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Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo, and Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson) cruisin' along the desert.

Imagine: Two men, parading down the Las Vegas strip in a fireapple-red Convertible they've dubbed 'The Great Red Shark', under the influence of pretty much every drug known to man,(even such made-up drugs, like 'adrenachrome')and searching for "the American Dream"...
clearly, this is not your typical scene...well, then again, these are not your typical guys. Introducing writer Hunter S.Thompson, and his attorney Oscar Acosta.Under their alias's "Raoul Duke" and "Dr.Gonzo", they get themselves into plenty of "true-story" trouble, which in my opinion makes them two of the most fascniating case studies ever.
In the Terry Gillian adaption of Thompson's chaotic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", he manages to bring Hunter's world of physcadelic drugs and hallucinations to life. Casting my two favorite actors as the two drug-buddies, with a cameo from Thompson himself, it seems as if nothing can go wrong with this movie. Not to say there weren't sacrifices-the script was modified several times, for one thing. Then there was Thompson's indescision on whether he wanted to make the cameo or not. The two biggest belonged to the leads- Del Toro had to gain around 45 pounds to play what he called 'the big Samoan Buddha' and Johnny Depp shaved the top of his head.
But their sacrifices were in vain, because, alas'! Trouble struck once the movie was released. Most people didn't even go to see it, and the majority of the people that did didn't like it. Not only did it get bad reviews, but Depp and Del Toro didn't get as much credit or recognition as they deserved, despite both of their efforts to make this as believable and likeable as possible. Likeable? Well, the movie(and book) has a small fan base(me included)..and as for believable? You be the judge..
In real life, Thompson was a writer for Rolling Stone and Oscar was his attorney, as well as a writer and a political activist. He earned his law degree easily, but instead of working wihin the system he decided he would rather use his degree to challenge it. He wrote two books, one of them being semi-autobiograpical..I don't remember exact titles here, but something with 'cockroaches' in the title.. Unfortunately, the last Oscar Acosta was heard from in May 1974, 3 years after their Las Vegas adventure. He called his son from Mazatalan, Sinaloa and poof, he was gone. Thompson , who is still alive and kicking, and negotiating to re-unite Depp and Del Toro with the screen adaption of his first novel, "The Rum Diaries", specualtes that he was probably murdered or had some bad run-in with drugs. He still speaks fondly of him and speaks sadly, often noting that he still misses his confidante.
Just goes to show how unfair things can be-- how some things are so sick and twisted( drug-induced or not) that it's unbelievable, and no-one gets the proper recognition.. much like the whole Hunter Thompson-phenamanon itself-unbelievable, and twisted. As Thompson himself might say, " Buy the ticket-take the ride".

This article contributed by Bretta Skinner.

The Demise of Hollywood, Amercia!

We have come a long way since Moving pictures decided to grace itself upon the soil of Orange Groves that once stood in the place of Hollywood , California. We have seen actors and actresses such as the the beautiful and charming Marilyn Monroe and the wickedly handsome Laurence Olivier fade from our world with the blink of an eye. We have seen films that made us cry, smile and angry at the world, mainly because we had to see them end. And yet we seem to be losing all we have to show for it.

Hollywood , now full of starved writer's and bitter out of work actors seems to be fading from the beauty, grace and glamour that once made it shine brighter than anyplace on earth. Why? Well, I wish I could give you a straight answer. But the simple fact is, I do not know. Perhaps it is because the people who make up what used to be something special has turned it into something solely about money. Maybe it is that Hollywood has grown so large that people cannot see past themselves. It could simply be because, it is over, Hollywoods time has come to an end. Well I think it is all of the above, Hollywood is over , it has become about money and it is impossible to see yourself in a place covered in smog, bitterness and self doubt. A place where you are shunned for having a twenty instead of a hundred.

And it shows everywhere, even on that big beautiful white screen that I hold so dear to my heart. Sure, there are a few people out there that try to maintain a sense of the "Classic" hollywood. For instance, Steven Soderbergh, who so far has managed not to sell out his quality for qauntity to make a few extra bucks and the almost insane but incredible John Waters, who fights mainstream Hollywood with all his might. And then there are the actors, most of which have managed to pull off between 20 to 25 million a movie, so why should they care about maintaining greatness. It is the few actors, note FEW, like Johnny Depp , Benicio Del Toro, and Christopher Walken that keep the greatness held together. But it breaks my heart that if any of them let go we will loose it forever.

And that leaves me to the question, what can be done? Well, if anything we need to get up , and take a good look around us. We need to remember that Marilyn Monroe drove down the infamous Sunset Strip everyday and that Humprey Bogart used to sit in a corner booth at Chasens Beverly Hills. We need to try and remember the history that millions of tourist hold on too so tight when they are dissapointed by the filth that lines Hollywood Blvd. We must remember the reason we decided to become actors, actresses, directors and producers. Why when we were children we danced in front of our mirrors with a brush to our mouths. It is as simple as that! How could we have forgotten, how could we have let it slip past us?

contributed by Jenna Monroe

Visit Jenna's Benicio Del Toro Shrine!

Money For Nothin'!

Since when did movies change from being created for entertainment to being created for mass production? It wasn't too long ago that all directors, writers and actors would strive to create an amazing epic that was made to inspire and stir emotion. Now a day we have movies being mass-produced to make a mockery of teenage life. Such movies as "Boys and Girls", "Down To you", and "She's All That" may be fun for the mere purpose of having nothing better to do, but they do not inspire or spark any sort of sensation or good or bad in the viewer. Freddie Prince Jr. is the king of these films. Everyone slips up here and there and does a movie like those, but he's in all of those! Getting back to my point
Good high school based films have been few and far between in the past decade. One of the only movies, about high school teenagers, that has ever motivated me to be a better person is "Dead Poet's Society." It was this type of movie that, back in the day, caused the viewers to think after seeing the movie, a practice that is, to some extent, rare these days. "Dead Poet's Society" never really made it big in the box office, but it was and will remain one of the best movies of recent time.
It seems, most of the time, that the only good movies to go and see are the indie films because they don't get all the hype that big motion pictures do. Now it's all about cross marketing, shoe, guns and drugs, you chose. Have we lost a sense of what's real? Is there anything out there that's even remotely resembles what life and death is all about? I fear that in the future the good movies are going to be conquered by the moneymaking mockeries.
There is still hope out there though. Movies such as "Philadelphia", "Traffic", "The Usual Suspects", and "American Beauty" give people hope for a better film industry in the future. And actors such as Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp give confidence that they will continue the tradition of making admirable movies in the future. At least they don't make movies that have the exact same plot!
So even though great movies are few and far between, there is still an inkling of hope out there that people will one day come to their senses. But, as Bob Dylan once said, "Hope's just a word that maybe you said, and maybe you heard on some windy corner 'round a wide-angled curve." In the meantime, check out all the fantastic independent films you can find! Save Yourself! Promote movies that our good, instead of supporting the hype of movies that have no underlying meaning. In ten years, you'll be glad you did.

Contributed by Sara Sawatzki