Movie Night #104: eXistenZ
Movie Night #104: eXistenZ (1999)
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, and Willem Dafoe
Plot: In the not-so-distant future, technology has evolved into organics and game designers are all the rage. The greatest game designer in the world, Allegra Gellar (Leigh), is about to release her latest game system called eXistenZ. However, someone from a rival game company has put a hit out on her and her game, and during a demonstration of the new system she’s attacked and her game pod – a living game system with the only copy of eXistenZ, was injured. Now on the run with the assistant marketing nerd Ted Pikul (Law), the two of them must keep her safe and play her game to make sure that it still works.
But in a world where gaming is more real than reality, the boundaries between what’s real and what’s a game start to blur and questions are raised – how much of what they’re experiencing is real, and how much of it is taking place in the game?
I remember first watching this flick before the Matrix came out, when the concept of virtual reality didn’t feel played out and movies didn’t have martial arts action heroes by the handful. This movie was pure psychological thriller, with some nice twists and turns that lead to a jaw-dropping finish that you don’t see coming. David Cronenberg is the kind of director that you either love or hate, and this movie is no exception to that, but the flick is absolutely pure genius. If you like movies that play with your brain, be sure to check this flick out.
I’m a few weeks behind on my blogging right now, mostly because I’ve been working hard to find a job and get materials together for NYCC next week. It’s a very busy time for me right now, but I’m working hard to keep the blogs and reviews coming. 
There should also be a new website coming soon. I had hoped for the new site to be live in early January, but since my friend is being kind enough to do this for me for free, I’m not going to complain about a little tardiness in that deadline. We’re shooting for sometime in February right now. Keep checking back for more information.
