Movies

Wayne Ewing weighs in on life with Hunter

/ Rory / 3 Comments

Hey folks,

First off thanks for the all the good will directed my way regarding this damned eye of mine. It is on the mend slowly but surely. Secondly I just received a very interesting email from Wayne Ewing regarding a new section on his website, here are the details:

“I will be writing weekly stories about life with Hunter and the making of the films along with exclusive clips from the archives. Not unlike my old Sundays with Hunter, when for years I helped him write columns for the San Francisco Examiner and ESPN.com, except a bit less frustrating for me.

But I still miss him like many of you, especially since I’m editing a scene right now I shot with him writing one of his last columns in 2004. There are three new pieces up already one about taking Hunter to DC for George McGovern’s birthday, another about the original “Breakfast with Hunter” project and also the real story of what happened that fateful day when Hunter shot Deborah.”

Check out the stories and video clips at http://hunterthompsonfilms.com/vodcast/

I had a good look through the stuf earlier and I know you will like it! If you haven’t already seen Wayne’s documentaries about Hunter make sure to check them out, they are brilliant!

Cheers,

Ron

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Hell’s Angels NOT heading for theatrical release! (UPDATED!)

/ Rory / 2 Comments

 

Ready, set, go…ah well not exactly. Just to clarify some incorrect reports that are circulating the web, Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson is NOT currently being adapted for the big screen by Tony Scott and Stephan Gaghan. They are in fact working on a project about Sonny Barger based on his autobiography called Hell’s Angel. Apparently earlier reports on various websites confused the two books and thought that it was Hunter’s book that they were working from. Sorry but that is not the case, which is a pity as it deserves the big screen treatment.

I knew it sounded too good to be true. In my opinion they went with the wrong book.

Ron Mexico

UPDATE: It appears that there is more to this than meets the eye, reports now indicate that the movie might draw from Hunter’s book after all. Head on over to HSTbooks for more info.

How To Motivate People: Hunter S. Thompson Style!

/ Rory / 5 Comments
Fax from Dr. Thompson

Fax from Dr. Thompson

 

He had a way with words,

Ron Mexico

PS: Thanks to Brian for reminding me about this!

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Official Cast of The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 2 Comments

Johnny Depp (Paul Kemp)Aaron Eckhart (Sanderson)Amber Heard (Chenault)Giovanni Ribisi (Moberg)Amaury Nolasco (Segurra)

Ok guys so here is the cast of The Rum Diary – click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

Michael Rispoli (Sala)Richard Jenkins (Lotterman)Bill Smitrovich (Zimburger)Marshall Bell (Donovan)

So what do you think? Why not leave a comment and let the Gonzo world know!

All the best,

Ron Mexico

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More Extras Required For The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 4 Comments

THE RUM DIARY

Producers of The Rum Diary are still scouting for extras to fill out scenes with Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart and Amber Heard. It is estimated that almost 3,500 people are needed over the 49 day filming schedule. 

One of the biggest challanges facing director Bruce Robinson is recreating the carnival of Saint Thomas.  For that scene in particular around 800 people are needed, of whom 200 have to be tourists. One of the many problem’s facing the casting director is getting people with the right look for a film set in 1960’s. Issues such as hair styles can prove to be a huge problem and anybody interested in being an extra must be prepared to have their hair styled in the appropriate manner to match the era in question. Another problem is finding enough fair skinned people to act as tourists and in a sense stand out from the Puerto Rican extras.  

Anybody that is interested in trying out should send a full body photo to extraspr@gmail.com, accompanied by your name, age, height & clothes size. Applicants should also mention what town they are from, because filming will take place  in Vega Baja, Ceiba and Naguabo. Oh and you might want to check out this great shot of Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp from recent filming on the island.

rum-diary5

 

All I can say is I cannot wait for this film to be released!

Ron Mexico

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New Hunter S. Thompson Forum!

/ Rory / 1 Comment

“I wasn’t trying to be an outlaw writer. I never heard of that term; somebody else made it up. But we were all outside the law: Kerouac, Miller, Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kesey; I didn’t have a gauge as to who was the worst outlaw. I just recognized allies: my people.”

Hunter S. Thompson – Kingdom of Fear

Some of you may already be familiar with the forum we have had here for the past few months. You will no doubt also be familiar with the multitude of problems we have had with bugs and server issues. Well finally I decided I had enough with the crappy service our host was providing so I terminated our relationship with extreme prejudice.  Thankfully I have moved to a better platform which is more reliable and has better features. Unfortunately this means that you will have to re-register in order to post again. We have had thousands upon thousands of visitors to this blog since we launched and I would love if you could join us in new Totally Gonzo Forum. So drop by and start posting or I’ll set the leeches on you!!

Ron Mexico

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Michael Rispoli to join cast of The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 1 Comment
Michael Rispoli

Michael Rispoli

Well folks I am pleased to be able to announce that you are looking at the man who will play Bob Sala in The Rum Diary. Michael Rispoli has appeared in a lot of stuff over the years from Law & Order to CSI. He has also appeared in movies such as Summer of Sam and To Die For. Some of you will no doubt also remember him for his role in The Sopranos where he played Jackie Aprile.

Let us know what you think!

Ron Mexico

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Johnny Depp in Puerto Rico for The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 19 Comments
Old San Juan
Old San Juan

Johnny Depp has arrived in San Juan Puerto Rico to start filming Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary. He has been seen walking the streets of Old San Juan, an area which should feature predominantly in the film. Walking the streets of the old city, Depp was spotted entering various establishments in the area. 

Not much information is available regarding exact filming locations, but it is believed that at least one location will be the Caribe Hilton. The whole thing is due to kick off March 30th.

That is about it folks, glad to see this finally getting underway. I am really excited about this film, it should introduce Hunter S. Thompson to a whole new audience. By the way if you would like to share any information with us regarding The Rum Diary by all means throw us a bone at totallygonzo@gmail.com Any info. regarding filming would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Ron Mexico

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Last line of dialogue from 2006 draft of The Rum Diary script!

/ Rory / 6 Comments

Hollywood Elsewhere

Jeffrey Wells on March 3, 2009

Early Bleary Thompson

“‘To live my my life like I want to,’ he said, ‘is the least I can do.’ And that had worked for him. And when it was over, he knew it was over and required no explanation. He had spent half a life blowing his brains out with booze, and the bullet was just a period at the end of no sentence in particular.” — the last line of dialogue in a 2006 draft of Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary, an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s revised version of a novel by the same name which he originally wrote in 1959.

I received the Rum Diary script last weekend, and when I read that final page I said to myself, “Whoa.” I mean, is that Thompson talking about his own life or what? Talk about an epitaph.

The Rum Diary, which Robinson will begin directing in San Juan later this month, will star Johnny Depp as expat journalist Paul Kemp, Amber Heard as the temptressy Chenault, Richard Jenkins as the likable Lotterman and Aaron Eckhart as the adjective-defying Sanderson.

Both the book and the film tell Kemp’s story, a malcontent journo who moves from New York to work for a small newspaper, The Daily News, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you know Thompson’s stuff, you know what this will be — and that’s okay by me.

source: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2009/03/early_bleary_th.php

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Johnny Depp looking for 800 extras for The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 4 Comments

 

Dr. Thompson & Colonel Depp

Dr. Thompson & Colonel Depp

Johnny Depp is looking for more than 800 local extras for the film “The Rum Diary,” which begins filming in Puerto Rico on March 30. Casting directors are seeking people of all ages with different physical characteristics. Auditions will be held next Saturday at the Academy of Modeling Models Factory. Casting takes place between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm Interested individuals must attend the academy, located on the Paseo de la Atena, # 25 (high) in Manatee. For more information, interested parties can call (787) 904-8862 or (787) 452-1158.

The Rum Diary is loosely based on the experiences of writer Hunter S. Thompson as a journalist in Puerto Rico at the end of the 50s. Depp will play the character of Paul Kemp, a reporter working with a diverse team at a newspaper in San Juan. Bruce Robinson, director of the film, arrived on the island this week along with his assistant.

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