Strange Days

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous
Review: This is a masterpiece. Great characters, great plot, a lot of action and imput for a deep reflection about our future and our nature. And a marvelous love story.

Rating:
Summary: Much more than you might expect
Review: Obviously, this is a movie people either love or hate. Put me in the "love" category. I'm no James Cameron fan, and I found the first hour or so of "Titanic" so pretensious that I almost couldn't get through it. So I was shocked to find how much I loved "Strange Days." This is a gutsy film that takes a lot of chances in terms of plot, performance and presentation -- American critics claim that's what they want in American movies and, yet, when such a film comes around, they berate it for such.

At its most basic level, "Strange Days" is a thriller -- futuristic film noir, with all of the traditional characters. But don't let the title or the plot summaries fool you -- this is a film that is less about new technology, science fiction and the future, and much more about the volatility of race and police relations in the USA, laced with strong athemes of unrequited love, trust, and the darker side of massive urban cities in the USA -- all presented in a frighteningly authentic manner. This is a character-driven movie, not an effects-driven one.

This is also an ensemble piece, where even characters with just a few lines are essential to the mood and presentation, as well as giving the main actors juicy moments to play off of. Director Kathryn Bigelow maintains a frantic, claustrophobic pace in this film, never going for the obvious -- every scene has a point, big or small, which you know in the moment or that you will learn about later. The soundtrack enhances the visuals in a way rarely experienced in a modern film.

If nothing else, you will love Angela Bassett. She's amazing not for the kung fu moves -- her character is the voice of reason, and her performance is stunningly genuine (and heart-breaking at times).

This movie is as flawed, and as classic, as Bladerunner. Time will tell if it gets as much respect.

Rating:
Summary: 2 out of 10
Review: Strange Days is an insane film. The story is too stupid to be comprehended. I wasn't aware that L.A. was that bad by the time of the 2000 celebration. If it's true, should those characters be better off getting out of the city rather than staying in? I had my expectations a little high for this film due to Ralph Fiennes. As much respect I have for Ralph Fiennes, I think he played his role decently, but it is not enough to carry the weight of the film. Strange Days is too long. An hour cut from the film will be sufficient, but it won't prevent Strange Days being delivered as a terribly bad film. The best aspect of this film is when Juliette Lewis gets naked. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Although I was amazed with the direction, by Kathryn Bigelow, in the film Point Break, Strange Days is a let-down for me.

Rating:
Summary: Bigelow's solid A; incomparable Ralph Fiennes
Review: "Strange Days" stars the incomparable Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Lewis as former lovers in a futuristic, bent-for-hell society. Fiennes plays Lenny, whose career is selling vicarious, virtual reality experiences to people. They experience these by putting on headsets with tapes that Lenny has culled from his underworld contacts. Things turn even uglier when a serial killer gets turned on by making his own tapes of his murders, while they are being committed, and sends them to Lenny. Lenny tries to rescue Lewis from the even darker underworld people she now lives with but it is an uphill battle. This is one of my favorite Ralph Fiennes performances plus Bigelow at the top of her game.

Rating:
Summary: Can't I give it more than a 5???
Review: Where was I when the film "Strange Days" was released? Where were you? Do any of you remember it?

It's awesome...electrifying...superbly cast...well edited...a riveting soundtrack...and a must-see for thriller fans.

No! This is not another review of one of my horror flicks. This is simply a thriller...non-stop from start to finish. It's sci-fi theme is so subtle, you really don't feel like it's unreal.

If you liked "Natural Born Killers", "The Salton Sea", "Blow", and other riveting classics, this one's for you. How can you go wrong with a cast like this?

It stars Ralph Fiennes. Ralph, who is also the Red Dragon in last year's three-quel of "Silence of the Lambs", smuggles SQUIDS. What are SQUIDS? As you know, I don't give away plots. Let me just say that Ralph is "the Santa Claus of the subconscious" and peddles real-life cerebral clips (I'll leave it at that).

He's joined by Juliette Lewis, who starred in "Natural Born Killers" and is just as dynamic in her role as a rock star in this gem.

Add to that Angela Bassett, who is (to me) the best African-American female actress on the planet. You will agree when you see her this time.

Not to mention Tom Sizemore, who starred as the police investigator in "The Salton Sea".

Then there's Michael Wincott, who starred in one of my all-time classic films, "The Doors".

And how about Vincent D'Onofrio, who also starred in "The Salton Sea", "Men In Black" and "Full Metal Jacket"?

Needless to say, the film also cast Glenn Plummer as a rock hero. Glenn also starred in "The Salton Sea" as the dealer with the "crossbow"...remember?

Add to that the bizarre twists and turns that culminate with a shocking ending. This movie never ends. It takes you down a road map filled with lefts, rights, u-turns and rollovers.

And yes, for you guys (and gals), it is sexy. The thread that holds the movie together is the passion of a man yearning to keep his woman...a woman wanting his man to understand "love"...an underground populace searching for fantasy and surreal "clips".

This film will take you on a journey you've never experienced. The cover of the DVD box reads..."...anything is possible. Nothing is forbidden." Right on! If my review helps you decide, then don't try a rental. Go buy it! I guarantee you'll watch it more than once, twice, thrice.....

On a scale of 1-10 in this genre', "Strange Days" gets a 10. It was a 9 until I realized how hypnotic Juliette Lewis can be. She has a raw talent to be rough, sexy, real, passionate and spoiled...all in one breath. Her appeal should be a standard in Hollywood these days. She's totally believable and uncensorable. ENJOY!