Strange Days - Revision history

Lquilter: stub

2007-06-19T21:48:44Z

stub

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:48, 19 June 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
	A 1996 film, directed by [[Kathryn Bigelow]].		'''Strange Days''' is a 1996 SF film, directed by [[Kathryn Bigelow]].

	USA: 145 minutes. 1996.		USA: 145 minutes. 1996.
Line 9:		Line 9:
	==Summary and notes==		==Summary and notes==
	Near-future (well, the turn of the millennium) action suspense. The technological premise is that a new technology (SQUID) allows the recording of perception, direct from the brain; these digital recordings of other people's experiences can then be distributed, on the black market only because playback is at least somewhat dangerous and definitely illegal. The backdrop is New Year's Eve, the millennium, in LA, when racial tensions, crime, and violence are running rampant. Lenny Nero, the protagonist, deals in the illegal recordings. His ex-girlfriend is strung out, and now involved in a dangerous crowd. A prominent African-American musical artist is murdered; the ex is afraid of something; and a mutual friend, a hooker, is on the run afraid for her life.		Near-future (well, the turn of the millennium) action suspense. The technological premise is that a new technology (SQUID) allows the recording of perception, direct from the brain; these digital recordings of other people's experiences can then be distributed, on the black market only because playback is at least somewhat dangerous and definitely illegal. The backdrop is New Year's Eve, the millennium, in LA, when racial tensions, crime, and violence are running rampant. Lenny Nero, the protagonist, deals in the illegal recordings. His ex-girlfriend is strung out, and now involved in a dangerous crowd. A prominent African-American musical artist is murdered; the ex is afraid of something; and a mutual friend, a hooker, is on the run afraid for her life.

	Highlights & lowlights: First the bad news: There's some extraordinarily disturbing violence against women, including one rape-murder that is just disgusting. There's also some casually dismissed violence against people of color. Lenny, viewing a recording of a robbery, lets pass without comment violence — maybe murder — against people of color in a restaurant / grocery. He rejects the recording because the recorder dies — he doesn't deal in "snuff." But the actual violence and death of other people didn't seem to disturb him at all — it's suggested this is what he deals in.		Highlights & lowlights: First the bad news: There's some extraordinarily disturbing violence against women, including one rape-murder that is just disgusting. There's also some casually dismissed violence against people of color. Lenny, viewing a recording of a robbery, lets pass without comment violence — maybe murder — against people of color in a restaurant / grocery. He rejects the recording because the recorder dies — he doesn't deal in "snuff." But the actual violence and death of other people didn't seem to disturb him at all — it's suggested this is what he deals in.

	Violence permeates the film and is treated with extreme casualness by everyone, except when the violence is targeted at real characters. In part this is just the way many movies handle violence these days; and in part it's an attempt to show a near future when violence is so widely accepted. But the violence isn't all entirely unproblematic: as with the odd double standard at the beginning of the movie, there is an extremity of violence shown against women. And in one scene near the end of the movie police beat Angela Bassett's character in a way that is shocking and horrifying. Yes, it's intended to make a point about police brutality and racism. But still it was troubling.		Violence permeates the film and is treated with extreme casualness by everyone, except when the violence is targeted at real characters. In part this is just the way many movies handle violence these days; and in part it's an attempt to show a near future when violence is so widely accepted. But the violence isn't all entirely unproblematic: as with the odd double standard at the beginning of the movie, there is an extremity of violence shown against women. And in one scene near the end of the movie police beat [[Mace Mason\|Angela Bassett's character]] in a way that is shocking and horrifying. Yes, it's intended to make a point about police brutality and racism. But still it was troubling.

	Good news: Angela Bassett is awesome. She kicks ass and saves Lenny Nero, the male protagonist, numerous times. Of course, we're not really sure why she loves him, except for one tender little scene which shows a better side of Nero than we've seen in the movie. But aside from that plot hole, the movie is worth watching basically for Angela Bassett's character. She is totally in command and calm, as well as smart and principled.		Good news: Angela Bassett as [[Mace Mason\|Lornette "Mace" Mason]] is awesome. She kicks ass and saves Lenny Nero, the male protagonist, numerous times. Of course, we're not really sure why she loves him, except for one tender little scene which shows a better side of Nero than we've seen in the movie. But aside from that plot hole, the movie is worth watching basically for Angela Bassett's character. She is totally in command and calm, as well as smart and principled.

	More good news: The movie, while I thought it did have some troubling issues around its representations of violence against people of color, nevertheless is, at least in part, an exploration of those issues. The beating of Angela Bassett at the end of the film recalls the brutal beating of Rodney King. The murder of a prominent, politically active, Black artist, seems throughout the movie as if it might be the result of some sort of conspiracy; at the least it is the result of racism and extreme police brutality. Racial tensions throughout LA, caused by these problems, are the backdrop for the violence: you see constant scenes of cops in military drag, with shields and masks and clubs, implicitly targeting civilians, often people of color. And those racial tensions underlie a significant plot of the movie: what will happen in LA if and when the truth is revealed about the murder of the Black artist?		More good news: The movie, while I thought it did have some troubling issues around its representations of violence against people of color, nevertheless is, at least in part, an exploration of those issues. The beating of Angela Bassett at the end of the film recalls the brutal beating of Rodney King. The murder of a prominent, politically active, Black artist, seems throughout the movie as if it might be the result of some sort of conspiracy; at the least it is the result of racism and extreme police brutality. Racial tensions throughout LA, caused by these problems, are the backdrop for the violence: you see constant scenes of cops in military drag, with shields and masks and clubs, implicitly targeting civilians, often people of color. And those racial tensions underlie a significant plot of the movie: what will happen in LA if and when the truth is revealed about the murder of the Black artist?

Lquilter: cats

2007-03-12T05:52:50Z

cats

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:52, 11 March 2007
Line 19:		Line 19:
	A number of lesbian couples and woman-on-woman action are scattered through the movie.		A number of lesbian couples and woman-on-woman action are scattered through the movie.

	[[Category:1996 Films]]		[[Category:1996 publications]]
			[[Category:Films]]

Lquilter: copyiing notes from fsf.org

2007-02-08T06:10:39Z

copyiing notes from fsf.org

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:10, 7 February 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~director:~~ [[Kathryn Bigelow]]		A 1996 film, directed by [[Kathryn Bigelow]].

	USA: 145 minutes. 1996.		USA: 145 minutes. 1996.

	cast: Ralph Fiennes, [[Angela Bassett]], Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio		cast: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio

	music: by Graeme Revell and Deep Forest; also Skunk Anansie		music: by Graeme Revell and Deep Forest; also Skunk Anansie

	[[~~category~~:1996 Films]]		==Summary and notes==
			Near-future (well, the turn of the millennium) action suspense. The technological premise is that a new technology (SQUID) allows the recording of perception, direct from the brain; these digital recordings of other people's experiences can then be distributed, on the black market only because playback is at least somewhat dangerous and definitely illegal. The backdrop is New Year's Eve, the millennium, in LA, when racial tensions, crime, and violence are running rampant. Lenny Nero, the protagonist, deals in the illegal recordings. His ex-girlfriend is strung out, and now involved in a dangerous crowd. A prominent African-American musical artist is murdered; the ex is afraid of something; and a mutual friend, a hooker, is on the run afraid for her life.
			Highlights & lowlights: First the bad news: There's some extraordinarily disturbing violence against women, including one rape-murder that is just disgusting. There's also some casually dismissed violence against people of color. Lenny, viewing a recording of a robbery, lets pass without comment violence — maybe murder — against people of color in a restaurant / grocery. He rejects the recording because the recorder dies — he doesn't deal in "snuff." But the actual violence and death of other people didn't seem to disturb him at all — it's suggested this is what he deals in.

			Violence permeates the film and is treated with extreme casualness by everyone, except when the violence is targeted at real characters. In part this is just the way many movies handle violence these days; and in part it's an attempt to show a near future when violence is so widely accepted. But the violence isn't all entirely unproblematic: as with the odd double standard at the beginning of the movie, there is an extremity of violence shown against women. And in one scene near the end of the movie police beat Angela Bassett's character in a way that is shocking and horrifying. Yes, it's intended to make a point about police brutality and racism. But still it was troubling.

			Good news: Angela Bassett is awesome. She kicks ass and saves Lenny Nero, the male protagonist, numerous times. Of course, we're not really sure why she loves him, except for one tender little scene which shows a better side of Nero than we've seen in the movie. But aside from that plot hole, the movie is worth watching basically for Angela Bassett's character. She is totally in command and calm, as well as smart and principled.

			More good news: The movie, while I thought it did have some troubling issues around its representations of violence against people of color, nevertheless is, at least in part, an exploration of those issues. The beating of Angela Bassett at the end of the film recalls the brutal beating of Rodney King. The murder of a prominent, politically active, Black artist, seems throughout the movie as if it might be the result of some sort of conspiracy; at the least it is the result of racism and extreme police brutality. Racial tensions throughout LA, caused by these problems, are the backdrop for the violence: you see constant scenes of cops in military drag, with shields and masks and clubs, implicitly targeting civilians, often people of color. And those racial tensions underlie a significant plot of the movie: what will happen in LA if and when the truth is revealed about the murder of the Black artist?

			A number of lesbian couples and woman-on-woman action are scattered through the movie.

			[[Category:1996 Films]]

Lquilter at 03:13, 10 May 2006

2006-05-10T03:13:02Z

New page

director: [[Kathryn Bigelow]]

USA: 145 minutes. 1996.

cast: Ralph Fiennes, [[Angela Bassett]], Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio

music: by Graeme Revell and Deep Forest; also Skunk Anansie

[[category:1996 Films]]