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eXistenZ
Another movie to see while Vera is out of town. :-) I've only seen a few David Cronenberg movies, but that was enough to know to expect something very strange and, uh, squishy out of this movie.
Unfortunately, eXistenZ was released about the same time as The Matrix. And while it suffers a bit in comparison, it is actually quite a fun movie on its own. That is, if you like your virtual reality movies with a bit more blood & guts than the relatively sterile Matrix movies.
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the main character, a world-renowned video game designer who is just releasing her latest virtual reality game. In a rather surreal twist to the whole concept of VR being driven by goofy looking hats and helmets and electronics, in this world the VR is controlled through biological means and jacked into your system via a "bio-port" installed at the base of your spine (of course, this being an extra orifice on your body, and Cronenberg having directed Crash, you can expect a bit of fetishism around that concept).
The story has a number of twists and turns, and realities within realities. Not every twist is wholly unexpected, but the ride is fun along the way. Even Willem Dafoe gets a creepy appearance as the local country gas station manager.
Overall, I really enjoyed the world that Cronenberg created, and thought the movie was a lot of fun. 3/4 stars.