Book Review: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls; How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

I bought this book because of its author. Journalist Peter Biskind was once the executive editor of the late, great film magazine Premiere. For a good portion of my high school and university years, this monthly magazine was like my Bible -- and I still miss it to this day.

Back in 1998, when Easy Riders, Raging Bulls was first published, Biskind had all-access to some of Hollywood's biggest names, as well as some of its most reclusive stars. As a result, he had plenty of anecdotes, professional rivalries and gossipy tidbits at his fingertips. The end result is a random collection of stories that is both easy to love and dislike.

When most film critics and enthusiasts debate the greatest decade for American cinema, they often cite the 1970s as the defining era. It was a decade of change that was heavily influenced by the European art directors most of the American up-and-comers once admired from afar.

It's evident that Biskind has a passionate admiration for the world of cinema; however, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls comes off as both a clever, analytical look at the decade and a tabloid reporting all the "he said, she said" gossip from the time. For every brilliantly researched passage about the behind-the-scenes life, there's a salacious piece of gossip that threatens to veer the book in an entirely new direction.

I'm not one to turn away a good piece of gossip -- and I don't mind a story or two mixed in with heavy film talk -- but there are moments when some of the stories being related feel forced or, even worse, carry an underlying intent to slander. At some points, the lack of insight into certain rivalries or the simple fact that it's often only one side of the story being told, may prevent Easy Riders, Raging Bulls from being a 'must-read' on any film lovers book list.

Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Riders

It opens with a discussion about Warren Beatty and 1967's Bonnie & Clyde -- which essentially kicked off the new wave of American filmmaking -- and Biskind charts the rise, fall and, in some cases, disappearances, of renowned directors, producers and actors. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to about Martin Scorsese's drug binges, Francis Ford Coppola's ego and Dennis Hopper's bizarre, dangerous and addictive personality.

Perhaps there are too many subjects at hand that Biskind is struggling to cohesively weave together, but the book's strongest moments are often the quieter ones where the directors, producers and actors put their egos aside and discuss the toll that their careers take on their personal lives. There are some great, insightful passages, specifically from the always-eloquent Scorsese, about why these people continue to make art despite that fact that it ultimately ruins every relationship in their life.

It all comes back to the fact that these men and women were -- and still are -- artists. And for every late-night bender, drug-fuelled party and rocky relationship, there's a great film in the midst of being made.

So, if you like a heavy dose of gossip with your film history, than you'll enjoy Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. But for those who are looking for more of a focus on the process of filmmaking and how cast and crew interacted with one another may be disappointed.

But, I had fun reading it.

Book Excerpt: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969).

I'm right in the middle of reading Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock-'n-Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (1998).

Here are some interesting sound bites (so far) from Biskind's interviews.


"Jaws was devastating to making artistic, smaller films. They forgot how to do it. They're no longer interested." 
~ Peter Bogdanovich, director


"The cocaine problem in the United States is really because of me. There was no cocaine before Easy Rider on the street. After Easy Rider, it was everywhere."
~ Dennis Hopper, actor/director


"Popcorn pictures have always ruled. Why do people go see them? Why is the public so stupid? That's not my fault." 
~ George Lucas, writer/director


"There's a darkness in my soul, a profound darkness that is with me every waking moment."
~ William Friedkin, director (The Exorcist)


"In the trades I see, 'This picture will be helmed by veteran director Martin Scorsese.' It seems like only yesterday I was a 'new young filmmaker.'" 
~ Martin Scorsese, director/producer

"Star Wars was the film that ate the heart and soul of Hollywood. It created the big-budget comic book mentality." 
~ Paul Schrader, writer/director

30 Day Movie Meme: Day 13

Day 13: FAVOURITE GUILTY PLEASURE FILM

Not gonna lie: I have a ton of films I could have just as easily chosen as my favourite guilty pleasure film. Other potential choices: Hook (1991), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988), Twister (1996), Beetlejuice (1988) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

But, in keeping with the "holiday spirit" of Halloween, I'll go with The Lost Boys (1987); that crazy little vampire movie from schlock-master director Joel Schumacher. Starring some of the biggest young stars of the 1980s, the film's popularity has endured, probably thanks in large part to its incredibly quotable dialogue. It also has a little bit of everything to keep audiences interested; horror, romance and comedy. Although there are some who argue the film hasn't aged well (you only need look to Rotten Tomatoes to find the evidence), I couldn't disagree more. If nothing else, it's a time capsule of a decade when big hair reigned supreme, kids listened to cassettes and teen movies weren't always ruled by raging hormones and nudity.


The Lost Boys is its own brand of fun. Say what you want about the film, but there isn't another movie quite like it. It's over-the-top, over-stylized and completely ridiculous. But it never pretends to be something it is not and for that it gets brownie points in my book. It's the Batman Forever of vampire films, taking the mythology around the "creatures of the night" and throwing in laughs along the way. Completely CGI-free, The Lost Boys instead relies on excellent make-up and actual stunt work.

The plot is straight-forward: Michael (Jason Patric), Sam (Corey Haim) and their single-mom, Lucy (Dianne Wiest), move to Santa Carla for a fresh start. Within hours of arriving, Michael makes enemies with David (Kiefer Sutherland), the head of a motorcycle-riding vampire gang. Sam enlists the help of the Frog brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander), to help him save his brother, Michael, from becoming a vampire. Self-proclaimed vampire hunters, the Frog brothers are the teenaged dimwit equivalent of Van Helsing.

Watch it for the cheese-tastic soundtrack, the vibrant clothing, 1980s pop culture references and some great vampire fight scenes. Did I mention the two Corey's were in it?

Runner-Up:


This almost topped The Lost Boys and, in many ways, it's a much more entertaining film. But, you know. The Halloween theme and all.


Speed (1994) was my favourite action film as a child. That bomb-on-bus, highway-jumping action sequences just don't come out of Hollywood anymore. Granted, CGI has never been better that it is today, but Speed rarely (if at all) had to rely on any of that and it still manages to be more exciting (and openly ludicrous) than the large majority of action films being released today. It's almost as though the film were self-aware: instead of turning away from its outrageous plot, it embraces it and puts its actors through violent encounters with elevators, buses and subways just for the hell of it. Why not?

Reasons I love Speed: (1) Keanu Reeves, never better. (2) Dennis Hopper and his nine fingers. (3) The troubled transit systems in Los Angeles. (4) For keeping viewer interest when a large portion of the film takes place on a bus. (5) It's ridiculous and awesome.

Classic Film Review: Blue Velvet (1986)

BLUE VELVET (1986)

DIRECTED BY: David Lynch

STARRING: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern and Dennis Hopper

"I'm seeing something that was always hidden. 

I'm in the middle of a mystery and it's all secret."

~Jeffrey Beaumont~

Weird has taken on small town America. College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns to his quiet little hometown of Lumberton to visit his family when his father falls ill. On his way home from a hospital visit, Jeffrey finds a severed human ear in an open field. When the police seem incapable of figuring out the mystery, Jeffrey takes matters into his own hands with the help of the lead detective's daughter, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern). What Jeffrey and Sandy uncover involves beautiful nightclub singer, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), and sadistic psychopath, Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).

Like controversial art films A Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs, to name a couple, Blue Velvet is something that has to be treated as an experience. It's one of those strange classics that will always be picked apart in university film classes, which can arguably ruin its absurdity and ominous undertones. It's a bizarrely beautiful American avant-garde classic that deserves its status as David Lynch's masterpiece. 

Lynch is a master of suspense and the surreal. He creates sinister plots, odd characters and an atmosphere that can only be described as uniquely Lynchian. The film opens to the strains of Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" and the images of the idealized little town of Lumberton, full of blooming flowers, immaculate houses and friendly neighbours. Despite its outward appearance, the viewer immediately senses a dark undertone of lurking danger and death. Murder, rape, kidnapping, voyeurism, sexual awakening and one very sadistic man run rampant in the underworld of Lumberton and feature prominently in the film. That unsettling discomfort grips the viewer from start to finish. This dark mystery as the ability to intrigue as much as it can repulse.

The film is full of unforgettable, vibrantly coloured imagery, from the dark blue velvet curtain that flutters slowly during the opening credits to the limited view of Dorothy's apartment as a hidden Jeffrey watches her through the slats of her closet to the smoky atmosphere of the nightclub where Dorothy performs.

The sight of seeing a vulnerable Dorothy reaching beneath her couch for a photo of her son or Dean Stockwell's show-stopping scene where he lip-synchs to Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" (image above) are all oddly beautiful and something out of a nightmare, at the same time. Like Stanley Kubrick before him, Lynch has the gift of providing an audience with emotional atmosphere, simply through the use of objects. shadows or songs.

The casting is first-rate, specifically the four main leads. As Jeffrey, Kyle MacLachlan is all charming, college-boy cool. He portrays Jeffrey as a naive young man who is lured in by the dark nature of the mystery that surrounds him; someone who wants to break away from the manicured lawns and preppy classmates that he's grown accustomed to. Laura Dern's Sandy Williams is a soft-spoken, albeit strong-willed, young women who is less inclined to fall into the dark allure of the mystery. Her strength of character is what pulls Jeffrey back from completely losing himself to the mystery. Isabella Rossellini is not as strong an actress as her late mother, Ingrid Bergman, however, she is just as beautiful and captivating. As nightclub singer, femme fatale Dorothy Vallens, Rossellini plays her character with an open, honest vulnerability. Her deterioration is sad to witness and, more than any other character in the film,  you want to see her have a positive outcome. Finally, the late Dennis Hopper, in his second-most iconic role after Easy Rider, is outrageously over-the-top. His Frank Booth is a sadistic, cackling, profanity-laced villain who instills discomfort and fear in every frame he shares with other characters. This sadistic monster is one of American cinema's most famous villains and, in the hands of anyone other than Hopper, would likely have not been so horrifyingly memorable and perverse.

Lynch's films tend to be walking contradictions, with a dark and nasty attitude combined with moments of humour and genuine tenderness. Never is that ability to contradict more on display than it is in Blue Velvet. Lynch and his films transcend genre; they cannot be classified and very rarely can they be properly explained. His films are a genre all their own. You can debate the film with friends until you are blue in the face, however, everyone will walk away with a different interpretation of it. What is Blue Velvet about? A twisted throwback to old-school detective films? A tale of sexual awakening? The age-old story of good vs. evil?  

Lynch's ability to constantly push the boundaries of the status quo is nothing short of admirable and is exactly what that art of filmmaking should be at all times.

FINAL GRADE: A