Milius

Trailer—Milius

Milius_720p(480P)

source: Milius

I don't usually (or often) review documentaries on here, so not sure exactly what I want to say or how to say it, but here goes.... going into the film, I knew somewhat about John Milius as a person, having read a few books about Coppola and Lucas, and I knew a few of his films (especially "Conan the Barbarian", since I'm a Robert Howard fan), but I didn't realize how extensive his screen writing was in the 1970s. It was good to discover more about that, and it helps me to see more how his personality and his philosophy about film-making was distinct and new. I was expecting that you would have Lucas and a few other folks basically trying to make a big deal out of Milius because they're his friends, but the depth of comments and good stories from a variety of Hollywood folks actually impressed me. If the film accomplishes anything beyond some kind of re-appraisal of Milius (and some reflection on his political relevance or irrelevance), it could be nice to see "Big Wednesday" given some kind of real release. I've never been able to see it, always been curious, so the bits that they showed in this documentary are the only part I've actually been able to see.

It's a fairly standard talking head movie with lots of clips and interviews. Does a great job of letting you see him and his work. Well done.

Great writer, below average director. Larger than life as a person. What's interesting about this documentary about the writer John Milius is that he was befriended with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola back in the early seventies. All his friends did become famous and legendary directors, while John Milius did not succeed. John Milius was lauded for his writing talents and his excellent screenplays by an incrowd of directors. But the man was larger than life and in day to day dealings with Hollywood many excecutives didnt fancy dealing with someone who had several wild antics, like gun slinging and threatening to shoot his gun, while he was in business meetings. In the end this is a portrait of a great writer, but a failed director, whose movie career petered out quite quickly. He is still forever famous for writing "Apocalyse Now" though. If you havent seen that movie yet, you are in for a real treat!

When people usually think about the filmmakers of New Hollywood, the first name that comes to mind certainly isn't John Milius. The most commonly remembered names of that period are "The Big Four:" Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, and Scorsese. Even Brian De Palma may come to mind. But almost nobody thinks of Milius. Which is a shame, because he seems to be one helluva talent. This documentary covers most aspects of John Milius's life from his childhood to his stroke and continuing recovery (at that time). His whole career from his writing efforts to his few directorial projects have quite a bit of focus as well. He is probably best known as one of the screenwriters for Apocalypse Now, for which he got an Oscar nomination. Some may not even realize that he helped come up with dialogue like Dirty Harry's "'Do I feel lucky'" speech, or the Indianapolis monologue in Jaws. To know that he did both is bound to increase one's respect for his talent. What makes this documentary even more fun is that it feels like quite the party with all sorts of directors who knew him and were inspired by him participating, as well as many famous actors. I mean, you have guys like Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Arnie, Stallone, and Harrison Ford all giving their thoughts on the man. And I'm just getting warmed up. You hardly ever see this much major talent participating in a documentary like this. It makes you feel like you're a new friend to all these guys and by the end, you really feel like their buddy. Prior to this documentary, I've only seen one Milius film: Conan the Barbarian (1982), and it's a film I've loved more over time. Now that I've seen this documentary, I want to seek out more of his work, since he has specialized in big budget epics and one of the most common things that the interviewees in this documentary have cited him for is the way he writes dialogue. Knowing now about his efforts on Dirty Harry and Jaws, as well as Apocalypse Now, I believe it. Milius may not have a personality that is comfortable with everyone: George Lucas remembers a story of how Milius punched his film professor, he's been accused of being right-wing in a system that veers more towards the left, he's pro-war, and he seemed to love pushing people's buttons, but the more you understand Milius, the more you respect him. I may not agree with everything he believes in, but I won't deny what he's contributed to the film industry. Before Milius suffered his stroke, he was working on a movie based on the life of Genghis Khan. However, it's been a while and the project doesn't seem to be reaching the daylight. Given how much work he put into Conan, a similar film, I hope that he can still make the film, given how much he seems to believe in it. You can do it, John. I know you can.

This documentary film is great. Even if you have no interest in the subject or filmmaking or Hollywood or any of it. Why? Because it tells first and foremost the story of a man, who is bigger than life. And it does with interviews and clips, but there is something more this film does. Every once in a while when someone is telling an anecdote the movie will recreate the scene using pictures and photo-collages. It is great, it is very well done and it gives the film a very dynamic feel. And I loved it. Of course, the documentary is well done overall. There is a lot of information presented here, as they go through Milius' whole life. Yet, it was never confusing or jumbled. The movie acts as a biographical film of sorts, and it gives a clear picture of who this guy was, even if some mystery remains. Not only that, but the documentary chronicles very well the culture and the environment from which the likes of Milius' emerged. The sixties, the counter-revolution and all that stuff. How did the Hollywood system operate and how it changed. It is not in focus, but it is present. For instance when they address Milius' politics and how it played with his industry reputation. In a sense this documentary is the ultimate boomer chronicle. It shows how these guys that smoked weed and partied and were outcasts so to speak, later not only bent the establishment to their knees, but then became the establishment itself. It is the timeless story of how baby-boomer spent their youth and ideals fighting The Man, only to discover they became The Man. But that is just my commentary; the movie does not address this through that angle given that Milius remained somewhat on the fringes (or alternatively at the avant-garde). Of course, Milius got scammed and lost all his money, but you can see on the margins that his influence (and most importantly his friends in high places) remained untouched. On the other hand, it is interesting to see that even at the top you have to balance artistic integrity and financial success. And maybe Milius was not as successful precisely because he was bolder and more radical in his expression. But you do get the feeling that despite all his fault he was a sincere artist. This documentary film is important because it adresses a pivotal moment in Western culture, that gave birth to New Hollywood and furthermore the type of movies being made, and ultimately consumed. And Milius was always at the center of it.

"Milius" admirably susses out the life and essence of director, writer and movie maven John Milius, and does so without resorting to hagiography or caricature. Milius the man and the notion put the hook in me, to use his own expression, with his script for "Apocalypse Now" from 1979. He is a master of the outsize soliloquy that is relevant, indelible, written in urgent flaming large font, and always delivered with a sub rosa wink and nod. Milius in life is as bombastic, vexing and complex as his characters, and labels, slogans, and cliché cannot describe him. The filmmakers here do an exceptional job of getting past hype and drama to really figure out what makes Milius tick (or tock, as the case often is). One wishes Coppola in this film were more forthcoming with what must surely be deep insights into Milius he possesses, but aside from this dry spot, "Milius" is a nicely-woven film and warrants a watch.

Aside from "Dirty Harry", John Milius has never been my cup of tea. That, and "Used Cars". I've just never gravitated towards his stuff. But here comes "Milius", a documentary that, just in its first three minutes paints a enthralling picture of the larger-than-life man's man storyteller that makes for great subject matter. This movie had me glued to the screen, wanting to know more about the guy whose passion governed his movie-making; who brings a gun into a story meeting; the inspiration for Walter Sobchack, one of my favorite movie characters; the rebel filmmaker, always going the other way. And "Milius" is a terrific movie, chock-full of entertaining stories and no shortage of commentary from industry pros. It's a movie that absolutely needed to be made, and I'm wholeheartedly glad I got to see it. 8/10