DOUBLE FEATURE: WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM / FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS

Props for recognizing that Fear and Loathing is a bit of a masterpiece. Not enough people seem to realize that.

No one needs to watch Buffalo. For Murray completists only, I believe. Fear And Loathing though, is a wonder from start to finish. 

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Originally Posted by stelios 

No one needs to watch Buffalo. For Murray completists only, I believe. 

I disagree. It's certainly not worth owning or anything(one viewing is plenty), but I think it's really fascinating to watch. Certainly worth grabbing on Netflix if you have more than a passing interest in HST or Murray.

Agreed on Fear and Loathing. Fucking amazing movie. All the more so because Gilliam was a bit of a last-minute director, and supposedly Gilliam has never done drugs(I have a hard time believing that one) yet has thrown drug use on the screen(particularly hallucinagens) far more effectively than a lot of directors who have done tons of them.
 

That thing about Gilliam not doing drugs is BS.  I remeber an interview he did when Fear & Loathing came out where he was very specific about the pros and cons of cocaine.

The problem with Buffalo is that it's now impossible not to compare it with Fear & Loathing and not on its own merits.

Warms my heart to see all the love that Fear and Loathing is getting here once again. I somewhat distantly recall a period some years ago where there was a bit of chest thumping around these parts from a few people who described themselves as being formerly enamored with the film but having by that point "grown out of it" and seeing it through "more mature eyes" as being not really all that great. Always thought that was total bullshit. It's utterly fantastic, truly one the all time greats.

I actually like Where the Buffalo Roam quite a bit too. I'd never even dream of arguing that it's in any way even close to being on equal footing with Fear and Loathing let alone superior (because it definitely isn't, not even close), but I also never quite found it to be the completely and utterly worthless dud that many make it out to be. I definitely see the cracks in it (and I know all about how Thompson himself felt about it), but I also think that Murray and Boyle make it exceedingly watchable, fun, and worthwhile. At the very least, I consider it to be an incredibly interesting and entertaining failure. I'd much rather have it exist than not; all failures should be so fun and fascinating.

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Originally Posted by avoideverything 

That thing about Gilliam not doing drugs is BS.  I remeber an interview he did when Fear & Loathing came out where he was very specific about the pros and cons of cocaine.

Cocaine and LSD/psychedelics are like water and oil.

Also would like to add to the dogpile of love for Fear and Loathing. There's truly not enough love for that film (though part of me likes it that way). Not only is it an amazing film that comes eerily close to capturing the visceral ride of a psychedelic experience (or one variety of it anyway), it's one of the best book-to-film adaptations I've seen.