Latest news with #StrangeDays
CNET
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
This Ultimate Y2K Sci-Fi Movie Made Virtual Reality Seem Almost Too Real
I've wanted to rewatch the sci-fi thriller Strange Days for a long time, but I kept forgetting because, honestly, I couldn't remember the title. I finally came across it on Hulu and checked it out, and I can't stop thinking about it. Though Strange Days was released back in 1995, it looks and feels like it could've come out yesterday. It's one of those rare old movies that imagined the technology of virtual reality, or VR, without turning it into a gimmick. Strange Days takes place in 1999 Los Angeles during the last 48 hours of the millennium. Lenny Nero, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a former cop who now peddles an illegal virtual reality experience called Playback. Nero's friend and bodyguard, Mace (Angela Basset), tries to keep him rooted in reality and away from trouble. Together, they work to track down a brutal rapist and murderer -- a man who uses VR Playback discs to record his crimes from his own point of view. The movie wasted no time dropping me into its jarring setting: The opening scene is an armed robbery filmed in first-person perspective, with the robber running from cops and jumping from one rooftop to another. A couple of scenes later, I saw tanks on the streets of LA and heard radio callers declaring that the world would end at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2000. Strange Days reminds me of the best Black Mirror episodes -- both deeply disturbing and uncomfortably close to home. Director Kathryn Bigelow was influenced by the 1992 LA riots and incorporated those elements of racial tension and police violence into her work. The result is a movie that's sometimes difficult to watch but impossible to look away from. At the same time, Strange Days is grounded by emotion. Nero (Fiennes) spends a good portion of the movie reliving memories of his failed relationship with the singer Faith (played by actress-turned-rocker Juliette Lewis). Lying in bed while he plays back footage of happier days, he can trick himself into believing he's roller skating with Faith again -- until the disc stops spinning and he opens his eyes, back in the lonely present day. "This is not 'like TV only better,'" says Nero, as he introduces the VR Playback tech to one of his clients. "This is life." But Bassett's character, Mace, believes otherwise, at one point confronting Nero over his attachment to his "used emotions." "This is your life!" says Mace. "Right here! Right now! It's real time, you hear me? Real time, time to get real, not Playback!" As I watched Strange Days in 2025, I couldn't help thinking of the virtual reality devices that exist today. VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Google's upcoming AR glasses are bringing us closer than ever to the Playback tech in the film. And the immersive spatial videos for the Apple Vision Pro can make you feel like you're really reliving a three-dimensional recorded memory. As I considered the similarities between our current tech and Strange Days' Playback discs, I wondered if the future wants to be haunted by the past. Despite being 30 years old, Strange Days' special effects hold up incredibly well. Where other 1995 sci-fi flicks like Hackers and Johnny Mnemonic experimented with early computer-generated imagery, Strange Days went for a more practical approach: Characters shift in and out of the Playback footage with a simple analog distortion effect, just like you'd find while watching home videos on VHS tapes. The point-of-view shots were carefully choreographed, and the resulting footage looks like you're viewing it through the recorder's eyes. Strange Days also features standout musical acts. Juliette Lewis, in character as Faith, belts out two PJ Harvey tracks in on-screen performances that recall the best of '90s grunge. Rapper Jeriko One (played by Glenn Plummer) delivers biting social commentary in his music video. And contemporary artists Aphex Twin, Deee-Lite and Skunk Anansie perform during the movie's bombastic final act, a New Year's Eve rave in downtown LA. (It was a real-life concert with 10,000 attendees.) Strange Days is both a thrilling action movie and a mind-bending exploration of technology and memory. I'm surprised it was a box-office flop in 1995, and I wish it had received the recognition it deserved then. Still, I'm glad this sci-fi masterpiece is available to stream today. Though Strange Days isn't the easiest title to remember, the movie itself is unforgettable.
Forbes
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Doors Return To The Charts In America With A ‘New' Album
The Doors' Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress debuts on Billboard's Vinyl Albums and Top Album ... More Sales charts, earning the band another win. The Doors L-R Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger pose for a portrait circa 1968 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Edmund Teske/Michael) It's been nearly 50 years since The Doors last released a proper studio album. The legendary rock band didn't produce much in the way of original material after frontman Jim Morrison's death in 1971. That was a devastating loss, considering Morrison wasn't just the face of the group, but also its soul, sound, and beating heart. Since then, the group has shared occasional projects and singles, but its presence on the charts has mostly been fueled by live albums, reissues, and special edition packages that cater to a devoted fan base still hungry for anything bearing that familiar name. The Doors return to a pair of Billboard charts this frame thanks to the arrival of Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress. The limited edition vinyl debuts at No. 16 on the Vinyl Albums list, while also opening at No. 27 on the more general Top Album Sales roster, which ranks the bestselling full-lengths in the U.S. regardless of genre or format. According to Luminate, Strange Days 1967 sold just over 6,000 copies in its first full tracking span. With Strange Days 1967, The Doors add another win to an already notable track record on Billboard's sales-focused rosters. This latest project becomes the band's fifteenth title to appear on the Vinyl Albums chart. Over on the Top Album Sales chart, this release pushes The Doors' career total to 25 placements. That number includes a mix of older classics, reissued packages, and now this unique, fan-focused title. What exactly is Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress? The release is made up of rough mixes taken from sessions that would ultimately become the band's Strange Days album, which first dropped in the fall of 1967. That full-length helped solidify The Doors' place in rock history, powered by singles like 'People Are Strange' and 'Love Me Two Times.' The new collection doesn't offer anything drastically different, but that's kind of the point. It's designed for hardcore fans — those who want to hear what these songs sounded like before they were polished and finalized. Pressed on translucent blue vinyl, the album was released as part of this year's Record Store Day campaign and limited to just 7,500 copies. The original Strange Days came out in 1967, just months after the band's debut album. While it didn't eclipse that self-titled launch in terms of cultural impact or hit singles, the record remains incredibly important in the development of psychedelic rock – and clearly a fan favorite.
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Doors guitarist looks back at Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, band's 60th anniversary
Doors guitarist looks back at Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, band's 60th anniversary The meeting took place in early 1990 at the office of director Oliver Stone. It was not an auspicious start. Robby Krieger, guitarist for the legendary '60s band The Doors, had come to meet Val Kilmer, a young actor who had landed the plum if difficult role of Jim Morrison, the band's lead singer, poet and doomed sex symbol who died at 27 in 1971. "He came up to me and said, 'Hi Robby, I'm Val Kilmer, I got the gig, I'm going to play Jim,'" Krieger recalls, reflecting with fondness on that encounter in light of Kilmer's passing on April 1 at age 65. "I said to him, 'Really?' I mean, he neither looked nor acted anything like Jim. So I said, 'How did you get the job?'" And that's when Kilmer, then only 30, casually offered to play Krieger a rough video that showed the actor singing. And boy, could he sing, Krieger recalls. "It turns out, he had formed a Doors tribute band before any of this had happened, maybe when he was in high school or something," says Krieger. "So he plays me this clip and man, it was damn good. He wasn't dressed like Jim of course, but when I saw that, I said 'OK, this guy can do it.' And obviously, that's what Oliver had thought, too." Krieger is in a reflective mood of late. The seminal Los Angeles rock band, whose jazz-meets-rock-meets-dark-poetry stood in such stark contrast to the bright San Francisco sound of the late '60s, is celebrating 60 years since its 1965 formation. To mark the occasion, a new book is due out next month whose title is derived from a Doors lyric, "Night Divides the Day: The Doors Anthology." The hardcover is filled with not only photos and memorabilia that chronologically tracks the band's rise and dissolution, but also interviews and commentary from all four members (drummer John Densmore, 80, is alive but stays largely out of the limelight; keyboardist Ray Manzarek died at age 74 in 2013). Krieger is also busy gigging with his five-piece band (which includes his son Waylon on vocals) playing many of The Doors' big albums each in their entirety at Whiskey a Go Go, the famous Hollywood nightclub where The Doors served as house band in 1966, a year before the release of their eponymous debut album in 1967. They'll perform "L.A. Woman" on April 26, "Strange Days," on May 29, "Waiting for the Sun" on June 28, and "The Soft Parade" on July 26. Given how long its been since The Doors made their indelible mark, it's no surprise that for some music lovers Stone's 1991 movie "The Doors" was their introduction to the band. Kilmer can be credited for a lot of that, says Krieger, who says he met with the actor multiple times during filming, as did drummer Densmore (he notes that Manzarek declined to participate). "Val sang about 90 percent of the stuff you hear in that movie," says Krieger. "He spent quite a bit of time learning those songs. The bass player in my band is Dan Rothchild (son of The Doors' maverick producer Paul Rothchild), and he said Val and his dad would get together every day and practice going over all The Doors songs he had to do so he could sing them just right. He just put so much into it." So just how close did he come to conjuring up Morrison? Krieger suggests Kilmer was about as close as one could get. "A lot of people still don't believe that's Val singing," he says. Then he laughs. "But yeah, I guess you could say, I would know."
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Doors Chart A New Album, But Fans Already Know The Music
The Doors haven't operated as a fully active band in decades, but the group still occasionally returns to the charts with new releases, especially in markets like the United Kingdom. This week, the rock legends return to the British charts with Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress, a special vinyl release that reminds longtime followers of the group's distinctive style and Jim Morrison's unmistakable vocals, both of which are spectacular – even in rough form. Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress opens on a pair of tallies in the U.K., nearly matching its placement on the two. The special release starts at No. 52 on the Official Physical Albums chart and one spot lower, at No. 53, on the Official Albums Sales ranking. Including Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress, The Doors have now landed 18 placements on the list of the U.K.'s bestselling physical albums. On the sales tally that also includes digital purchases, the band now claims an even dozen wins. It's only been about a year since The Doors last showed up on both of these charts, despite the fact that the group hasn't produced new work in years. In May 2024, the band returned with Live at Konserthuset Stockholm, another collectible that ended up spending just one frame as a bestseller. Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress will likely follow a similar trajectory, appearing for a single week before dropping off. This new demo-style compilation was clearly crafted with fans in mind, and it arrived to be a part of Record Store Day 2025. The raw recordings provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the band's creative process while working on one of its most important and earliest collections. And even though the versions of the songs on this set may not be polished or fully finalized, that's part of what makes the offering so appealing. Longtime listeners now have a new way to experience Strange Days—and that curiosity appears to have translated into real sales. Strange Days 1967: A Work in Progress is made up of rough mixes from sessions tied to the band's second album, Strange Days, which arrived back in September 1967. That release followed less than a year after The Doors, the debut that turned the group into international stars. Lead Strange Days single 'People Are Strange' powered the sophomore set at the time and remains one of the act's most familiar hits.
The Independent
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Angela Bassett says she was ‘deserving' of 2023 Oscar that went to Jamie Lee Curtis
Angela Bassett has defended her 'disappointment' about losing the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress back in 2023. The 66-year-old actor was nominated for her role as the Queen of Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In a new interview, she said that when she later told Oprah Winfrey she was 'gobsmacked' by this loss, the reaction to that remark was 'interesting' to see. 'Interesting that I wouldn't be allowed to be disappointed at an outcome where I thought I was deserving,' she told Town & Country. 'I love applauding people. But in that moment…,' she explained. 'No, I have put in... put in the time, put in good work over time. I didn't think that was a gift. I thought it was a given.' Although she didn't take home the Oscar in 2023, she did receive an honorary Oscar in 2024, which paid tribute to all of her achievements in the entertainment industry. While accepting the honor at the 14th Governors Awards, she gave a shout-out to other Black industry stars, such as Jennifer Hudson, Ariana DeBose, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. 'To my fellow Black actresses, fill your hearts with courage and strength, because regardless of what you may think or see or feel, your contributions do matter,' the Strange Days star said during the acceptance speech. 'Take comfort knowing that your performances have given hope, offered different perspective and, for others, just pure joy in a time of need. Never allow fear, frustration or disappointment to get in the way of blessings that are divinely and deservedly yours.' She addressed her viral Oscars reaction in March last year while speaking to Winfrey for OWN Spotlight. '' Angela Bassett face' became all over the internet,' Winfrey said. 'People were saying your disappointment showed, but I thought you handled it very well.' Bassett agreed, stating: 'I thought I handled it very well, also. And that was my intention, to handle it very well. It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human. 'So I thought, yes, I was disappointed, and I handled it like a human being.'
