eXistenZ - Weird Wednesday

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar is screening David Cronenberg's eXistenZ on Wednesday, August 5, as part of its Weird Wednesday series. If you've never seen it, it's the one where Jennifer Jason Leigh pets a CGI creature and Jude Law has a synthetic skin port at the base of his spine. It was Cronenberg's first real dive into computer graphics, and it still feels biological even when the digital stuff takes over.

What makes it stand out from a lot of Nineties movies is how Cronenberg handles the virtual reality. While other films from that era often leaned on clumsy attempts to show digital space—which sometimes just revealed a fear of what VR actually was—Cronenberg keeps the action in-camera. He uses projected backgrounds to simulate a car moving while it's standing still, and synthetic skin to make a fleshy hole look real. It's a movie that trusts its practical effects as much as its CGI, and the result is that unsettling, organic vibe he's known for.

The screening is part of the South Lamar venue's Weird Wednesday series, so it fits right in with the kind of programming they do there. South Lamar is the mothership of the Drafthouse chain and the home of Fantastic Fest, with nine screens that seat 975 guests. It's also the traditional Drafthouse experience: full food and beverage service delivered right to your seat, so you can eat and drink throughout the movie. The whole complex got a major overhaul in 2014, turning what used to be a rundown strip mall into upscale condos and restaurants, and all the screens now run Sony 4K projectors, though they still keep a 35mm setup available. Right next door is the Highball Bar, with seven themed karaoke rooms if you want to keep the night going after the credits roll. eXistenZ plays Wednesday, August 5, at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 S. Lamar, Austin, TX 78704.