Virtuosity (1995)
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Hetero sci-fi chicks should check this puppy out since it stars
Russell Crowe's naked buttocks.  He definitely steals the film as
a mad, crafty serial-killing bastard that wants to play, play, play!

Basic Plot:

Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Center (LETAC) has developed
SID version 6.7: a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual
reality entity (Crowe) which is synthesized from the profiles
of more than 150 serial killers and worldcom managers (they had to
use the serial killers to boost the intelligence factor). When SID
is loaded into a machine that can create silicon-based androids,
he goes on a sadistic rampage. Whee!


Weak points:

-When Crowe is 'born', he goes into this weird-ass naked tai chi
 performance art thing which is silly (even though I did get wood)

-the Dr. Madison blonde chick character is a wimpy
 ass-covering bitch (it's all about HER). She even has a child
 which is a clone of herself which is sickening and they both are
 alive at the end of the film

-Louise Fletcher is totally under-utilized as the hard-ass commish.
 I want to see her crush, kill, destroy. Give the lame cameo to
 the blonde chick and give Fletcher some more screen time. They
 could have eliminated the blonde chick entirely by making the
 hostage Louise Fletcher's granddaughter or something thereby
 tightening the film. I am still trying to figure out
 the purpose of the blonde chick in this film. She was way too
 uptight to serve as a love interest for Denzel. I was snoring.


Strong points of this film:

-crowe takes over and degrades a cheesy 80s disco complete with
 nifty touch-light instruments, animatronic bartender and S&M
 overtones

-opening VR business suit city scene is creepy and sterile.
 Clearly, it influenced The Matrix.

-dark humor and sadistic glee

-Traci Lords is featured as a club singer dressed in PVC (patent
 vinyl clothing). Now that she has moved from porn to the
 realm of serious thespianism, she no longer has to degrade
 herself and the entire female gender by wearing skin-tight
 clothing. I would say there was at least 1/16th of
 an inch of slack in her outfit.

-the parallel drawn between the huge ego and sociopathic nature
 of the serial killer and the programmer geek

-Sheila 3.2

-there is a fine line between reality and virtual reality. People
 lose track of which world they are in

-the parallel drawn between the bloodthirsty nature of SID 6.7
 and wrestling fans. The ultra-sardonic Death TV mocks and yet
 strokes the bloodthirsty nature of society

-the prison fight scene is a good action sequence. The cells
 have plexiglass instead of bars so spectating prisoners
 are seen only in silouette

-japanese influence on programmers is apparent by geisha virtual
 reality sequences. Definite William Gibson/ Bladerunner gig

-SID 6.7 is really mean. Check out the credits:

 Jennifer Greenhut   ......    Screaming Woman
 Lesa Noelle         ......    Screaming Woman
 Michelle Smith      ......    Screaming Woman
 Brit Thompson       ......    Screaming Woman

-earlier SID versions leading up to the development of SID 6.7
 are interesting and the concept of programming and manufacturing
 silicon-based life forms is a groovy sci-fi concept

-gnarly soundtrack