Although analog technology has gone all but extinct in the 40 years since Videodrome first permeated viewers’ psyches, there’s no denying the prescience of its themes. Writer-director David Cronenberg, circa 1983, portended the exploitation of the internet age, virtual reality, and media manipulation. At its core, Videodrome confronts the viewer to examine their own relationship with entertainment.
As the head of Civic TV, Max Renn caters to the subterranean market, transmitting sex and violence into Toronto homes over Uhf airwaves. His appetite for depravity no longer fulfilled by the likes of softcore pornography, Max’s interest is piqued by a mysterious pirated broadcast called Videodrome. As he describes it, “It’s just torture and murder. No plot, no characters. Very, very realistic. I think it’s what’s next.”
Max’s perception of reality is altered from the moment he’s first exposed to Videodrome, as devious hallucinations — from a cancerous...
As the head of Civic TV, Max Renn caters to the subterranean market, transmitting sex and violence into Toronto homes over Uhf airwaves. His appetite for depravity no longer fulfilled by the likes of softcore pornography, Max’s interest is piqued by a mysterious pirated broadcast called Videodrome. As he describes it, “It’s just torture and murder. No plot, no characters. Very, very realistic. I think it’s what’s next.”
Max’s perception of reality is altered from the moment he’s first exposed to Videodrome, as devious hallucinations — from a cancerous...
- 10/17/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Michael Lennick, the documentary filmmaker whose credits included the award-winning 10-part series Rocket Science and Doctor Teller's Very Large Bomb, both of which aired on PBS, has died. He was 61. His friend Chris Darling, one of the producers of Warner Bros.' upcoming Robert Downey Jr. film Perry Mason and The Lost Legion, told The Hollywood Reporter that Lennick died Friday in Toronto from an aggressive brain tumor that landed him in the hospital a month ago. He was surrounded by friends and family when he died Friday after being taken off life support. See more Hollywood's
read more...
read more...
- 11/10/2014
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chicago – A fascinating B-movie gem from 1964, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” gives modern viewers an idea of what America’s collective imagination (concerning space travel) looked like during that brief moment in time. As an entertainment, it’s hokey and creaky beyond belief, but as a cinematic time capsule, it’s quite a trip.
The film begins with the most heartbreaking bait and switch in camp movie history. Two years before his success with “Batman,” Adam West shows up as an astronaut orbiting Mars. The deadpan earnestness of his performance is priceless right from the beginning, as he scolds a floating monkey with the line, “Listen Mona, this banana paste is meant for your survival only!” Sadly, the ship is soon forced to evacuate, killing off West and leaving only disgruntled monkey Mona and West’s crewmate, Kit, played by Paul Mantee. Seriously, it’s like being promised Keir Dullea and getting Gary Lockwood.
The film begins with the most heartbreaking bait and switch in camp movie history. Two years before his success with “Batman,” Adam West shows up as an astronaut orbiting Mars. The deadpan earnestness of his performance is priceless right from the beginning, as he scolds a floating monkey with the line, “Listen Mona, this banana paste is meant for your survival only!” Sadly, the ship is soon forced to evacuate, killing off West and leaving only disgruntled monkey Mona and West’s crewmate, Kit, played by Paul Mantee. Seriously, it’s like being promised Keir Dullea and getting Gary Lockwood.
- 1/20/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Flick:
David Cronenberg is a filmmaker with a very visceral vision. His films test our senses and they remind us of how fragile our minds and bodies can be. Videodrome is his testament to his understanding of the human condition, and a love letter to generations of cineasts that refuse to settle for a quick fix.
In Videodrome, Max (James Woods) is the owner of a small, Toronto based cable network that is searching for new content that pushes the limits of what is acceptable on television. In his search for said content Max stumbles across Videodrome, an encrypted video feet of a show with no plot that focuses on sexual deviance and murder. At once Max is both repulsed and excited by what he sees, and sets out to find the creators of the show so that he can run it on his network.
Along the way Max...
David Cronenberg is a filmmaker with a very visceral vision. His films test our senses and they remind us of how fragile our minds and bodies can be. Videodrome is his testament to his understanding of the human condition, and a love letter to generations of cineasts that refuse to settle for a quick fix.
In Videodrome, Max (James Woods) is the owner of a small, Toronto based cable network that is searching for new content that pushes the limits of what is acceptable on television. In his search for said content Max stumbles across Videodrome, an encrypted video feet of a show with no plot that focuses on sexual deviance and murder. At once Max is both repulsed and excited by what he sees, and sets out to find the creators of the show so that he can run it on his network.
Along the way Max...
- 1/13/2011
- by Donny Broussard
- Killer Films
The first thing that came to my mind after only a few minutes of watching Criterion's new Blu-ray transfer of Robinson Crusoe on Mars was Forbidden Planet. This isn't exactly a mind-blowing revelation. In fact it's a rather elementary observation at best, which is exactly where my knowledge of old school sci-fi films lies.
I like old school science fiction, but I don't have the patience to search out the quality amongst the crap. I'm a huge fan of the original "Star Trek" television series, I enjoyed Forbidden Planet and had fun with director Byron Haskin's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but Haskin's original War of the Worlds did very little for me. I know in some circles this is probably considered blasphemy, but if it helps any Steven Spielberg's remake, while I admit to enjoying it when I saw it the first time in theaters, hasn't been a...
I like old school science fiction, but I don't have the patience to search out the quality amongst the crap. I'm a huge fan of the original "Star Trek" television series, I enjoyed Forbidden Planet and had fun with director Byron Haskin's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but Haskin's original War of the Worlds did very little for me. I know in some circles this is probably considered blasphemy, but if it helps any Steven Spielberg's remake, while I admit to enjoying it when I saw it the first time in theaters, hasn't been a...
- 1/11/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Here we are with the last Criterion Collection new release announcement for 2010, and there are a couple amazing releases to talk about.
Last week we uncovered that Criterion was in fact prepared to finally release David Cronenberg’s Videodrome on Blu-ray on December 7th. This is the last of the Amazon pre-order announced titles that forced Criterion to reveal their cards a little early. I still haven’t seen the film, and I’m pretty glad that I waited, so that I can see this film in all of it’s high def insanity. While I’m sure there is something charming about watching the film on VHS, given the material, watching a recent fan edit trailer in HD, makes me really excited for the Blu-ray. The cover doesn’t necessarily change up the design much, aside from the color bars on the spine logo.
Now to the main course.
Last week we uncovered that Criterion was in fact prepared to finally release David Cronenberg’s Videodrome on Blu-ray on December 7th. This is the last of the Amazon pre-order announced titles that forced Criterion to reveal their cards a little early. I still haven’t seen the film, and I’m pretty glad that I waited, so that I can see this film in all of it’s high def insanity. While I’m sure there is something charming about watching the film on VHS, given the material, watching a recent fan edit trailer in HD, makes me really excited for the Blu-ray. The cover doesn’t necessarily change up the design much, aside from the color bars on the spine logo.
Now to the main course.
- 9/15/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.