Naked Lunch
Exterminate all rational thought.
Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs' hallucinatory, "unfilmable" novel is finally realized on-screen by director David Cronenberg. Part-time exterminator and full-time drug addict Bill Lee (Peter Weller) plunges into the nightmarish netherworld of the Interzone, pursuing a mysterious project that leads him to confront sinister cabals and giant talking bugs. The fruit of an unholy union between two masters of the hilarious and the macabre, Naked Lunch mingles aspects of Burroughs' novel with incidents from his own life, resulting in a compendium of paranoid fantasies and a searching investigation into the mysteries of the writing process.
Member Reviews
Uh...huh - Quindog
OK... whatever.
I'm quite open to wierd films, not that I like them all, but I enjoy getting off the beaten path on a regular basis. This one though, I just couldn't get a handle on.
First mistake, as some other reviewers have duly noted, I had not read the book first. Of course, I did not know that was such a prerequisite. Sadly, now that I've seen the film, I don't want to read the book.
Second mistake: I was never a head case with a chemical dependency, which I'm assuming may have helped me decipher the reality from the hallucinations.
I had no concrete grasp of what was going on during much of this film. Yet it had a lot of characteristics I enjoy in film; it was dark, characters were interesting, there were some bizzare sexual overtones in parts, and well acted. The dialogue was short but so poignant it worked very well. (That monologue during the car ride where we get the story of how the ass took over the brain was just fantastic.)
This is a film of which recommendations shouldn't really be made because it won't likely appeal to many, yet some are going to enjoy it fully. You decide. You buy your ticket and take your chances.Try to strip off the crap - Hutmoot
I would love to say I really enjoyed this film because I'm a sucker for experimental and creative filmaking; of which Cronenberg is a notorious master. However, to be honest, for the most part I was bored more than confused. Experimentation and hellucination is always enjoyable in a movie but when it's completely beyond all rationale it's fairly unenjoyable. I've heard that the book is a necessary prerequisite for the film which isn't really fair to the viewer. I had heard great things about this movie and was mildly impressed with the creativity. Check it out if you're looking for something really out there I guess.Biographical references needed - InpraiseofFolly
Those who have not heard of William S. Burroughs' nor read any of his books will have a harder time making sense of this movie as a lot of it is referential to events in his life. It shouldn't hinder your enjoyment too much though as the surrealistic imagery on its own is really interesting to watch.
Member Reviews
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Uh...huh - Quindog
OK... whatever.
I'm quite open to wierd films, not that I like them all, but I enjoy getting off the beaten path on a regular basis. This one though, I just couldn't get a handle on.
First mistake, as some other reviewers have duly noted, I ...Try to strip off the crap - Hutmoot
I would love to say I really enjoyed this film because I'm a sucker for experimental and creative filmaking; of which Cronenberg is a notorious master. However, to be honest, for the most part I was bored more than confused. Experimentation and hellucination ...Biographical references needed - InpraiseofFolly
Those who have not heard of William S. Burroughs' nor read any of his books will have a harder time making sense of this movie as a lot of it is referential to events in his life. It shouldn't hinder your enjoyment too much though as the surrealistic imagery ...