Remembering Dennis Hopper

So, as you may have heard by now, Dennis Hopper died today.

It is a sad passing, and while I didn’t see very many of his movies, I will remember those that I did. However, it’s possible he would be less than flattered that my most vivid memory is of the first movie I saw him in, Super Mario Bros., where he played the part of King Koopa, and I personally believe he did a great job with what he had to work with:

Searching on YouTube sucks, as it seems to consider every Mario clip to be related to the Super Mario Bros. movie. That said, the above has a few of my favorite Hopper moments from the film, including Koopa’s reaction to Luigi’s threats of bodily harm.

Personally, I think not shaving off his eyebrows and dying his hair a bold red would have gone a long way for the look. Maybe add some horns. It would make him Bowser-ish without having to go all the way.

Shortly after that came Speed, where he once again played the villain, as he did that so well:

…okay, so that wasn’t really it, but I found that parody enjoyable nonetheless.

And truthfully, going over his list of film credits on Wikipedia, those were the only two roles of his that I can ever recall seeing. However, he also had a role in THQ’s 2009 Wii game Deadly Creatures, which is one I’ve had interest in playing, but have simply never gotten around to it.

Even so, Hopper has always stuck out in my mind, and I mourn his loss. Rest well, sir.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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