Espeon posted...
In Videodrome, first off, James Woods being a network exec trying to find new, more explicit shows to draw in viewersalready youre starting with a less rational premise. But then his transformation is weirdly supernatural, and while I can accept the concept of Videodrome creating a brain tumor, the body feels completely forced and unnecessary. Even if its a hallucination due to the brain tumor, the movie treats James Woods weird chest wound as a real thing that he uses to hide a gun. And then the movie turns into a weird plot about a shadowy cabal facing off against a light cabal and its just utter nonsense. Its too focused on visuals and theming to create the films framework of a solid plot first.
I'm curious if you specifically have a problem with an executive trying to draw in viewers with explicit content, since that doesn't sound at all irrational. At least by the standards of the time anyway. However I do know that one of the main gripes people have with that particular movie is the off-putting premise, which is also fairly standard with Cronenberg.
I've also only seen two of his movies, both of which I was impressed with, but they're The Fly and A History of Violence which are both adaptations.