Displaying all 3 Review

• The Fear and Loathing Experience — for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  Written by kapiteinslammer on 23.10.2009

  When people ask me what 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' is about, I always reply that the story is not important and they should just take the trip.

  Of course Fear and Loathing has a story, in this case one about a journalist ("doctor" of journalism Raoul Duke) and his attorney (a fat Samoan called Dr. Gonzo) who travel to Las Vegas with a car full of drugs to write an article about a race. After a half hour into the film it becomes clear that this goal is never going to be reach if these two weird character keep taking all those hallucinatory and mood-changing pills, smokes and powders. The main story line gets less important and the absurd and weird situations the characters get themselves into get more important. There are a few scenes however, in which Duke's narrative criticizes the American nation and the American Dream, but these are weaved into the film so they don't really break up the chain of strange events that seem to be going on.

  Johnny Depp does a great job playing the alter ego of Gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson (appertantly so well that he and Thompson became friends) and Benicio Del Toro provides us with a funny yet enigmatic 'sidekick' in the form of Dr. Gonzo. A couple of other Hollywood stars like Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Cameron Diaz play some of the supporting roles, which give the movie enough "Hey that's ....!" moments. All the characters are fun and weird in their own way, which makes up for the lack of main plot line that sometimes seems to bother people.

  The best way to handle this film is like Raoul Duke handles his assignment: not in a conventional way and preferably with some drugs and booze. Just experience it!

  Rating: 9.5/10

• Enjoy your stay! — for Guest House Paradiso
  Written by kapiteinslammer on 01.05.2010

  This movie is weird.
  This movie is gross.
  This movie is never subtle.
  This movie is grotesque.

  But that's the brilliance of this movie. Eddie (Adrian Edmundson) and Richie (Rik Mayall) are the hosts of the worst hotel in the world and you are invited!

  When all personel has left the hotel, these two idiots with a weird sense of social interaction have to run the lovely Guest House Paradiso by themselves. You can enjoy the nice view of the nuclear power plant or have some fine dining in the restaurant, which will serve some suspicious looking fish tonight. You are free to enjoy the cliff side swingset or the service of the hotel's dentist/gynaecologist!

  While this of course sounds lovely, you can be sure that Eddie and Richie are making a mess of everything that happens within the hotel, which results in excessive (but nontheless hilarious) violence. Edmundson and Mayall have gained a lot of experience playing similar characters in the 'Bottom' and 'The Young Ones' series on television, which provide the same kind of humor. While these shows only last for an half hour, Eddie and Richie get in som many weird and shameful situations that the movie stays interesting and funny for the enire one and a half hour. If you dig cartoon-like violence and bad puns, or like Bottom and The Young Ones, this is the movie for you!

  8/10

• Down the beautiful but creepy rabbit hole — for Neco z Alenky
  Written by kapiteinslammer on 01.05.2010

  In this movie Czech animator Jan Švankmajer gives his own interpretation of the classic 'Alice in Wonderland'. Unlike most other Alice movies, this movie does not rely on computer graphics or cartoon animation, but on stop motion style puppetry to provide the movie with the weird and fantastic elements of Wonderland.

  When Alice has entered Wonderland (through a magical drawer this time) she finds herself in a house where every room represents another part of Wonderland. Švankmajers inhabitants of Wonderland are quite different from the cuddly dodo and dormouse we know from the novel and Disney animation however. They are stuffed animals with animal skeleton parts or puppets. Combined with the shaky stop motion filming, this creates some really interesting but creepy looking Wonderlanders. This does not mean that Neco z Alenky is a horror variant on Alice in Wonderland however. Scenes like the little mouse camping on Alice her head and Alice retrieving her turn-to-snake socks are good for at smile when watching and some heart to the often weird stuffed animal puppets.

  Most viewers will probably know the classic story of Alice before they watch the movie, but Jan Švankmajers new interpretation and new settings make it interesting enough to dive through the rabbit hole (or drawer) again and experience Wonderland another time!

  7/10