The original cowriter and director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was Alex Cox, whose earlier film Sid and Nancy suggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunately Cox departed due to the usual "creative differences," and this ill-fated adaptation was thrust upon Terry Gilliam, whose formidable gifts as a visionary filmmaker were squandered on the seemingly unfilmable elements of Thompson's ether-fogged narrative. The result is a one-joke movie without the joke--an endless series of repetitive scenes involving rampant substance abuse and the hallucinogenic fallout of a road trip that's run crazily out of control. Johnny Depp plays Thompson's alter ego, "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke, and Benicio Del Toro is his sidekick and so-called lawyer Dr. Gonzo. During the course of a trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, they ingest a veritable chemistry set of drugs, and Gilliam does his best to show us the hallucinatory state of their zonked-out minds. This allows for some dazzling imagery and the rampant humour of stumbling buffoons, and the mumbling performances of Depp and Del Toro wholeheartedly embrace the tripped-out, paranoid lunacy of Thompson's celebrated book. But over two hours of this insanity tends to grate on the nerves--like being the only sober guest at a party full of drunken idiots. So while Gilliam's film may achieve some modest cult status over the years, it's only because Fear and Loathing is best enjoyed by those who are just as stoned as the characters in the movie. --Jeff Shannon
DESPERATE AND DETERMINED TO SURVIVE Two convicts break out of Stonehaven Prison in the dead of winter, boarding a freight train with the intention of getting as far away as possible before their notoriously sadistic warden finds out. But the brakes fail and the driver has a heart attack, sending hundreds of tons of metal hurtling through the snowy Alaskan wastes at terrifying and unstoppable speed. Based on a script by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), with hardboiled prison slang added by real-life ex-con Edward Bunker (Mr Blue in Reservoir Dogs), this riveting thriller also boasts Oscar-nominated performances from Jon Voight and Eric Roberts with Voight playing spectacularly against type as a criminal so vicious that he served much of his sentence welded into his cell. Combining electrifying action with constant psychological tension (the only surviving member of the train crew is a young, inexperienced woman), Runaway Train is one of cinema's great thrill-rides. SPECIAL FEATURES: High Definition Blu-ray presentation of the film Original Uncompressed Stereo Audio Optional English SDH Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Running on Empty An Interview with director Andrei Konchalovsky From Thespian to Fugitive Star Jon Voight shares his memories of his Academy Award-nominated role Sweet and Savage: Eric Roberts recalls his Academy Award-nominated performance The Calm Before the Chaos Co-star Kyle T. Heffner remembers Runaway Train Trailer with commentary by Rod Lurie Original Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
Mastermind Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) returns for more fantastical adventures as he continues traveling from universe to universe in the complete third season of Sliders. Along with comrade Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) physics professor Arturo (John Rhys-Davies) and Rembrandt ""Crying Man"" Brown (Cleavant Derricks) Quinn explores new and mysterious Earths; and along the way encounters tornadoes droughts wizards warlocks and even his own younger-self! Featuring a plethora of guest
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (Dir. Terry Gilliam 1998): (Widescreen 2.35 Anamorphic / Dolby Digital 5.1) It is 1971: journalist Raoul Duke barrels towards Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo. But what is ostensibly a cut-and-dry journalistic endeavor quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey and an excoriating dissection of the American way of life. Director Terry Gi
Easy Rider: Originally released in 1969 Easy Rider is widely regarded as the original ""road movie"" and based on the cult following it developed it was soon copied by other Hollywood studios. Written by Dennis Hopper Peter Fonda and Terry Southern (Dr Strangelove) Fonda produced the low-budget production whilst Hopper took on directing duties receiving an award at Cannes for his first work. Since its release Easy Rider has been regarded as a symbol of free-spirited reaction against society and even for those too young to remember its original release it maintains its status as a classic film which characterises the attitude of a decade. Now after 30 years Easy Rider has been remastered and is presented here in High Definition with both clearer picture and sound quality. (Dir. Dennis Hopper 1969) Wild At Heart: ""This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top."" Barry Gifford's cult novel gets the David Lynch treatment eliciting outstanding performances from an incredible cast of character-actors. An erotic violent disturbing blackly-humorous road movie that confirmed David Lynch as one of the most startling and original film-maker of his generation. This twisted homage to The Wizard Of Oz takes Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern on one of the most bizarre journeys of all time as they escape from the clutches of her evil mother and a bunch of hired assassins... Diane Ladd (mother of co-star Laura Dern) was Oscar Nominated for her maniacal supporting turn as Marietta Fortune but sadly she missed out to Whoopi Goldberg's performance in Ghost. However Lynch did pick up the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for his efforts. (Dir. David Lynch 1990) Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas: ""We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs began to take hold."" It is 1971: journalist Raoul Duke barrels towards Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo. But what is ostensibly a cut-and-dry journalistic endeavor quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey and an excoriating dissection of the American way of life. Director Terry Gilliam and an all star cast (headed by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro) show no mercy bringing Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's legendary Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to the screen creating a film both hilarious and savage. Gilliam took over the reigns as director after Alex Cox (Repo Man) left the production due to creative differences. Gilliam quickly re-wrote the screenplay in its entirety to fit his unique creative vision and style while staying true to Thompson's writings. (Dir. Terry Gilliam 1998)
Once it starts nothing can stop it! Manny (Voight) is the toughest convict in a remote Alaskan prison who along with fellow inmate Buck (Roberts) makes a daring breakout. Hopping a freight train they head full-steam for freedom but when the engineer dies of a heart attack they find themselves trapped alone and speeding toward certain disaster. Until that is they discover a third passenger beautiful railway worker (Rebecca De Mornay) who's just as desperate and just as determined to survive as they are!
Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas is a whirlwind of a movie a wacky drug-laden story backed by a fist-pumping rock & roll soundtrack featuring everything from Wayne Newton and Tom Jones to Combustible Edison and Dead Kennedys. Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) heads to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race bringing along his Samoan lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) in this furious adaptation of the book by Hunter S. Thompson. It is 1971 and Duke and Gonzo are on their way to Sin City with a frightened hitchhiker (a nearly unrecognizable Tobey Maguire) and a trunkful of drugs which they ingest nonstop. Depp is terrific as Duke Thompson's alter ego and Del Toro is a riot as the crazy lawyer. To perfect his Thompsonian performance Depp spent a lot of time with the good doctor and it paid off in a film that captures the frenetic pace of the counterculture novel. Director Terry Gilliam a master of complex bizarre visual imagery has a field day interpreting the drug-hazed world in which Duke and Gonzo reside. An all-star cast chimes in with wonderfully offbeat bit parts including Harry Dean Stanton Gilliam regular Katherine Helmond Flea Cameron Diaz Ellen Barkin Christina Ricci Gary Busey Lyle Lovett and others.
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