Kris and Adam Discuss AFI’s Top 100: Platoon

Kris Jenson, with whom I've had the best discussions of my life, is an old friend of mine from Boston. We had been talking about the American Film Institute's Top 100 when he got a job at Dig Boston, writing about just that. Instead of letting the conversation end just because he's a big, fancy writer now, I'm going to write responses to his articles. I can't keep up with his movie watching, so I'm only responding to the ones I've seen.

I've been way too negative lately. It's time to put a positive spin on a movie I'm very eh about.  On one hand, it feels like a shallow '80s version of "Apocalypse Now," right down to the next-gen Sheen casting, but on the other, I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than Coppola's mind-numbingly arty epic (more on that one when we get to it). What makes this movie great for me is supporting actor spotting. This movie was a gathering spot for what would be the next generation of movies and TV.



Okay, so I don't have much to say, really, but I do love Photoshop, so here's a side-by-side comparison of how these men all looked in the mid-'80s vs. when they became really famous.

'Nam changes people
It was only a dream
Oh Dafoe...
Now that's a promotion
Smiles all around
Remember when he was sexy?	Remember when he was... oh wait
That dude has the best voice ever	Sorry, I'm a nerd
Why doesn't Drama talk about being in "Platoon"?
Yeah, the guy who played Sayed Ali on "24" was in there too.