Vibrations (1996)

James Marshall (our erstwhile hero) slumps into a chair in a black-lit, glow in the dark bedroom. For a second, this could be something in 'Flatliners'. But no. What transpires is far more frightening. Scott Cohen (Max Medina from the Gilmore Girls playing basically the same character but with 808 State instead of Proust, plus a backwards cap) leaps behind a keyboard. A synth sax solo follows. A glissando. "Do you know anything about techno" asks Max. James Marshall stares back, dead eyed. "See, the idea is to get the vibe going". Dead eyes. "Then you maintain the vibe with a transducing bass" (sic). Dead eyes. "We're primal, heading for cosmic". Dead eyes. "And just when you think we're in galactic ecstasy... We go... ACIIIEEEEDDDD!". In walks Christina Applegate. "This is hardcore nutronic mutilation!!" exclaims Max Medina. Yet still, dead eyes. "We're going on a psychotically calibrated, electronically executed, digitally compressed, pus excreting, journey to sonic grooviness!". Finally, those dead eyes light up! James Marshall smiles. He is no longer a drunk deadbeat with no hands. He's a sober hard worker with robot hands and in just a moment he's going to snog Christina Applegate. Things are looking up. That's worth a grin, right? Or perhaps he's just excited about the pus. This film is a utopian vision of all we have lost as a society. They serve mango juice at free parties, for goodness sake. You could afford a spacious NYC apartment just by working in 'marketing' (read: sellotaping fluorescent posters to lampposts and selling t-shirts at parties). If you were behind on your rent you could just sexually abuse your landlady. Wholewheat bread was apparently a novelty. You could wear a white t shirt with a black leather waistcoat and look moderately cool. I wish I was about 15 years older. And the music is actually really good, throughout. Really. There's a moment when they all sit around eating dinner discussing their generation. "We're generation x" says Appleby, "the generation with no name". "Yes" says Max Medina "there's nothing left to invent, no frontiers left to cross. The boomers did all that, we just get to enjoy it". "Actually" says the geeky character (whom they just call 'geek' all the way through) "there is one frontier left. Cyberspace. The space inside a computer. It's the last great unknown". Man. He had his revenge alright.

First you don't know what to expect with a title like this, yet alone the cover on the video case (which is different to the one that's on this site). Sci-fi thriller? Far from it. This low-budget straight-to-video fare is set-up through the industrial techno (music of course) scene and inspired for the generation X. Well it seems to think so. It's a drama/blossoming love story/redemption and revenge all rolled into one.TJ Cray has big plans as a musician, but on his way to his first major concert he gets in an altercation with some thugs which involve his hands being served. Depression hits hard where he flees his family and friends and bums around New York City mostly drunk. Soon he's rescued by Anamkia and though hard work he discovers a way around living his music dream again.It was a pleasant diversion in the end with a constantly throbbing, loud and upbeat soundtrack to boot. Well with the subject at hand, you would hope so. Anyhow it won't win any awards and within is a cheesy feel to it all, as at times it goes over board with the sweetness. At least the script remained snappy, quick-witted and involving even though it wasn't the best. A red-headed Christina Applegate gives an appealing performance and certainly glows. James Marshell along side is likable too. Scott Cohen adds to the fruity factor.The story (one of those feel-good types) goes through the motions (and it flows rather well) involving the states that TJ finds himself in (angst, pity and relieve) and when the music scene opens expect a lot of sequences of DJ's doing their stuff in dance raves. This is when everything is turned around. The costume that's created for TJ is rather well-etched too.A decently charming time-waster that's truly grounded in its matter.

this is one of the worst movies i have ever seen. i love christina applegate. she's my favorite actress in the whole world, but she's the only reason i didn't turn this off in the first five minutes. it's so corny, it's not even funny. i reccomend only watching it if you are a big christina fan. i give this a 2 out of 10.

All I can say to "Vibrations," a schlocky, justifiably little-seen, 1995 cyber/techno romance, is YUCK. Former "Twin Peaks" star James Marshall (and although I am very pro-Peaks stars, he is one that I can do without) plays an aspiring musician who gets in an accident removing both his hands. He then goes to the street and becomes your average homeless bum. One night he finds a nice abandoned storing garage, which turns into a rave as he awakens. There he meets Christina Applegate, giving the only decent performance throughout this whole movie. She plays Anamika, an owner of the rave, and she soon falls for Marshall in a sappy, corny romance. The biggest problem here is the supporting cast (most notably Appegate's excruciatingly annoying roommates), and there is nothing, nothing at all, that can save "Vibrations" from being anything but bottom-of-the-barrel crap.Yuck. Zero Stars out of Four.