Post by dirtypillows on May 30, 2020 17:13:32 GMT
Rabid is like the reverse of Shivers. In Shivers, when infected with the parasite, they became sex crazed psychotics, whereas in Rabid, they become violent crazed psychotics. It is interesting to watch for Marilyn Chambers as well in the lead.
Cronenberg is very out there and he has both an equal fascination and revulsion of the human body and also likes to incorporate themes about how powerful the mind can be as well. With The Brood, it was holding onto past trauma's that cause our maladies, with Scanners, it is how thoughts can project and even destroy. He is just very dark in his own creative process and wants to set out to disturb, but in the process, it does get us to think. His imagery is often very potent and unforgettable. So he is very much an auteur in that right.
I think Danny Peary considers The Brood, Cronenberg's Kramer vs Kramer and he likes the film himself.
I don't mind The Dead Zone and largely for Walken and Sheen. Other than that, I find the film too compacted and even a bit flatly presented compared to the source material, that in hindsight, I consider The Dead Zone one of King's best novels of those that I have read. He is not always easy to translate to screen, due to his in depth and subjective characterization. When a film does get made that is very faithful to his source novel, as in Firestarter, which I think is an under-rated film and I also liked the story, it gets panned.
I have read all of his 70's and 80's novels under his sole name, except for Salem's Lot, The Stand and The Dark Half which I didn't finish and weren't grabbing me, or as in the case of The Stand, I found convoluted and disturbing, even though it contained his usual brilliant passages. I slogged through the interminable and ridiculous The Tommy Knockers just to finish it. I loved the first 3 novella's in Different Seasons and he ended it with an absolute fizzer for the winter tale, which frustrated me to no end. Why would he sabotage his own book with a crap 4th tale?
Have you read Mrs. Todd's Shortcut Mr. Dirty? It is in one of his short story books. Very amusing and a tad creepy, about a lady who knew every shortcut imaginable to get to where she wanted to go. She would end up going through some very alien and outlandish landscapes in her vehicle and King makes the simple little tale quite intriguing. I loved taking the ride with her.
That's funny how it can take a full year for something to make an impression, re-reading your take on Cronenberg's theme in "The Brood" sounds fascinating, really deep and meaningful. Going on that alone, I would give the movie another shot. Likely it was the cold atmosphere that turned me off. "The Dead Zone" is also a cold film, all of it (I believe) taking place during the Winter. For me, Christopher Walken makes the movie. Walken has an unusual, maybe even unique, film presence. He can be odd, even creepy if that's what the role calls for. On the other hand, he can also exude sympathy and tremendous vulnerability. It all comes across in his face. The eyes, the mouth and that supernatural long, long neck. In "The Dead Zone" and "The Deer Hunter", I find him extremely sweet.
"Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" sounds like a charming premise. From what you said, it also sounds like there's a lot of truth in the metaphor.