Movie #28- "Easy Rider" (1969)

I get the appeal Albert Brooks had for the "Easy Rider" lifestyle in "Lost in America."  Hitting the road, with a fair amount of cash, no rush to arrive to your destination and the opportunity to hang with some interesting people.  Of course the irony being that Brooks was traveling in a Winnebago and avoided the hassles of "the man".
I jumped into "Easy Rider" more as a curiosity, expecting it to be a out-dated relic of its time.  Parts of it didn't disappoint in that regard, especially the commune they visit and the acid trip toward the end of the film.  But the content also serves as a time capsule of the time, mirroring the events of the 60s and offering some commentary that is still relevant today.
While not providing much in the way of plot, Dennis Hopper as a director frames a beautiful travelogue of the trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans with some cool tunes to accompany the journey.  He does employ one technique that was distracting, using a flash frame to foreshadow events that are just about to happen (except one moment, which flashes to the end of the film).  However, our fear of "different" culture, whether it be race, religion, sexual preference, or even style, still holds true.  And Jack Nicholson has a great speech about individual freedom vs. a free individual.
This turned out to be one of my biggest surprises from this project so far.

Rating: 7/10
Movies I've previously seen: 2
First time viewings: 26