V.I.D.E.O.S.: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Very Interesting Documentary Everyone Ought to See is a series of blogs that educate the reader about documentaries that not only peak this writer's interest but will make one think about the life that they live and the lives of the rest of the world's people.

There are some movies out there that make you wonder how it was made, and then there are movies that make you wonder "Is this the same guy that directed that last masterpiece?"

Hearts of Darkness is one of the first documentaries of its kind to show the behind the scenes footage of what it was like to make Apocalypse Now, one of the most memorable, over-hyped war movies of all time.  It was hyped up as being the movie to completely define the entirety of war movies and Vietnam through the adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Hearts of Darkness by director Francis Ford Coppola.  The studio pretty much gave him the keys to the castle.

When you make a movie (so I assume) there are certain tasks and goals that need to be accomplished when you go out to direct a mega-movie such as this.  There is also the aspect of how one handles stress and manages others on the set.

Coppola was known for working with megastars like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, and many of the other big names of the time that could carry a film.  Directing some of the best performances of a generation was Coppola's best attribute.  Studios figured that he was the guy to go to for turning a script into an Oscar masterpiece.

But then there are things that come out of nowhere when you begin to fly too close to the sun.  Coppola had to go out into the hot tropics and find ways to shoot his movie.  He had to figure out his script to follow, which he rewrote and rewrote, deal with talent that would seem difficult to deal with, and then put out the fires that would occur when the star of the movie suffered from a heart attack.

This is the making of the movie that broke Francis Ford Coppola.  It is highly entertaining, and if you've ever wondered where Tropic Thunder got some of it's comedy reference from, look no further.  This is the movie to watch and enjoy.

Hollywood Perception of Fat

Jonah Hill.  Probably the one distinct "fat guy" of the Apatow/Rogen/Segel team.  He's been in Academy Awards, playing several roles in serious dramatic films.  But, he's probably best known for being the funniest fat guy in any of the movies he's been in in the last decade.  He played a hilarious Seth in Superbad, for which we will probably never forget.

Now, if you've paid attention to the later part of his career, when he lost a lot of weight.  He started to be in less comedic roles with the exception of 21 Jump Street.  Now, Hollywood wants the rest of America to perceive him as a more serious person.  We used to perceive him as the lovable, humorous funny guy, but since he's been losing weight and getting more leading roles, we are lead to believe that he himself is more serious.

Don't be confused here.  Hollywood's perception of fat people is "they can only be funny" and not a serious leading man.  It's as if they never saw what Marlon Brando or Orson Welles looked like.  Powerful leading men who were undoubtedly fat by some standards, but titans on their craft.