Rating: 12/20
Plot: Who cares?
I don't like David Cronenberg movies for the most part, but the part of me that likes weird movies keeps feeling the need to watch them. This one's got an idea that's nearly-interesting, but there's something about Cronenberg's style that just bugs me. He shoots his proverbial wad early (probably literally) with an exploding head scene, and then the story and its boring protagonist just sort of meander around through Canadian thriller sludge for what seems to be too long. It's almost like the characters never really come completely alive, and I think it's that way with all of Cronenberg's movies. Stephen Lack's the guy we have to follow around the entire movie, and he's got about as much personality as a mango. I do like Patrick McGoohan as a scientist guy and Michael Ironside as the creepy antagonist though. Fucking Howard Shire (I think he had his name legally changed to Fucking Howard Shire, didn't he?) gives this a score that is inoffensive. My favorite thing about this might be the I-gotta-fart faces that the scanners make when they're doing their scanning.
I've got to fart.
I've got to fart.
Balls.
I'm probably not going to watch another David Cronenberg movie for a while. I think what makes me angry about them is that I feel like I'm missing something that other people are totally getting.
12 may have been generous. it seems major revelations grow in this movie exponentially to the point where there is a plot twist every 1.5 nanoseconds by the end. the staring battles are almost laughable BUT i really liked the way this was shot and the colors. ohhh the shades of green.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the whole thing is just very silly. Have you ever liked a David Cronenberg movie? I think Dead Ringers is pretty much it for me.
ReplyDeletei watched and enjoyed videodrome until the library copy started skipping. i dont think i have seen anything else. this movie just requires too much suspension of disbelief. how did the protagnist live to be as old as he was not knowing who or what he was. he seemed to barely be able to communicate. some back story elements are introduced too late to make sense or expect the viewer to care. all a little sloppy.
ReplyDeleteI liked Naked Lunch when I finally saw it again without that youth minister guy fast-forwarding over it. And I liked Dead Ringers, but I'm not sure if I would like it now. I always think I'm supposed to like Cronenberg more than I do.
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