“Strange Days” (1995) dir. Kathryn Bigelow

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Kathryn Bigelow has always been one of the most exciting directors around. It’s nice she’s getting some acclaim, box-office love, and Oscar nominations/wins to boot (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty”). However, one of her most underrated films is 1995’s thriller “Strange Days.”

Produced by Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron, “Strange Days” is one of those films that makes you think, “Man, that was soooo 1990s.” Not only for the flashy visuals and maximum volume / intensity action and violence, but also because the film takes place in the days right before Y2K. And as such (given millennial fears), the film shows America on the verge of a social, economic, and racial apocalypse (not entirely inaccurate).

The film features Ralph Fiennes in the lead as a sort of virtual reality drug dealer, selling lifelike virtual reality experiences of illicit and sensual pleasures. However, like any drug, the virtual reality experiences can sometimes be addictive and people find themselves slavishly addicted to “playback.” As the film unfolds, there’s elements involving “snuff” clips (people being killed for the purpose of making a virtual reality user experience murder), assassinations, and political/legal corruption.

A lot of this is very melodramatic and sometimes laughable (it’s always interesting to see how older filmmakers and storytellers envision a future we’ve already lived through). But what’s most amazing is in how much it predicted: the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls (and ensuing conspiracy theories involving the LAPD, record label moguls, and rival gangs), the addictive nature of an internet life (as seen with people – mainly in Eastern countries – who have literally died playing multiple hours of video games at a clip without rest), the addictive need to watch more and more disturbing imagery (because it’s only a click away, remember), and how we all are just a significant event away from mass chaos and confusion (i.e. Katrina).

“Strange Days” may be flawed, but even nearly 20 years later, it’s still an undeniably exciting film. The acting, from Fiennes to Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’onofrio and Michael Wincott, is excellent. I had the privilege of seeing “Strange Days” the day it opened in October 1995 on a huge screen with a very loud (and then novel) digital soundtrack … and tellingly, only 2 other people in the audience. This is a film that seriously needs reevaluation, along with a deluxe Blu Ray edition that takes full advantage of the medium.

“Guys and Dolls (aka Love Me Love My Doll)” dir. Nick Holt (2007 BBC documentary)

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Dave's Strange World

http://documentarystorm.com/guys-and-dolls/

One of the most fascinating, bizarre, creepy, and sad documentaries I’ve seen recently is director Nick Holt’s 2007 BBC documentary called “Guys and Dolls” (or as it is also known, “Love Me Love My Doll”). The documentary is about the growing popularity of “Real Dolls,” which are realistic sex dolls made of silicone, PVC, and steel. Their individual cost is in the thousands, but for some men, the cost is miniscule compared to the physical and emotional companionship these dolls provide.

Despite the sensationalistic subject matter, director Holt handles this material soberly. While “Guys and Dolls” looks at the manufacturers and repairers of such dolls, the film mainly focuses on four Real Doll owners. Despite the fact that their individual psychological quirks could fill volumes, the film doesn’t make fun of the doll owners. Two of the four men come off as otherwise decent people, albeit with a lot of social problems which has led them to find companionship in an artificial being instead of a human one. However, the other two individuals do come off as genuinely creepy and it’s not a shock to realize why no woman (decent or otherwise) would go near them. There’s one scene towards the end where one of the gentleman introduces his dolls to a woman he’s dating and watching this scene unfold is undoubtedly more hair-raising and uncomfortable to watch than any horror film.

The full documentary is available at the link above.

“I Ain’t Superstitious” – Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart on vocals)

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Slammin’, concussion-producing, metallic blues one year before Led Zeppelin’s debut. It’s songs like this that make you lament the direction Rod Stewart went from the mid-1970s until today. Until that time, Stewart was one of the finest (if not THE finest) rock vocalist of the era. This cover of Willie Dixon’s blues classic was also put to great use in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” when the casino boss played by Robert DeNiro and his crew zero in on a scam taking place out at the tables.

“Histoire De Melody Nelson” – Serge Gainsbourg

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In its entirety, here’s the 28 minute long form music video French pop legend Serge Gainsbourg created for his mini-rock opera “Histoire De Melody Nelson” back in 1971. Visually and aurally light years ahead of it time, you can smell the whiskey and cigarette smoke through the screen. And because there’s lots of nude artwork throughout the piece, this is not safe for work. The woman playing Melodie was Ganisbourg’s then-wife Jane Birkin. Gainsbourg and Birkin’s daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg is now a respected actress, who won the 2009 Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her intense role in Lars Von Trier’s “Anti Christ.”

“Perfect Day” – Lou Reed (as used in the 1996 film “Trainspotting” dir. Danny Boyle)

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Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” has many interpretations. The beautiful melody and instrumentation does lead one to believe this is a love song. Though, the last line “You’re going to reap just what you sow” is extremely eerie. Some people think this is a song Reed wrote about his relationship with his then-wife and his internal conflicts with his sexuality, drug use, and ego. And that interpretation isn’t without merit.

However, many people (me included) believe “Perfect Day” is actually about Reed’s love/hate relationship with drugs. The lines “You made me forget myself,” “I thought I was someone else … someone good,” and the last line mentioned earlier really hammer the point home.

Director Danny Boyle seems to be in agreement with the 2nd interpretation and brilliantly used “Perfect Day” in his 1996 film “Trainspotting” for the scene where Ewan McGregor’s character OD’s. It’s a particularly unnerving scene not only for the visuals, but because Reed’s song is so beautiful-sounding, it makes what’s happening even more tragic. One of the best uses of pop music in a film ever.

“White Lines” – Grandmaster Melle Mel

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Probably my favorite song from the early days of hip-hop, “White Lines” by Grandmaster Melle Mel was originally written as an ironic commentary on cocaine-fueled party lifestyles, but later added the “Don’t do it!” line throughout so radio programmers wouldn’t can it for being pro-drug. Though, Melle Mel can’t help but add an additional “Don’t” before “Don’t do it” to add further irony. And, to push the irony further, Melle Mel advises you shouldn’t do it because so many people are doing cocaine, he finds it difficult to buy now.

The accompanying video was directed by then-NYU film student Spike Lee. It’s not particularly remarkable, but it’s kind of cool to see an early work by a now stellar director. Laurence Fishburne plays the drug dealer in the video. Be warned, the picture quality really stinks.

The famous bassline was borrowed by post-punk band Liquid Liquid from their song Cavern, also included here.

“Color of Night” (1994) dir. Richard Rush

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“Color of Night” has a very bad reputation. In fact, it won Worst Picture of the Year at the 1994 Razzies (it’s only win … it lost in its other 8 categories). Roger Ebert said at the time: “I was, frankly, stupefied. To call it absurd would be missing the point, since any shred of credibility was obviously the first thing thrown overboard. It’s so lurid in its melodrama and so goofy in its plotting that with just a bit more trouble, it could have been a comedy.”

I agree with everything Ebert said, except for his last assertion. I would counter that “Color of Night” IS a comedy … a gleefully wild, bats–t crazy comedy that does for erotic thrillers what the Ebert-scripted and Russ Meyer-directed “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” did for Hollywood soap operas.

If you don’t agree, consider the pedigree of its creators. Director Richard Rush made the brilliantly demented “The Stuntman” in 1980, a labor of love that took many years to film and resulted in an Academy Award nomination for Best Director that year. One of the writers was Billy Ray who later wrote and directed the superior “Shattered Glass” and “Breach.” I’m not saying that talented people can’t make a bad movie. But when you create something this completely insane, it can’t be by accident.

I won’t rehash the plot because the less you know the better. Yes, you will probably see the big plot twists coming a mile away. But I would argue that’s part of the fun. To accuse this film of containing gratuitous sex and graphic violence is missing the point. Gratuitous sex and graphic violence IS the point. It pushes its R-rating beyond the breaking point. If you’re a prude or have no sense of humor, stay away. But if you let it, “Color of Night” will take you on a crazy, surreal trip … and leave you with a big idiotic grin.

“Bamboozled” (2001) dir. Spike Lee

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Arguably,”Bamboozled” is Spike Lee’s most underrated film. It didn’t get a lot of critical respect back in 2001, but this is a film that seriously needs another look.

“Bamboozled”‘s lead character is an African-American executive for a television network (played by Damon Wayans) who wants to get out of his contract, but can’t unless he’s fired. To get fired, he decides to come up with the most racist show he can imagine, a new-Millenial minstrel show, with black actors in black face, tap dancing, etc. Unfortunately for Wayans’ character, the network not only loves it, but the public does too. His show becomes the most popular show in the nation and Wayans ignores his ideals, embraces his new fame, and loses his soul.

Lee patterned “Bamboozled” on two stellar and abrasive media satires, Elia Kazan/Budd Schulberg’s 1956 film “A Face in the Crowd” and Sidney Lumet/Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 film “Network.” While you can definitely see the influence of both films on “Bamboozled,” “Bamboozled” throws race into the mix. The result is a very uncomfortable and disturbing look at what we, as Americans, have called “entertainment” for over a century … an entertainment that is based on the debasement of a race of people. “Bamboozled” isn’t perfect and it could have been shorter by about 20 minutes or so, but what’s there is still devastating, especially the montage at the end which is a compilation of some of the most horrific examples of racism in film history.

“Bamboozled” in many ways prefigured the Dave Chappelle controversy of 2005, when Chappelle left a $50 million contract with Viacom because he no longer felt comfortable with the material that he was doing on his very popular cable show for Comedy Central.

What’s also intriguing about “Bamboozled” is that it’s one of the few films that seriously analyzes the art of comedy. Being a comedy junkie, I relish any pop culture artifact that takes comedy seriously and examines, sometimes uncomfortably, what makes people laugh and why.

“Husbands and Wives” (1992) dir. Woody Allen

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A very close second behind “Crimes and Misdemeanors” for my all-time favorite Woody Allen film, “Husbands and Wives” is Allen’s abrasively funny, embarrassing, dark, and extremely uncomfortable look at two troubled marriages. Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis are a couple trying to have an amicable divorce until … well … real life takes over. Once they start dating other people, the fur starts to fly. Witnessing this meltdown are their married friends played by Woody Allen and Mia Farrow who start to have their own issues once things unravel for Pollack and Davis.

This film is best remembered as the Allen film that was released around the time Allen and Farrow were going through their own ugly and public breakup. Unfortunately, the controversy over their breakup in real life overshadowed what a great film this is. Allen is at his best when he’s flinging acid at the audience and while it’s ultimately a comedy, I remember being very disturbed by the film when I saw it back in 1992, a feeling I couldn’t shake for days.

“Husbands and Wives” is, arguably, one of the most influential films of the last 20 years. It’s single camera, pseudo-documentary style (which audiences at the time claimed made their stomachs sick) can be seen in some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed TV shows of the last decade (“Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “Arrested Development,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation”).

“Sideways” (2004) dir. Alexander Payne, scr. Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Dave's Strange World

One of the best films of the past decade was Alexander Payne’s acidic and poignant comedy-drama “Sideways.” While much of it is funny (painfully and raunchily so), it’s also very sad. Having been lost in my own head and ill-conceived creative ambitions in my 20s, let’s just say this film is very much of a “There but for the grace of God go I …” kind of film.

Paul Giamatti does a brilliant job in the lead role of Miles, a failed author and wine snob who is spending his days teaching middle school English and going to too many wine “tastings.” Giamatti does a brilliant job making you like a character who is not particularly likable. I can’t describe how Giamatti is able to do it, but you do find yourself rooting for Miles, despite your better instincts. Why Giamatti’s performance was not even nominated for that year’s Oscars is one of many examples of why the Oscars have very little credibility for me.

However, the Oscars didn’t get it completely wrong that year. “Sideways” was nominated for Best PIcture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Haden Church) and Best Supporting Actress (Virginia Madsen) and won its sole Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The film’s best scene is the one where Maya, played by Virginia Madsen, explains to the lead character Miles (played by Paul Giamatti) what she finds meaningful about wine, though she’s really talking about herself. This is one of the best films I’ve ever seen about love between people who are, well, of a certain age. A truly amazing speech from a very special and wonderful film.

While “Sideways” doesn’t have a traditional happy ending per se, it does give the long-suffering lead character a push towards happiness, and sometimes, that’s all you need.