Actually, I've knocked down to one star since last night; one star from me means worth watching. Two stars means good; three a masterpiece; and four is rare--something very special. Schlesinger, a good director, here takes too much time trying to paint a gritty, harsh world, and sacrifices character, somewhat, in Rizzo. Voigt makes the film as the (almost dislikeable) naive Texan.

No stars for this though:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam 1998 US (1st time)
A journalist and his attorney, both incredibly high on drugs, arrive in Las Vegas with orders to cover a sporting event.
Because his characters are constantly junked up and hallucinating, and because he is probably aware of the film's cult potential even before its release, Gilliam feels he can get away with anything; he does, if you can take two-hours of a dramatically mundane series of surreal sketches. To say it is a self-indulgent mess may be lazy, but no less valid.