Siskel & Ebert Review - Apocalypse Now, 10, Starting Over, When a Stranger Calls 

More than 50 years… at the end of the show, Roger was right about Apocalypse Now. Its a clasic and epic movie

Apocalypse Now was Roger's favourite movie in the 40 whatever years he was a critic. Gene was thrown off by the movie's murky ending which I kind of understand... but at the same time those last 20 minutes are beautiful and haunting it doesn't ruin the experience for me at all. I enjoy watching Brando ramble on about weird shit and his "moral terror" speech leaves something to my imagination.

I would have loved to have been able to see Apocalypse Now in the biggest theater, not having any idea what to expect.

I'm surprised siskel gave away a spoiler about the guy being a cop not the killer. I think thry did this often. Still I can watch their reviews of past movies anytime. Legends

I saw When A Stranger Calls in the theater when it came out. It was horrifying. The audience went wild when Charles Durning burst through the door.

Gene isn't completely wrong. The end of Apocalypse Now feels slightly anti-climactic after the buildup. But everything else about it is so amazing, giving it a thumbs down is still insane.

The ending of Apocalypse Now is great… When Willard throws down his machete and everyone there throws down their weapons too, it gives me chills…. What a sublime movie!

I remember watching this episode as a kid.

I'm so glad i saw 10 before seeing this review because they show the entire clip of him falling and trying to climb back up the hill which is one of the biggest lol moments in the movie.

It’s always fun to go back to these & see that one or both these guys were so wrong. Lol

They never mention that "Apocalypse Now" is based on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness". I don't think that they read the book. The movie got 10 Oscar nominations. It has turned out to be a very important movie. The director's cut is even better.

Really surprised Gene didn’t realize that Bergen is PURPOSELY playing a bad singer who doesn’t know they are a bad singer in Starting Over, that’s literally the joke of the character.

Funny enough, I think they both missed the point of Apocalypses Now. It is a journey into the heart of darkness and the further down river they go, the further into the darkness they go. It is not a film with a statement about the Vietnam War - it is a take on the Joseph Conrad novel. This is the reason that it has outlasted most war films - the war was only secondary to the story. Gene Siskel has been proven wrong by time, but Roger Ebert was also wrong in his analysis.

The scene that they showed for when a stranger calls is the whole movie.

It’s interesting how long the clips they show are. It really helps to see them. Reviewers and talk shows never show such comprehensive clips these days. Strangely sometimes the clips they show here are two long.

I enjoyed watching this episode of Siskel and Ebert. First, for the nostalgia. This was produced at Chicago's WTTW. It's called Sneak Previews - the first iteration of their long running collaboration. Second, although you have to wait for the last segment, they review Apocalypse Now. And, lucky for us, they disagree.

"Apocalypse Now" is the "same, old standard Vietnam stuff"? Oh, Gene. Come on, man.

The Legend of The Seven Golden Vampires is an excellent film!

10 is simply a man who’s middle aged crazy, lots of people go through this. It’s not about being a child but a fear of growing old.

The most memorable aspect of This is Spinal Tap! was the idea of "taking the volume up to 11". Well, Carl Reiner probably got that idea from "10". Also I'm mystified as to why the film is called "10" when Dudley Moore's obsession ranks an "II".

Standard Vietnam stuff? There was no such thing in 1979

My dad took me to see Apocalypse Now. I was nine. I liked it but of course at that age I understood none of it. In the Godfather series, G.D. Spaulding plays the evil character and Marlon Brando plays the good guy. In Apocalypse Now, Spaulding plays a sympathetic character and Brando plays an evil character!

Starting Over is an under-appreciated Gem of a movie. I thought Burt Reynolds gave perhaps his best performance. Which makes it all the more frustrating the mostly bad movies he made in the 1980s.

its funny.. gene hated apocalypse now had a thumbs up for full metal jacket. roger was entranced by apocalypse now which i must admit is a MAJOR american film that nothing like it has been made you start to wonder.. was the war even a point to this? or was this just sth over all our heads. just a MOVIE like you have to take drugs to get on tier with 2001 a space odyssey and really as epic. roger on the other hand hated full metal jacket felt like it had nothing much to say and wanted audiences lmao to go see benji the hunted that week (which both movies made me cry in different ways).

Siskel likes 10 and dislikes Apocalypse Now. Wow!

I must admit here folks that I wasn't born yet when Apocalypse Now and 10 came out but I did enjoy them. I was born in 1984 but hey better late than never

My enthusiasm for Apocalypse Now has waned over the years. It is a masterpiece, for sure, but it is also a tedious slog after the first act. The 4K looks great, that's for certain.

I’d love to see a score sheet of who liked more movies that became undisputed classics. My guess is it would be Ebert.

I haven't seen APOCALYPSE NOW in a long time (and while I know the bullet points of HEART OF DARKNESS, I have never read the novel) but... Isn't the ending kind of the whole point of the movie/story itself? That war, especially the war in Viet Nam, was pointless, pretentious, and inexplicable? And that "The horror[s], the horror[s]..." were too overwhelming for even the perpetrators to fully convey, explain, or justify them?

I don’t remember the movie WASC showing the dead kids. I remember my sister talking about that scene yet it was never in any of the versions I saw. And here Siskel mentions it as well. 🤔 I wonder if they cut that out after the fact or something.

Hammer meets Shaw

Apocalypse now's cast is unreal. Sheen, Brando, hopper , a 14 year old Lawrence fishburn, Duvall & Harrison Ford. Platoon had a similarly spectacular cast. Charlie sheen, Whitaker, berenger, Dafoe, Dillon, David keith & a young 2nd film Johnny depp. 3 crazy facts from both films. Brando who's eating & laziness were out of control was paid 1 million a week & Coppola resurrected his Carrer when no studio would touch the guy. All he was asked was to read the book heart of darkness & lose weight. He showed up late fatter than ever & didn't read the book. Coppola called him out on his b.s. of not memorizing lines saying " u used to memorize for the stage & early in ur career. I know Brando said it's more natural to say the lines when reading them off cue cards the walls super baby's diaper bur I think it's laziness. He won his Oscar's when he memorized them. Plus their are so many takes I'd think u get the lines down. Another fact is ford's name tag said " Lucas " obviously named after Coppola BFF George plus Ford had done 3 films under Lucas at that point one being a little film called star wars. As far as platoon goes Johnny depp learned Vietnamese & had way more screen time & while watching the dailies the producers Said depp was so striking that he should have been the star. So stone left much of his work on the cutting room floor. I must admit depp was a stunner in that film. He was about 22.

Didn't Siskel later give Heart of Darkness movie of the year? Odd that he didn't love the movie but loved the movie about making the movie. Maybe I am nuts.

Candice Bergen was terrific in “Starting Over”.

Siskel is on point about Vietnam we can make 1000 movies about that it is a copout theres so many wars in history chill, a battle of isandlwana would be amazing these days

I've said it before, I'm gonna say it again. Either Ebert never watched Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, AKA Seven Brothers vs. Dracula, or he went into the movie jaded, and seeking a "Dog of the Week". Because yes, it is obvious that Cushing was present in Hong Kong, and he did interact with the local actors. Saying what he says here is just unfair.

Also CITY OF FIRE featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000's pre-season year (1988). No puzzlement in wondering why.

I liked Dudley Moore as the Narrator in the US release of "Milo and Otis" and as Spin in National Geographic's "Really Wild Animals" series.

Brando's character had nothing to say? What, Gene? The horror... The horror...

Vietnam journalist/screenwriter Michael Herr, author of the novel/memoir “Dispatches,” is the literary soul of the film. It’s a much more fundamental part of the film than Brando’s star turn.

Jill Clayburgh was never really that attractive, but she was a very good actress . I would've loved to see Apocalypse Now in 70mm when it was re-released in '87 . We had a great 70mm theater here in Cincinnati

Thanks again, T.O.TV !

Before all you Gene haters go on overdrive, you might want to watch a later 1980 Sneak Previews called "Take 2: Vietnam War Movies". In this, Gene is more positive about the first half of the movie and he even concedes that Roger's analysis of the second half was very good.

Thanks for the transcript

They gave away when a stranger calls.

10 was never more funny than the Pink Panther movies. It had a couple of funny moments, and lived heavily of some nude scenes.

City on fire looks hilarious

They ruined when a stranger calls!!!

They could make a movie how Apocalypse Now was made

city on fire looks awesome

I've seen When a Stranger Calls several times. I've never seen a bloody shot of the children Gene is referring to in his review. Where is that?

I wonder what they would of thought of TROPIC THUNDER?

The film clips are so long!

Heh. MST3K trashed City on Fire during its first (KTMA) season. Not sure if it's one that I would have wanted done later in the run with a full staff of writers since it's still kinda pathetic, but I would have enjoyed if MST did Hanger 18 (also a KTMA episode) again. As for The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula, that, of course, is the American release, which I understand was cut bigtime. The REAL problem is that Christopher Lee did NOT play Dracula in the film - he rightfully told Hammer to go stuff itself after The Satanic Rites of Dracula. So, it's automatically going to be second rate, especially the poor slob they got playing Dracula at the start and finish of the film before he took over the body of the Chinese man.

Gene giving a No vote to Apocalypse Now is the kind of ignominious act that warrants eternal censure.

Didn't the 'that's Cambodia captain' scene come after the helicopter attack scene? Siskel had the sequence wrong

It's amazing how wrong they are about movies like Apocalypse Now, Unforgiven, etc

It´s hilarious how much they showed on these sneak peaks. They showed way to much i would say. Spoilers? No kidding!

Siskel liked 10 (fine) didn’t like Apocalypse Now. These guys were great, and fun, but wow they got wrapped up in their own BS.

Starting Over is a superb movie and the best of these four movies. Apocalypse Now has some great moments but it's wildly uneven. I find Dudley Moore obnoxious but Julie Andrews is great in 10.

With mobiles you can’t really make stranger call movies anymore

Man, amazing how Gene so casually dismissed Apocalypse Now as merely another war movie. Roger gives a weak recommendation, as though he feared weighing in too heavily on it. Clearly one of the best films of the decade, they should have dedicated an entire episode to it. Then Roger could've cut loose. But great memories though. I miss these two blowhards!

Martin Sheen was on the brink of forty when he did Apocalypse Now, and he was probably really too old to play an army officer (or rather a kind of U.S. army secret agent!) and his character is not sympathetic eitheir (when he shoots the wounded lady on the boat!).

They both missed that apocalypse was a retelling of Heart of Darkness. The journey up the river to find an insane man.

I turned 21 in Phu Cat S Vietnam! But it was the Deer Hunter that caused flash backs for me. Martin Sheen turns me off, I was a liberal too, but not like him, I didn’t think I knew everything or better than other people, like telling 75 million people how they should vote and telling the electoral college to ignore those votes and not do their legal jobs. Genes wrong about Vietnam but not this picture. It’s a big disappointment.

way to give away the movie Gene!

Wow ; at the time When a Stranger Calls came out , we all knew "urban legends" but they were never identified as such. They were never "gathered up" and analyzed either- so - it was FRESH territory . I remember a kid in our neighborhood telling us the "Have you checked the children" story a good 3 or 4 years BEFORE When a Stranger Calls came out! I was PARALYZED with FEAR when I heard it! LOL. The power of suggestion and imagination is a POWERFUL thing. Less powerful was..the movie. Great climax, Great opening but what was in the middle was a DULL police procedural that was straight out of a TV show like Kojack or Columbo. Gene and Roger are treating this like it's Friday the 13th Part 2 ! LOL. Misguided and muddled all the way around-- from inception to reviews.

My review: I hated 10 (I give it a 3) I loved A pack of lips now (9.0 they never should have killed the great Colonel Kurtz)

They spoiled every movie.

They censored the word "balls"? How ridiculous.

I saw 10 for the first time just a few years ago. WOW Bo Derek was incredibly hot.

10 is a classic, but When a Stranger Calls is trash. I understand that it is loosely based on a true story.

I agree with Gene on Apocalyse Now. Disjointed waste of time. Brando was a total mess.

the only Apocalypse Now I've seen. Looks very testosteroni

Lol what they say about bergen 's awful singing. I wish burt did more serious roles. He's awesome in deliverance & he regrets not taking Nicholson part in terns of endearment

Ebert sounds a lot like Roeper in this episode.

How is a dog that is named the "wonder" dog never have to wonder? I wonder?

Siskel wrong again. Apocalypse Now? What a clown.

A COMPLETE misunderstanding of the Hammer/Run Run Shaw team up. Sometimes Ebert was just a complete idiot.

Their review of "When a stranger calls" is total bullshit. Because........ 1) It's scary as hell. 2) It's not a "coincidence" that the guy calls her years later at the restaurant, as Ebert said. 3) They never showed the bloody children in bed, like Siskel said. The beginning and ending of the film are really scary. Too bad the middle of it drags.

Classic Gene, getting it totally wrong yet again.

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Siskel is a true woke liberal. 🤷‍♂️

10 isn’t funny It’s Dudley Moore doing the same old Schstick that he ran into the ground The premise is ridiculous Loaded with cheap pratfalls

!0 was an average film. Bo looked great on the beach, and the TV ad capitalized on that image. Starting over was one of those films that would have gone on to greater success if it had replaced Jill with the much more talented Kathleen Turner. Just picture those scenes between Burt and Kathleen. Now that is film fireworks. As for When a Stranger Calls, the opening sequence is riveting. Like the film Halloween it is atmosphere build up and Carol Kane plays the role so well that you can actually feel her mounting terror coming through the screen. Later, in the sequel When a Stranger Calls Back, you just don't fell the same terror. Instead you feel like you felt in Halloween 2. Yeah, I've seen this in the other film and it was better. Too bad because Stranger could have been so much more. I would also say that this is one of those films that could have been improved by exchanging Carol for P.J. Soles. In the non-terror sequences P.J. would have added an edge. You would have felt that somewhere a laugh was building and you expect it, but then it would have been more horror.

I love Apocalypse Now…but I agree Brando at the end his monologue is just a collection of words with no meaning.

These two should NEVER have been allowed to review horror movies. They had no idea what they were talking about when it came to that genre.

Overall, I didn't like When a Stranger Calls. I've never seen any of the other films.

It's a good thing the movie Arthur exists because 10 was so bad that it should have ended Dudley Moore's career.

10 suxxxxxxxx

I think thdy are wrong about When a Stranger Calls. She qas supposed to be a teenager and wasn't supposed to know hiw to defend herself and I thought it was a good movie.

Brando mumbling was a lame ending