Actor/director/photographer/art collector Dennis Hopper was pretty much down on his luck in 1983 and decided to stage an old stuntman’s ploy of “blowing yourself up”. I am sure there is some danger associated with this act like what if the protective blast resistant backing you’re nestled against gives way or the powder used in the explosive detonation burns you a bit. Anyway, Hopper chose to go through this publicity stunt to drum up some attention to a career that was faltering badly due to excessive drug use and drinking.
Hopper makes it out alive and probably needed a drink or some form of toot after the stunt got pulled off and he was still in one piece.
Better career opportunities did appear for the wild man actor and he resumed his film directing and acting gigs after he shed himself of partaking in mind altering substances. Good for him. He definitely wasn’t getting anywhere with acts like this sideshow.
Monte Hellman was a director with three very iconic movies that can be counted to his credit: “Ride In The Whirlwind” (1966), “The Shooting” (1966) and “Two Lane Blacktop” (1971). “Whirlwind” and “The Shooting” were two Westerns which featured both Jack Nicholson and Warren Oates. Oates also appeared in “Blacktop”.
I can only recommend that you seek out these titles and explore their worlds of existential angst and sad depictions of idealized lives and dreams shattered in a moment’s notice. All these movies have achieved cult status as they demonstrate the bleaker side of life that can catch us unaware.
Truly absorbing work. Cheers to Mr. Hellman.
I came across an interesting article today. You may have heard this story before. There has been conjecture circulating through the years that “Poltergeist” (1982), a tale of a suburban household plagued by ghosts was NOT directed by Tobe Hooper but was in fact helmed by an on-set Steven Spielberg who otherwise was listed as the film’s producer. It was noted that certainly the end result’s film style reflected a Spielbergian touch. Well, here are some long after the fact confessions from some of the crew that Spielberg WAS the man in charge of direction. I don’t really know what the arrangement was that was worked out between the two men but apparently it suited both at the time.
This bit of trivia aside, let us always remember the huge debt we owe Tobe Hooper for his horror masterpiece, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974). I regard it as one of the seminal works of the horror film genre. A truly harrowing, frightening and nightmarish piece of work that will haunt you. I think unrelenting is a very appropriate term for the film. That somebody had the balls to develop and produce a film with such a vile premise is an achievement all its own.
The link for the story is below. There is also a fun slideshow attached at the end of the article celebrating some of the great movie (franchise) villains/monsters.
READ SOME OF THE STORY HERE!
A varied collection of unusual movie and music video clips.
