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Better Living Through Circuitry

Better Living Through Circuitry

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $22.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The True, Ultimte, Unbiased Rave/Dance Culture Film
Review: I saw this film the other night on cable television and all I can say is "Wow". Being a part of this scene for years now, I can attest to its accuracy...The filmakers were there doing interviews and really showing what this whole "rave" thing is all about...If you want a true sense of what it is all about, you have to actually come out to an event..However, if you are reluctant, then check out this film because its about as close as you can get without being there..I cant wait to buy the DVD...The Frankie Bones segments alone are mindblowing!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Doumentary, about our Underground Dance Culture
Review: I saw this in theatres four times, twice in the same day. And if you haven't seen it yet then, consider it a major priority. Jon Reiss, put together an excellent documentary about this culture I have grown to love and Cherrish. Actually digging deep into the history of most genres of electronic music, including the history of acid. Sneaking his Song VX1000 digital camera into Raves and talking with the 2 most important and influencial people to the scene DJs and of course US! Its all about keep'in it real and not getting to comercialized, and Jon did an excellent job. Much LUV! P.L.U.R.<R>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: bad sale
Review: i would probably agree this is a good movie, but unfortunately I never got the opportunity to view it on account that i waited 4 days and then was told AFTER i purchased the video, it was sold in this person's store. bad business ethics if you ask me. So no, I'm not pleased with any of the services.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Preaching to the converted
Review: If you love the scene, this movie will bring you tons of flashbacks. Great flyers, good quotes from people who are big in the scene, nice shots of people dancing and plenty of good music. All in all, a nice slice of life.

If you have no clue about raves or whatnot, get a friend who does so they can explain a lot of what's going on. My housemate saw this and thought it was utter crap til I told him what was up. The problem is that this is all a quick and scattered introduction to the rave scene. Many issues are picked up and quickly discarded in an effort to quicken the pace.

On the commentary track, the director says that he didn't know anything about the scene before he started and it shows. Over the course of the film, the story gains more focus. A few of the threads begin to tie together and then the whole thing ends, maddeningly early.

If you're looking for a history lesson or a good explanation of what's what, talk to someone in the scene or grab one of several excellent books on the subject. Better Living is a beautiful accompaniment to anyone who wants to see more, but it doesn't quite get you all the way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's worth it!!!!!
Review: Ok, where do I begin. This movie/documentary is probably one of the best films concerning the topic of the ever popular raves! It dives deep into the roots of the rave culture and shares MANY different points of views on this topic. You actually feel like your in a rave when you watch this video. Im so glad that I got this before it went out stock here!! But still, buy it used, or buy it new, it doesn't matter, your still going to feel this special childhood essence they call "RAVE"!!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great movie for anyone 'jaded' with life...
Review: The 80's had disco bunnies, the 70's were marked with hippies, the 20's had its flappers, and today we have ravers. The controversial status associated with this subculture makes 'Better Living through Circuitry even more appealing to the average Joe because it allows them to better understand an active sub-culture in society today. Although a documentary of 'raves', this movie can be enjoyed by anyone that appreciates a delightfully fresh and optimistic outlook on life.

The movie is comprised of interviews and scenes from these so-called scandalous all-night parties, It answers the basic 'who', 'what', where' and 'why' questions in regards to the scene and the people that make it possible. The movie is interesting as it gives both 'behind the scene' as well as 'at the scene' insight, making it interesting and informative to anyone that has not actually attended one of these events.

Speaking from a point of view of someone who is in the scene, I can honestly say this documentary is a pretty accurate portrayal of parties and the inspirations behind them. Admittedly it is a bit on the 'candy' (or cheesy) side, which may disappoint some true party kids, but all in all, I thought it was done pretty well. 'Better Living' incorporates the most important aspects of the scene, the music, the dj's/producers and the beliefs of the culture overall. It was able to somewhat convey the 'aura' one might feel at a rave which is derived from the gregarious crowd, the awesome effects of lasers and light manipulation, and most of all the powerful music. The movie also does cover the notorious topic of the presence of ecstasy at raves. The concentration of this club drug is minimal in the movie, which parallels the fact that for serious ravers- this drug is not a significant part of their lives or their attendance at these parties. Yes!!, there are a large percentage of people at these parties that are sober!!, which I think would shock most of the people that aren't familiar with the scene.

Many of those native to the scene criticize that the movie is does not give as much of a historical account of the development of the rave culture. It doesn't give a lot of 'historical' information about the scene, and talks briefly of how things used to be compared to how they are today. The interviews consist of top-name-Dj's and producers of electronic dance music, some promoters responsible for the making of raves, typical party kids, and even a few ordinary citizens. I liked the fact that the movie gave a lot of information about the music that makes everything else possible, and how the geniuses of this culture go about creating the pieces that they do.

I thought this movie was good on several levels; it was pretty short so as not to be boring and holds viewer interest quite well. I hope that it gives society more of an understanding of what the rave scene is really about. If you enjoy this movie, and want to see other things like it, you might check out 'Human Traffic', 'Kids' or 'Go', Human Traffic being my favorite amongst the list. I doubt that 'Better Living through Circuitry' will motivate the average American to look for flyers directing them to the next party in their city, but maybe it will make them less judgmental of people in general.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: "The Discovery Channel" Rave story
Review: The director could have let us develop our own idea of the Rave scene, just filming different raves in different parts of the world (not just in CA)Leaving the images suggest us "what" is a rave , instead he filmed the opinion oif different DJ's and such ( the Raffaella Carra' looking trans is amazing) ( PS Raffaella Carra' is a very popular, and old, Italian showgirl)So you can just hear what those guys think about raves. They all obviuosly end with the "no drugs!" message. How original. The drug aspect of the rave scene is almost unmentioned, the story of the house-acid music is described in 3 minutes. The rest of the world raves not even mentioned ( what about Ibiza? Goa? The Love Parade in Berlin??)....END

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: relic of a time lost...
Review: This documentary illustrates what it was to be a part of the rave scene (dj, promoter, club kid, or otherwise). It showed what the scene was about at its height. Unfortunately, the scene is all but dead now. We rode a wonderful and fantastic wave of life and energy. Since, that wave has rolled back. Through watching this film, you can still see the high water mark and remember what it was in its essence.

Someday, I will have children. If my children ask me if I was a part of this wild era, I will not lie. Then I will show them this film. I will tell them this is who we were, this what we did and I will never tell them I regretted it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent portrayal of the rave scene.
Review: This documentary is beyond good, it is excellent, it is beautiful, it is an awesome picture of how our scene is. From interviews with Djs, producers, ravers, and even paramedics and cops, this documentary shows raves and ravers in their true habitat. It also does what many have tried, but failed miserably : puts the media to shame in their coverage of this scene. How much time is devoted to drugs? Maybe 10 minutes, combined...the rest is pure musical content.

Bad points : The editing is a little off at times. Once in a while, the interviewee may get cut off and a word becomes indecipherable, taking you out of the magic of the moment. Also, the music is a bit loud in some interviews, causing the words to fall behind the music, instead of vice versa. Other than these technical flubs, the movie is awesome.

The DVD is jam packed with extras as well, I still haven't gotten through them all. A flyer gallery, extended interviews with some of the DJs/Producers in the movie (Roni Size, Crystal Method, etc.) and a whole scene that was cut out with one of my favorite DJs, DJ Dan, plus a lot more in there too...a MUST BUY!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: should be called "Raving 101"
Review: this documentary takes a discovery channel approach at portraying what rave scene is about. if you've never been to a rave you might find it amusing, otherwise its just bunch of redundant stuff you've seen over and over again, with little substance. Some of the DJ interviews were cool but thats not enough to make this a worthy buy. probably the silliest part was when this girl tells you what to bring to a rave so make sure you have a pen and paper ready.
if i was going to recommend one documentary from theese series it would be "Modulations".


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