Out of the Blue

Simultaneously a portrait of the yearning for freedom of a young rebel without a cause, and a very downbeat post-mortem of a decade in which the pursuit of freedom turned ugly and proved to be anything but an easy ride. Some clunky scenes, and a punk ending that may have been a good idea but fell slightly short in the execution (while still being affecting). Most of all, the construction of a character that Manz was born to play, an actress who left a deep impression in each of her few roles.

Dennis Hopper takes what would have been an Afterschool Special type show and turns it into a gritty, offbeat punk classic. With the exception of a few awkward scenes one could easily mistake this for a Scorsese film of the same period. And whatever happened to Linda Manz?

Linda Manz was one of a kind.

Dennis Hopper - always a strange and attractive mix of beer, drugs, intellect and artistry - was absolutely an iconoclast. His vision of cinema btwn Easy Rider and this film was the epitome of New Hollywood, good and bad. Beyond the grit of a film like Out of the Blue is the charm and humor that just barrels out of Hopper, who electrifies each scene he's in. And of course Linda Manz, brutally rough around the edges and full of vinegar and violence, steals a hell of a lot of scenes as well.

Manz was an authentic unselfconscious performer with a charm and magnetism that belied her tender years. She is excellent as a complex kid caught between conflicting emotions, navigating her bleak surroundings with a mix of hope and resignation. It has something to say about the failure (and generational fallout) of 60's idealism, but Hopper wisely avoids the grandstanding that marred Easy Rider to fashion a raw portrait of a fractured blue collar family that works best in its smaller moments.

The zenith and masterpiece of Hopper's directing career, this film is an absolute embodiment apropos the decadent dynamics of the dysfunctional American family. Captivating in its' execution with the fascinating impudent performance from Linda Manz, the seedy realism of this film transcended its time period and locality. Hopper understood all-too-well the brazen and wanton psychology of the drug and alcohol plagued family unit. You can see this was a intimate glance into Hopper's own experience.

Really enjoyed this. Hopper proves capable behind and in front of the camera, the look and feel of the film enhanced by the well-chosen music. Canada proves a useful setting for Hicksville, America. Aside from Hopper, Don Gordon is very watchable as a complete shit, but Linda Manz does an exceptional job as the troubled CeBe. It's hard to guess at the outset how it's going to end up, but this is quite a journey, shifting between moments of despair, hope and horror. Deserves to be better known.

Vaguely reminding of Cassavetes in how it seems improvised, sleazy, with bad sound and unhinged characters behaving like complete idiots in dire environments. But it doesn't work as well as any Cassavetes film. The character magic is just not there for me. Everyone is annoying, their antics seem random and if there's a depth to the motivations of this behavior it only surfaces in a few scenes. I couldn't shake the feeling that Hopper is celebrating and congratulating his own weirdness

Linda Manz was incredible. I never saw a character like her in a movie.

I don't always really like the main girl character here - she talks loudly with her friends when they're at the cinema -- though this (along with the slightly overdramatic ending) doesn't hinder my positive and sympathetic reaction to this film. Hopper's character is also hardly likeable, yet he flat-out says "I'm an asshole!" in one of that actor's most well acted scenes. This is a superb film, life-like and poignant, and that bus crash scene has been permanently singed in my mind.

Linda Manz is so great, but this is such a difficult watch. It's chaotic and every moment feels like it could veer into something darker. And it does! And it's incredibly uncomfortable. This does not earn my Cozy Sunday Pick of the Week.

Rust Never Sleeps.

The sound was absolutely atrocious, making it hard to understand what was going on.

Shambolic at times, but that's part of the weird angry genius of it. Linda Manz is just incredible.

A strange punk rock masterpiece with that Dennis Hopper energy that only he can achieve. What a film.

A good film with a sense of honesty and good faith in the writing and direction of well conceived characters. One of those movies that takes a good long look at the periphery, bringing to mind people like Lynch, Herzog or early Malick. Sort of like them, as well, whatever 'good faith' there is driving the film, the crazy bastard Dennis Hopper does not concede his ego to riding in the backseat. I guess he's riding shotgun.

watched: 2013, 2022

Dennis Hopper's towering companion film to the landmark Easy Rider is both turbulent and aimless, invoking the machinations of Yasujiro Ozu while at the same time forging the generational rage that would define the youth of the Reagan Era. Manz steals the film with the single most torpid and lovelable adolescent performance ever put to celluloid as it slouches like some nightmare Last Picture Show towards its nihilistic denouement.

Meh.

Interesting story, but really cheesy dialogue and iffy acting make it hard to take seriously.

"They were surprised themselves at how good it was." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/03/episode-7-part-one.html

As cheesy as the Elvis music it reveres...

While I don't think this film is outright brilliant, I think what Hopper did with it is. He was obviously very impressed by Manz, and he sculpted the new film around her screen presence. There's clearly a lot of improvisation going on, and the script was apparently re-written daily, and it's at it's absolute best when it let Manz riff on her naturally shit-disturbing persona.

Different. Hopper can be very extravagant at certain plot turns, but most of the time there's a good, mellow grittiness to the movie.

there are little moments that are like Robby Muller, or inspiration for River of Grass. gets a little mired in the dialogue sections.