I'm dumbfounded that in all the commercial and user reviews I've read so far about "Strange Days", especially those that describe its central element of the "playback" device as being such an original one, reviewers (and shame on Ebert for not mentioning this) are ignoring the fact that in 1983, there was a much superior big budget film, Douglas Trumball's "Brainstorm" which used exactly the same kind of device - put on a headpiece and put yourself in the brain of someone else, living experiences they had had, and recorded, through all your senses.
No, "Brainstorm" doesn't have that dark and dirty look that seems so popular these days. But it has many more truly memorable scenes that stick in the mind forever.. Christopher Walken experiencing Louise Fletcher's death when he plays back the "toxic" tape. Walken and Wood's rapture under the sheets. The Brainstorm company salesman, stuck in an all-night orgasmic frenzy, to the point of collapse as he plays back a looped sequence from a tape a lab engineer had recorded while he was being humped by a sexy blonde.
"Strange Days" has nothing to equal these scenes still vivid in my mind from a film I saw 18 years ago, compared to one I saw yesterday.
And given the choice of watching Walken and the radiant Wood (in her final film appearance) as married lovers, versus Ralph Fiennes and Juliette "Look! I'm reprising my role from 'Natural Born Killers' again for the 29th time!" Lewis, well to me, there just ain't much to decide.. Someone needs to take Ms. Lewis out back and tell her that the harder she tries to appear sexy, the less she is..
There's absolutely NOTHING original about "Strange Days." From the device itself, to the dark gang-infested streets, to the year-early Millennium hysteria (you want Hollywood hysteria? Try watching "Miracle Mile" sometime!)
Nearly all reviews mention the "Blade Runner-ish" noir look it has, and the original concept of the playback device. This is an extremely derivative film with almost no original ideas wrapped in a very nicely photographed, forgettable package. People sure have short memories, and Hollywood sure has no more original ideas..
I'm still waiting for the $150 million "Hazel, The Movie" and "Strange Days" just tells me that sooner or later, it'll come..
No, "Brainstorm" doesn't have that dark and dirty look that seems so popular these days. But it has many more truly memorable scenes that stick in the mind forever.. Christopher Walken experiencing Louise Fletcher's death when he plays back the "toxic" tape. Walken and Wood's rapture under the sheets. The Brainstorm company salesman, stuck in an all-night orgasmic frenzy, to the point of collapse as he plays back a looped sequence from a tape a lab engineer had recorded while he was being humped by a sexy blonde.
"Strange Days" has nothing to equal these scenes still vivid in my mind from a film I saw 18 years ago, compared to one I saw yesterday.
And given the choice of watching Walken and the radiant Wood (in her final film appearance) as married lovers, versus Ralph Fiennes and Juliette "Look! I'm reprising my role from 'Natural Born Killers' again for the 29th time!" Lewis, well to me, there just ain't much to decide.. Someone needs to take Ms. Lewis out back and tell her that the harder she tries to appear sexy, the less she is..
There's absolutely NOTHING original about "Strange Days." From the device itself, to the dark gang-infested streets, to the year-early Millennium hysteria (you want Hollywood hysteria? Try watching "Miracle Mile" sometime!)
Nearly all reviews mention the "Blade Runner-ish" noir look it has, and the original concept of the playback device. This is an extremely derivative film with almost no original ideas wrapped in a very nicely photographed, forgettable package. People sure have short memories, and Hollywood sure has no more original ideas..
I'm still waiting for the $150 million "Hazel, The Movie" and "Strange Days" just tells me that sooner or later, it'll come..