Oliver Stone begins shooting this summer on his new film Savages, adapted from Don Winslow's 2010 novel about marijuana growers in Orange County outside Los Angeles, who run afoul of a Mexican drug cartel.
The project, which takes Stone to Laguna Beach and other locations in southern California, has a dream-team cast - including Blake Lively, Teresa Palmer, Benicio Del Toro, Taylor Kitsch, Salma Hayek, John Travolta and Aaron Johnson.
Now 64, but as energetic as ever, Stone has been making films regularly for more than 30 years. He has been trying to make them for a lot longer.
When Stone sat down to talk while in San Francisco earlier this month to accept the Founder's Award for Directing from the San Francisco International Film Festival, he stressed that he had struggled to make movies in his early days, even after winning an Academy Award in 1979 for his script for Midnight Express, an adaptation of the book by Billy Hayes.
"It's been an up-and-down experience," said the director of Wall Street, who acknowledged that his career might look like the chart of a stock that spikes and dips. "People say that I'm history. People say that I'm washed up all the time. Nixon, in 1995, was not a commercial success, but for me it was a successful film. Then I went off to make documentaries. They want me to make the same film all the time.
"Frankly, I have different interests at different times," Stone said. "W, about George W Bush, has a simple style. I don't think there's anything wrong with simplicity when you get older. And now I'm off to make Savages. I may go back the other way."
Before the public sees Savages, Stone will premiere a series that he has been working on for three years, The Untold History of the United States, a documentary project for American television in which he examines tragic events of the 20th century. The director said he turned to documentaries "to refresh the source".
"Dealing with fiction or dramatisation, it becomes something of a 'gig'," he said. "I found myself wanting to go back into the field." Stone's non-fiction subjects have been Fidel Castro, Palestine, and the Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez - all controversial for the American audience.
"What we're doing is going back and examining forgotten history. I was brainwashed in school the way most Americans are," said the director, who has never been reticent about his opinions. "I went off to the war in Vietnam, believing that we were fighting evil, monolithic communism," he said. "History was ethnocentric back then. It's better-written now, more critical, but there is still a tremendous gap between reality and what the experience of American history is. We're trying to close that gap."
Stone said that his Untold History would begin with the US decision to drop atom bombs on Japan in 1945.
"Memory is the thread of civilisation," he said. "Without memory, we become barbarians."
Stone said he made Platoon so that the public would remember the war in Vietnam. The director listed films of the 1990s that, he believes, clash with memory. "Black Hawk Down is a well-made movie, but it's in praise of technology," he argued. "Even in Saving Private Ryan, you saw the worship of World War II as the good war. Gladiator in 2001 was part of that war mindset. By the time of the Iraq War, we were ready to go back.
"America loves war, America depends on war, and so does its industry," said the director.
If Stone is right about Americans and war, it seems odd that it was so difficult for him to get Platoon financed there in the 1980s.
"It was considered a box-office downer, uncommercial," he explained. "It got made for reasons of a freak accident. It was an English producer, who made the movie for very little money - $6 million (Dh22m). We did it in the Philippines on the skin of our teeth. John Daley, who just passed away, also produced Salvador for $3m, $4m. Salvador only got distributed because it was the advent of the video revolution, and we had money from that."
In casting Platoon at that budget, "we went as realistic as we possibly could," Stone said. "Most of what we had seen as war in movies before had older men, like John Wayne. I took younger actors, with the exception of Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger, and we prepared them for shooting in what was the equivalent of training camp. So, by the time that they were actually on film, it looked as if they were soldiers who'd been through a war. That's what we wanted."
Stone credited that realism with uniting veterans and critics of the war in admiration of Platoon.
"There were some veterans who called me a liar for what I showed in the film, or people who wanted me put on trial for crimes against humanity, but it was one of those rare moments, like the Obama -election."
He added: "It's a nice thing to see. If it happens again, grab it. It's like a surfer's wave. It doesn't happen very often."
The nature of history has not turned Stone into a cynic, although it has been the gift that gives him stories to make films about. "You've got to have a sense of humour," said the man who dramatised two Wall Street meltdowns. "What a ride. You begin to wonder how much more we can take. Is Donald Trump going to be president of the United States? That might be a reason to move back to Vietnam."
The veteran filmmaker seemed to smell a screenplay, although this subject promised a whiff of comedy, not exactly Stone's trademark.
"I've made comedies," he insisted. "Natural Born Killers is a comedy - it's a dark comedy. U-Turn has comedic elements. Salvador has very comedic elements. I think there are comedic elements in Any Given Sunday and, frankly, the George Bush film, W, if you're willing to look at it with a sense of irony, is a very funny movie. The man is president of the United States, and this is quoted dialogue."
Stone stressed that he stepped back from any opinions he had about Bush. "I'm a dramatist first," he said, noting that he had been criticised for not going on the attack more fiercely. "I thought we should just show the guy, and how he became president, which involved walking in his shoes. Empathy means you're not pro or con, but you're understanding, and letting him speak for himself."
Turning back more than 2,000 years, Stone noted that his 2004 epic about another ruler, Alexander, will finally be released this year at the length he originally wanted it to be - three hours and 45 minutes. "Frankly, I rushed the movie to make the marketing deadline of November 2004, and it had to be under two hours and 55. You can't cut a movie up like that."
"Our new version actually allows the movie to breathe and be what it is," said Stone, who considers the film one of his greatest achievements. "It is at the beginning of time, and it's not at all comparable to George Bush going into -Baghdad."
Stone hesitated for a moment, and laughed. "It was done the same year. What a big mistake."
More from our neighbourhood series:
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
