Video Store Confessions Vol. 1

In 1995, Kathryn Bigelow made an underseen and underrated sci-film that takes place over New Year's Eve of 1999.

Whilst touching upon a permeated vibe and fear that the world might end when the clock strikes 12 on the year 2000, the film also touches upon many aspects and themes that are even more relevant today than at the time the film was made.

Through a new technology, people are able to record everything they see and/or literally feel/experience the moments that someone has recorded. A fascinating comment on virtual reality and surveillance and the eventual rise/takeover of reality TV, this type of technology is portrayed as a dangerous technological drug, and a gateway to all the negative aspects of nostalgia.

The film was made only a few years after the Rodney King video. There is a major plot point involving police brutality that is caught on tape, which was still shocking at the time, and has become all too common these days.

Like many of Bigelow's films, she uses a sort of male gaze through a female P.O.V. On the surface, she directs "straightforward" action films like her male counterparts. But when you dig deeper, you see that she is saying something with her specific approach. She is commentating directly on the toxic aspects of that gaze and those films, while making a much more entertaining action film than her male counterparts.

The film is co-written by James Cameron, who Bigelow was briefly married to, and just a bit over a decade later, she would beat out to become the first (and unfortunately, still only) woman to win Best Director. 

There is an aspect of "narcissistic love" in the film which, upon further inspection, is a recurring theme in a lot of Cameron's films (the ones he has written and/or directed and/or produced). It's one of the few parts of the film that doesn't necessarily work.

The cast is a fascinating amalgamation of powerhouse lead performances and strong supporting turns. It is ferociously and charismatically led by Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett. Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, and Michael Wincott are just a few of the prominent and intriguing supporting actors that add deep and complex layers to an intense, thrilling, (sometimes) disturbing, nuanced film that still holds up better today than a lot of other films made at the same time.

This is my first attempt at making a video essay. It has been something I've wanted to try for a while, and it is something that I want to continue doing. I want to eventually (sooner rather than later) upgrade my equipment so that the quality of the videos will get better and better. The more people that watch and engage with my videos (as well like and subscribe to my YouTube page) will allow me to focus more time and energy into future videos (as well as other writing and eventual podcast projects). As much as I love this medium, I am hoping that it eventually becomes more worthwhile to truly dive into it as much as possible.

I am almost 41, living on disability, and I recently went back to school for Film Studies. The entirety of my life has been a love affair with movies. As a child, one of my favourite past times was wandering the aisles of video stores and just reading the back of every movie box. The only thing I love almost as much as watching movies, is studying them and talking about them. Also, I have never met a person that hates movies. In some way, shape, or form, everybody has at least one movie that they love. It is how people connect. How they show affection for one another. How they are entertained. How they relax. They can be life affirming, life altering, life saving.

Movies change the world 24 frames at a time. Please let me help explain how they can change your world.

My first attempt at a video essay. I fully breakdown and discuss Kathryn Bigelow's 1996 film STRANGE DAYS. Through the video, I discuss the prescient nature of the film. I discuss aspects of surveillance, the importance and problematic aspects of nostalgia, the unfortunate and constant issues with police brutality, and the male gaze and how Bigelow mimics her male counterparts as a way to draw viewers in, and then dives deeper into more meaningful themes and examinations of toxic masculinity. I also try to briefly discuss a very disturbing scene that I do give a content warning about. I point out aspects of "narcissistic love" that co-writer James Cameron puts into many of his films. And, I talk about how the film, which is set on New Year's Eve 1999 is permeated with an end-of-the-world vibe that also fits very well into the New Year's Eve we just experienced in the real world.

I hope to do more of these. I have started researching and writing some ideas down for the next couple of essays.

I recently went back to school for Film Studies (I'm about to turn 41 years old). I have been having a love affair with movies my entire life. The only thing I love more than watching them, is analyzing and discussing them. So, hopefully this works and more people will notice, watch, and (fingers crossed) enjoy my video(s). That way, it will be more worthwhile for me to continue making them (as well as all the random writing I do).