Netflix Streaming Friday: "Videodrome"

It's hard to believe growing up in the age of the Internet, but there was once a time when something as outdated and old-fashioned as a VCR was a luxury, pirate cable stations existed and viral videos were shared not with a link, but with a VHS tape. It was during this time that David Cronenberg made what is in my opinion his greatest film of the '80's, "Videodrome". James Woods stars as Max Renn, a programmer for a pirate cable station that primarily shows pornography and highly violent content. While on a talk show defneding his station's programming, he meets a psychiatrist named Nicki Brand (Blondie's Deborah Harry) that introduces him to S&M and a particularly disturbing program called Videodrome. From there, some crazy shit happens.

"Videodrome" is definitely a head-trip, though it's an incredibly interesting, engaging one. Usually after watching a film like this, I walk away content to be confused, but there's something about "Videodrome" that compelled me to come back multiple times in an attempt to figure it out. I'm still not sure I totally get it, but that hasn't stopped me from absolutely loving this film. It's a strange for sure, but given that we now live in an era where we're always connected to media through our phones, wifi and tablets, it's just as relevant today as it was nearly 30 years ago. While the best way to experience this film would be on a beat-up old taped from cable VHS tape, Netflix streaming isn't a terrible way to watch it for the first time. Check it out.