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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great movie for anyone 'jaded' with life..., May 30, 2001
The 80's had disco bunnies, the 70's were marked with hippies, the 20's had its flappers, and today we have ravers. The controversial status associated with this subculture makes `Better Living through Circuitry even more appealing to the average Joe because it allows them to better understand an active sub-culture in society today. Although a documentary of `raves', this movie can be enjoyed by anyone that appreciates a delightfully fresh and optimistic outlook on life.The movie is comprised of interviews and scenes from these so-called scandalous all-night parties, It answers the basic `who', `what', where' and `why' questions in regards to the scene and the people that make it possible. The movie is interesting as it gives both `behind the scene' as well as `at the scene' insight, making it interesting and informative to anyone that has not actually attended one of these events. Speaking from a point of view of someone who is in the scene, I can honestly say this documentary is a pretty accurate portrayal of parties and the inspirations behind them. Admittedly it is a bit on the 'candy' (or cheesy) side, which may disappoint some true party kids, but all in all, I thought it was done pretty well. `Better Living' incorporates the most important aspects of the scene, the music, the dj's/producers and the beliefs of the culture overall. It was able to somewhat convey the `aura' one might feel at a rave which is derived from the gregarious crowd, the awesome effects of lasers and light manipulation, and most of all the powerful music. The movie also does cover the notorious topic of the presence of ecstasy at raves. The concentration of this club drug is minimal in the movie, which parallels the fact that for serious ravers- this drug is not a significant part of their lives or their attendance at these parties. Yes!!, there are a large percentage of people at these parties that are sober!!, which I think would shock most of the people that aren't familiar with the scene. Many of those native to the scene criticize that the movie is does not give as much of a historical account of the development of the rave culture. It doesn't give a lot of 'historical' information about the scene, and talks briefly of how things used to be compared to how they are today. The interviews consist of top-name-Dj's and producers of electronic dance music, some promoters responsible for the making of raves, typical party kids, and even a few ordinary citizens. I liked the fact that the movie gave a lot of information about the music that makes everything else possible, and how the geniuses of this culture go about creating the pieces that they do. I thought this movie was good on several levels; it was pretty short so as not to be boring and holds viewer interest quite well. I hope that it gives society more of an understanding of what the rave scene is really about. If you enjoy this movie, and want to see other things like it, you might check out `Human Traffic', `Kids' or `Go', Human Traffic being my favorite amongst the list. I doubt that 'Better Living through Circuitry' will motivate the average American to look for flyers directing them to the next party in their city, but maybe it will make them less judgmental of people in general.
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