Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Fear & Loathing on the Silver Screen


With The Rum Diary tentatively scheduled for a release sometime in 2009, now would seem as good a time as any to take a look back at the two prior film releases that were inspired by the weird wanderings and words of Hunter S. Thompson.

Hunter Stockton Thompson (1937-2005) was an American journalist, would-be politician and author, most famous for his novels Hells Angels and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, his work in Rolling Stone Magazine and posthumously having his ashes fired out of a cannon, across his fortified property 'Owl Farm' in Woody Creek, Colorado.

Heavily influenced by recreational drug use and its promotion, a keen wit and an appreciation of the written word, along with a devotion to handguns and other incendiary devices, Thompson dragged his readers into a perspective and way of life that would form the crux of what would eventually become known as gonzo journalism - a subjective form of journalism that raids the imagination, plunders reality and feeds the public a sublime blend of truth and exaggeration for effect.

It was inevitable that the public at large would eventually catch on to the adrenaline rush that gonzo and the good Dr. Thompson were offering in high-grade, non-diluted quantity, but that’s not to say that Hollywood immediately got things right.

Where the Buffalo Roams (1980)
Often overlooked and generally forgotten, this film is perhaps a better introduction and rough overview to the world of Hunter S. Thompson than the later Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Bill Murray plays the role of Hunter S. Thompson, and does so rather admirably. Murray managed to capture the spirit, mannerisms and vigour of Thompson, after having observed and shared time with the man over the space of several months, which it is said culminated in Murray being tied to a chair and thrown into a swimming pool, blindfolded.

Having the role nailed, Murray’s efforts and that of his co-star Peter Boyle (as Carl Lazlo) sadly weren’t enough to save this film from sinking into obscurity shortly after its release – a failure owed to an over ambitious script. Tempting to any writer perhaps, the smorgasbord of ideas that could be mined from Thompson’s works was myriad, and certainly over indulged upon. Including as much of Thompson’s adventures as possible in the space of a 96-minute feature was folly, for as they say – sometimes less is more.

Where the Buffalo Roams plays out like a weird staccato take on a buddy film, focusing more on the relationship between Thompson and Lazlo, which is utilized as a means to bridge various unrelated articles and books from throughout Thompson’s career up until 1980.

The film has its moments, and is one that no Thompson collection should be without, but its value is as either an introduction for the novice or as an addendum to those well versed in the subject matter.
Rating 2/5


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Driven by the exceptional acting talent that is Johnny Depp in the role of Hunter S. Thompson, this film succeeds Where the Buffalo Roams packed up and then collapsed into a heaping mass of random ideas and a lack of linear progression.

Like Murray before him, Johnny Depp was able to explore Thompson’s character and mannerisms over a number of months spent with him in Colorado. A period that was undoubtedly helped by the fact that Thompson and Depp had already formed a strong bond and friendship from previous meetings.

The film itself benefits from the synergy between the two in the form of a brilliant portrayal of Thompson by Depp, whose acting talents shine across the board.

The plot escapes the pitfalls generated in Buffalo by taking Thompson’s best known work and developing it without diluting its essence or mangling it for the sake of covering more ground. The story is strong, plays out well and is also further reinforced by fine casting and the ability of Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo to play both a bane and foil to Depp’s Thompson / Raoul Duke.

Whilst the film is more fantasy and Gonzo heavy than the earlier Murray vehicle, it is true to Thompson’s writing, his nature and his intention. It is both a quality film and tribute to a man who had become a legend in his own lifetime.
Rating 4/5

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Francis the Mule


When I was a kid there were few things that I enjoyed more than a lazy Sunday afternoon, indoors out of the summer heat, enjoying a movie matinee and an occasional National Geographic documentary. Ma & Pa Kettle, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin and one-off gems such as Mad Monster Party, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Forbidden Planet, Elvis movies, and It’s a Mad, Mad World, were all among my favourites.

However, by far the most enjoyable treat among the delights that I was exposed to, was Francis the Talking Mule.

Francis was the brainchild of David Stern III, a writer and newspaper publisher who adapted his own novel about a talking US Army mule for the screen when Universal Studios purchased the development rights in 1949.

Francis appeared in six films, voiced by veteran actor Chill Wills and co-starring Donald O’Connor as Peter Sterling, the young army solider whom Francis befriends. Starting with the 1950 production Francis, the series follows the pairs adventures through various branches of the US military and entanglements, all the result of the fact that Francis would only speak to Peter; thus when Peter would confess to others of his conversations with a talking mule, he would on each occasion be sent off to the psyche ward to develop his basket weaving skills.

An original concept, and an enjoyable one at that, Francis has been copied a number of times, no more notably and shamelessly than in the television series Mr. Ed, which featured the adventures of a somewhat irritating talking horse with a voice that would grate the barnacles from even the most ancient of hulls. Perhaps the best adaptation of the concept, taking the idea to another level, was the 1955 Warner Bros. cartoon One Froggy Evening, featuring the famous singing Michigan J. Frog.

During the run of 6 films, O’Connor suggested that he was uncomfortable with his role, despite top billing, as the mule always did receive more fan mail than he did. For whatever reason, O’Connor and Wills chose not to continue into a seventh film, despite the franchise’s continued success.

A seventh and final Francis feature, Francis in the Haunted House, was produced and starred Mickey Rooney and featured the voice of Paul Frees as Francis. The change was not well received, bringing an end to Francis in film. He would continue in popularity only in comic books and today is enjoyed by new generations only in re-runs and the home movie market.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

There are no bad films, only shitty ideas

With a new title comes a renewed interest in the keeping of this blog, and developing it into what it should be – a money spinning Mecca for film freaks and enthusiasts and a means for meeting loose women.

Whilst none of the above may actually happen without the aid of chloroform, using the site to sell my alcohol soaked organs, or a sizeable readership, I will trudge on regardless.

So with that in mind, allow me to introduce you to John’s top 5 shitty films:


Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy (1990)
What more could you possibly want to bypass, than a film featuring a horde of gun-toting sociopathic lesbian nurses, whose sexually depraved lifestyle has lead them into a rut? Perhaps one where said sociopaths find new sexual thrills in soaking their hands in the carcasses of their victims and all in name of their newly born messiah – a baby featuring a highly defined birthmark, resembling the face of Elvis Presley!

This cracked gem with dung filled centre comes to you from those purveyors of twisted taste at the house of Troma. It is a monument to bad taste, insane and drug aided writers everywhere, and the pursuit of ugly.

Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy is an odd film indeed and a masterpiece in both cult and unhinged ridiculousness.

Rating 0.5/5


Lord
of the Flies (1990)
I struggle with this piece of rubbish, I truly do. Unlike Maniac Nurses, this bad boy actually makes me ill. Not just an uncomfortable pang; no I mean that I want to throw my head between my legs and shout a liquid brainbow onto the floor in protest at this particular bastard of a flick.

Golding wrote a tremendous piece in the examination of unchecked human nature and emotion in Lord of the Flies. Prior film treatments of the book have latched onto the psychological ride that Golding produced, and gave it life in a new medium with subtle changes. This flick however twists intention and skews result, producing an ectopic film birth of horrific proportions. The characters are underdeveloped, poorly directed and the story serves only to extract a horrified, repulsed or irritated responses from the viewer. Piggy’s role and the conclusion of the film are perhaps the most irritating elements of all.

Viewing this film is akin to paying to ride a ghost train, only that instead of a few laughs and maybe slight shocks (if any), you instead are sprayed with tepid sickness, spit and verbal abuse before being beaten on your way out the door.
Rating 0/5

Love Story (1970)
Do you like TV movies? How about those ones that seem to pop up all the time, mid-week, where a child is dying, has gone missing, fallen down a well, lovers find they are siblings or two sets of parents find that their 10 year old children were accidentally switched at birth?

If you answered yes, you need to CLICK HERE

If you answered no, read on..

Love Story is a film geared toward tearing at the heart strings and turning you into a blubbering marionette, wanting to be fucked, loved and kept in a little cage forever and ever. Love, loss, more loss and an overbearing slice of melodramatic, aurally raping theme music are all here and in quantity. Ryan O’Neil and Ali MacGraw (no relation to the horse) are mere saccharine pawns playing out a modified and heavily diluted Shakespearian tragedy where as you know – who dares, gets screwed.

A lot of people love this film. A lot of people should consider swimming in chummed water.
Rating 0.5/5


Game of Death (1978)
Bruce Lee was an amazing individual, whose creativity and intelligence matched his physical prowess. If ever an individual was deserving of the label of polymath, Lee was it. Writer, dancer, author, martial arts genius, choreographer, director, philosopher, the list went on and on, unlike the man himself.

Released following Lee’s death, this posthumous title is an abhorrent butchering of art, which was rushed into cinemas to cash in on the death of a legend.

The original premise for Game of Death was a simple one. Lee would make his way to the top of a pagoda, fighting a different guardian at each level, each trained in a different fighting discipline, before ultimately confronting the ultimate challenge at the top.

The first release of this film had none of that. Only a few brief scenes that were shot for Game of Death by Bruce Lee made their way into this first edition, with those supplemented by stock footage and a stand in with a propensity for poorly developed mimicry. The film is unrecognisable from that which was originally intended. Do yourself a favour, and watch the original footage as it was intended, and not as part of this monstrosity.
Rating 0.2/5


Passion in the Desert (1997)
If you’ve ever wanted to watch a French soldier during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt, grooming a lioness ever so passionately, with his tongue - here’s your chance. I’ve never read the original story by Balzac, but one would hope that it made more sense than this film did. I’m not sure that even the most avid fan of bestiality or French desert escapades would enjoy this. But hey, if you’re a Francophile/zoophile and have an opinion here, by all means tell someone else!
Rating 0.2/5