Month: June 2022

Movies of the Week: Cronenberg-Mortensen Triple Feature

Jeff Mitchell

The body-horror master, David Cronenberg, returns to his twisted ways with his new film “Crimes of the Future” (2022), and he reached out to his go-to actor, Viggo Mortensen, for the part of a performance artist who frequently is carved up on a sicko operating table.  “Crimes” is the fourth partnership between David and Viggo, so let’s look back at their three previous cinematic encounters in a triple feature that you shouldn’t miss.  “A History of Violence” (2005) – Set in rural Indiana, this step into film noir offers a…

Cronenberg returns to his past in ‘Crimes of the Future’

Jeff Mitchell

“Crimes of the Future” (2022) – “Long live the new flesh.” – Max Renn (James Woods) in “Videodrome” (1983) The aforementioned quote is from David Cronenberg’s trippy, sicko story about a renegade cable television station.  Its president, Renn, falls into real-life channels of depravity and inexplicable, fantastical carnage, including an adversary inserting a VHS video tape into the man’s abdomen.  The year was 1983, and VHSs fast-forwarded into millions of American homes, and “Videodrome” played off that pop culture phenomenon.  Cronenberg, the king of body horror films, is back and…

‘Fire Island’ is a welcoming and boisterous vacation

Jeff Mitchell

“Fire Island” (2022) – “Vacation, all I ever wanted.  Vacation, had to get away.” – “Vacation” (1982) by The Go-Go’s The next lyric in The Go-Go’s 80s classic is “Vacation, meant to be alone,” however, that is not Noah’s (Joel Kim Booster), Howie’s (Bowen Yang), Keegan’s (Tomas Matos), Luke’s (Matt Rogers), and Max’s (Torian Miller) collective intention.  It’s summertime, and these five 30-somethings – friends for years – travel on the South Bay Clipper to Fire Island for a week of drinking, dancing, finding drugs, meeting guys, hooking up, and…