Rating: Summary: long live the new flesh!(j/k) Review: Cronenberg has a real way with film, the fades in and out of hallucinations in this film were beyond belief. Great testament to the fear that rival underground factions will develop an undetectable means of controlling and mutating people in order to get the edge in their games. The best expression of my opinion comes from Woods' supposed technical assistant when the truth about his role in things is revealed. We ARE getting soft, and the rest of the world IS getting a whole lot tougher. This is a film for anyone who worries about the future, even beyond their own demise. If you are not sure about this one, just give it a try. You will have a hard time trying to find this for rent anywhere, so have an open mind and let this nightmare seep in.
Rating: Summary: Not for everyone, but a must see for movie analysts. Review: I took a Cinema Studies course, and it helped me enjoy films on a whole new level. Now, I tend to analyze, and sometimes over-analyze, films. With this film though, it is close to impossible to over-analyze. There is so much there, and you can't possibly pick up on all of it in just one viewing. As a David Cronenberg fan, who has seen all of his films, I think this is one of his best (I also strongly recommend "Dead Ringers" with Jeremy Irons and Genvieve Bujold). In a nutshell, the film is about technology winning over nature. It's about the new technological human; James Woods character cheers "long live the new flesh." The movie comments on how technology corrupts. Try to pick up on all the sexual inuendos (which if you know Cronenberg, exit in all his work). One of James Woods' finest performances.
Rating: Summary: Very interesting Review: I can safely say that this may be the best science fiction film ever. Now, that is alot of commitment but you have to see the movie to truly understand the experiance. True, it will never rival Naked Lunch, but it is fascinating in its own uniqueness. I have honestly never seen anything at all like this. Of course, all of Cronenberg's movies are different in their own respect.This aside of Crash, is Cronenberg's most visually disturbing movie. With all the gory effects, it makes the bathtub scene in The Dead Zone seem petty. if you rent this movie, do it on a relatively empty stomach.
Rating: Summary: saw this on cable in yakima wa. struck by the pace & gore Review: great movie for those who like movies. way before its time and hard to understand. probably best seen late at night and under the influence.
Rating: Summary: Thoughtful movie about a horrifying idea Review: So few films contain actual ideas these days, people tend to overreact to the ones that do. Videodrome is a dark, deliberately disgusting film that uses its ability to shock and revolt in the service of its ideas. Namely, it is not television that is evil, but our need to be stimulated, especially by violent sexual imagery. Maxx Renn finds himself in the grip of truly evil men because of his fascination with a pirate TV broadcast depicting a naked woman being tortured. He likes it so much he tries to acquire it for his fladgeling cable network. The men controlling the broadcast have embedded a subliminal trigger within the tv signal, that makes people hallucinate and highly succeptible to suggestion. Renn's purchase of the program would place it in the homes of thousands of people who would find its content entertaining, making them unwitting agents of the wishes of these monsters. Cronenberg seems to be saying that our willingness to be stimulated by violent sexual imagery is what makes mass communications dangerous, not the medium itself. It is his willingness to address the idea that Americans find violence sexually arousing that makes this film compelling. It's not a nice thing to say to people who consume movies like they were ice cream. It is true, however, and Cronenberg makes his point with memorable, disturbing imagery.
Rating: Summary: Kudos to Cronenberg... Review: Canadian auteur David Cronenberg has prominently carved a respectable niche for himself along with the likes of David Lynch, Adrian Lyne, and other popular surrealist directors that brazenly delve into darkly perverse and enigmatic themes of the human psyche. "Videodrome" is by far no exception to this genre. It is a provocative, obscure, and stylish exploration of technology's ubiquitous hold on humankind that could be the ultimate key in unlocking the mind's potential or an addictive monkey that gradually destroys the heart, mind, and soul.
Rating: Summary: Read along side Marsh McLuhan . . Review: The movie is thought provoking. It is not boring, despite what Ebert has to say (and I generally agree with the fellah). Uts not a date movie, and its not something you should see if you're feeling down. Truely horror. And it'll make you hate your T.V. (that's good, I think) . . . .
Rating: Summary: SEEN IT. DONE IT. HAD IT. Review: This is just another one of those movies where people hide VCRs and guns in thier stomachs. I don't understand why people get so bent out of shape about this semi-porn flick. And once, a guy reaches into his stomach, finds the VCR, pushes EJECT, and out pops a gun! At least Blondie is in it and takes off her clothes. A little creepy. One should have a strong stomach to empathize well.
Rating: Summary: Still Terrifying! Review: This is probably the most troubling film that I have ever seen. I have watched it at least 10 times, and each time seems to frighten me more than the first! James Woods is brilliant in this film, while some of the other cast members were a little limp. It's low-budget feel seems to add even more to Woods' performance. I recommend watching this movie in the dark and late at night - you won't regret it!
Rating: Summary: That was a seriously funky flick!!!! Review: Like a lot of the movies I cherish, this one must be seen symbolically, especially when it gets to the weird stuff. None of the supernatural stuff is "really" going on in the story, it's mainly what's inside the mind of Max Renn. He's a porno tv exec who is sucked into the brainwashing world of Videodrome, and his brain ends up so washed there is nothing of himself left, and he is simply a pawn of the two sides of Videodrome, used up, and thrown away. Don't you feel like that at times?
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