Round-up 19: From Office Space to Videodrome

Hazy recollection of the recent week’s days. It was a full and long week of work, and I was really feeling the monotony this time around. You know you’re cooked when you show up to work and immediately start creating checkpoints for yourself. “Okay, we just gotta make it to nine o'clock”… Then, “Now, ten”… The beeping of the printer and call applications on our computers has suddenly become something I hallucinate in off-hours and times of the day. As a result of this sentiment, I found myself rewatching Office Space (1999) one evening. I was sick as a dog early in the week; I came home after a long day of fighting through it and desperately needed solace. This was not the time for anything new, especially of the provocative nature that I typically find myself watching. So, I was quickly tied into the first leg of my favorite office-style comedy, journeying through the timeless tale of suffering at work. Peter, Michael, and Samir, the three amigos of the film, are stuck in a dead-end position at Initech when their repressed anger towards their bosses culminates in a short-sighted plan to rob them with a computer virus. This is up there with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) as one of those “must-see” films when under the weather. They have the healing properties of NyQuil instilled within them, I swear.

            Once I was finally healed up, I got around to some new films as well. Continuing on the themes of me being an absolute asshole for not having seen it before, I finally got around to watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). What I was not prepared for at all were the opening credits showing how absolutely stacked this film is. I knew that Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet were holding the leading roles, but I was stunned to see the likes of David Cross and Mark Ruffalo among the cast as well. I’d be remiss to not mention Elijah Wood’s presence, too. But what ended up surprising me the most about the film was how damn funny it was. I had a preconceived notion that the story was sad from start to finish, and this was the furthest thing from the truth. I shouldn’t be this taken aback, considering that it was written by the legendary Charlie Kaufman. I have been studying this man for a while now, and I had fallen off track until I discovered this one. Known for his snappy dialogue and incredibly strong plot structures, nothing should have been surprising about the way this film made me laugh out loud so consistently. The story follows two romantically entwined individuals whose relationship, when it inevitably goes sour, undergoes a new scientific procedure to have their memories of each other erased. When Jim Carrey’s character begins to regret the procedure midway through, he chases his love through memories to avoid the scientists on his tail. Each character has their own distinct arc that comes crashing together in the final act of the film, once again a testament to Kaufman’s writing talent. While very funny, its final moments hit you like a ton of bricks, but I won’t spoil it here for those that haven’t seen. Highly recommend, an absolute masterpiece in my book.

            My next viewing was of another film I should have gotten around to way before now. The 80s sci-fi action classic Robocop (1987), starring Peter Weller as Murphy, a doomed from the start police officer transferred to the dangerous downtown areas of a neo-Detroit, Michigan. When a solo infiltration of a notorious mob boss’s lair goes awry, he is shot to death by goons with shotguns, in a gnarly shooting sequence that got the hairs on my arms raised. Meanwhile, a group of power-hungry corporatists taking over the police force are developing machines to be the future of policing in Detroit and around the nation. Murphy is transferred to a medical facility run by the new enforcers and transformed into the titular Robocop, half man, half machine, and practically immune to gunfire and small explosions. This is a goofy film. The practical effects do not stand the test of time, making the over-the-top action sequences that much laughable. Through this lens, however, the film is immensely enjoyable, but hard to take seriously, which I suppose it didn’t really care about to begin with. But this clash of sociological satire with sincere and sometimes off-putting graphic violence didn’t always work for me. Instead of melding, it clashed, and this worked against the overall tone of the film, which had a lot going for it in the first act, effects aside. Worth a watch, but I wouldn’t be bumping to the top of any lists.

            To wind down yesterday morning, I popped on my 4K Blu-ray copy of Flashdance (1983), which has been collecting dust atop my movie shelf for the better part of a year now. This is a relaxing film to pop on in the background while you do some housework or cleaning. An impeccable soundtrack of bouncing 80s synths and reverbed drums is fused with a wholesome story about making one’s dreams come true despite the inevitable obstacles and hurdles that will pop up in front of you. Jennifer Beals stars as Alex, a welder by day and stripper by night, who falls for her boss while in pursuit of her goals to be enrolled in the city’s high society dancing. While much better than I remember it from the past, with some very well-constructed shots and dance numbers, the male gaze is painted all over this from start to finish. And while this wouldn’t normally be something that I would complain about (I’m a straight man, give me a break), it is so blatant in this film that it definitely wouldn’t stand up against current standards. That’s all I’ve really got to say about this one. I had a good time watching it, especially in that high resolution.

            I finished the week off watching a David Cronenberg classic, Videodrome (1983), another one I’ve been meaning to watch for quite a while now. However, as always mentioned, my weak stomach is a deterrent to such films, oftentimes. This night, I was feeling spunky and needed some mental stimulation. Cronenberg more than delivered on this front with this gross dive into the world of snuff film and pornography. This is the sort of social satire I would die for, as it gently weaves concepts of morality with our present state of “freedoms” (and this film came out in the early 80s, mind you, so far ahead of its time in that regard). The story follows James Woods as Max Renn, a television producer who becomes obsessed with Videodrome, a late-night broadcast of torture, violence, and all sorts of terrible things that he is certain is the future of the business. His quest to find those responsible leads him to terrifying places as hallucinations begin taking over his primary view of the world. Body horror is the leading factor of the rating on this one, and for good measure, this is some of the coolest practical effects in a horror film I’ve ever seen, genuinely up there next to The Thing (1982). The final act takes full advantage of these effects to gross lengths, and really brings home the themes of the film overall. This is a must-see for any horror fan, but honestly, for any film enthusiast in general as well. A rare moment of intense body horror seeping into the mainstream in a positive way, and with a strong message attached.

            Despite a crippling illness taking a majority of the week away from me, I was still able to watch some great new films this time around. I need more recommendations. I feel I’m starting to weaken on the streaming services offering. Do you have any films you feel are must-sees that I haven’t talked about yet? What genres comfort you when you’re under the weather? I leave you all with well wishes. I hope you watch something new and exciting this upcoming week.