Videodrome

This is my favourite cronenberg yet, and I think it has potential to stay there. Firstly the special effects in this were brilliant, the body horror achieved in actually quite crude ways which only works better, I think this is best shown in the gun hand scene which is quite a fake looking effect but this works quite well I think. The story however I think blows this movie up from a strong 4 to a 4.5 with 5 potential. The story touches on some brilliantly timeless ideas about the power of media and pornography, how gratuitous both can be, the blurred lines between the two and also snuff. I love it's exploration on the effect on the producers and distributors, however I think it was a bit heavy handed with it's corpo metaphor. I could see myself liking an interation of this idea however I think just something about quite how ham fisted it was in this is just what keeps it from being a 5, I wish it was a bit more metaphorical more in his mind, however I loved the American psyco ending and how it could be interpreted. I think it's discussion of sex and it's control over us has been the most realistic and powerful of the psychosexual movies I've watched so far, similar in power to secretary I'd say.