David Cronenberg is one of my favorite directors. I have yet to be disappointed with any of his films, and as his last two films, "Eastern Promises" and "History of Violence" have both been nominated for several awards, it seems that the rest of the world is finally catching on to his genius.
My first Cronenberg film was "The Fly", and from the moment Jeff Goldblum's "Brundlefly" started crawling on the walls I was hopelessly hooked. He's a director who takes risks and will show you things you could never imagine in your wildest dreams and nightmares.
"Naked Lunch" is no exception, and is one that I hold near and dear to my heart not only because it is through and through Cronenberg insanity, but also because it is based on a novel by one of my favorite authors of the beat generation, William S. Burroughs. It's a dark tale of drugs, obsession, art, sex, and oh yes, we musn't forget the aliens. "Naked Lunch" is a semi-autobiographical tale of the strange happenings in Burroughs drug-infused life, set in a seamy noir landscape of femme fatales, talking typewriters, cigarette smoke, and hallucinations.
The acting on all parts is really what drives the film, especially Peter Weller's performance in the lead role as an exterminator/starving artist who ends up embroiled in a double-crossing network of intrigue. Cronenberg really has a way of getting amazing performances from his leading men. The film also features Cronenberg's signature special effects, with strange beings melding flesh and machine. Check this one out and expand your reality...
