The Brood

Sometimes a work comes to fruition because of what happened in the creator's life. The output of most James Ellroy's career was provoked by his mother's unsolved murder. Charlotte Brontë's novels Shirley and Vilette were written as her siblings fell ill and died. Basically if something bleak happens, it'll be integrated in what they're making.

David Cronenberg's The Brood came about following a messy divorce and custody dispute. He would claim it was his most personal film: "The Brood is my version of Kramer vs. Kramer, but more realistic." (Coincidentally, both films were released the same year.) In comparison with Robert Benton's Best Picture winner, Cronenberg doesn't shy away from the ugliness of divorce. (Hey, write what you know.)

Back in 1979, The Brood was viewed as nothing more than exploitation-filled schlock. But all these years later (and with more films under Cronenberg's belt), it's far more than that. It began to set the mold for the Canadian director's later work and how he awakened a morbid sense of creativity within himself and Hollywood.

Similarly, The Brood shows a contrast between the two stages of Cronenberg's career. His more recent films maintain a sense of realism while his earlier work prefers surrealism. But there's one connecting factor between those two stages: the terrors of what should be keeping us safe.

The Brood depicts the horrors often found (and sometimes ignored) within everyday life. Those we're supposed to trust no matter what are those who inflict the most harm. After all, sometimes the real monsters are those who look completely harmless.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Dead Zone

David Cronenberg is certainly a diverse director. He's dabbled in a number of genres: psychological horror, gross-out horror, surreal drama and not-so-domestic drama. I personally prefer the latter category, but many prefer the first two.

His 1983 film The Dead Zone fits somewhere between the first and third categories. Based on the Stephen King novel, the film chronicles a man's life following a debilitating car crash. (Amusingly, this was years before King's own.)

Many of Cronenberg's films from the 1980s focused on the surreal nature in life. (Videodrome, The Fly and Dead Ringers are the main contributors.) The Dead Zone isn't any different from those titles. It shows how strange life can become for some.

The star of The Dead Zone is Christopher Walken, who is actually the kind of actor Cronenberg would cast for one of his films. (Seriously, just look at him.) Not long after his deserved Oscar win for The Deer Hunter, Walken continues to show his abilities as an actor. There are many times throughout the film where he's just absolutely scared of what he's seeing, and Walken displays it fantastically.

Despite the work from Walken and the many unsettling elements early on, The Dead Zone feels like something's lacking by the end. I'm not sure what it is though. Of the Cronenberg films I've seen, this felt like the weakest among them. Oh, and there's also a really sleazy performance out of Martin Sheen too.

My Rating: ****

Dead Ringers

In the last decade or so, David Cronenberg's film have possessed a normal frame of mind. It's his early stuff that's bound to raise a few eyebrows. (Anyone who saw Videodrome can understand why.)

Take Dead Ringers as an example. It shows the many surreal traits of Cronenberg's works from the 1980s yet it also shows the early signs of the twisted everyday life which is prominent in his recent work. It's that bridge between those trademarks of Cronenberg's that makes the film all the more hypnotic.

The film stars Jeremy Irons in the dual roles of Elliott and Beverly Mantle. Both men share the same profession and apartment, but that's all they share. Everything else between them is completely different, especially their personalities. (It's hard to tell the difference between the two early on, but it gets easier as the film progresses.)

Elliott is the more dominant of the two. He's an arrogant person to many, but he deeply cares about Beverly. It's almost as if there is an invisible bound between them...

Beverly is clearly the more emotionally fragile of the two. He wants to escape the looming shadow of his more successful brother, but his personal demons get the better of him. Between the two brothers, Beverly draws you in almost immediately.

Along with A History of Violence, Dead Ringers displays regular life with a twist of darkness. Irons gives a stunning performance, leaving me to wonder why he wasn't nominated for it. Saying I perhaps have a new favorite Cronenberg film is a bit of an understatement.

My Rating: *****

The Fly

Science fiction and horror go hand in hand frequently. Like when an experiment goes horribly wrong. Trust me, it works.

An example is David Cronenberg's The Fly. Like Videodrome, The Fly is bound to cross over into messed-up territory. And it does that exactly. The slow (and disgusting) transition from human to fly is meant to be seen than described. (Especially when his ear just falls off.)

The Fly was viewed by some upon its release as Cronenberg's take on the AIDS epidemic. In a sense it is, but I like to view it as Cronenberg's twist on The Elephant Man. By this, I mean Cronenberg shows a misunderstood and deformed being, and has us come to terms with this creature.

The Fly is infused with science fiction, horror and Cronenberg grossness, all of which work wonders. The makeup makes this version and the 1958 version appear as though they aren't even the same story. However, it's on the gross side frequently. One for the horror junkies.

My Rating: ****1/2

Videodrome

Considering the only David Cronenberg movies I've seen were some of his more realistic titles (Eastern Promises, Spider, A History of Violence), I was bound to see his movies from the 1980's sooner or later.

One of them is Videodrome. I've heard that this was a really messed-up movie and boy, is it ever. I knew Cronenberg's movies from the 1980's were...different from his more recent work, and Videodrome is just downright bizarre.

Though Videodrome shows the influence television can have on people. As most people know, the media is a contributor to most crimes. Cronenberg is making a statement on the influence of television and its impact. (It's not pretty in the least bit.)

Videodrome is good, but it was too surreal for me to really like. I do like Cronenberg's take on media influence however. It's basically one of the strangest movies out there. After seeing this, it'll make you think twice before watching television, especially late at night.

My Rating: ****

A History of Violence

Escaping your past is the method to use when you have more than a few skeletons in the closet. Usually it's related with an affair or something that occurred during childhood, but sometimes it's something more taunting.

This is the case with Tom Stall, played wonderfully by Viggo Mortensen. Before having an idyllic life, he was Joey Cusack, a hitman for an Irish mobster. His family is shocked by the realization, even after he vehemently denies such claims. But soon, he goes back to his violent past.

Mortensen's transformation from mild-mannered Tom to brutish Joey is both an eye-opener and evident during his two sex scenes with Maria Bello's Edie. The first encounter is somewhat of an awkward role-playing experience, lacking that certain spark. The second encounter takes the phrase "banging" to a new level.

Having also seen Eastern Promises, it's clear that Mortensen and David Cronenberg are excellent collaborators. I look forward to their next movie together. A History of Violence is very well done, but there's something missing to it. I can't place what it is though.

My Rating: ****1/2

Spider

We've seen descents into madness depicted in movies countless times. But what about when the person's already insane?

Ralph Fiennes, an actor I have always admired, gives one of his finer performances. He doesn't show the traits of Hollywood's regular take on schizophrenia (basically a LOT of twitching and breakdowns). His performance has him lost in his own world, trying to piece together his past with what little of his sanity remains.

David Cronenberg blurs the fine line between hallucination and reality. He also blurs how serious of a condition Fiennes is afflicted with so we can understand him better. Pretty freaky stuff if you ask me.

Spider is well-acted, but the pace bothered me a bit. I found it too slow more than once. That slightly annoying factor aside, I thought that Spider was a good movie.

My Rating: ****

Eastern Promises

Videodrome. The Fly. Crash. A History of Violence. These are just a few of David Cronenberg's movies. Another to throw in would be his most recent: Eastern Promises.

After a Russian teenager dies during childbirth, midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) decides to investigate her past. While searching for answers, her quest brings her to members of the Russian Mafia and has her curious on the mysterious Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), the family's driver.

For the ladies, there are three words I have to convince you to see Eastern Promises: Viggo gets naked. Holy smokes, it's a sight for sore eyes. And before this become a X-rated review, I shall move on.

Eastern Promises is Cronenberg's take on the gangster genre. Mortensen gives a performance that is sensual, charming and badass. This was my intro to Cronenberg, so I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a movie that blew my mind and kicked some serious ass.

My Rating: ****1/2