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Antiviral

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Posted by Bloody Disgusting Staff on April 12, 2013 @ 12:00am
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Story revolves around a salesman (Jones) for a clinic that replicates celebrity diseases for public consumption. He becomes obsessed with a celebrity and injects himself with her disease, then must figure out how to cure it before time runs out.

Long: ‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.

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[Interview] Caleb Landry Jones On ‘Antiviral’ And… Other Stuff

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Posted by EvanDickson on April 11, 2013 @ 5:00am
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IFC’s Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg’s directorial debut that Mr. Disgusting loved out of the TIFF last September (review here), will be opening on VOD and in limited theaters this Friday, April 12th. With the release date looming, I figured I’d share my interview with the film’s star, Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class). We start talking about the film, but things take some interesting detours.

In the film, “Syd March (Caleb Landry) is an employee at The Lucas Clinic – a company that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to fans who wish to fulfil their obsessive desire for real intimacy with their idols. As well as working for them, Syd also supplements his income by smuggling viruses out of the clinic in his own body in order to sell them on the black market. Constantly ill and losing his edge, Syd becomes careless and infects himself with an unusual virus carried by superstar Hannah Geist (Gadon).”

Head inside for the interview. It was a long divergent conversation that I couldn’t totally understand, but I have transcribed it to the best of my ability. Even if you can’t make sense of this interview, he turns in a remarkable performance in the film. READ MORE

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Worship Celebs With The U.S. Trailer For ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on March 07, 2013 @ 11:50am
Category: Movies / Trailers

We’ve landed the official U.S. trailer for IFC’s awesome Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg’s directorial debut that we loved out of the TIFF last September (read our review).

The film will be opening on VOD and in limited theaters April 12, so mark your calendars as to not miss out on Cronenberg’s gross social commentary on celeb obsession.

In the film, “Syd March (Landry Jones) is an employee at The Lucas Clinic – a company that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to fans who wish to fulfil their obsessive desire for real intimacy with their idols. As well as working for them, Syd also supplements his income by smuggling viruses out of the clinic in his own body in order to sell them on the black market. Constantly ill and losing his edge, Syd becomes careless and infects himself with an unusual virus carried by superstar Hannah Geist (Gadon).” READ MORE

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IFC Films Finally Set To Release Creepy ‘Antiviral,’ Comedic ‘Sightseers’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on February 14, 2013 @ 1:18pm
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We’re told IFC Films is taking a step back from acquiring genre films, but until then, they have quite a few to unload.

First, Brandon Cronenberg’s social commentary horror Antiviral, pictured above, gets released on April 12. Starring Caleb Landy Jones, Malcolm McDowell and Sarah Gadon, the son of David Cronenberg’s film “Revolves around a salesman (Jones) for a clinic that replicates celebrity diseases for public consumption. He becomes obsessed with a celebrity and injects himself with her disease, then must figure out how to cure it before time runs out.” I was a pretty big fan of the flick, read my review here.

Getting released on May 10 is Kill List director Ben Wheatley’s serial killer comedy Sightseers, pictured below, which I thought was pretty OK. The film is “The story is about a couple on a countryside caravan trip that goes wrong.”

Both films played strong through the festival scene and are worthy of a VOD rental. READ MORE

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[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘Antiviral’ Hits More Than It Misses

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Posted by EvanDickson on September 07, 2012 @ 6:30pm
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Included in the Toronto line-up is Brandon (son of David) Cronenberg’s Antiviral, which made its North American Premiere at the fest. Brad (aka Mr. Disgusting) had a chance to check it out and he wound up liking it well enough!

“The expectations may have been unfairly high (being the son of a legend demands some sort of competence), yet he surpasses them by delivering a deep, engaging, and beautifully shot art house horror film.”

Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade all star. Click here to read the review in its entirety, then check back after the film comes out to write your own.

[BD Review] Brandon Cronenberg Leaves His Mark With ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on September 06, 2012 @ 7:15pm
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Brandon Cronenberg, son of infamous Canadian filmmaker David, has quietly snuck onto the scene with his horror drama Antiviral, a social commentary on our culture’s obsession with celebrities. The expectations may have been unfairly high (being the son of a legend demands some sort of competence), yet he surpasses them by delivering a deep, engaging, and beautifully shot art house horror film.

Antiviral, acquired by IFC Midnight earlier this year, takes place in the unknown future where celebrity worship has reached epic levels. Besides being able to eat harvested meat from the cells of celebs, bioengineering has evolved into developing a way to infect fans with an infection carried by their favorite icon (yes, you could carry Paris Hilton’s herpes!). Caleb Landry Jones is black marketing the infections he sells, and ends up in the middle of a conspiracy to kill THE superstar of the times by injecting himself with her virus.

While the commentary is something most of us can immediately connect with, the story does lose some steam, and ultimately wears out is welcome. Once the film has clarity, instead of pacing forward, it slows to a dead stop. Jones’ outstanding performance, Karim Hussain’s stunning cinematography, and Cronenberg’s artful eye are what keep the film interesting. Antiviral is simply a stunning piece if Canadian filmmaking that puts all the local talent on display.

While I feel some viewers may find the experience tedious or exhausting, it does carry quite a few twists and turns, not to mention the much-desired “Cronenberg” imagery that will delight the hardcore horror nuts. Antiviral is quite an entrance by the young filmmaker who has one hell of a bright future.

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New Trailer And Poster For Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’ Go Celebrity Body Horror On Us

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Posted by EvanDickson on August 09, 2012 @ 10:00am
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Included in the line-up is for the Toronto International Film Festival is Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, which will be making its North American Premiere at the September event. Now, we have a new trailer and poster for the film.

The trailer is certainly interesting, but it seems a like a heavy-handed extrapolation of something Cronenberg might have learned in Media Studies 101. Obviously the film could be much more nuanced and, at any rate, it seems like there’s a d*mn good amount of body horror in the thing.

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade all star. Head inside for the trailer and poster. READ MORE

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[TIFF '12] Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’ Joins Canadian Line-Up

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Posted by MrDisgusting on August 08, 2012 @ 2:03pm
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The Toronto International Film Festival today announced the Canadian features lineup including first-time feature filmmakers Jason Buxton, Brandon Cronenberg, Igor Drljaca and Kate Melville, as well as filmmakers returning to the Festival —including Bruce Sweeney, Sarah Polley, Xavier Dolan, Michael McGowan and Bernard Émond.

Included in the line-up is Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, which will be making its North American Premiere at the fest, which takes place this coming September.

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade all star. Check out a new image below. READ MORE

IFC Midnight Nabs Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’ For The U.S.

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Posted by EvanDickson on June 06, 2012 @ 3:26pm
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antiviral banner IFC Midnight Nabs Cronenbergs Antiviral For The U.S.

Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, a bizarre celebrity thriller that stars Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism) made its debut at Cannes last month and has now been picked up for U.S. distribution by IFC Midnight, which I’m guessing means we can probably expect a theatrical/VOD combo release sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

The Toronto production also stars Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade. READ MORE

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Writer/Director Brandon Cronenberg Discusses His Feature Film Debut, ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by Mike Pereira on May 30, 2012 @ 6:02am
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At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, audiences will be getting a dose of double Cronenberg. Not only is David Cronenberg’s surreal-looking Cosmopolis having its World Premiere but his son, Brandon will also be there showcasing his feature film debut, Antiviral. This sci-fi/horror tale is about a rogue medic played by Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class and The Last Exorcism) who sells sample viruses’ drawn from sick celebrities and sells it to their rabid fanbase. Brandon Cronenberg dabbles in the Body Horror subgenre; his dad’s bread and butter. Antiviral will be competing in the Un Certain Regard category which awards new talent.

I had the opportunity to chat with Brandon right before he made his way to France. I was also treated to several clips from the film. To say the least, I was extremely impressed by what I had witnessed. The footage had a wonderfully haunting quality that kept me glued to the screen. I’m particularly excited by what appears to be a starmaking turn from the utterly captivating Caleb Landry Jones. READ MORE

New Image From ‘Antiviral’ Spruces Up The Place

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Posted by EvanDickson on May 09, 2012 @ 11:50am
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Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, a bizarre celebrity thriller that stars Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism) will be premiering at Cannes in just a few days. A few images hit last week, and now we have a look at a brand new image from Twitch that features what looks like an asylum room as imagined by Cosmo or Maxim.

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

The Toronto production also stars Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade.

Antiviral 50912 New Image From Antiviral Spruces Up The Place

Caleb Landry Jones Plays Doctor In Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on May 02, 2012 @ 9:45pm
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Getting ready for its Cannes debut, the first three images have been release for Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, a bizarre celebrity thriller that stars Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism). The below images display Jones playing doctor. Brandon is the son of legendary director David Cronenberg.

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

The Toronto production also stars Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade.

What Grows in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’ Jars?

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Posted by MrDisgusting on December 06, 2011 @ 6:45pm
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The boys over at Twitch landed the first ever image from Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, a bizarre celebrity thriller that stars Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism). The below image features Jones staring at something interesting growing in jars. Brandon is the son of legendary director David Cronenberg.

“‘Antiviral’ follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion – for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.”

Now filming in Toronto, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade also star. READ MORE

More Celebrities Need Celebrity Blood in ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on November 03, 2011 @ 10:34pm
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It was announced the other say that David Cronenberg’s son would be taking the helm on Antiviral, a bizarre celebrity thriller that would star Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism).

THR reports that Brandon Cronenberg will be shooting in Toronto and Hamilton from November 7 to December 11, and also stars Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade.

The Canadian indie, written by Cronenberg, echoes his father’s more outrageous earlier sci-fi flicks by portraying an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans.

“The story revolves around a salesman (Jones) for a clinic that replicates celebrity diseases for public consumption. He becomes obsessed with a celebrity and injects himself with her disease, then must figure out how to cure it before time runs out.” READ MORE

David Cronenberg’s Son Directs Bizarre Celebrity Thriller ‘Antiviral’

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Posted by MrDisgusting on November 01, 2011 @ 3:25pm
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Brandon Cronenberg, son of director David, is getting behind the camera for Rhombus Media’s thriller Antiviral, tapping Caleb Landry Jones (Byzantium, X-Men: First Class, The Last Exorcism) to star, reports Variety.

“Story revolves around a salesman (Jones) for a clinic that replicates celebrity diseases for public consumption. He becomes obsessed with a celebrity and injects himself with her disease, then must figure out how to cure it before time runs out.”

Lensing will begin this month in Toronto. Let’s hope the young Cronenberg’s mind is as potent as his father’s was in years past. READ MORE