{"id":70403,"date":"2021-03-12T20:13:47","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T03:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70403"},"modified":"2021-03-14T01:21:38","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T08:21:38","slug":"videodrome-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70403","title":{"rendered":"Videodrome (1983)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;What you see on that show &#8212; it&#8217;s for real; it&#8217;s not acting.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster-194x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-70405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster-194x300.png 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster-664x1024.png 664w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster-175x270.png 175w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Poster.png 763w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nSoon after the producer (James Woods) of a small cable TV station learns from his assistant (Peter Dvorsky) about a pirated snuff station known as Videodrome, he meets a seductive woman (Deborah Harry) who convinces him to give in to his sado-masochistic impulses, eventually leading him down an unexpectedly gory and body-altering path.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>David Cronenberg Films<\/li>\n<li>Dystopia<\/li>\n<li>Horror Films<\/li>\n<li>James Woods Films<\/li>\n<li>Mind Control and Hypnosis<\/li>\n<li>S&#038;M<\/li>\n<li>Science Fiction<\/li>\n<li>Television<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this body-horror sci-fi film by David Cronenberg is about the &#8220;seedy, profit-motivated owner of a cable channel&#8221; (Woods) who &#8220;pretends interest in [Videodrome] because he might be able to buy the low-cost programming for his own station&#8221; but becomes increasingly &#8220;obsessed&#8230; with the S&#038;M content&#8221;, causing &#8220;his baser feelings [to] emerge.&#8221; As Woods&#8217; Max Renn &#8220;slips into possible madness, his concepts of reality and illusion become blurred&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;it&#8217;s not really his fault&#8221; given that he&#8217;s &#8220;fallen into a trap and is under someone else&#8217;s control&#8221;. Peary asserts that the film is &#8220;ambitious and makes strong points about the hypnotic power of television and its ability to turn a mind to mush&#8221;, but &#8220;it becomes so cerebral that its fascinating premise is lost in a mass of confusion in the last third of the film.&#8221; While &#8220;the special effects by Rick Baker are well done,&#8221; Peary posits (and I think I agree) that &#8220;many of the images are both stupid and repulsive&#8221; (though perhaps that&#8217;s the point?). Finally, he notes that &#8220;Woods gives a fine performance and singer Deborah Harry is truly seductive&#8230; as Woods&#8217;s masochistic lover.&#8221; I&#8217;m in alignment with Peary&#8217;s thoughts about this mind-tripping film, which is weird, disturbing, often illogical, and entirely unique (as Cronenberg&#8217;s movies tend to be). It should probably be seen once by all film fanatics given its cult following, but it&#8217;s most certainly not for all tastes.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>James Woods as Max Renn<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-1024x563.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-70415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-1024x563.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-768x422.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-1536x844.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods-491x270.png 491w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Woods.png 1811w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Deborah Harry as Nicki Brand<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-1024x571.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"357\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-70417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-1024x571.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-1536x857.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry-484x270.png 484w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Harry.png 1783w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressive special effects<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-70414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-1536x832.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4-498x270.png 498w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects4.png 1811w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-1024x560.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-70406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-1536x841.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects-493x270.png 493w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects.png 1829w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-1024x653.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"408\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-70407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-1024x653.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-128x82.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-768x490.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-1536x980.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2-423x270.png 423w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Videodrome-Special-Effects2.png 1597w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, once, simply for its historical and cult value. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0086541\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/sciencefiction\/videodrome-1983.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/1339\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What you see on that show &#8212; it&#8217;s for real; it&#8217;s not acting.&#8221; Synopsis: Soon after the producer (James Woods) of a small cable TV station learns from his assistant (Peter Dvorsky) about a pirated snuff station known as Videodrome, he meets a seductive woman (Deborah Harry) who convinces him to give in to his sado-masochistic impulses, eventually leading him down an unexpectedly gory and body-altering path. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: David Cronenberg Films Dystopia Horror Films James Woods&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70403\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70403"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70533,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70403\/revisions\/70533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}