A TRIP TO END ALL TRIPS OF ALL KINDS! "FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS"

Time for something a little more “hard hitting”. We centered around the emotional traumas of war, the 60’s and even the 20’s last week, but this week , I’m going for the “tough stuff”. Quentin Tarantino will feature heavily in the proceedings but before we get to him, I want to discuss another of my favorite directors. Terry Gilliam. Now, to say I love Monty Python would rank among the great understatements of the century… Terry Gilliam is the one in the band who did the animations. A graphic artist by trade he did those beautiful surreal animations that sort of wound out of one absurd shape into another without so much as a “by your leave” leaving the viewer completely befuddled as to where he began in the first place… In a strange way, I feel his work as a director has a lot of the same surreal quality… Not the photography but the storytelling… Did you watch Tideland? Or The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus? Did you like either? If you said yes, you will LOVE Fear and Loathing…
Meet Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp). He was a newspaper reporter somewhere down the line. He still is, thanks to his large Samoan “attorney” Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro). Dr. Gonzo and Duke do a lot of traveling together. They also get into A LOT of serious trouble together. They are usually loaded on every kind of drink and drug imaginable, and they surrender to the drugs, let it course through their bodies and take them wherever the f.ck it feels like. Most of these adventures are fuelled by Duke’s sporadic work as a journalist. And this work sends our weird duo to Las Vegas one fine morning. Mayhem being both Las Vegas’s and Duke and Gonzo’s middle names, the combination is… Highly combustible…
Ok, think of the Big Lebowski. It’s the same kind of film. It is most definitely not suitable for kids. And I hear some of you tut – tutting at the idea of a comedy about drugs saying “maybe we’ll give this one a miss”. No. Do NOT give this one a miss. As far as comedy is concerned, Mr. Gilliam’s talent as a director and Mr. Depp’s acting skills alone make for an unforgettable experience. Raoul Duke, his mannerisms, his way of speech… No wonder the character became a classic… Plus, guest appearances are abundant – Cameron Diaz, Toby Maguire, Christina Ricci… The quality of acting is breath-taking… You may have slight trouble distinguishing a beginning and an end – you would not be wrong. The film however, has content. You will be surprised to find out it even has a political message. Duke harks back to the 60’s when flower power ruled, when the world WAS going to become filled with peace and harmony… He criticizes America of the 80’s and what it became (Gilliam is the only American python so it’s appropriate really. Let’s not forget however that this was actually adapted from a short story by Hunter Tompson but I am yet to read that one…) Duke and Gonzo are degenerates – they are also caricatures… Maybe what Gilliam (and Tompson) are looking for is present with its absence so to speak… You really should watch and give it a good thought… I mean even the dudes at Cannes thought Mr. Gilliam could be worth a Golden Palm (he was nominated didn’t win it thought)Even if you don’t come up with any philosophical or political conclusions, I guarantee you one heck of a ride…

THE BOX – IN A WORD, NOT FOR THE LOVERS OF CONVENTIONAL

Remember Richard Kelly, the director of Donnie Darko? He directed this. So be warned, if you like that kind of film you’ll love it, if you don’t just skip to the next review. I know (and I know that you know) that I try and target some “out of the ordinary” films every once in a while but this is a bit of “ a specialist” moment. You either love or hate this kind of film
Mm-kay, so you’re either curious or a fan of Richard Kelly either way you’re here, so let’s get on with the story  It’s the year 197something. Space exploration is the next big thing. Behold Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) who is a happily married engineer at the Space Agency with a beautiful, loving wife (Cameron Diaz) and a young son. Their lives are happy and pretty much ordinary. Then a strange man (Oscar ® nominee Frank Langella) comes along and proposes a deal. He leaves with them a box, a small box, with a red button on it. He tells them that if they press this button, someone, somewhere who they don’t know at all will die. And they will receive a million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide what to do. It all seems incomprehensibly simple. Plus the money is a large sum that they need. But of course, there is a much bigger picture involved and from that moment onwards each and every one of their decisions will have consequences they could not have even dreamt of…
Soo, Ok, how does it compare to Donnie Darko? DEFINITELY the same quality. I am officially a fan of this guy. And the best thing is, unlike Donnie Darko, you do not need a grasp of basic quantum physics and/or a manual /website to understand what the film is about (those of us who have watched Donnie can testify this is NOT an exaggeration). I would go into more detail but honestly I am not quite sure where to begin. Suffice it to say, you may have to rewind a few times or research a thing or two on the net or possibly stop the film have a think over a coffee and then go on. But in the end I am pretty confident you will “get” it. In my opinion, this is a good thing. Cameron Diaz does a particularly astounding job as the family mother and Frank Langella is a particularly scary, well shall we call him “proposer” for now?
All in all, I encourage you to watch this film if you are a fan of the “off the wall” stuff. By all means give it a try if the summary attracts you and you’re curious. But do NOT blame me if you find it too weird/dark/confusing. Honestly, you have been warned.