Artivels Undescribable Perfection

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

InjunNose Brilliant premise, and even more timely now than it was in 1983. Good performances from James Woods, Deborah Harry and Sonja Smits. Wonderfully queasy special effects. But when a film begins as strongly as does "Videodrome", it's hard to watch it turn into an opaque stew. David Cronenberg poses a vital question (what happens when violence begins to turn people on sexually?) only to leave it unanswered and, while ambiguous endings *can* work in horror and sci-fi, they're best suited to subject matter that's esoteric to begin with. "Videodrome" is just the opposite: the movie addresses such a legitimate real-world issue that it practically screams for a more coherent ending than the one it's got. Cronenberg takes you on an entertaining ride, yes, but don't expect it to make sense. (I found "Shivers" and "Rabid" more satisfying.) Six and a half stars.

gwnightscream James Woods, Deborah Harry and Les Carlson star in David Cronenberg's 1983 sci-fi/horror film. Woods (Vampires) plays Max Renn, a manager of an x-rated TV station. Soon, he stumbles onto a mysterious program, "Videodrome" which consists of real violence & torture. Max starts to feel strange after viewing it and his reality changes. Harry (Blondie) plays Nicki Brand, a radio shrink who Max gets involved with and the late, Carlson plays Barry Convex, the producer of Videodrome plus Carlson also worked with Cronenberg in "The Dead Zone" and "The Fly." This is a bizarre 80's flick, Woods is good in it and Rick Baker's make-up effects are terrific as usual. Give this one a try at least once.

Michael_Elliott Videodrome (1983) *** (out of 4) Max Renn (James Woods) is a television programmer who looks for shows to play on his sleazy station. One day a pirated video signal is hacked where he sees people being tortured. There's no plot or anything like that and soon he realizes that the show, Videodrome, is real but it's much more deadlier than just that.David Cronenberg's VIDEODROME is yet another very strange and surreal movie from the Canadian director who by this time had a strong reputation for delivering films unlike anything you had seen before. I must admit that the first time I watched this film I really hated it for a number of reasons but this second viewing had me appreciating it a lot more. Obviously the film is very much original and it's certainly unlike anything you've seen before and the journey you go on is quite entertaining.Viewing the film today you can't help but see the satire that is right there in front of you. Of course there's an underlying message about television having certain messages in it that can pollute ones brain and you can't help but think this here has pretty much came true. Another thing Cronenberg does wonders with is the message of whether or not watching such trash has an impact on the one watching it. VIDEODROME is full of bizarre images of violence with some of it being realistic with other bits so far-fetched but at the same time the director manages to make you believe what you're watching. The various scenes with Woods and his stomach are top-notch work from Rick Baker.It also helps that you've got such a strong cast here with Woods doing a very good job in the lead role. Not only is he believable in the role of this sleazy exec he just makes you feel that you're watching a real guy who finds himself losing control and his mind. Deborah Harry is also good in her role as is Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman and Sonja Smits. The special effects are wonderful, there's a terrific atmosphere and the music score puts you just in the right frame of mind for the material.

Alyssa Black (Aly200) Of all David Cronenberg's films, "Videodrome" would have to be his relevant. The concept of how television or the media in general controls what we see or what we perceive of subject matter is a disturbing truth. The film is in a sense like George Orwell's "1984" but as imagined by the master of body horror cinema, David Cronenberg.The premise of "Videodrome" revolves around TV executive Max Renn (an immensely unsettling performance by the excellent James Woods) and his obsession with the titular station takes the viewer down a dark rabbit hole of hallucinations, perverse interests, a society that feeds off sex and violence and gross-out moments galore. Lending a feminine touch of perversity to the film in her break-out acting role is "Blondie" singer Deborah Harry as the sadomasochistic Nicki Brand who helps kick-start Max's ultimate downfall into an even more amoral shell of a man.The film heavily relies on the powerhouse performance of James Woods as the morally corrupt Max Renn. Woods pulls out all the stops for the role as he goes from a charming, but despicable smut peddler for his television station to an instrument of destruction not only for himself, but for humanity around him though Max is unaware as his mind deteriorates due to "Videodrome"'s power. James Woods never loses his charm even as Max descends into his delusions even further, but the viewer can tell it won't end well for Max as his mind is susceptible to any form of influence around him.The other key to the film's enduring legacy and intrigue are its terrifying scenes of Max Renn's delusions and the genius effects created by Oscar winning makeup artist, Rick Baker. Baker's arguable masterpiece in "Videodrome" would be the film's infamous cassette slit in Max Renn's abdomen which is first seen halfway into the film. I myself found myself squirming uncomfortably in my seat, clutching my stomach watching James Woods as Max stick his hand into the slit (which was made in a prosthetic torso placed in front of actor James Woods who was glued to the sofa). The film's other memorable squirming scene is Max's hallucination of Nicki on his television and his head melds to the television or the scene near the close of the film is unsettling.If you want a thought-provoking body horror, give "Videodrome" a try but be warned that it is not for the faint of heart.