5-7-07

When this movie first came out, I remember walking through the video store and picking it up because the cover was intriguing for an adolescent. Of course when I approached my mom to rent the movie she told me to put it back. It interests me how the book compares to the movie. There are so many camera manipulation sequences that I find hard to believe could be put into words. I’m not a big fan of the movie. I cannot handle how anxious it makes me feel. You never know what they are going to try or get into next. Seeing things through their eyes just reinforces my never having the desire to try drugs. The movie seems to work up, then fall back down. The two guys seem to be getting something accomplished. But, then they do their drugs and mess everything up by making a fool out of themselves and miss interpreting everything around them.

In the movie, Fear and Loathing is Las Vegas, with Raoul Duke, played by Johnny Depp, and Dr. Gonzo played by Benicio Del Toro, the two experiment with a different type of living. The opening scene begins with a quote from Dr. Johnson that says, "He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." This means that if you distract yourself with other aspirations and release your self, you are free from the pain and suffering that goes along with being a regular human being. The point is to let loose of your responsibilities and do what you want while you have nothing o lose. This relentless, out of control behavior will distract you from the misery of the real world that surrounds you. You can escape from life if you just forget about everything and act for yourself. In the movie, these two characters create their own little world with the drugs and addiction they journey through. They forget about their responsibilities of being a man and become irresponsible boys living in the moment, making decisions to only benefit themselves.