Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1) This movie was absolutely out of control. I have never seen the movie before and to sit and watch it now is kind of disturbing. I didn't expect for it to be as graphic as it was. It was all over the place and I just found myself trying to keep up with whatever the story line was depicting. I love Johnny Depp and his ability to create any type of character that he wants, but this guy was out of control. At first I thought it was going to be like his character in "Blow" only because of the drug use, then I quickly came to realize that Raoul was definitely in a league of his own. It makes you wonder how much of it was just acting. Haaha. If the movie was this graphic, I can't possibly imagine how the book describes the different trips that he experiences. At the end of the movie I walked out still not knowing how I felt about it. Is that normal?

2) a. Their search for the American Dream throughout the movie was something that I didn't quite understand. The whole time they were finding out new ways to scheme someone and get something for free. It's possible that their dream was just to be able to live an easy life that's carefree. Also a life that was free from someone judging them. I say this because a lot of the time when they were around other people, they were preoccupied with being caught up in their drug use. They were very concerned that someone was always watching them. So maybe they just wanted the freedom to be able to do whatever recreational activity they chose without being judged. I think for Raoul specifically he wants freedom from responsibility also, for fear of failure. When he was getting ready to leave he mentioned something about not having completed his article. So maybe it's possible that his American Dream is true success. Maybe he really did want to finish that article just to have something that he accomplished.

b)A perfect example of Raoul making a beast of himself is the trip where Dr. Gonzo turns into a devilish creature. Then after that specific illusion is over, he passes out until the morning. Then when he wakes up and he has a lizard tail attached to him along with a tape recorder. He had been completely out of his mind so much that he needed the recorder to remember his actions. It doesn't seem like their drug use relieves their pain, especially for Dr. Gonzo, it seems like it makes it worse. The scene that comes to mind is his scene in the bath tub. He seems extremely distraught and it seems like the drugs augment those emotions.

c) When Duke said that the wave of change broke and fell back, it seemed to me that he was resigning and realizing that for him, his life was how it was going to be forever. That there was no other chance that he was going to be able to have another "wave of change" wash over his life and take back what he's done. He's not going to be able to acheive his "American Dream" because the cycle his life is in isn't headed in that direction. He recognized that the cycle of his life needed to drastically be changed in order to reach his goal. When he made his comment, he gave up. My reading of the movie didn't change because at that point I still wasn't sure what was going on. In reflecting on the movie, there was a always a vulnerability about Duke, therefore that quote went to prove that vulnerability. That showed his character and it showed the whole point of the movie. You can chase after the American Dream, but your life does come to a point where eventually, it's unchangable.