Well the word on the film has been mixed. This is one of Gilliam's STRANGE movies, as opposed to his 'normal' films. Even people that like Gilliam were a bit set off by how odd this film is. I guess my advice is, if you can't see Godzilla the weekend this opens and you have to choose between Bulworth and this, you may want to choose this, because word is SLIGHTLY better. Personally I can't imagine missing a Gilliam flick, but I have been warned. So if you pay to see this film, be forewarned that there is a possible suck factor. However, since Goldfinger here likes it, well, I feel a bit better...You see I've been following Mark Ebner's coverage of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS over at his site called http://www.screenmancer.com/screentalk/atlarge.htm So you might get some further info there...
Goldfinger here. For the 30th time in a row I walked right by the NRG goons and into another test screening. What's the deal here? I mean, it's not THAT hard to miss seeing a large German man with a mute Korean sidekick, is it?
Anyhow, the movie this time was Terry Gilliam's FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro.
How should I describe this film? I can't. It's a Gilliam movie, which means you will be blown away by the visual experience on the screen, and at the same time be driven insane trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I laughed my ass off for the most part, and would give this film a B+ if I had to rate it.
Johnny Depp is at the top of his game (ala ED WOOD) in this film, and certainly re-established himself in my mind as a very talented and underused actor. Benicio Del Toro is pretty good too (not as good as THE USUAL SUSPECTS, but no doubt a hell of a lot better than EXCESS BAGGAGE - not that I saw it.) :)
After the film, I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Gilliam, and he mentioned that he would love to make THE DEFECTIVE DETECTIVE, which is currently stuck in limbo. Hopefully it will be made at some point.... He also mentioned how he is planning on releasing ALL of the Python films on Laserdisc through Criterion, so we can hopefully see a widescreen, feature filled edition of MEANING OF LIFE sometime in the next few years...
Sorry this is so short, but I'm still trying to figure out what I just watched for the past 2 hours.....
Goldfinger
A fairly positive review of the film, though a bit critical. Get ready for a laugh when you see this spy's name...
just returned from universal city and a screening of "fear and loathing in las vegas". i'm sure you know about cast & director so i'll skip all that jazz and keep this short.
Overall, if you like hunter s. or the book itself then you should like/love this flick. If not, well. . .It's pretty much a straight forward adaptation of the book which involves much drug use and some wacky drug induced hallucinations. If that sounds good to ya then by all means go see it (i predict it won't be around for long in theatres). Gilliam's direction is perfect for the material and depp & del toro are both oscar worthy (like there's a chance in hell!!!). the only minor problem was it's 2 hour plus length, but again, a minor problem. my two friends, who aren't fans of thompson (never read anything by him, slightly heard of him), both were confused as to who they'd reccommend this to, but still enjoyed it to some degree. Overall if you can relate ( at least in a small way) to the drugs in the film you'll probably like it more than if you choose just to say no. the paranoid feelings certain drugs give ya is perfectly displayed here and might be hard for some folks to "get it". Very funny scenes throughout and numerous cameos to boot. I give it one bong and one tab WAY up.
your partner in crime,
Ben Reilly ( still kicken from clone heaven)
ps I now use this name to sign their no "news leak" card so when the fuzz break down my door for being on line i can swear it's just my clone doing all these bad deeds.
This was sent in by the Incinerator, who had mixed feelings on the film. As a note for the Incinerator (I lost your email, but I would love that stuff you mentioned, just send it to the P.O. Box on the Contact Page. Thanks again!)
I saw a screening of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas at Universal Citywalk tonight. I had never read the book and had no idea what the story would be like. I was also given a crappy seat on the far left of the theater in the second row so I had trouble hearing some parts of it. Terry Gilliam directed, I notice the IMDB listed four writers (which explains a lot). The film has no plot and that doesn't always bother me. It is simply a journey through various psychedelic states and it has vague reflections on the period it takes place in (1971). Johnny Depp plays the main character, Raoul Duke (I know this from IMDB, I can't recall the film mentioning it). Benicio Del Toro gained what looks to be 50 lbs. and plays Raoul's lawyer. The two of them leave LA and spend a weekend in Vegas to cover a motorcycle race for a magazine or paper. They pack a suitcase full of drugs and a healthy sense of adventure and mischief. Both actors do a great job, very funny. The cinematography is cool and appropriately trippy (although I normally hate when people use that word). There are some fascinating visuals for the drug induced moments which almost gave me flashbacks and left me feeling like I was coming down from a long acid trip after the movie- a little burned out and frazzled. On the whole the film was very random. It will die commercially, do fairly better on video and will only appeal to fans of the book. It should be rented just to see some interestin visuals and some hilarious performances from Depp and Del Toro. I think Hunter S. Thompson has a cameo at the end as a bartender.
Sincerely,
Incinerator
Here's Tiny Tim, who went out with Mr Scrooge to see FEAR AND LOATHING. Tim, went ahead and sent in his remarks (negative) but Scrooge stayed electronically mute on the subject, though he did call to tell me that he thought it was a piece of crap.
This evening (Tuesday, 3/31) at the Cineplex Odeon Cinemas in Universal City, CA, I managed to sneak into a test screening of the eagerly awaited screen version of Hunter S. Thompson's seminal meditation on the Seventies drug culture, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. Long considered by myself and a legion of others as unfilmable, I was more than excited to see it anyway, given the talent involved: Johnny Depp (as Thompson), Benicio Del Toro ( as his lawyer/patner in crime) and especially visionary director TERRY GILLIAM (Brazil, 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King). I am a HUGE fan of Gilliam's and going into the screening, I was of the mindset that if ANY director in Hollywood could pull this translation off, it would be Gilliam.
What a fucking disappointment.
This film fails in just about every aspect, and fails miserably. From the performances to the script to the direction to the soundtrack selection, NOTHING WORKS. Clocking in at just over 2 hours, this film felt like it took YEARS off my life.
After a promising start (including a couple of brief, albeit effective, hallucinatory scenes) the film runs out of steam almost immediately. Gilliam shoots his visual wad early and then just leaves the audience to sift through a seemingly endless string of pointless drug induced semi-events all leading up to a great big nothing. You don't care about ANYONE in this film. The only response this film got from the audience was from the occasional act of physical comedy (akin to the Three Stooges). At least 60 people walked out.
Supporting roles (filled by the likes of Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Michael Jeter and Ellen Barkin) are pointless and colorless. The soundtrack, which includes a number of Sixties classics, is superfluous, adding nothing to the film contextually whatsoever. (What a waste!) Technical credits are admirable if uninspired. From the color palette to the editing, there is nothing stylistically that hasn't been done numerous times before.
As a longtime Gilliam supporter, this was a MAJOR creative disappointment for me. Frankly, if I were in the hot seat over at Universal, I would have to think long and hard about releasing this film, as any money spent on marketing/distributing it might better be spent at the craps table. At least you'd have better odds of recouping your investment.
Damn! And I really WANTED to like this...oh well, another fallen hero. I can die now.
-Tiny Tim .
