Seeing 'Videodrome' in 4K!

Videodrome (1983) at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Monday, December 18), I went to the Shin Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro to catch a screening of Videodrome (1983) in 4K. Now here's a movie I never expected to see in a theater, so the opportunity was just too good to pass up. (I should also point out that it was billed as the director's cut, though I don't know how it's different from the theatrical release.)

I can't say I'm a huge fan of director David Cronenberg's work, but I do admire some of his films. Taking a look at his filmography, I've also seen Scanners (1981), The Fly (1986), A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), and Cosmopolis (2012). Other than Cosmopolis (which I only saw for George Touliatos' role as a barber toward the end of the movie), I enjoyed all these films to some extent, but Videodrome has always been my favorite of his.

Godzilla guards the soda machine against marauding kaiju. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Interestingly, when I saw the title Maps to the Stars (2014) in his filmography, it seemed strikingly familiar to me, but I can't remember if I actually saw it or not, which probably doesn't say a whole lot for the movie. 

Prior to this screening, I'd probably seen Videodrome three times before -- all of which were on DVD. I believe the last time was circa 2013 when I was still living in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture. While the film has all the typical scenes of "body horror" that you'd expect from Cronenberg, I've always felt this movie never went too far with it, which is one reason I'm partial to it. (Thankfully, no scenes of Brundlefly vomiting on his food can be found here.)

Photo by Brett Homenick.

As for the film, James Woods is effective as a sleazebag TV executive who stays just sympathetic enough for the audience to care about. Moreover, I was surprised at how small Deborah Harry's role was (it's almost an extended cameo), though she likewise does a good job with the material she's given. Rick Baker's FX hold up quite well, too. I could go on and on, but I really don't have anything negative to say about the movie at all. The whole thing just works.

I also got a kick out of seeing the late Michael Lennick's onscreen credit at the end, too. In fact, I remember buying the Criterion release of the film in early 2007 after I interviewed him about his work on Virus (1980) simply because I knew he worked on the film (meaning Videodrome, not Virus). 

Photo by Brett Homenick.

One other thing that really stood out to me was that the early '80s look and vibe of the film added to its creepiness. I guess it's a bit hard to put into words, but, had it been shot just a few years later, I think it would have lost something intangible. It's a movie that was definitely made at the right time. 

All in all, it was a great evening at the movies. I really enjoyed this one and give it a full-throated recommendation.