The Best 5 Weird-Ass Things About Naked Lunch (1991 film)
5. It Introduces The Concept of Using Insecticides To Get High
Yes, you read that right. And guess what? That's a fairly consistent plot point throughout the movie. The main character, William Lee (Peter Weller) has found that his wife Joan (Judy Davis) is stealing his bug powder and getting high from it. She even calls it a "Kafka high," because of Kafka's famous novel "The Metamorphosis," about a guy who has transformed into a giant roach. You almost have to respect a movie willing to adopt such a unique angle, right? One needn't add any more weirdness to it and it would already be a rather odd movie. Still, even more weirdness gets piled on.
4. The Talking Insectoid Typewriter
That's right. This movie has a talking insectoid typewriter. I mean, what can I say about that? It's definitely unique. It comes equipped with a wonderful, raspy voice, and feels pleasure as you type on it.
3. The Mugwump
What exactly is a Mugwump?
I can't really say, but it looks like this, and appears in Naked Lunch:
2. Killing Joan
Though her name is "Joan Lee" in the movie, the story deals with the real-life death of Joan Vollmer -- Burroughs’ common-law wife -- who he drunkenly shot and killed (by Burroughs) in a game of "William Tell" at a party. Now, if you're not familiar with that game, it's a display of marksmanship, where one shoots an apple on top of one's head (without hitting the person, obviously). Well, Burroughs' attempt wasn't too successful, and he claims his despair led to his writing career. To this day, you'll find conservative critics of Burroughs who dismiss him as nothing but a murderer and a junkie.
1. The Black Meat of Giant Centipedes
The bug powder drug was weird enough, but how about a drug derived from giant centipede guts? But wait -- aren't even small centipedes gross, if not terrifying looking? Yes. Yes they are. And let's make it even weirder by calling the drug "black meat" (which has a a pornographic ring to it, doesn't it?)! Yes, this is another story development in Naked Lunch.
Yes, you read that right. And guess what? That's a fairly consistent plot point throughout the movie. The main character, William Lee (Peter Weller) has found that his wife Joan (Judy Davis) is stealing his bug powder and getting high from it. She even calls it a "Kafka high," because of Kafka's famous novel "The Metamorphosis," about a guy who has transformed into a giant roach. You almost have to respect a movie willing to adopt such a unique angle, right? One needn't add any more weirdness to it and it would already be a rather odd movie. Still, even more weirdness gets piled on.
4. The Talking Insectoid Typewriter
That's right. This movie has a talking insectoid typewriter. I mean, what can I say about that? It's definitely unique. It comes equipped with a wonderful, raspy voice, and feels pleasure as you type on it.
3. The Mugwump
What exactly is a Mugwump?
I can't really say, but it looks like this, and appears in Naked Lunch:
2. Killing Joan
Though her name is "Joan Lee" in the movie, the story deals with the real-life death of Joan Vollmer -- Burroughs’ common-law wife -- who he drunkenly shot and killed (by Burroughs) in a game of "William Tell" at a party. Now, if you're not familiar with that game, it's a display of marksmanship, where one shoots an apple on top of one's head (without hitting the person, obviously). Well, Burroughs' attempt wasn't too successful, and he claims his despair led to his writing career. To this day, you'll find conservative critics of Burroughs who dismiss him as nothing but a murderer and a junkie.
1. The Black Meat of Giant Centipedes
The bug powder drug was weird enough, but how about a drug derived from giant centipede guts? But wait -- aren't even small centipedes gross, if not terrifying looking? Yes. Yes they are. And let's make it even weirder by calling the drug "black meat" (which has a a pornographic ring to it, doesn't it?)! Yes, this is another story development in Naked Lunch.
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