Gamer (closed)

The Night

Cinema Rising is proud to present Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's 2009 Gerard Butler vehicle Gamer, a film that has provided a uniquely prescient look at our new reality. 

In the throes of a national lockdown, me and my brother bunkered down in a remote location with a pile of blu-rays and secondhand books to distract from the apocalyptic vibes outside. Intrigued by Steven Shaviro's chapter on the film in his book Post-Cinematic Affect, we watched Gamer, as part of a personally curated season of titles exploring our relationship to technology and reality (other films watched during this period: Demonlover, Strange Days, Videodrome, Dark City, and eXistenZ). 

Fantasising about a future where we might once again attend an event in person and enjoy a night out with a crowd, a dream was born. What if we screened Gamer, asked Shaviro to introduce it, and ended the night with…