eXistenZ (1999)/B. Monkey (1998)/Malevolent (2002)
Studio: Echo Bridge
Theatrical Releases: April 23, 1999/July 15, 1998/2002
Blu-Ray Release: May 1, 2012
Ratings: R
Directed by David Cronenberg/Michael Radford/John Terlesky
Review by Craig Sorensen
The last time I watched eXistenZ I was not impressed. The whole thing just seemed so haphazard and cheap. The plot was ridiculous and the acting was awful. In short, I just didn’t get it. I don’t know, maybe I was just going into it with certain overbearing expectations. He was coming off of Crash and Naked Lunch, two films that I enjoy a lot (really, A LOT). So, OK, the joke was lost on me. I didn’t understand that eXistenZ is parody. Of course, it seems so obvious now that I feel a little stupid (I’m sure readers of this site won’t need any convincing of that). Cronenberg certainly seems to be having a bit of fun with his reputation and his earlier works. All the earmarks of a Cronenberg film are here, almost as if he had a checklist while writing the script. First, you have the blurring of fantasy & reality through some kind of technological/biological interface (the eXistenZ game that the characters are playing, similar to the Videodrome signal from, um, Videodrome). Then you get the shadowy corporate conglomerates from films like Scanners and Videodrome (again), only this time it’s video game companies. You also get heavy doses of ‘deviant’ sexual hijinks (take your pick of Cronenberg films here). You also get an appearance from early Cronenberg regular Robert Silverman. Of course, just going through the list of Cronenberg fetishes would sound kind of like phoning it in (which is kind of how I felt originally). Thankfully, all of this is played pretty light and I think, for laughs. Of course, the film isn’t necessarily shot like a comedy and the actors all play it fairly straight (some more hammy than others of course) so it’s a strange tone but I think Cronenberg manages to pull it off for the most part.
As for the acting, again, it went right over my head on that original viewing. Coming out of the theater I thought that the acting was fucking awful. Of course now, after veiwing it afresh, I think it’s fucking brilliant. The thing is, throughout the running time, all the actors are playing a character playing another character, playing yet another character. So the actors are playing the characters who go to a special play-through of a new virtual reality game. While in that game they are playing a second set of characters. So they are actors playing non-actors, making mistakes, giving line readings like non-actors improving their way through a rediculous science fiction film. And then, on top of that, those game characters are playing yet another layer of character in the game (it’s kind of confusing to explain but I don’t think it’s that confusing to watch).
For some reason there are also two more features on this Blu-Ray. You also get B. Monkey (starring Asia Argento) and Malevolent (starring Lou Diamond Phillips). B. Monkey is kind of a typical ‘90s british crime film. Lots of people acting ‘cool’ and guns and shit. It’s not bad honestly. The cast is pretty good (you get good performances from Jared Harris & Rupert Everett) and it’s well shot and directed I think. It’s just not that unique. Once you’ve seen one of these types of films, you’ve seen them all. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should just dismiss it. It’s a decent film and you could do worse on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Malevolent is much sillier but can still be fun if you go into it with the right attitude. It’s your typical bad-ass cop verses calculating serial killer movie. Again, once you’ve seen one of these films, you’ve seen them all. The plot is so convoluted though that I couldn’t help having a bit of fun with it. It’s not a good film but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. It’s just so typical of the era. The filmmakers just don’t seem to have any ambition. But again, it’s ridiculous enough to be kind of fun if you don’t take it too seriously.
All three films look decent on Echo Bridge’s new Blu-Ray triple feature. These aren’t pristine transfers but I thought that they look fairly good for three movies crammed onto a single dual-layer disc. Colors seem true to the theatrical presentation (at least on eXistenZ, I never saw either of the other films in a theater) and sound is good. Of course, there is absolutely no room here for extras, which is my biggest beef with this set. eXistenZ is good enough to warrant a full fledged special feature. I’d really like to hear from the actors here, as I’m sure that there’s a lot of work involved in what they’re doing. Also, the Cronenberg film has nothing to do with these two B action movies. I really don’t understand why this gets crammed onto a triple feature while shit like Tale of the Mummy gets a single disc.
Theatrical Releases: April 23, 1999/July 15, 1998/2002
Blu-Ray Release: May 1, 2012
Ratings: R
Directed by David Cronenberg/Michael Radford/John Terlesky
Review by Craig Sorensen
The last time I watched eXistenZ I was not impressed. The whole thing just seemed so haphazard and cheap. The plot was ridiculous and the acting was awful. In short, I just didn’t get it. I don’t know, maybe I was just going into it with certain overbearing expectations. He was coming off of Crash and Naked Lunch, two films that I enjoy a lot (really, A LOT). So, OK, the joke was lost on me. I didn’t understand that eXistenZ is parody. Of course, it seems so obvious now that I feel a little stupid (I’m sure readers of this site won’t need any convincing of that). Cronenberg certainly seems to be having a bit of fun with his reputation and his earlier works. All the earmarks of a Cronenberg film are here, almost as if he had a checklist while writing the script. First, you have the blurring of fantasy & reality through some kind of technological/biological interface (the eXistenZ game that the characters are playing, similar to the Videodrome signal from, um, Videodrome). Then you get the shadowy corporate conglomerates from films like Scanners and Videodrome (again), only this time it’s video game companies. You also get heavy doses of ‘deviant’ sexual hijinks (take your pick of Cronenberg films here). You also get an appearance from early Cronenberg regular Robert Silverman. Of course, just going through the list of Cronenberg fetishes would sound kind of like phoning it in (which is kind of how I felt originally). Thankfully, all of this is played pretty light and I think, for laughs. Of course, the film isn’t necessarily shot like a comedy and the actors all play it fairly straight (some more hammy than others of course) so it’s a strange tone but I think Cronenberg manages to pull it off for the most part.
As for the acting, again, it went right over my head on that original viewing. Coming out of the theater I thought that the acting was fucking awful. Of course now, after veiwing it afresh, I think it’s fucking brilliant. The thing is, throughout the running time, all the actors are playing a character playing another character, playing yet another character. So the actors are playing the characters who go to a special play-through of a new virtual reality game. While in that game they are playing a second set of characters. So they are actors playing non-actors, making mistakes, giving line readings like non-actors improving their way through a rediculous science fiction film. And then, on top of that, those game characters are playing yet another layer of character in the game (it’s kind of confusing to explain but I don’t think it’s that confusing to watch).
For some reason there are also two more features on this Blu-Ray. You also get B. Monkey (starring Asia Argento) and Malevolent (starring Lou Diamond Phillips). B. Monkey is kind of a typical ‘90s british crime film. Lots of people acting ‘cool’ and guns and shit. It’s not bad honestly. The cast is pretty good (you get good performances from Jared Harris & Rupert Everett) and it’s well shot and directed I think. It’s just not that unique. Once you’ve seen one of these types of films, you’ve seen them all. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should just dismiss it. It’s a decent film and you could do worse on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Malevolent is much sillier but can still be fun if you go into it with the right attitude. It’s your typical bad-ass cop verses calculating serial killer movie. Again, once you’ve seen one of these films, you’ve seen them all. The plot is so convoluted though that I couldn’t help having a bit of fun with it. It’s not a good film but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. It’s just so typical of the era. The filmmakers just don’t seem to have any ambition. But again, it’s ridiculous enough to be kind of fun if you don’t take it too seriously.
All three films look decent on Echo Bridge’s new Blu-Ray triple feature. These aren’t pristine transfers but I thought that they look fairly good for three movies crammed onto a single dual-layer disc. Colors seem true to the theatrical presentation (at least on eXistenZ, I never saw either of the other films in a theater) and sound is good. Of course, there is absolutely no room here for extras, which is my biggest beef with this set. eXistenZ is good enough to warrant a full fledged special feature. I’d really like to hear from the actors here, as I’m sure that there’s a lot of work involved in what they’re doing. Also, the Cronenberg film has nothing to do with these two B action movies. I really don’t understand why this gets crammed onto a triple feature while shit like Tale of the Mummy gets a single disc.
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