Videodrome

[Andrew]

Last night's movie was "Videodrome."  Katie stayed up for it, as she usually likes quirky 80's films, but she was not impressed by the movie.  I still found it disturbing, but not nearly as crazy an experience as my younger self had categorized it.  Exposure to movies like "Killer Tongue," "Society," and other Cronenberg works have probably deadened my reaction.

Still, quite strange and you can feel Max's horrible attraction to the Videodrome content - it is akin to watching an insect being pulled toward a bug zapper.  He is revolted by (and attempts to discredit) the thought that Videodrome is real and knows the people who are behind it could be dangerous.  However, he cannot bring himself to stop craving more.

*SPOILERS COMING*


I think that the revelation that Dr. Oblivion is not a person (any longer), but thousands of tapes that he made and are now replayed and distributed by his daughter, is a very cool plot twist.  It definitely catches the viewer off guard.  Another thing that is so staggering about the tapes is that his daughter knows so much about their content.  She must spend all day, watching her dead father's video confessions and dissertations.  That is another scary thought.

Deborah Harry's character is rather twisted.  She (Deborah) is usually attractive to me, but she comes across as too much of a freaky disturbed girl here for my tastes.  Not unsafe for Max, like Videodrome, but rather unhealthy for him.  She is like clay, taking whatever impression is forced upon her.

Many of Max's hallucinations are well done, in that you know he cannot possibly be experiencing what he thinks he is, but nor can you figure out exactly what the reality must be that is covered by the delusion.  The end makes good use of that warped feeling that has been placed between the viewer and the movie.

[Menard]

This is one of those movies that, in the end, I still wasn't certain if I liked it or not. At face value it comes across as a patiche of special effects and, for the time, the current trend in technology. As usual for Cronenberg though, he has much more up his sleeve and his message of social conditioning comes across, well, even more bluntly than in previous efforts.

I had seen this when it first came out at the theatre. I had seen it with some friends who loved the special effects, even if they did not understand the movie. I, of course, was the overanalytical a***ole of the group (never would have guessed that, huh ) who, at the time, felt let down by the film.

One of my problems with the film was that I was in a 'realist' mode when seeing the film and could not appreciate it for its metaphorical approach. One of the problems with the film, I felt later, was that it relied too heavily on its metaphor, at times just simply treating something as metaphor to get from point A to point C, but there was no point B; it just looked like there was.

Both the characters and the special effects are a distraction, at times, from the central story. The Deborah Harry character, as you mentioned, is freakish; though, at times, like a car wreck, you just have to look. Perhaps that was Cronenberg's intent; to provide something unpleasant which still demanded one's attention.

Despite any flaws I feel the movie had, it, like most of Cronenberg's work, is something I would just tell someone to watch if they asked me about it. Cronenberg has to be experienced, not told about, and Videodrome is definitely an experience.

[Mr_Vindictive]

All I will say about the film is this:

It should be in the "Good Movies" section. 

[jjnewberry]

Long Live The New Flesh!

[Shadow]

I remember well the TV ads for this one when it was new. I didn't see it until it was on HBO and even that was 22 to 23 years ago. I really need to see this one again.

[Ash]

One of my problems with the film was that I was in a 'realist' mode when seeing the film and could not appreciate it for its metaphorical approach.

Sounds like you were suffering from Wyrewizard's Syndrome.   

I have listened to friends rave about Videodrome but have never actually seen it.
What's it about?

[akiratubo]

I didn't care for Videodrome ... just couldn't get into it.  There wasn't anything specifically wrong with it, it just didn't do a thing for me.  If not for James Woods at his sleazily charming best, I probably wouldn't even have finished watching it.

[dean]

Videodrome is pretty much right up there as my favourite Cronenberg film [though it has very stiff competition].

Luckily we got to study it in my first year of uni for it's psychoanalytical purposes.

Ash, basically the film is about James Woods' character who is a guy who searches for new programs for the TV station he works for.  He comes across the sado-masochistic 'Videodrome' underground broadcast, which he obsessivly searches for.

The rest I'll leave up to a viewing, because it's always best to leave as a slight surprise, but it can get a little mind-bending.

I can really understand why there are those who couldn't get into it, since it's not exactly palatable I suppose [not easy to take in etc] so I figure if you're not in the mood you probably wouldn't like it, but it's a definite cult classic and well worth a looksee.

[Mr_Vindictive]

The rest I'll leave up to a viewing, because it's always best to leave as a slight surprise, but it can get a little mind-bending.

Organic cancer weapons are a bit mind-bending.   

[Menard]

One of my problems with the film was that I was in a 'realist' mode when seeing the film and could not appreciate it for its metaphorical approach.

Sounds like you were suffering from Wyrewizard's Syndrome.   

I said I was in realist mode, not flaming a***ole mode.

[Andrew]

Something that struck me as odd is that the movie never "takes off" like such movies are wont to do.  By that, I mean the pacing.  The film continues to be weird and present strange images and situations, but it does so at the same deliberate pace the entire time.

[Bill C.]

Videotape in the stomach.  Ew.   

[Menard]

Videotape in the stomach.  Ew.   

Makes me wonder if he had a tapeworm.

[Bill C.]

AUGH!

[Andrew]

Makes me wonder if he had a tapeworm.

Speaking of things that could give you cancer:  really bad puns.

(If they don't, they should.)