FYI - Father and son Sheens have similar intros based on my trip to Vietnam. 

It’s February 2, 2024 and I am in Hanoi, Vietnam.  I’ve been avoiding the pollution and holed up in a curtained hotel room watching “Apocalypse Now”.  I’d never seen it before. 

The only reason I even watched this awesome classic film was to further understand the multi-layered dimensions of the war in Vietnam.  I visited Saigon 2 years ago with the main purpose of understanding how the war affected my real father in such a deep PTSD way.  Reading the history of Vietnam, going into the Cu Chi tunnels and actually getting a phone call from my father on THE DAY that I was visiting the Cu Chi tunnels (when he didn’t even know I was in Vietnam and calls or texts less than a few times a year) was mind-blowing.  Understanding more about the deep history of this strong, intense and fight-back country has taught me so much – and with great respect. 

Watching Martin Sheen in “Apocalypse Now” redux is one of those occasions where you forget they are acting.  His performance is so gut-wrenchingly real and visceral.  We all know the iconic image from the film of his head rising out of the river, but I never had an interest in war movies.  No wonder he says that “Apocalypse” and “Badlands” are his two favorites.  I’m not the kind of film lover that watches all classics; as a matter of fact, I prefer obscure films.  Martin Sheen in “Apocalypse Now” has now eclipsed everything I’ve ever thought about him. The documentary about the film “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” adds even more color to Martin’s performance in the film; especially the hotel room drunk scene where he faces the mirror and “finds” his inner self/animal.  He was literally drunk.  And bleeding. On his 36th birthday.  Re-watch that scene and know that.  (Not to mention his subsequent heart-attack on location.  I thought for sure he would have been nominated for an Academy Award for that role.  But no.  He has NEVER been nominated for an Academy Award; honorary only.  But he did get a BAFTA Best Actor nod.  Award shows are so effing random. 

Having never seen “West Wing” or really knowing much about him except peripherally in various movies as “he’s a good reliable actor” and he’s the dad of Charlie and Emilio, I can now say that I am a big Martin Sheen fan and that “Apocalypse Now” is one of the best films I’ve seen. 

After writing the above and reading that two of his favorite films are “Apocalypse Now” and “Badlands”, I watched “Badlands” last night.  This movie has good ratings and has often been cited as inspiration for Tarantino, Oliver Stone, “Natural Born Killers”, etc.  I found that Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen were really good in the film, but mostly due to disturbing characterizations that are almost inert at times and completely subdued in regard to their actions; almost as if they both have a dissociative disorder.  It was a bit uncomfortable to watch at times, but it’s interesting.  Martin’s character at one point says “That guy could sell the list I gave him as an example of my handwriting”.  Made me laugh, thinking of autographs.  I also had to pause the film when he and Sissy had established themselves in a treehouse with a painting she had taken from home.  Wait a second, I said … that looks familiar.  Yep, I had the same painting/print under the stairs in my house, left here by the previous owner.  Turns out that “Daybreak” by Maxfield Parrish is one of the most popular paintings of the 20th century.  One in four households had one.  And I still do. 

Martin has always been generous with autographs.  I’ve never met or written to him personally, but here are the many autographs of his that have been added to my collection over the years.