BackTrack

BackTrack aka Catchfire on VHS. 1992 Director's Cut by Dennis Hopper. Starring Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward, Joe Pesci, Vincent Price. With Charlie Sheen, Toni Basil, Alex Cox, Bob Dylan, Catherine Keener. Theatrical release directed by Dennis Hopper as Alan Smithee. 1990.

BackTrack aka Catchfire on VHS. 1992 Director’s Cut by Dennis Hopper. Starring Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward, Joe Pesci, Catherine Keener, Vincent Price. With Charlie Sheen, Toni Basil, Alex Cox, Bob Dylan, Catherine Keener. Theatrical release directed by Dennis Hopper as Alan Smithee. 1990.

From the VHS cover:

When murder is your business, you’d better not fall in love with your work.

Jodie Foster stars as Anne Benton, an artist who see’s what she shouldn’t — a mob assassination. The police want her to testify; the mob wants her dead. So she goes on the lam, moves to another state and adopts another identity. But she can’t hide from Milo, the mobster sent to kill her.

One look at his target and the hit man has a change of heart. He doesn’t want her life, he wants her love. Before long this unlikely couple is on the run from both the cops and the crooks, dodging bullets and trying to sort out who to trust, who to kill, and who to love.

DVD upgrade: Backtrack

Dennis Hopper’s Version: Backtrack [VHS]

Easy Rider

Easy Rider on VHS. Movie starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson. With Toni Basil, Karen Black, Phil Spector. Directed by Dennis Hopper. 1969.

Easy Rider on VHS. Movie starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson. With Toni Basil, Karen Black, Phil Spector. Directed by Dennis Hopper. 1969.

From the VHS cover:

A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere…

Experience the real, uncensored sixties counterculture in this compelling mixture of drugs, sex and armchair politics. In the role that catapulted him to stardom, Jack Nicholson portrays an alcoholic attorney who hooks up with two part-time, drug-dealing motorcyclists (Fonda and Hopper) in search of their “American Dream.” Heading from California to New Orleans, they sample the highs and lows of America the Beautiful in a stoned-out quest for life’s true meaning.

DVD upgrade: Easy Rider (Special Edition)

The music: Easy Rider: Music From The Soundtrack (1969 Film)

Part sequel, part prequel, Easy Rider: The Ride Back (straight to the dustbin according to reviews): Easy Rider: The Ride Back







Blue Velvet

VHS covers: Blue Velvet. Mystery crime thriller movie starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern. Directed by David Lynch. 1986.

Blue Velvet on VHS. Starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern. Directed by David Lynch. 1986.

Pabst Blue Ribbon:

The Most Talked About Film Of The Decade

No film in recent history has generated more praise or more controversy than Blue Velvet. Director David Lynch (Eraser Head, The Elephant Man, and Dune) takes you on a surreal journey that peeks through the windows and over the well-trimmed hedges of a small town to discover murder, mystery and perversion. His hero (Kyle MacLachlan) finds a severed ear whose trail leads him to a detective’s daughter (Laura Dern) and a mesmerizing beauty (Isabella Rossellini) with a terrible secret. Dennis Hopper’s ferocious performance as the sadistic villain is already legendary. Disturbing, astounding and sometimes oddly comic, Blue Velvet is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before; one touch and you’ll never be the same.

DVD Upgrade: Blue Velvet (Special Edition)

DVD? FTS! VHS! Blue Velvet [VHS]

Rebel Without A Cause

Rebel Without A Cause VHS box cover art. Movie starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo. With Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper, Edward Platt, Dennis Hopper. Directed by Nicholas Ray. 1955.

Rebel Without A Cause on VHS. Starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo. With Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper, Edward Platt, Dennis Hopper. Directed by Nicholas Ray. 1955.

From the box:

Jim Stark is another good kid gone bad — and no one knows why. Not his teachers or the cops who arrest him on drunk and disorderly charges. Not even his parents. To all, Jim — like thousands of other middle-class kids — is just another Rebel Without a Cause.

DVD Upgrade: Rebel Without a Cause (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Waterworld

Waterworld VHS cover art. Movie starring Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper, Tina Majorino. With Michael Jeter, R.D. Call, Jack Kehler, Jack Black, Kim Coates. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. 1995.

Waterworld on VHS. Starring Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper, Tina Majorino. With Michael Jeter, R.D. Call, Jack Kehler, Jack Black, Kim Coates. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. 1995.

From the box:

Beyond The Horizon Lies The Secret To A New Begining

In a future where the Earth is covered with water, the human race struggles to survive on dilapidated boats and makeshift floating cities called atolls. But some still cling to legends of a mythical place called “Dryland.” Seeking clues to its whereabouts, the evil Deacon (Dennis Hopper) attacks the atoll which houses young Enola (Tina Majorino) and her adoptive mother Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn). When a mysterious drifter/adventurer known as the Mariner (Costner) is caught up in their struggle, he finds himself catapulted into an explosive war of good vs. evil with the open sea as his battlefield. Only later will he discover Enola’s wondrous secret — a revelation that may change the destiny of all mankind.

DVD Upgrade: Waterworld

Read The Movie Tie-In: Waterworld Mass Market Paperback by Max Allan Collins