Blog Assignment #2

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Insanity and excess run rampant in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a film based on Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's book of the same title. I watched the movie with audio commentary from HST himself and he explained at one point that he enjoyed the visuals the most, that they gave life and imagery to his work. Personally after reading the book and seeing the movie both numerous times I think it propelled this story into one that may have been narrated from the dark side of the moon. We get to see a dramatic representation of the ridiculous things HST and Oscar Acosta may have seen in Las Vegas with heads full of acid and bloodstreams and nervous systems pumped full of plenty of other intoxicants. Hunter Thompson found an opportunity to take a weekend vacation in Las Vegas with all expenses paid (courtesy of Rolling Stone magazine) which turned into a sort of eulogy on the counterculture of the 60's. Rolling Stone published book in two parts in two different issues, they didn't expect such a long story back. He was only dispatched to Las Vegas so he could cover a motorcycle race held annually called the Mint 400. In the movie and book the race is actually only partially covered, otherwise to most people it may just seem like a film directed to a 'druggie' demographic, really though it's so much more. In my opinion it's an enticing look at how a suitcase full of drugs and the mass media was used on a sarcastic search for the American Dream.