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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Naked Lunch (1991) in Movies
Sep 28, 2019
Exterminate all rational thought.
The closing line from Roger Ebert's TV review of Naked Lunch was "I love what he did, but I hate it!"
Director David Cronenberg has always been known as someone who pushes the envelope of film storytelling to its limit. This is not more on display in maybe any of his films more than it is in Naked Lunch.
In 1952 New York, pest exterminator Bill Lee has an problem in his life. His wife, Joan, has begun using and is now addicted to his "bug powder" he uses in his job. She shoots it into her veins for her narcotics addiction. She is so full of the intoxicant she can even breath on cockroaches to kill them . Bill is arrested for his involvement and begins to trip himself.
His high continues as he now believes he is a secret agent who has been told he must murder his wife. He returns home and actually accidentally does so in a case of ironic accomplishment.
His trip takes him to North Africa where he meets a slew of bizarre and unsavory characters in his attempt to complete his ongoing "mission". He writes a series of articles using a typewriter which continually morphs into a giant cockroach. He finds another man who lets him borrow his typewriter in which his living typewriter is maimed and killed by Bill's device. Another man Bill meets may actually be a giant killer centipede in disguise!
If this doesn't make a lot of sense, I don't think it is really supposed to. Cronenberg's film, according to the writer/director himself, is an amalgam of not only the source material novel by William S. Burroughs, but also other works by the author and even some aspects of Burroughs' own life including the wife shooting incident.
Pretty much right from the start you know you are in for something very unusual when Lee starts having a conversation with his bug typewriter 15 minutes into the film. Then add another conversation with a giant "mugwump" sitting at a bar, a bug that bizarrely speaks in a voice from his bulbous anus and the fore mentioned giant centipede, you have a film in which you never are fully aware of what is real or what has become a drug-filled fantasy.
Cronenberg's fascination with the "body horror" style of film goes way back to some of his earlier films including The Brood and Scanners as well as They Fly remake. All his skill at creating one of a kind images are on full display here and you can't take your eyes off the screen as a result.
The entire cast really inhabit their roles including Peter Weller (who turned down Robocop 3 for this role) as Lee. His monotone, stoic delivery and minimalist physicality is perfect for this role. Throw in supporting performances by Ian Holm, Judy Davis and even Roy Scheider and you have found a perfect ensemble for this strange acid trip of a film.
The jazz soundtrack is also legendary including saxophone maestro Ornette Coleman off a score from Howard Shore. The improvisation and inconsistent melodies are a partnership with the unusual story taking place and form a symbiosis with the film.
You definitely leave the film wondering what you have just watched; however, sometimes that s a good thing. The director makes you think about what you have watched and decide for yourself the important elements what what is actually true.
I wish more films were like this!
Director David Cronenberg has always been known as someone who pushes the envelope of film storytelling to its limit. This is not more on display in maybe any of his films more than it is in Naked Lunch.
In 1952 New York, pest exterminator Bill Lee has an problem in his life. His wife, Joan, has begun using and is now addicted to his "bug powder" he uses in his job. She shoots it into her veins for her narcotics addiction. She is so full of the intoxicant she can even breath on cockroaches to kill them . Bill is arrested for his involvement and begins to trip himself.
His high continues as he now believes he is a secret agent who has been told he must murder his wife. He returns home and actually accidentally does so in a case of ironic accomplishment.
His trip takes him to North Africa where he meets a slew of bizarre and unsavory characters in his attempt to complete his ongoing "mission". He writes a series of articles using a typewriter which continually morphs into a giant cockroach. He finds another man who lets him borrow his typewriter in which his living typewriter is maimed and killed by Bill's device. Another man Bill meets may actually be a giant killer centipede in disguise!
If this doesn't make a lot of sense, I don't think it is really supposed to. Cronenberg's film, according to the writer/director himself, is an amalgam of not only the source material novel by William S. Burroughs, but also other works by the author and even some aspects of Burroughs' own life including the wife shooting incident.
Pretty much right from the start you know you are in for something very unusual when Lee starts having a conversation with his bug typewriter 15 minutes into the film. Then add another conversation with a giant "mugwump" sitting at a bar, a bug that bizarrely speaks in a voice from his bulbous anus and the fore mentioned giant centipede, you have a film in which you never are fully aware of what is real or what has become a drug-filled fantasy.
Cronenberg's fascination with the "body horror" style of film goes way back to some of his earlier films including The Brood and Scanners as well as They Fly remake. All his skill at creating one of a kind images are on full display here and you can't take your eyes off the screen as a result.
The entire cast really inhabit their roles including Peter Weller (who turned down Robocop 3 for this role) as Lee. His monotone, stoic delivery and minimalist physicality is perfect for this role. Throw in supporting performances by Ian Holm, Judy Davis and even Roy Scheider and you have found a perfect ensemble for this strange acid trip of a film.
The jazz soundtrack is also legendary including saxophone maestro Ornette Coleman off a score from Howard Shore. The improvisation and inconsistent melodies are a partnership with the unusual story taking place and form a symbiosis with the film.
You definitely leave the film wondering what you have just watched; however, sometimes that s a good thing. The director makes you think about what you have watched and decide for yourself the important elements what what is actually true.
I wish more films were like this!
Paul "xenomorph" Warren (15 KP) rated The Mummy (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2017
Visual effects (2 more)
Action sequences
Better than I actually expected
Can you have a "dark universe" in a 15/pg13 movie?
After reading plenty of reviews for the 1st movie in universals dark universe I went into my viewing expecting a car crash. I think because I went in with pretty darn low expectations it actually surprised me. The plot although although shallow kept me entertained. There is a wash of high calibre talent that has been contracted to bring this universe alive and I enjoyed Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson more than I did cruise . Russel crow was great imo as Jekyll and Hyde. What disappointed me most is, if this is a snapshot of how they are going to handle the rest of the universe then we're in for a very shallow light hearted take on what should be a true "dark universe" filled with legendary creatures of horror. Only time will tell.
I didn't want it to end
I love Horror so I was really excited for this to come out. I didn'y really know what to expect as I haven't watched the original 'IT' yet, or read the book by Stephen King, but I knew the basics of what this movie was about.
I loved the way this film makes you feel and the style of it, it's not like all other horror movies out there. There is a bit of a Stranger Things vibe to it, which I loved.
I absolutely adored Pennywise in this remake, I loved the way he moved his body, it added to the creepyness of the film.
I found it more creepy and a bit disturbing than I did scary, there was one jump scare that got me though.
I loved the way this film makes you feel and the style of it, it's not like all other horror movies out there. There is a bit of a Stranger Things vibe to it, which I loved.
I absolutely adored Pennywise in this remake, I loved the way he moved his body, it added to the creepyness of the film.
I found it more creepy and a bit disturbing than I did scary, there was one jump scare that got me though.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2480 KP) rated The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Flavia’s mother has been found and her body is being returned to Bishop’s Lacey. Flavia is waiting with the rest of her family on the train station when the body arrives when a stranger comes up to her and gives her a cryptic message. Minutes later, he’s dead. What did his message mean? What does this have to do with Flavia’s mother?
As often in this series, the mystery takes a back seat to Flavia and her family. Still, the plot does answer some questions about the de Luce family and appears to wrap up a few long running plot threads. Fans will absolutely love this book however, because of the character study it gives us in grief. While the mystery is weak, it is a very strong book, especially if you know the characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-dead-in-their-vaulted.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As often in this series, the mystery takes a back seat to Flavia and her family. Still, the plot does answer some questions about the de Luce family and appears to wrap up a few long running plot threads. Fans will absolutely love this book however, because of the character study it gives us in grief. While the mystery is weak, it is a very strong book, especially if you know the characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-dead-in-their-vaulted.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This is the first time I have read anything my Siobhan Vivien, so I didn’t quite no what to expect. This is told by multiple characters attending high school. Every year a list is created naming the ugliest and prettiest girls – no-one know who creates this list but it can be brutal and we see the impact that it has on our characters and how they deal with bullying. I didn’t really like this story there were too many perspectives and I felt that nothing really felt resolved at the end. What I did like was that it allowed us to see how it affects people and how they are treated when something so superficial is posted around high school – the characters are at an impressionable age and something like this can scar you for life.
I rated 2 out of 5 stars
This is the first time I have read anything my Siobhan Vivien, so I didn’t quite no what to expect. This is told by multiple characters attending high school. Every year a list is created naming the ugliest and prettiest girls – no-one know who creates this list but it can be brutal and we see the impact that it has on our characters and how they deal with bullying. I didn’t really like this story there were too many perspectives and I felt that nothing really felt resolved at the end. What I did like was that it allowed us to see how it affects people and how they are treated when something so superficial is posted around high school – the characters are at an impressionable age and something like this can scar you for life.
I rated 2 out of 5 stars
3000 Jokes, 2997 Laughs
Mike Haskins and Stephen Arnott
Book
An enormous collection of over 3,000 side-splitting jokes for every occasion. Jokes range from...
Winning Minds: Secrets from the Language of Leadership: 2015
Book
Shhh . Did you know there is a secret Language of Leadership: a timeless set of cues and signals...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Fifteen Shades of Gay (For Pay) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
Probably a 3.5 rating because of the Paresh and Sven stuff. I'm not quite sure what that had to do with anything other than Andrew being an escort for them.
As for Cormac, I really, really liked him. From right at the beginning when they met and went to the Irish bar and drank Guinness :S I loved reading about their budding romance though at times I would have liked to have read more of them getting together whether they lived on opposite coasts or not, I'm just soppy like that. He drove me mad at one bit, when he was more or less ambushed at the airport but he did the right thing in the end, so I'm not holding too much of a grudge against him.
Marie... *sigh* Poor Marie. One tear escaped me near the end. You were fun and I can imagine what you'd have been like healthy.
I liked it and would be interested in reading more books by the author.
As for Cormac, I really, really liked him. From right at the beginning when they met and went to the Irish bar and drank Guinness :S I loved reading about their budding romance though at times I would have liked to have read more of them getting together whether they lived on opposite coasts or not, I'm just soppy like that. He drove me mad at one bit, when he was more or less ambushed at the airport but he did the right thing in the end, so I'm not holding too much of a grudge against him.
Marie... *sigh* Poor Marie. One tear escaped me near the end. You were fun and I can imagine what you'd have been like healthy.
I liked it and would be interested in reading more books by the author.
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated His Untameable Wickedness (Untameable #1) in Books
Dec 9, 2022
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Leo is a highly regarded businesswoman that has fought tooth and nail for what she has. She has done things she's not proud of to protect the ones she loves, her mother - who is in a maximum security prison - ends up in a coma through an overdose of an illegal substance. It's up to Leo and the few people she trusts to get to the bottom of what happened.
This book is not for the faint-hearted there is quite a bit of dark stuff in here that could be a trigger for some people as there is abuse mentioned. I did enjoy the story once I got into it. I just found it a bit backward and forward to start with but then you travel farther into the story and it gets easier to comprehend.
A recommendation by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
Leo is a highly regarded businesswoman that has fought tooth and nail for what she has. She has done things she's not proud of to protect the ones she loves, her mother - who is in a maximum security prison - ends up in a coma through an overdose of an illegal substance. It's up to Leo and the few people she trusts to get to the bottom of what happened.
This book is not for the faint-hearted there is quite a bit of dark stuff in here that could be a trigger for some people as there is abuse mentioned. I did enjoy the story once I got into it. I just found it a bit backward and forward to start with but then you travel farther into the story and it gets easier to comprehend.
A recommendation by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
Merissa (13765 KP) rated The Bright Side Brigade in Books
Mar 29, 2019
The Bright Side Brigade by Elaine White
The Bright Side Brigade is a set of interconnecting stories, all related to each other, but with different people in the starring roles for each one. What this means is you keep up to date on all of the people here, but not in the way you were expecting.
What was I expecting when I agreed to review this? I'll be honest, not this!!! I read a hard-hitting, emotional, full of impact story that shows you that sometimes, you actually need something you didn't think you did. This school had a Zero Tolerance manifesto in place, and didn't think they needed anything else, but as these stories progress, you see just how much they do!
There is no one couple I loved more than the others, and that is simply amazing. Usually in a box set or anthology, I will ALWAYS have one favourite story/couple. Not here. All of these boys and girls touched my heart. I cheered for their victories, and I wept for their sorrows. Seriously!!! I was astounded by what I read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word!
Now, onto the technical side. There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed. I may have missed one when I was wiping away the tears, but I doubt it. A bunch of short stories, making up an emotional whole. The pacing was perfect for each and every one. I guess if I wanted to nitpick, I would say I'm not entirely sure where it is set. It mentions Glasgow, but then medical bills - which is possible in the UK, but not usual. However, I couldn't care if this was set on Space Planet number 9! I loved this book, and I really, REALLY, hope to see more of The Bright Side Brigade... please?!
In case you haven't realised it yet - I absolutely recommend this book!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
What was I expecting when I agreed to review this? I'll be honest, not this!!! I read a hard-hitting, emotional, full of impact story that shows you that sometimes, you actually need something you didn't think you did. This school had a Zero Tolerance manifesto in place, and didn't think they needed anything else, but as these stories progress, you see just how much they do!
There is no one couple I loved more than the others, and that is simply amazing. Usually in a box set or anthology, I will ALWAYS have one favourite story/couple. Not here. All of these boys and girls touched my heart. I cheered for their victories, and I wept for their sorrows. Seriously!!! I was astounded by what I read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word!
Now, onto the technical side. There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed. I may have missed one when I was wiping away the tears, but I doubt it. A bunch of short stories, making up an emotional whole. The pacing was perfect for each and every one. I guess if I wanted to nitpick, I would say I'm not entirely sure where it is set. It mentions Glasgow, but then medical bills - which is possible in the UK, but not usual. However, I couldn't care if this was set on Space Planet number 9! I loved this book, and I really, REALLY, hope to see more of The Bright Side Brigade... please?!
In case you haven't realised it yet - I absolutely recommend this book!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jeremy King (346 KP) Sep 28, 2019