonetheless pardon me

I would just add to it also at the time in the 70s or, you know, this being post-Vietnam, still close to the dates, but we won World War II. All those movies. we win like this is one that was very apparent for the viewers and people it's like why did we lose that war you know and and everybody would have also had probably known somebody who had been influenced or participated or uh

you know, been involved in it. So I think it would have been this genre of war films just would have hit closer to home. And, you know, I think we saw that going forward when we got into. you know, Afghanistan, Iraq with Lone Survivor or Hurt Locker. It's like these characters are people we know from our hometown and stuff. And so I think it did change the way war movies are made to bring up a bit.

Your level of authenticity to it. And that's one of the shining lights of the film. Yeah. Now you saw this, you know, between 10, 11, 12, 13, you would have, you said it was a little difficult to rent, but. I do want to talk about renting movies when you were a kid. What was your local video store? Was it a blockbuster? Was it an independent video store that you would have gotten your films at? but before um i asked that i am kind of curious uh specifically like what about

about this movie? What did you connect with when you did see it when you were young? What was it that you liked? I like the actors. I think of Elias as a hero.

in the way he's doing uh dealing with it i mean i found people like john c mcginley's character comical almost at times uh and just how he's i mean it's interesting as i've gotten older i realized that's he's probably even more of a regular person but as a child at this time it's like oh there's the coward there's the there's the comical guy uh And then Barnes is, you know, like the scary dad of the unit who who's going around and.

Then you also have Wolf, the lieutenant, who doesn't know what he's doing. And so you just have two powerful characters who are a contrast to each other, but both are wanting the same goal, which I think is to keep their men alive. They're just going about it two different ways. But I mean, I just think a lot.

The name Elias, too. I never really hear anybody called Elias. And it just sounds like a cool name. And his character, especially whenever he's going through the bush, he's like, I go better. You know, it's like I move faster alone. And and then he just ends up. tearing up a whole unit and stuff. So it still was a bit of an action movie to me. If I didn't understand all the parts to it, there's still a lot of good, good action in it.

And then there was all these up and coming characters like Forrest Whitaker, like Charlie Sheen, like Johnny Depp that, you know, you could look back and be like, oh, there's them young, kind of like Fast Times or Ridgeman High with Forrest Whitaker. Yeah. Oh, there he is. You know, he's in this one, too. So I think there's just plenty of reasons to watch the movie. A thousand percent.

uh so i was watching it last night and i didn't you know like i i knew a bunch of people were in the film i knew like all right I knew a couple people like ahead of time, like I knew Willem Dafoe, obviously being in the movie, Charlie Sheen, Tom Barringer, but that was about it.

So watching the movie was a lot of them like, oh, there's that person. Oh, there's so and so. Oh, there because Oliver Stone movies often have a really, really rich cast. Historically, he's always had a massive cast. But I remember. what 45 minutes into the film i see this guy and he's not like in focus but he he taps is a charlie sheen like on the shoulder i'm like wait

Is that Johnny Depp? So fucking Johnny was Johnny Depp in this and like rewound. And I'm like, Catherine, my wife, I'm like, I think that's Johnny Depp. She's like, yeah, like those like cheekbones in the eyes. And then. You know, you'd see him show up in the movie, you know, a few scenes later and would reoccur. But I completely if I knew I had forgotten.

that that he was in that movie and i mean that was really early in his career obviously he had done nightmare on elm street but yeah i mean he's that's a that's a baby-faced johnny depp you know uh in this movie and but he's not the only you know not the only young up-and-coming actor that's in this film well i think there's an up wasn't like kevin dylan's

Like is one of those guys who just, you know, when you watch, when I used to watch this movie, I was like, this guy's going places. Then just stop and tell him. which was a perfect role for him because he got to be the brother who didn't quite make it. Yeah. Kevin Dillon didn't have the best agent in the world. Like, uh,

Because let's see, he did this in 86. I don't know what happened in 87. And then in 88, he did the the blob remake, which, by the way, I thoroughly enjoy. But other than the blob remake, I don't know anything he did until Entourage. You know, so poor Kevin Dillon, I guess. I don't know. I'm sure I'm sure he's he's had a very, very.

happy life with his name. And I'm sure he's made some good money in the process. So if I happen to be Matt Dillon's slightly lesser successful, but still pretty darn loaded. Brother, then I think I think I think it's a win either way. But. All right. The question I really wanted to know other than your backstory is because.

This movie did come out. I remember watching the previews, you know, of this movie on VHS. You run a movie. I remember seeing this like the preview for Platoon with. The it was I think it was kind of like tease. Was it a helmet and like the like the dog tags? But this is that was one of the things that was always kind of like I knew about this movie was just a movie that like, no, you can't watch Platoon.

But where did you rent your films? There was a local video store to begin with. There's also HEB used to have a video store inside of it. Did it? Yeah. and uh that got shut down but blockbuster came in and then hollywood video as well the hollywood video once stiffed me on a tape hey they said i never returned and i did then they charged me 70 bucks for it so it was the hunted with

Tommy Lee Jones is BS, man. I totally I turned it. I've never found it. So I got I wouldn't be surprised because like back in those days, too, like you just leave your VHS is like on the side and stuff. And I bet somebody just snagged it. Probably one of the people who work there. Those bastards. We had to cancel that, our Hollywood video account. I never trusted them again. They're out of business and I'm still around. So who's laughing? Who's laughing now? I love that.

So, as you know, like growing up in Bermuda, we wouldn't have had a Blockbuster or Hollywood video. But what we did have, my father, you know, God rest him. He was everybody's friend. My dad was very social, very like well, well revered kind of guy. And he always had connections that could get him a little something here, a little something there. But one of his friends ran a.

kind of like a cassette store slash like video rental place. So it was kind of it was called the music shop. And so people could go buy their cassettes or records or whatever. But they also rented films and. And so my when we arrive in Bermuda for the summer, because again, I would do like part of the year in America, spend my summers and holidays in Bermuda. My father was still working. And so.

he'd run a few movies and of course we would, you know, we would, it was summer. So we'd go to the beach and do fun things, but. My dad was also very big into films, which I've been a part of why I love films today. And so we'd go rent movies and.

What was great is my dad got all these movies for free. So, you know, we we'd show up there a couple of times a week and get three or four videos like cassettes, you know, and not have to pay, which was I always thought was like a really cool perk. Like I get to watch these movies for free. And there was.

never like a late fear. So I thought that was like the coolest. My dad was the coolest fucker in the world because we would rent movies for free. But I bring all of that to say is I connect the smell. I have a very, very strong sensory recollection. I can still remember what it would smell like if I were to go into the music shop. Just the smell of the cassettes or the VHS tapes.

You know, the just like the air, it just had a very, very like I don't even I can't even describe poetically what the smell is other than. Just I know I know that sense, you know, like, oh, yeah, like if I were to close my eyes, we like I can smell the music shop and it's similar that completely different set. but i can i know what blockbuster smells like you know if i were to walk into a blockbuster just like

Like, oh, this is a blockbuster. Like I, you know, they even now make candles that are designed to smell like what it's like on the inside of a blockbuster. So, you know, while. Films are very much a visual art. There are other senses that do come into play. So I bring this up more so for me than for you. I'm just kind of curious, where would you have rented films?

Uh, what was your connection to renting movies? Was it just kind of like, eh, whatever, or like, was it going into a movie store kind of like a magical place for you? Because that's, that's what I think of, you know, when I was younger, it's just like the, the whole experience was. just a very, very fun environment, like magical to the point where not only was I renting movies and getting them for free, which was fun, but also.

Just now here it is 30, 40 years later, I can I can just even still remember what it smelled like going to places like that. Yeah, well, I think the early places smelled like old stale air and dust. But I think I think also like getting to see that, you know, because they usually have like the cover of it. and so like you judge the movie by the photo you know it's the first piece of art you see oh that looks good uh i can't read but the keanu reeves looks good

But I would say Blockbuster smelled a little cleaner and fresher than the old stories that were gathering dust for 10 years. Yeah. And I know like Austin had a video store. Unfortunately, I think it went went south five, six, seven years ago. But you guys, you still we still have one here. But.

You know, we are doing a little flicks and sips. So if I were to say, hey, pour, you know, pour one out for the old video stores because they were great. I heard video store or something. Yeah, that was it. Yeah, that's it. Well, if you want to go watch some good VHSs, you just got to go to Little Brothers on Rainy Street. That's right. Yes. That was a wild night, man, for the listeners.

John, myself and a couple of friends, we were out and there was this little hole in the wall like bar on Rainey Street and they had like a little. I don't want to say like 19 inch. It was probably like a 14 inch TV. And it was one of those TVs with like a built in VCR. And John liked it. So the next time we came by, he donated.

a boatload of old VHS. And it was really cool. Part of my heart was like, like, no, you can't get rid of these. But again, they're VHS. Where the hell are you going to even watch them, you know, in 2025? But or even then 2018, 2019. But hopefully, hopefully that place is still around because that was just that was that was that was a fun night and it was magical. And there is there's just something VHS hit.

Just hit a little bit different. The video quality isn't as good. You'll get you'll get shimmering lines in it. And sometimes you'll even lose scenes. But I don't know. I still enjoy. I still enjoy a. a good vhs i've got a couple dozen still i've got an old panasonic vhs that that works um But for anybody, it's not VHS are not like vinyl where the audio still sounds amazing. VHS, the video quality is shit, but but there is still something very nostalgic and enjoyable about those.

I mean, yeah, the sound quality goes out, but you also get the previews and like some of them have some awesome previews. Oh, my God. So, yeah, I mean, just get your height. It's like going to the movies themselves and stuff. I would love renting a movie and it's like now a preview of coming attractions. And, you know, you get the three or four before.

um you know the movie would start i'm also kind of the same way when i go to the movie theater i know a lot of people like uh previews i kind of like getting to the movie theater early so i'm like i get to i i want to know I want to know. I know we now live in the era of YouTube and we're kind of like giving a heads up of the movies that are coming out. But I don't know. For me, I enjoy.

maybe not necessarily 20 minutes of it, but I do enjoy getting to the movie theater early and watching previews of movies that are coming out. There's just something, it makes it a whole experience for me. The only thing with the previews is that They always do a good job of setting a bar.

It's kind of because it's like if you walk out of the movie you saw and you want to talk about the preview you saw, then the movie might not have been that good. You know, like it kind of it's or, you know, it's like when bands go on, like sometimes you never want to like good bands don't want to be.

signed by the entry the warm-up band uh so to me and in some ways that's that's how i feel about previews but uh they're there to get you hyped it's not a given that the movie sucks if you walk out wanting to see the next X movie or something like that. This movie, as we as we've tackled, you know, has kind of like a little bit more of that war as hell.

perspective as opposed to kind of like, yay, let's join the military in the way that Top Gun kind of did it for another film that came out that same year. Now, I think one way to kind of explore this movie is kind of like some of those.

themes that are referenced in it which you know um mortality obviously being kind of like a loss of innocence you're like this it's weird to say this movie is a coming of age film because often we associate that with like movies when they're kids but You know, we're seeing this idea like this generally optimistic kid in Charlie Sheen, you know, at the at the outset.

who's a little bit naive into where he is at the end of this movie, just having experienced some of these things. So this movie does have a little bit of a coming of age kind of like component to it. Brotherhood is another like theme. um um let's see moral ambiguity i think but when you think about this movie other than hey it's a fun action movie and it's a fun you know um You know, it's just a it's also a war movie. Often people get connected and.

invest themselves in a movie because there are perspectives or themes that really connect that kind of tie them from this part of the movie into the next. So I'm just kind of curious, is there any... Is there any arc of this movie that you're kind of interested in, even if it's a, you know, from like a morality element or a thematic arc that just. that you're kind of intrigued. Like this, it raises questions that you're like, I like this movie because it explores this.

Or I don't know if I believe this is one of the things that Oliver Stone was saying from his own experience that really resonates with me. But. I often find myself connected to themes in a film, and this movie is very ripe with them. So I'm just kind of curious if there's anything about this movie through, like I said, just kind of like an overarching perspective that kind of like connects this.

why you want to revisit this movie. Because we often don't just, unless it's just a comedic romp where you just want to... quote line after line we usually come back to a movie is because it the movie is saying something that we connect to and i'm just kind of curious is there anything specific about this movie or what you know a couple things uh

that this movie is saying that you do kind of like identify with? I think it is the choice of, when I look at the two, the two leaders of the group with Elias and Barnes, there's a bit of a nature nurture. Being a tough man and Elias being a little bit more caring. And I look at that as like a mother and a father almost to Taylor's character. And what camp are you going to choose to be in? And which one are you going to be, you know, which one's going to keep you alive?

But then there's also great scenes between even like a lot of the black actors where juniors in Barnes's camp. but Kings in Elias's camp. And you get scenes where they're also talking with Forrest Whitaker about the two different ones. And so, you know, it's like it breaks down through, you know, it breaks down the color barrier. It's just about.

you know human survival uh i don't know which camp you would be in if you would be i i could see my Myself in the Barnes camp, I'll admit, even though the Elias camp looks much more fun, I could just see my personality type probably hanging out more in the barracks playing cards than hanging out down below with all the cool guys.

So, I mean, I think that's a big part of it. Morality, absolutely. When you're getting shot at or you don't know where the fire is coming from, where are you going to shoot and should you shoot first and how far are you willing to push?

push the lines. And then the big part is whenever you have a friend who dies, you know, and then what would you do for revenge? I mean, I think that's one of the key scenes where the movie transitions when there is whenever they do the raid on the village there's a great line where he charlie sheen says like in barnes we found our captain ahab and uh and yeah

So it is it's amazing and remarkable how far people can go. And so I think that's really where like people, you know, they're pushing the boundaries of their humanity. So. And I think that's inside everybody. Not everybody knows where their line actually is until they get there, and they usually only get there through the most extreme circumstances, which war can provide you pretty quickly.

Yeah. Yeah, you're not wrong. You're not wrong. For you, what type of soldier do you think you would have been? Would you have been a little bit more Elias? Would you have been a little bit more Barnes? I think it would be Sergeant O'Deal. Say what? I said, I'd probably be Sergeant O'Neill.

Yeah, no, I think I got a bit of Elias in me. I think I got a bit of Barnes in me, you know, where like, you know, you're going to put your foot down. But I think there's a lot of times with young recruits or I think about when I was a manager and I had.

you know, trainees under me. A lot of times I was telling them the reason why our company was doing certain things, you know, was for this reason, but I would tell them in a way that, you know, it's like, you just got to follow these kinds of rules for this kind of reason. It's not that you got to. believe in that it's just that's why we do it this way and uh so i i'm more i think i'm more of a a nurture than a nature person uh

But some, you know, sometimes when you got to get the job done, you got to, you know, you can't give somebody an inch or they'll take a mile. You know, you sometimes put your foot down. So, yeah. One of the early scenes in the film when they're.

you know, when they're they're arriving and just how unceremoniously, you know, like the bodies are, you know, they're bagged and they're just being escorted away. And it's like, is that, you know, are those what we think they are? And it's like, yeah, they're they're fucking dead bodies. And. just kind of that just that realism is like they're they're just landing in the shit and they're just seeing like oh wait is this potentially my future

which is just a wild thing of just how sobering the reality is. You don't know that's what you're really signing up for it when you're signing up and then you arrive and you're literally seeing. bodies being, you know, taken away and fucking body bags. And it was just one of those one of those moments in the film that I was like, oh, that's that's that's nice. It's a that's a that's a good.

visual because of the fact that we are now going to be we're going to having we're going to have some real life or death moments in this movie. And when it tackles into as far as what you just mentioned, like a nature versus nurture kind of perspective, this movie does explore the different, like the differing perspectives of.

You know, just how how people operate in the philosophies of that. And it's just it's something that I think the movie does great. I'm not, to be perfectly honest, completely invested in the.

the the the narration that goes on in this movie i like i think voiceovers are great when they're done well and i could even be on board with if somebody's writing a letter i just didn't It didn't that element didn't really connect with me and some of the other visuals or some films are really great. I think like a voiceover does a great job and kind of like enhances it.

the the voiceover work by charlie sheen in this i don't think it really made the movie necessarily better i think there's some good lines from it but i don't think the movie uh really was enhanced as a result of it other than the connection that ties this movie, An Apocalypse Now, with Hot Shots, where they were both Charlie Sheen. was going in the river and Martin Sheen was going.

And they're both doing their voiceover. They see each other and they're like, I loved you at Wall Street. So just a little just a little connection where I was curious where that was going to go. Because both of those films obviously use voiceover work. But I thought that was a moment because, you know, for all the things I enjoy about this movie and although.

Voiceovers aren't necessarily a theme. It is still a vehicle that is often used to enhance an emotional perspective. And I'm curious just to see what your thoughts are. I think voiceovers can be really, really powerful and enhance the story. And then sometimes I feel voiceovers kind of get in the way. And in this film, I find it somewhere that kind of like ushers in between.

I don't think it really makes, I don't think the voiceovers really make this movie better, but I think there's some good lines from the voiceover. So I'm like, oh, that's, that's a good line that Charlie Sheen says in there, but.

I almost feel like the movie didn't necessarily need it, but I'm just kind of curious, just... you know what your what your overall thoughts i can be completely off base you've seen this movie a few times but it was just one of the things that kind of like when he would talk it would just kind of like take me out of it a little bit personally okay i can see that

It happened to me in the Thin Red Line. That happened to me. And everybody loves Morgan Freeman. I mean, Shawshank has great voiceovers. I mean, I enjoy Charlie Sheen, his voices and him writing to his grandmother. I just think it kind of brings it home a little bit with his character.

you know having somebody out there in the outside world who cares it might also show that he's pretty well educated uh but um i mean i i liked him i like the part in hot shots when i i was thinking about this a little bit

With kind of hot shots, but it's also like a little bit with Top Gun where, you know, like Maverick's dad died in Vietnam flying over some line that was drawn on the map. And I started thinking it's like, I feel like there's... that was also in iron eagles like that character's dad died in this i think it's like i almost wonder if there's more movies about dads who died as pilots than actually pilots that got shot down because it wasn't there weren't a whole like

I'm not saying nobody got shot down in Vietnam, but I wouldn't say they were the high casualty rates. I was wondering if there's more characters who have died in movies being shot down. No, man, if you're if you're if you're a dad in a war movie. That's it. You're fucked. You know, you don't make it. We're going to talk about the connection in Top Gun. Sorry.

the other one hot shots is get the was it john crier's character like they went on to do two and a half men but the dad gets shot in a hunting accident my dad was the hunter he's like hey i didn't eat your dad he's like i didn't have seconds that's right yeah That was good. And it kind of made me curious, too, just with the actors. And a fun movie when I was growing up, too, that I watched was Major League.

It's a great baseball movie, and I'm curious at how Tom Cruise and Tom Bearden got on in Major League, if he was still intimidated by Barnes in some ways. It's a bummer that you that I mean, that's well, you know, maybe you still might get the trivia question wrong, but I do have a Tom Barringer, Charlie Sheen question for for for the pop quiz.

But just because we were talking about Top Gun, our top shots are hot shots. Man, I got there eventually. I do like what is the line? It's like I have my father's eyes. He shows that he quite literally has his father's eyes. You know, that kind of Leslie Neeson kind of comedy. I feel like it's kind of gone away after.

Even some of like Ace Ventura didn't even quite have it that way where, you know, it's just like they're painting you a picture, but then there's so many other little elements. Like there's the character of dead meat whenever he's walking out to the plane.

walks under a ladder, black cat running by. Oh, the pin doesn't work. You're just getting all these nonverbal cues that are great. And then Hot Shots Part 2 has a rare... who is a vietnam vet that you know comes home you know another one yeah um this movie also and when i say this movie because we're talking platoon uh is obviously something that Ben Stiller used as inspiration for when he did Tropic Thunder, quite literally the Wilma Defoe.

like getting shot up where uh ben stiller does the same thing uh in in that a lot of this movie honestly i was watching this i'm like oh my god ben stiller was totally doing platoon when he did that movie just which was just something I didn't know. I knew that Tropic Thunder was a parody of a lot of Vietnam films. But it's not even really a ton of Vietnam films. It's just a lot of platoon is what is what Tropic Thunder is, which I didn't realize until until watching this. Obviously.

Vietnam, there were obviously a lot of African-Americans that fought in it, but Tropic Thunder. really leans into some of the you know the the banter between the african-americans and like the white soldiers and just kind of like that that relationship and and then of course quite literally um Tayback or was it Tayback? Like Sergeant Tayback or Payback where, you know, the Willem Dafoe getting shot up scene was a direct riff from that. Them being in the jungle and just some of the the.

Even the performance that Jack Black had with his voice. was kind of taken with some of the actors kind of, I don't want to say overacting, but Jack Black kind of like overacts in Tropic Thunder when he's playing the soldier of just like, just, all right. the voice that he used was kind of like similar to some of the characters, even in platoon. And it was just something that I didn't realize that.

I mean, the platoon is an amazing film, but I just didn't know other than hot shots that it was an inspiration for parody that other that other that other films would use. And I don't know if you had the last time you even saw. tropic thunder but i was really enjoying watching platoon last night like oh my god ben stiller just really loved platoon because he's just riffing on this movie non-stop um in an endearing way not like just you know like

beating up the movie, but just obviously doing things that Oliver Stone kind of, how the movie was even shot, which I thought was kind of interesting. So I didn't know if you had any thoughts on it, but it was just. I don't know, man. I've just I enjoyed going back and watching this movie. And because of the fact that Platoon is such an iconic movie that there are throughout the past 40 years that this movie came out, other filmmakers have used it.

as forms of inspiration or even like as forms of levity to just kind of like poke fun of not because the movie is bad. It's a four time Oscar winning film, but just to use this movie as a, Hey, I'm doing a nod to platoon. which I think is one of like the best compliments any filmmaker could get. Yeah. I mean, I think it, it shows that, I mean, the, uh, Elias death scene is, is it's up there with William Wallace's death scene. You know, it's, it's just one.

It's just one of the best ones that you feel it and the score is solid in it. But then, you know, he puts his hands up to the heavens if you want to. But I can remember when Tropic Thunder came out, just laughing my tail off at that scene because I knew what.

I knew what they were pulling from, but then it breaks because he can't cry. Buffalo Bill Stiller has also always kind of done a good impression of either Tom Cruise or somebody like Charlie Sheen. I think he's... of that similar age and he might not have gotten those roles and probably looked at those dudes but he uh i think he enjoys you know doing doing parodies of those guys and i'm sure they don't care i think they i think he probably has the respect

A thousand percent. A thousand percent. You know, obviously you mentioned Samuel Barber's score, which is I mean, the music in this movie is amazing. We've talked, obviously, a lot of Oliver Stone. The cast is really amazing. I've I'm kind of done with the questions that I have for you. If there's anything that you want to toss my way, otherwise I've got a couple like little like trivia questions, little production notes before we get into the big quiz.

But I, you know, I went over my portion. But, you know, this isn't this isn't just the Andrew interview. John, if there's anything that you would like to. discuss, I certainly welcome you to, this is your show too, so if there's anything that you would like to take point on, I would love to be a part of it.

They have already said it, but I'm always curious about, you know, just what's your favorite scene or what scene stood out to you the most? Yeah. The the moment where they're like they're singing, I. that that connects to me you know what was like take a good look at my um you know like smoky robinson yeah yeah that that right there that's like that's my favorite because that for me

relates to like that. Those are some of the memories that I have, like being on a ship and being on deployment, just the camaraderie. And, you know, by and large, you know. Now, fortunately, being on a ship, you're not really you're not in the shit as they as they say. But it's not an enjoyable like time.

You know, just fucking steaming in the middle of the ocean when 75 percent of our planet's water. You don't see land for fucking weeks. And so when you do, you do see land and you get off the ship and often. You know, if you're in a crappy part of the world, no, let me rephrase. I don't say a crappy part of the world where you're at when you're at a crappy base, you know, like there's nothing, you know, like there's.

Everywhere on on Earth is beautiful. Right. But there are some bases that aren't just a very enjoyable experience because of the fact that, you know, it's kind of a more. dangerous part of the world to be an American. And you pull into some of those ports and you don't get to explore the country. You're just limited to being on a base. And when you're limited on being on a base.

all you're around are the same people that you see every day. So what are you going to do just to have a little bit of fun? And so you're just going to find moments just to connect and just to be yourself where you're not working. And so I enjoyed that moment because I'm like, I was really like, oh, yeah, I can I can totally this. This was me in.

blah, blah, blah, without without throwing, you know, you know, any particular country under the bus or anything like that. But there are places that, you know, weren't an optimal place to be. But some of my favorite memories were there. You know, granted, there are also, you know, my other favorite places to be were certainly in Italy and Sardinia. If I haven't said it once or a thousand times on the show, the lady that got away in Sardinia, my favorite, my favorite place on Earth.

One day. Well, I'll share that story more so. But. That's my favorite scene was just them singing. The scene that was very jarring was I didn't know that Barnes, you know, shoots. like i didn't know that like that that was like what the like that was a moment that you know like a friendly fire moment was something that i was like holy that that was a jarring so that's something that that I immediately take away from this film. You mean shooting Elias, not shooting the woman in the village.

Well, I think shooting Elias was more impactful, you know, like I know that like the the baby killer and like the the shit that we did over there, I. I know is horrific, but the friendly fire component was something that for me was even more was more jarring because at this point, I'm 46 years old. I know that, you know, having seen. Full Metal Jacket, you know, some of the the atrocities and other film, other Vietnam films that we've seen horrible things that Americans did to foreigners.

But this movie was different for me in a sense because I can't think of many occasions where we try to kill ourselves intentionally. And that was something that caught me. um that i found very unsettling and uncomfortable and it was it was it was a jarring moment for me well it really sets up the whole back the back end of the movie where because he tells taylor that he's dead

And then for a lot to come running out. How does Taylor feel that Barnes, you know, lied to him? He killed somebody. He's wanting to kill his, you know, like what does Taylor do? Yeah.

really sets up the back half of it it does it does but it was just something that i i didn't know that so um even though i you know i knew a few memes from this movie and i had a general idea of this movie i didn't know that was something that happened in this film and that was like a narrative moment in this movie the village scene um you know kind of like the the rape stuff like all of that is very horrible and uncomfortable and but but and

I had at this point, I've seen that in other war films. This where this movie is now, like for me as a 40 something year old watching this movie that. I can't think of many war films where Friendly Fire was a key narrative focus of the plot. And that I find very interesting about this movie. Not necessarily in a, yeah, that's kind of, that's really super enjoyable. No, but like it's fucking horrible. But that also makes this movie really interesting and a different, and that's what.

gives this movie a different gravitas, if you will, that there's a lot of horrible things that we see in this movie. But for me, the one that is the most impactful is brother killing brother. um not to take away from the other elements but cinematically just something that i hadn't seen before that's kind of like the disclaimer that i'm making yeah uh yeah i'm with you i think

That's a good point. I think most people, even if they hadn't seen the movie, would have seen Daddy of the Post and the Elias death scene with his hands in the air. If they'd never seen the movie, they wouldn't have known about that scene.

that that it was barnes that i got him there yeah but yeah um yeah that one and then well yeah we don't have to go do in the village scene whenever Charlie Sheen, he finds the person under the, you know, under, under, hiding under the bed and gets out and, you know, he's scared and, you know, and then Bunny comes in. And it ends up killing them. And it's just one of those ones where that scene always just kind of stick, stuck out to me and stuff. It's just, yeah, absolutely.

I'm not saying the other horrible things we see is not there. This knew they happened. Yeah. Like those are things that like I was in a Vietnam film. Like I was prepared. Like I'm going to see some horrible fucking things that we're going to do.

to like locals you know like it doesn't mean that it's not horrible it's just like I know I know I'm gonna see some shit that is gonna be fucking terrible that that's what I was saying is the fact that like When it comes to an American kilt, like American soldier killing and not just for like.

you're betraying somebody but like just like literally another guy like smiling at another guy and you're just like oh fuck it i'm just gonna kill you right i mean earlier in was it earlier in the film where one of the soldiers was suffering and then another soldier like put him down camera if that was earlier or afterwards. But so we you know, we we have seen that also in the film where somebody.

was bleeding out or something and somebody like finished him off. But just an out and out like a fuck you. I'm going to kill you moment in this movie, which is like I said, just because this movie is about brotherhood. and so just that that willful you know like malice is just like said just something that i found um really really horrible because of the fact that this that that moment wasn't a. A question of like survival that was a.

I disagree with your philosophy fundamentally to the point where I feel threatened. I'm just not going to argue with you. I'm just going to fucking kill you. And that I found shocking and jarring.

you know like in a movie where there's war and you're going to see some of the worst things happen where um what you're going to see but in that particular and i'm not trying to make a case for it i'm just i'm not even trying to reposition like why it's more impactful i'm just i'm now 40 or 24 hours later just still affected by that having served you know like

I just can't even compute it. And and that. So when I think about this movie and yes, the for the listeners that have no idea what I'm doing, I'm raising my arms like Willem Dafoe, like the where he's been shot. But where Tom Berenger shoots him is just one of those moments that will, for me, go down as one of the most unnerving, unsettling moments of a film that maybe like my top 100, like that. That's a moment that.

Fucking like I was like, oh, shit, like like an oh, shit moment. I was not expecting that. I'm always expecting horrible things in a horror film. I know I'm going to see a gnarly death. you know, or a jump scare. But when something genuinely surprises me artistically, that's going to catch a reaction. And that's where I'm bringing this one back is the fact that I just I was.

You know, I knew they didn't like each other, but I was not anticipating that because this movie isn't about villains or heroes, you know, like that there would be just an actual like real moment between. essentially two brothers where they're like no fuck it i'm just gonna fucking kill you and that was just wild that was just a wild moment for me well thank you for sharing yeah that's uh

I think that was well said, man. I appreciate, I just appreciate your insight. I think that got a little something out about that, you know, Zing Tang, Zing Tao. Zing Tao, Zing Tao. What a fun. fun well what a fun movie no it's not fun but what a fun um

you know, opportunity to discuss this movie. And that's one of the things I'm really enjoying about this venture that we're doing, because we're going to be, you know, we're going to be covering five, six. 15, whatever it is, we're going to be going through war movies in this block of films on our flicks and sips, you know, discussion just and I'm enjoying this, man, just looking at. at these films because they're all of the ones that we're going to get into.

They're they're amazing. And, you know, Platoon certainly is there. And I'm so glad I, you know, had the opportunity to, you know, to watch this movie, especially, as I mentioned at the outset, this is one that just wasn't a film that I that. that that i saw uh i knew about again the the vhs uh cover art uh the the previews and knowing who is in the cast generally it would check all the boxes but for whatever reason it's just a movie that i had never seen

But there's still some fun because you can, even in the seriousness of war, you can have a drinking game. And so if you would like to play the Platoon drinking game, please take a sip. someone lights a cigarette or have a sip sometime, anytime a helicopter appears or, uh, anytime. Barnes smirks or Elias stares pensively into the distance. So if you see one of those things happen in the film, have a drink and about 15 minutes in it, you will probably.

Probably be about like six beers deep. And but so, yeah, if you want to if you want to have a good drinking game, I highly encourage that. But for John, I do have a quick pop quiz for you if you are ready. I'm ready. All right. Question number one. What film did Oliver Stone direct next that starred Tom Cruise? Wall Street. No, no, no, no. Oh, you said Tom Cruise. Yes. Sorry. Born on the 4th of July. Born on the 4th of July is correct.

So my follow-up question is, what two platoon actors appeared again in Born on the Fourth of July? Well, there's Charlie Sheen. Okay. John C. McGinley. That, is that right? Is that, is it? So it is Willem Dafoe. is in it and tom berenger is uh are the two that are and john c mcginley yeah so actually john so there were a few yeah okay so um you've got

Tom Berenger, you've got John C. McGinley, and you've got Willem Dafoe, who all appear. So I said two, what three actors also appear in it? Gotcha. All right. yeah i've never actually seen wall street um okay oh what country stood in uh stood in for vietnam in this movie. So obviously this movie was not shot in Vietnam. There are another country stood in place for it. Do you know the country? I'll give you a word for the Philippines. The Philippines is correct. Absolutely.

All right. Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen would co-star in another movie a year or two after this. What was the name of that film? So it's Major League. Major League. Were they in Major League 2? It seems like they would also have been in Major League 2 as well because I thought he became the manager. No, he didn't become the manager.

Well, I guess I guess he does become the man because Lou dies in Major League Two, I believe. And I think he takes over as the mayor, the manager in part two. OK. i believe that i believe that's correct i believe that's correct that would have been yeah what two films have they been in together but then i guess there's both of the as you said okay cool go um and then i think that's it i think because i already actually gave one away i said how many oscars did platoon win yeah four four

Congrats. So you got four out of those five questions. Correct. Well done, sir. Well done. It's passing. Yes. Any closing thoughts that you've got for for platoon? Any final reflections? None too much. I mean, it's, but I think it's the best Vietnam film ever made. Some people may say the best war movie ever made. They did at the time. Listeners, I like that. What is your favorite Vietnam film ever made? What is your favorite war film ever made?

So please, I'm curious to know what your thoughts are. I appreciate John. I don't I don't know if I have an answer for it. I know what my favorite is, but I'm not I don't know if I would say. It's the best Vietnam or the best war film ever made. But I like I said, I know my favorite. But it's interesting because what I do love about this movie is. The movie at the end, the key themes of this movie is survival, morality and humanity. Right. And.

I think they're done very, very beautifully. And as a result, this is a movie that I think will be very timeless, will survive over time. And even though, like I bring up... you know, voiceover as just a critique. It doesn't take away the fact that I think this movie is phenomenal. Rotten Tomatoes gives it about an 88, 89% approval overall. Roger Ebert gave it four stars. I'd give this movie an A. I really would. I think it's phenomenal.

And yeah, I just want to say, John, thank you very much for recommending this. This was a great ride. And I think this is a necessary film if you want to watch. American war film. So definitely check out Platoon if you haven't. John, I want to give you the floor to close us on out. But we will be back again with another another war film.

in the not too distant future and by i say not too distant future like one week from today will be the next one so uh john closes on out all right bye everybody uh once again thanks to all the veterans and as i always say singtow singtow All right. Well, yes, definitely sing towel and shout out to John. Actually, I don't know if it's a shout out, but for those that are keeping score at home, I think we only had one.

Game of Thrones reference tonight. And I think there was just one Braveheart reference. So if you're playing, that's another drinking game that we'll do here is. Every time there's a Game of Thrones or a Braveheart reference, you're probably going to have to drink. Or if John or myself tend – actually, it's going to be me. If I tend to go on a long-winded rant that seemingly doesn't go anywhere.

Yeah. Have a shot. Have a shot. And those will be some of the games that you can play on a Flicks and Sips episode here with Andrew and John. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. We will see you again next week for another fun episode. I don't know the movie. But you can count on that there will be a good time of laughs, a lot of tears and deep introspection. So between John and I, thank you so much. And we'll see you next time.