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Videodrome, The Ring, and other EVIL media

Mystery Gypt

06:57 / 19.03.02

i've just seen the intense japanese movie RING, which has just been remade by Dremworks (starring the amazing chick from mulholland drive) and i'm really into the idea of a haunted, cursed videotape; it's an interesting combination of the ideas of memes, viral marketing, a curse, and sickness.

brought to mind videodrome as well, and i'm wondering if people can think of OTHER examples of stories about evil tvs, sinister electronic media, haunted entertainment, etc?

The Natural Way

07:18 / 19.03.02

What, other than Poltergeist?

Seriously now: I knew that Ring was gonna have the Hollywood remake treatment (which is bad enough), but Dreamworks? Oh. My. God.

The Strobe

08:20 / 19.03.02

Hmn. There's lots of info on Ring on the web, I've lost the URL, but it's worth noting:

there are several sequels. Not just Ring2/Ring0; there's also the made-for-tv serial and then the written sequels (it's based on a book).

The books go Ring/Rasen/Loop; Ring's about the same, Rasen is VERY weird (not in translation but good plot summary on web) and then Loop just goes and throws about every fucking thing out the window. Which I think's brilliant, and I look forward to a translation.

The sequels explain why it's a cursed _video_ in a variety of ways. Ring 0 is based on one of three short stories. God, it's a good film.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

08:39 / 19.03.02

The Ring doesn't actually explain that title until the very end... I felt a bit unwell watching it, I think it's the wobbly cinematography. I liked the way they gradually explain what all the different images mean. Maybe we should filmclub this?

I know that Ring2 has been shown on Film 4 though I didn't get to see it. I have no faith any more that an American studio will be able to copy it without completely messing it up.

kid coagulant

14:03 / 19.03.02

'Infinite Jest', a book by David Foster Wallace, was about a film (called 'infinite jest') that was so good that once you'd seen it you couldn't stop watching it.

grant

14:29 / 19.03.02

Terrorvision. The last word in media horror.

There's also "Running Man," the Schwarzenegger action film about game shows. Co-starring Richard Dawson and Mick Fleetwood (both in great bit parts).

I seem to recall another one....

kid coagulant

14:37 / 19.03.02

from the imdb 'terrorvision' review:

<<<...and her mentally inept boyfriend, who looks like Kid Rock minus the attitude and pizzazz.>>>

Pizzazz of course being one of the most difficlut aspects of Kid Rock's personality to capture effectively.

[ 19-03-2002: Message edited by: invix ]

videodrome

15:45 / 19.03.02

Filmclubbing Ring would be rough for us Americans - it's not got any release here due to Dreamworks' possession of US rights. I've got the UK disc, but I doubt many others do.

A friend who runs a theatre wanted to show Ring recently and knew a distributor with a print. Just to follow the rules, he contacted Dreamworks, who told him that under no circumstances could he run the original.

Fucks.

Rev. Wright

16:31 / 19.03.02

ANGUISH (1987) Dir. Bigas Luna
Spanish/Us production, twist in this film is the hypnotic film being screened at a cinema.

THE VIDEO DEAD (1986) Dir. Robert Scott
Haunted tv set brings to life the undead from Zombie Blood Nightmare.

more to come..........

NB, Ring was superb, RING 2 sucked, I hope Ring 0 will be better.

Mystery Gypt

17:21 / 19.03.02

i guess AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS counts.

grant, i'd say running man is a totally different thing; that's about a TV show, like NETWORK or Series 7. which is different than there being a tv program with a futuristic or supernatural power...

the Fool

20:08 / 19.03.02

Tetsuo and Tetsuo II - the bodyhammer.
Wierd, sadistic, mechanical fetish, biomechanoid psychotic japanese drama. Bad for your mind!!!

videodrome

22:44 / 19.03.02

Definitely recommend the first Tetsuo, but I thought the second was a lame Evil Dead II-type remake of the first, with none of the value-added content (I'm sorry) that made ED2 so great. Aside from the title "Bodyhammer" I can't find much to recommend in the second film.

Maybe it was just because I had to wait so long to see it...

I, Libertine

23:10 / 19.03.02

quote:Originally posted by Mystery Gypt:
i guess AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS counts.

Do you mean In the Mouth of Madness?

Mystery Gypt

00:56 / 20.03.02

right, yeah... the Carpenter tribute to lovecraft, not the lovecraft itself. viral cursed novel being turned into a crazy-making movie;
very much like Rasen, the second Ring novel, apparently... i highly recommend the plot descriptions of the ring novels from the above link, by the way, they sound totally cracked.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

10:12 / 20.03.02

Yeah, 'Mouth' was pretty good, "I'm sorry I kicked you in the balls!" I think the ending was a bit weak though, I prefer films to have resolutions rather than just going round in circles.

angel

10:27 / 20.03.02

quote:Originally posted by the Fool:
Tetsuo and Tetsuo II - the bodyhammer.
Wierd, sadistic, mechanical fetish, biomechanoid psychotic japanese drama. Bad for your mind!!!

I fully second your thoughts and reactions, although I was not nearly as terrorised as I thought I might be, but maybe that's coz I was watching it on a recovery Sunday. (ie very trashed the night before)

Very Disturbing! and Very Weird!

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:05 / 20.03.02

quote:Originally posted by Loz' Sweet Exile:
I know that Ring2 has been shown on Film 4 though I didn't get to see it.You didn't miss much, Loz. Ring 2 doesn't fit in with the storyline properly - it's not taken from the same series of novels as the original (and Ring 0, IIRC) is. And it's a bit shit, come to that. Not as atmospheric as the first, certainly.

There's more on the series at Ringworld if you're interested in the film/tv/book crossover.

I'm tempted to see the remake, but I really do think it's gonna be a nu-metal soundtracked wankstain. And it sounds like they're preparing for it to be shitbox, if they're preventing anyone in the US seeing the original as a basis for comparison...

[ 20-03-2002: Message edited by: The Return Of Rothkoid ]

grant

15:27 / 20.03.02

I've never seen it, but would "Dead End Drive-In" count?

I've always wanted to see that one, and never did.

Peach Pie

19:24 / 30.12.04

I think it's a pretty pessimistic film. It suggests evil not be eradicated - just transfered from one place to the next.

Liger Null

22:55 / 31.12.04

I saw Dead-end Drive In a long time ago. It seemed to be a metaphor not about evil per se, but about society and how xenophobia and general apathy blind people to the fact that they are prisoners in a system designed to keep people well-fed and stupid. Think The Village or Soylent Green.

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