The Rum Diary

Okay I lied, it's not a sequel it's a prequel.

The Rum Diary is set in 1960 long before the real Hunter S. Thompson started his own type of journalism, what he called Gonzo journalism. So the potrayal of him in this movie is less drug orientated, more subdued, and pretty much just another reporter (albeit with a love for liquor.). The film still stars Johnny Depp as the man himself and still does great justice to the role. True it's not as fun or as insane as Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, but don't let it turn you down. The movie isn't horrible, but it's not great either. The story is basic, with another of Hunter's psuedonyms named Paul Kemp in this movie, as he travels to Puerto Rico looking for more frequent work. In the process he meets a beautiful woman who he falls for, and is soon faced with a decision: does he continue writing almost sheer propaganda about Puerto Rico, or take a stand and bring down the monopolizing douchebags? Well if you know anything about our friend Mr. Thompson, he is not the kind to go quietly into the night. The film was made six years after Thompson's death and is actually in memory of him, and I have to say they did not screw around with the preliminary story. They got everything down right straight down to the ending. So I must highly commend them for not really taking any liberties with this particular chapter of this man's life. It's a good movie, not great but can still be enjoyed for it's merits. But if I would make a suggestion, watch this movie first. You got polar opposites with these two movies about Thompson's life, and really after watching the hilarious insanity of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, it's kind of hard to watch this movie. Although there is one drug scene and it is pretty funny, the movie deals more with what Paul Kemp is going through, rather than what he is going through in hallucinatory fashion. Final sum up, good movie, watch this one first, and last but not least buy the ticket and take the ride.

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

Who needs drugs when you have a movie like this?

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas is a brilliant film, based off of the book by the same name written by Hunter S. Thompson, starring Johnny Depp in his slow rise to popularity and Benicio Del Toro. The story follows the real life story of Doctor of Journalism Hunter S. Thompson, named Raoul Duke in this movie, as he is sent to Las Vegas to write on a sport event but soon spirals into a drug riddled analysis of the 60s counterculture and the american dream. The very feel and nature of this movie does make you think, "Jesus what the hell did I take before this movie?". It's very out there, but not to the point where you get lost in confusion. It's a trip to say the least. There's great subtle humor in the movie almost all done by Johnny Depp in probably one of my top five best performances of his, and it takes repeated viewings to get everything that's happening, both in foreground and background. The performances feel legitimate, this ain't no Reefer Madness kind of drug acting. Actually now that I think about it the entire movie feels like a combination of uppers, downers, screamers, and laughers in terms of drugs, with higher than highs and lows of aftereffects on binging on every known drug to mankind since 1544 A.D. with laughs aplenty, and screamers full of tension. I definitely say to give this movie a chance, and see what you take from this trip of drug idled madness in the seediest city in the country.

And on tomorrow's review, it's actually almost a sequel to this movie. Still starring Johnny Depp, still based on Hunter S. Thompson, but made in 2011.