I'm not one of "them Russians", but I'm immensely interested in Russian culture too, and I know enough Russian to be able to read what they write about themselves. Here's what I've learned thus far:

First off, Russia has indeed changed. But that's not due to the October Revolution. Man, that was like a century ago! The bigger change occurred some 20 years back, when the Soviet Union collapsed (actually it started a bit earlier, when Gorbachev launched his Perestroika). Whatever movie/music/book you watch/listen to/read that belongs to the Soviet era is totally outdated nowadays.

There are two ways to figure out what it's all really like over there. The easier (and more practical) way is, well, just go there and see for yourself! The other one is learning the language. The language is pretty hard, but it's worth it. Give it a shot. If you like their literature, you'll love reading it in the original.

From what I've read and watched, city life in modern Russia (especially in the two most famous Russian cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg) is pretty similar to any major Western European city.

Then you mention the violence and drinking tendencies and all. There's a grain of truth in it, but it's been over-exaggerated. They're not "violent". They're not "rude". They're just "honest". Perhaps a bit too honest, though. Imagine an Englishman who doesn't like you: he'll politely desist from talking to you. A Russian, on the other hand, won't hesitate: he'll tell you what he thinks of you right in your face. Naturally, a fight is likely to ensue. And they seem to love this behavior, too. They consider it "sincere", and expect others to be just as sincere. Many Russians can't stand that kind of dry Western-style tactfulness.

And about racism, I'm gonna have to leave this one to Russians themselves. But this much I will tell you: Russia is a biiiiig country. Take a glance at any map and you'll know. There are ethnic minorities everywhere up and down the place. There are many Russians with non-Russian names, which is a direct result of 70 something years of union with other nations. They seem to get along well, at least outwardly. But absolute foreigners might experience some problems. I really have to stop right there.

It's a good thing that you've already realized the anti-Russian bias of the Western media. Saves you a lot of misunderstanding. Just turn off that CNN nonsense and grab a good post-Soviet movie.