The Cronenberg Chronicle
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Nineteen: Maps to the Stars (2015)
And here we are again. It’s been a long time coming, for a film that I was certain would see a NYC area release, at some point during 2014. Now, “Maps to the Stars” did open at Cannes almost a year ago, where it garnered Julianne Moore the Best Actress Award from the festival. It […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Seventeen: Rabid (1977)
Just last week, on the “Byzantium” comment board, I found myself defending the modern “vampire” film and its endless variations. Ironically enough, right around that time, I was re-watching David Cronenberg’s “Rabid” in preparation for the penultimate entry in the monthly Cronenberg Chronicle. And as the initiated already know, the 1977 release is often dubbed […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Sixteen: Fast Company (1979)
“How the heck does this one fit?”, many will be inclined to asked. I’ve struggled with it for years myself, but I’ve come to terms with it most recently. By making a loose connection to the director’s 1996 “Crash”, “Fast Company” goes down a hell of a lot easier. You see, David Cronenberg loves cars. As proof, […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Fifteen: The Brood (1979)
As I’ve been doing ever since launching this Chronicle some 15 months ago, I’ve given the monthly Cronenberg feature a fresh watch. But I don’t believe I’ve ever struggled so much with how to approach writing an entry until pondering “The Brood”. For instance, how plausible is it to cover the main gist of the […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Fourteen: Scanners (1981)
And we arrive at “Scanners”. When it hit theaters in 1981, I was just 15 years old. I remember that I didn’t see it on the big screen, so the wait was probably 12 months or so before it popped up on HBO or Cinemax back then. But us teenage boys were aware of “Scanners” […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Thirteen: Videodrome (1983)
Long live the new flesh. If you are a follower of David Cronenberg, that mantra becomes like a “secret society” greeting. It’s not as well-known by the general public like, for instance, “Be afraid, be very afraid” from 1986’s “The Fly”—which was arguably David’s biggest hit at the box office. But “long live the new […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Twelve: The Dead Zone (1983)
Happy 70th birthday to David C! I made certain to rush in a fresh watch of Cronenberg’s only foray into Stephen King territory, so I could chronicle it in time for his big 7-OH! And, by chance, “The Dead Zone” represents the very first time that I ever experienced a film from my now favorite […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Eleven: The Fly (1986)
Ah…this is the one where things divert a bit from the pattern of his later films from 1988 to present day. First off, as we work our way backwards through David’s chronology–this film represents the first break in what I’ve dubbed the “S” team. Howard Shore does compose the music (an operatic score for some–more on […]
The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Ten: Dead Ringers (1988)
This is it. The one. The masterpiece. It was the very first David Cronenberg film that I actively sought out–and the entry in his canon that made me a DC junkie. Is it ironic that all three main characters either are or become junkies? Well, it’s fitting. Because after tasting “Dead Ringers” for the first time back […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 