Film critic Robert Horton is one of the most articulate guys I know, and man, does he know film. As part of his Magic Lantern series at the Frye, Horton screens films that resonate with the art on view. This month’s talk explores Patricia Piccinini’s exhibition as a springboard for discussing the work of legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg. As Horton describes it, Piccinini’s work is “full of grotesque mutant creatures; she has invoked cloning, genetic engineering, biotechnology as a backdrop for the arrival of these creatures. Cronenberg’s films have often obsessed on the ‘new flesh’ of technology and humanity, whether in horror and sci-fi (such as The Fly, a horror film for the AIDS era, which is a metaphor for the way illness changes people) or the visions of William Burroughs’s Naked Lunch.” You’ll recognize Horton’s voice (and his sense of humor) from his Friday afternoon spots on KUOW’s Sound Focus. Horton will be joined in conversation by fellow film expert Jim Emerson, editor of Roger Ebert’s website. No doubt Cronenberg’s new film Eastern Promises, an intrigue starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, will be a topic of discussion.

Sun., Oct. 21, 2 p.m., 2007