Daily News from New York, New York • 1903

ENTERTAINMENT MOVIE REVIEW nnnrniOnrm fa? IsragCBft' Of DDD IS) 'Blue in the Face a stew of New York City experiences By JUAN M. MENDEZ El Daily News Surf Writer Blue in the Face. Directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. Situations created by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. With Harvey Keitel.

Roseanne, Mel Gorham, Victor Argo, Gancarlo Esposito and Madonna. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated R. pr? rtrn fit i 1 inn mi in ii i ii ii ii MfcMi ruiiiiiiMwaiMiaM wMaMn mi fcww jmmm imaginable giving the camera statistics on Brooklyn, how many races, how many restaurants, how many potholes in the In addition, they discuss the worst emotional trauma ever suffered by a resident of that borough: the Brooklyn Dodgers move to LA. Keitel is the unifying axle of the movie.

As his girlfriend Violeta. Cuban actress Mel Gorham steals the show. In her monologues in front of the mirror with Celia Cruz singing "Yemaya" in the background, the comedienne does Rita Moreno with too much caffeine in her blood. This talented lady truly stands out of a cast of more veteran colleagues, including Michael J. Fox.

Lily Tomlin and "Supermodel Ru-PauL The movie's original soundtrack, produced by honorary Latino David Byrne, is a delight including a duet between Byrne and Selena, the group Irakere, the sound of Esquivel. the tanguedy of Piazzola and of course the "guarachera" of the world. Whether you live in Brooklyn or not, "Blue in the Face" is tons of fun. Director Wayne Wang, who two years ago made the hit "The Joy-Luck Club" and the recent comedy "Smoke." still showing in theaters, has now prepared a juicy plate of humor in "Blue in the Face." The filmmaker and some of the most talented performers of the moment have united to create what is essentially the first feature film in history fully improvised by a star-studded cast In -Smoke, Wang directed a screenplay by award-winning writer Paul Auster exploring the stories of several characters who converge in a cigar store in Brooklyn's picturesque Park Slope. But that comedy's filming had an unusual climax.

The main actors and the director were still eager to squeeze the characters dry. Then they proposed to Miramax to let them film another movie, this time improvised by the actors. And so "Blue in the Face was born and Filmed in just six days. The movie returns to "The Brooklyn Cigar Company. managed by Auggie Wren (Harvey Keitel) who has lived happily taking care of the small joint for 15 years.

His girlfriend Vio-leta (Mel Gorham) is a don t-mess-with-me. tightly outfitted Cuban who loves dancing and hates being contradicted. The store's owner (Victor Argo) is a Puerto Rtcan who without warning will grab a guitar and sing Patsy Cline tunes. And Victor's wife (Roseanne) is sick of housework and dreams of vacationing in Vegas. The rest of the characters are as colorful as Brooklyn itself.

The directors have mixed the fictitious situations with video interviews of real borough residents. Their insights are so crazy they grant a certain realism to the actors' improvisations. Other fragments present individuals of every ethnicity GOOD COMEDY, (from left to right) RuPaul. Harvey Keitel and Mel Gorham in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's "Blue In the Face," an homage to Brooklyn full of funny situations. 'Strange Days' I end of the millennium.

This is a city where a Santa Claus may be violently assaulted by young women, where the LAPD acts out on its prejudices without thinking twice. As Nero, Ralph Fiennes "Schindler's projects just the right mix of roughish charm and inner pain. But it's no wonder the audience identifies mostly with Mace, personified by a most excellent Angela Bassett The star of "Malcolm and "What's Love Got to Do With It" turns Mace into the heroine of the 90s, a powerful black woman with plenty of muscles, brains and pride. Bigelow wisely reverses Mace and Lenny's roles He's the damsel-in-dis-tress while she's the hero who saves his skin more than once. "Strange Days' is not a simple film, but a profound sensory experience, where the filmmaker is the prophet of a reality just around the corner periences, which can then be experienced by someone else using a headset and playing the clip.

But unlike virtual reality, the viewer does not have control over the experience, they just live it as often as they want Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) is an ex-cop who now deals in SQUID clips and is as hooked on the stuff as his clients. After watching a brutal rape and murder on a clip, Lenny falls into a much worse situation than he imagines. And with the help of his friend Mace (Angela Bassett), a security expert trained in defensive combat, he attempts to find out the truth. "Strange Days' speaks to the audience on different levels. It's a film noir about watching, obsession and voyeurism.

The clips Lenny trades are direct descendants of the cinema and his addiction is similar as ours with entertainment But Bigelow's film is also a mindblowing comment on the state of things at the Strange Days. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. With Ralph Fiennes. Angela Bassett and Juliet Lewis. Written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks.

Music by Graeme Revolt. Rated R. 135 minutes. In area theaters. Get ready for the movie trip of your life.

"Strange directed by action mistress Kathryn Bigelow, is one of the year's best films and certainly the most courageous so far. Chosen as the centerpiece of this year's New York Film Festival, this is the most original vision of the future since Kubricks' "A Clockwork Orange." Welcome to the last day of 1999. The city of Los Angeles is falling apart from social unrest and racial divisions. A major rap star and black community leader has been murdered. And a new drug is taking over.

It's called SQUID (Superconductive Quantum Interference Device) and it comes in a CD. It records a person's ex Us? 5 a 3 3 NEW HERO. Angela Bassett, here with co-star Ralph Fiennes, gives a fine performance in "Strange Days." Kathryn Bigelow's visionary film about the future. 2- cy.