DVD review: Clone Hunter Often, sci-fi and low budget indie productions go together about as well as chocolate and onions. The high budget demands on special effects eventually hamper the entire story. Clone Hunter is indeed [ ... ] |
What to make of the ending to Inception? So far, my favorite film this year is Christopher Nolanís Inception. Not only does it deliver all the action and thrills expected of a big budget summer blockbuster, but it has inspired endl [ ... ] |
DVD Review: The White Ribbon The White Ribbon is a drama starring Christian Freidl, Ulrich Turkl and Burghart Klaussner. Directed by Michael Haneke. |
DVD Review: Shutter Island The film begins on an ominous note. Eerie strings play as the film fades to white. Soon, a ship appears out of the fog. Cut to a gumshoe, looking and speaking as if he has stepped straight out of a [ ... ] |
| Dennis Hopper's Top 5 Performances |
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| Written by Trent Daniel |
| Thursday, 03 June 2010 12:53 |
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Dennis Hopper, in memoriam: In going over the work of the late, great Dennis Hopper, what impressed me the most was his range. Few actors could go from playing fearsome villains to extremely sympathetic characters so easily. Here is a look at five of his best performances: Frank Booth in Blue Velvet (1986) In my recent list of great movie villains, one glaring mistake is my omission of Hopperís brilliant work in David Lynchís dark masterpiece. Hopperís Frank is one of the cinemaís most unforgettable and terrifying villains in the past quarter century-brutal, deranged, perverted and seemingly on the verge of exploding into violence at any second. The moment he first catches the hero Jeffrey with Dorothy always drew a gasp of fear any time I saw it with an audience. Shooter in Hoosiers (1986) It is somewhat remarkable that in the same year that Hopper played Frank Booth, he also played the frustrating but extremely sympathetic Shooter in Hoosiers. Shooter is the town drunk who is surprisingly hired as an assistant by the new coach for the local high school basketball team. He realizes that this is his shot at redemption and tries to make the most of it. The fact that he falls a bit short only makes him more sympathetic. The photojournalist in Apocalypse Now (1978) His character was never given a name and his screen time is relatively brief. However, Hopper made an indelible imprint on Coppolaís flawed masterpiece. He is not only apparently the jester of Col. Kurtzís hellish court, but seems to be one who has stared directly into the face of darkness and is still trying to comprehend it. His apparent gibberish at times is a mix of both fear and reverence for Kurtz (ìThe man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad.î). Don in Out of the Blue (1980) In this extremely bleak, but underrated film, Hopper plays an alcoholic who served 6 years in prison for a drunk driving accident with a school bus. His character is a coil of both unrelenting guilt and frustration. He tries to put his life and his family back together, but he cannot escape the accident-nor will the town let him. Also features a great performance by Linda Manz as his daughter CeBe, one of the few truly ìpunkî characters ever captured on film. Feck in Riverís Edge (1986) Though Hopper will perhaps best be remembered for Easy Rider, it will not be known as one of his best performances (the breakout performance in that film is clearly Jack Nicholsonís star making turn as the lawyer). Hopper gives a stronger performance as the pathetic killer Feck in the Riverís Edge (which, considering it was the same year he made Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, means that 1986 was easily his best year as an actor). The fact that Feck killed someone seems to fascinate the demented teens in this film, yet Hopper makes the character more pathetic than fearsome (indeed, his character is so pathetic that he seems to take a demented pride in the murder, as if it is the only action of any consequence he has made his entire life). |
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