Movies to Stream: The TV glow
Body horror and sitcom satire meet in this week's small screen streaming recommendations
In one of this week’s streaming picks, David Cronenberg’s ‘80s body horror classic Videodrome, a mysterious TV figurehead makes a proclamation:
“The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye. Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore, television is reality, and reality is less than television.”
The TV ecosystem is much different now than when Videodrome came out, but its prescience lingers. In today’s fractured streaming ecosystem, there is a show for seemingly everyone, catering to every kind of taste (or tastelessness).
TV can now be experienced anywhere. Wherever you can take your smartphone, you can catch up on your programs.
And to that end, TV has a lot more competition for our attention now. We are drowning in images; to some, a YouTube video can seem like Slow Cinema compared to the instant gratification and serotonin microdose of a TikTok.
More than ever, TV has become something to have on in the background. It is more of a mindset than a medium; it means “I don’t really have to pay attention to this, do I?” I’m sure Videodrome’s Max Renn would get a kick out of what we’ve become.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, this week I’m taking my movie column to the small screen. We’re looking at the sometimes horrifying, sometimes hilarious ways that cinema has portrayed television.
(Unless otherwise noted, all movies are available to rent from Apple, Amazon, etc. in addition to the listed streaming services. But if you watch them and like them, I’d consider buying physical copies 😃)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Normal Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.