I, like every other cinemaphile out there, was crushed to learn that Dennis Hopper died this weekend. I think I first noticed him–like, really noticed him–when he played the father in Rumbleish but it was a college screening of Blue
Velvet that sold me forever. I loved the actor so much, I even forgave him for those Ameriprise ads.
So I thought before all of his DVDs double in price now, it might be a super cool Father’s Day gift to run out and grab a whole selection of them. Of course the guy had an impressive 202 acting credits on IMDB so it’s a bit hard to cull down if you’re not super familiar with him. I’d say start with classics like Easy Rider (of course), True Grit, Apocalypse
Now, River’s Edge, Hoosiers, then throw in the awesome early Tarrantino film True Romance (aw, remember when Val Kilmer was hot?) and what I think is my personal vote for Hopper’s best performance, Blue
Velvet. You can also throw in his Hollywood debut, Rebel Without a Cause, which you should totally own anyway.
These are definitely the movies you watch well after the kids are asleep. Or do the dad in your life one better – get the kids out the of the house and give him the flat-screen all by himself for a few hours. –Liz
Find the wildly broad selection of Dennis Hopper DVDs like Easy Rider, shown here, from our affiliate Amazon
