Somebody outside this window has an idea what happened last night. Likely, they have my clothes as well.
Rating: 6 out of 10
When you come across someone like Hunter S. Thompson you do either one of two things: allow yourself to be drawn into his hyper-vivid world of words and violent expression or you can run screaming. When Johnny Depp took on the role of Thompson for the epic drug trip Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Depp not only went willingly inside that world, he became its new champion, vowing to carry on the legend after what everyone knew would be the inevitable death of its creator. While Depp hasn’t tried to transform himself into Thompson outside the silver screen (thank god, I don’t think another human being could ever contain that level of energy) he has attempted at length to let people know who the real man was, the forever beating heart behind the literary lion.
The Rum Diary reports the semi-true story of Paul Kemp (Thompson’s pseudonym for this tale), a struggling novelist looking for his true voice, mostly in the bottom of various bottles of alcohol. He finds himself in Puerto Rico working for the local paper, The San Juan Star, where the publication was already sounding the death knells, but he tries to make the best of it by making friends with locals and criminals alike. Finding himself embroiled in a land grab scheme and madly in love with another man’s fiancee, Kemp fights to keep himself on the right side of his own ethical boundaries. The pressure may have crushed some men, but instead it only crystallizes his purpose in life.
There is a message in the film, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at the package the message is wrapped in. Most people will remember Depp from his first foray into the mind of Thompson and likely come to the theater expecting more of the same drug-fueled insanity. That would be a dreadful mistake. With only one mildly hallucinogenic scene in the entire film, this is largely a straight forward story, with only a mild level of drunkenness in comparison to Fear and Loathing. While there is an inordinate amount of rum imbibed by nearly every person on screen, the core is really two love stories, one between Thompson and his femme fatale, the other between Thompson and his writing. Depp smoothly portrays the deeper and more thought-provoking side of Thompson, but I imagine many audience members left feeling disappointed by the absence of sheer lunacy which they have come to recognize as Thompson’s foremost personality trait. Aaron Eckhart is seamless in his white collar criminal role, pillaging the pristine land of South America for the richest of the rich businessmen, but what is missing is a catharsis or closure to his storyline. By the time he turns, back to the camera and walks away, it lacks any real sense of importance. The other main role goes to Amber Heard (recently seen heading the now defunct TV show, The Playboy Club). She steals Thompson’s heart (both on screen and in real life, she went on to become his wife, one of them) but her on-screen counterpart fails to really bring anything to the table except her looks. There was a wild impetuousness which helped frame the character, but it got old as the film ran on.
Now that we have firmly stomped some some of the reasons for this not being a wild success, let’s look into what is really done well here and where the true heart lies. This is less of a traditional story and more about the formation of a moment in time, the moment where Hunter S. Thompson became the raging, unafraid, unabashed lunatic of the literary world. What you witness on screen is a depiction of the moment when he finds his real purpose, his true voice, and for a fellow writer like myself, this is a awe-inspiring and beautiful thing to see. The character ponders halfway through the film about where he is in his life as a writer, lamenting that he has not learned to write like himself yet. For aspiring writers there are few things more painful and frustrating than that. It is the key to our literary lives and once Thompson found his, he didn’t just walk through the door, proud of his accomplishment, nay, he kicked the door off the hinges with a size thirteen and told everyone else in the room (past, present and future) to get the hell out of his way. There were few like him before and I imagine there will be even fewer after.
The End of the Page recommendation: The Rum Diaries is really there for the true fans of Thompson. Those unaffiliated with the ranks of the Gonzo overlord, please feel free to step out of the way.
1 – Thankfully for the fans of the tragically late Heath Ledger, it was just announced that they are back in production for the last film he was working on The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and they will be leaving all his footage involved and intact. Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell will also be stepping in to take over the rest of the role, but no CGI, no re-cutting to make unshot scenes work. His last performance will be shown to us as Heath and Terry Gilliam intended it. [via Starpulse]
2 – More celebs have added their voices to the protesting of hate crimes like the one that happened mere weeks ago. [via Perez Hilton]
3 – Improv Everywhere, the group behind the people frozen in time inside Grand Central Station, are back with an impromptu musical inside a Los Angeles mall food court. I would have bought this hook, line and sinker if I didn’t actually attend acting class with one of the guys (the janitor, good singer too).
4 – Growing up, I don’t know how many times I said to my pals, “Gee, Predator is just such an awesome film. I only wish I could express the excitement and story of it through British Rap.” Today, one of my childhood dreams has come true. [via GorillaMask]
5 – Hellion on heels, Ann Coulter, has spoken out saying Obama should do the respectful thing and step down from the race. Her reasoning is that Hillary has won three primaries in a row (she doesn’t count Vermont because it was earlier in the day). My main confusion is why she wasn’t asking Hillary to step down after losing eleven primaries in a row. 11!? Evidently Ann likes to push the stereotype that women are running around shopping while muttering, “Math is hard.” [via Perez Hilton]
6 – Ummmm…Stunt Rock is actually a Public Service Announcement for all the things you should never, ever do. This includes: hitting people with your car, jumping off buildings and dressing like a wizard during a rock concert. [via Dave]
7 - In the first piece of good news to come out of the new Terminator project, they are officially dumping the “Salvation” portion of the title. Now we should keep our fingers crossed hoping this will lead to more things being dropped, like McG. [via FilmDrunk]
8 - What happens when you make a worldwide phenom viral video campaign like Ask a Ninja? You win the rights to write and direct the remake everyone has been clamoring for: The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Oh yes, once more our silver screen streets will be overrun by the seeds of discontent from the mutant garden. Let’s see if the remake can launch another Hollywood legend like George Clooney (technically he was in the sequel, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, but let’s not split hairs). [via Hollywood Reporter]
9 - The time has come to finally buy the one item we have wanted since birth. Can someone just loan me $5,500 for it? [via Uncrate]
10 – This was too adorable not to post: [via Swissmiss]
Bonus: Just because this was their top post this morning: [via Swissmiss]
Posted 3 years, 11 months ago at 9:45 am. Add a comment
1 – As much as I hate the what has become of the Star Wars franchise and also for what it did to my childhood (listen people, you will never, ever be original or humourous when you say, “You’re name is Luke? He He…I am your father. Ha hahaha get it? Like in the movie with that muppet dude?”), I still have to throw some love out there to the creators of this post from College Humor. This is actually all in the films themselves, but it’s played in the subtext. Just read between the lines and you’ll see it.
2 – The thickness of one’s skin is only truly dependent on the sharpness of the barb.
3 – Have you ever thought to yourself you wanted your PC to be more musical, more tonally impressive? Maybe the real fact is you have never really listened to it correctly. Try it again after watching this video of a musical jam made out of only Windows 98 and XP sounds, I think you’ll hear a distinct difference. [via College Humor]
5 – Leave it to the fanatics to find something a way to turn the upcoming animated Horton Hears a Who! into a protest piece. Pro-Life rallies sprung up at the premier because they latched onto the moral of the story, “A person is a person, no matter how small.” and are using it as an anti-abortion catch phrase. I’m a Pro-Choice person myself, but if someone can bring me proof that at the very moment of conception the cluster of DNA and cells becomes a furry accountant with a penchant for rhyme, that’s when I make the switch. [via Starpulse]
6 – As if there was a role I wouldn’t be happy to see Johnny Depp play, now he is on the lookout for screenwriters who can create a worthwhile story about Salvador Dali. When this film gets made I am only going to be truly happy if Depp plays through a whole scene while it virtually melts around him. [via Starpulse]
7 – I was going to post up the first trailer for Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, but it was so unimpressive that I decided this other trailer for Zombie Strippers was more valuable to your day. Your welcome. [via FilmDrunk]
8 – There will always be a time when certain things need to be updated, evidently the Catholic Church thinks that time is now and they are planning an overhaul to the seven deadly sins. It seems we as a society have found new and improved ways to offend the almighty and the Church wants to make sure that we are appropriately covered for all our hell-bound needs. [via CNN]
10 – There are a handful of new photos from the upcoming Dark Knight flick. Here is my favorite from the bunch. My personal caption would be, “Do you ever get that feeling like someone is watching you?” [via ComingSoon]
Posted 3 years, 11 months ago at 10:56 am. 1 comment
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