Internet Defense League

Translate

Wednesday 23 November 2022

Straight Up Reviews: Get Out

 

Jordan Peele is probably one of the most interesting directors in the modern world.  When I was a kid, I first saw him on MadTV with his comedic Partner, Keegan Michael Key.  They stared in various sketches both solo and together, before moving on to make their own show, Key and Peele. Which I haven't seen, however their rising stardom has lead to many cameo appearances in other comedy shows like Rick and Morty as well as a feature length comedy called Keanu, in which the duo risk life and limb to rescue the titular cat.  So back in 2017 when I first heard that Peele was gonna make a horror movie, with little to no comedy whatsoever I only had one thing to say. "What the fuck? Nope."  Don't get me wrong, Key and Peele are no stranger to horror references, blood and gore but it was mostly played for Comedy. So I didn't think he'd have what it takes and passed on the movie.  Even when I heard it was a critical success, I didn't watch it. However it wasn't until after seeing him host The Twilight Zone in 2020 that I thought to give it a shot.  So one year after that, I watched the movie.  Needless to say I love it and regret doubting the man. The success was enough for him to not only cement his status into horror, but also use the fame and fortune he made to create two more horror movies.  The second being Us. Which I will get to. Now with the release of Nope, I thought it was time to take a look at the movie that started it all.

 

The movie stars Daniel Kaluuya, whom before this movie I only saw in Kick-Ass as the villain Black Death.  To think he came to this movie to escape the racism......ya. As well as Allison Williams, whom among most roles was on Sesame Street and also played Kate Middleton in biopic about her and Prince William,  Bradley Whitford, whom you may know as the smug jerk from Billy Madison. Don't mention business Ethics. Caleb Landry Jones, whom before played Banshee from X-Men First Class.  Stephen Root of King of the Hill and NewsRadio Fame. LaKeith Stanfield whom was also L from the live action Netflix Death Note movie.  Lil Rel Howery who would later go on to roast Bruce Willis. Betty Gabriel, who's acting debuted here.  Marcus Henderson of Pete's Dragon. And finally Catherine Keener whom many know as Maxine Lund of Being John Malkovich.  That last one's kinda important. 


The movie opens at night with Stanfield as a man walking down, what he considers creepy white suburbs, while talking to someone on the phone, presumably his girlfriend.  Giving him directions.  However just when things couldn't get any weirder for him, a white car passes him by only for it to U-Turn and head ominously towards him. In a smart move, the man, creeped out by the car, tries to go back the direction he came from, when he looks back to see if the car is following him again, he is momentarily distracted by the fact that the car is not only staying put, but the door is wide open.  Before he could react, the driver grabs him from behind.  The assailant a man in black clothes with a knight's helmet on his head to hide his face, puts the poor guy in a sleeperhold before dragging him back to the trunk of his car.  All the while "Run Rabbit Run" by Flannegan and Allen.  The movie then opens proper with the title sequence put in the footage of a side window POV of a car going along the woods.  With the music composed by Michael Abels. The main title theme called "Sikiliza Kwa Whanega" Which is Swahili for "Listen to your ancestors." Needless to say we can see where this is going. 

The movie then cuts to a montage of professional photographs, while Childish Gambino's "Redbone" plays.  The photos and the house belonging to Chris Washington (Kaluuya).   A professional photographer living in Brooklyn New York, with his girlfriend Rose Armitage (Williams).  They are packing their things and heading for Upstate, New York to meet her parents.  Chris is nervous, because as a black person with a white girlfriend, he's worried her parents might not only be racist, but don't even know she's dating a black person to boot. However, Rose reassures him that her parents are not racist, even going so far as mentioning that her dad would have voted for Obama a third time if given the chance. Ya.  I'm white with a little bit of native, but even I call bullshit on that and you'll know why later in the movie. 

As they drive to the house, we already get a glimpse of their relationship.  For one, Chris is a smoker, something Rose has tried to get him to quit. Going so far as throwing his cigarette out the window.  He calls his friend Rod, a lovable quirky man, who works at the TSA.  Now Rod is very interesting, because of a few things. One of which is that he plays a somewhat more positive depiction of TSA as opposed to the negative depictions they have in the past.  Another I will explain later.  Upon making some small talk, Rod gives cryptic advice such as "Don't go into a white girl's house." Just after Chris hangs up, they hit a deer that happened to be crossing the road.  Rose stays put while Chris looks for the deer, watching it die with a sad fixation on his face. The cops are called, despite said cop telling them to call animal control next time and despite Chris not driving, the cop asks for his license, which despite Chris willing to cooperate, Rose protests.  Now on the surface, we'd be inclined to side with Rose as it does come across as racial profiling.  However....well I'll explain after. 

They arrive at the Armitage estate where upon pulling in Chris sees a large black man (Henderson) raking leaves waving to Rose. Whom explains to Chris that, he's the Groundskeeper. After stopping the car they finally meet Roses parent's Dean and Missy Armitage (Whitford and Keener). Who seemingly take to Chris right away, greeting them with hugs. This shot was interesting as it was done at a distance rather than up close, with the audience barely hearing what they're all saying. Before the camera zooms out with the Groundskeeper watching them.  Again explain later. 

 They explain the incident with the deer, to which Dean appreciates in a twisted way.  However when he mentions them as nuisances, one gets the impression he's not really talking about deer. 

Dean takes Chris on a tour of the estate. The first room, Missy's office, whom is a psychologist.  The next stop, the family photo wall in which we see Rose and her little brother Jeremy (Jones) as kids. Dean mentions that Jeremy is studying to become a Neurosurgeon like him. Next to a family photo of the whole family including the grandparents Roman and Marianne.  As well as some souvenirs from Bali. Much of it coming across as Dean being unknowingly insensitive.  The tour then moves to another photo wall in which young Roman is depicted as a sprinter.  Dean explains that he lost the qualifying round to Jesse Owens, before Owens' famous run that pissed off Hitler in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. The only door so far, that they don't open on tour leads to the basement, which Dean dismisses as due to "black mould".

The tour ends at the kitchen where Chris meets Georgina. The house maid, whom seems too happy to see Chris.  They finish the tour by walking through the backyard, passed the Groundskeeper, whom Dean calls Walter.  Before, Chris or even the audience can say it, Dean beats us all to it, by mentioning how cliche a white house full of black servants is.  Explaining that they hired Walter and Georgina to take care of his parents, when they became too sick to take care of themselves.  When they passed on, the Armitage family couldn't bare to fire them. Which seems heartwarming as it implies that rather than just being workers, they come to see the two as family.  Let's just say that's more truthful than you think. It later becomes funny when Dean mentions word for word exactly what Rose reassured Chris, that he would have voted for Obama for a third term.  Now when Whitford said that line he had no idea what his role in the movie was yet and actually seemed genuine in his performance. So needless to say, it comes into play later. 

As Walter is cutting the grass, with a push mower, the Armitages and Chris sit out on the patio having iced tea.  They get to know Chris who reveals his dad was out of the picture and his mom passed when he was younger from a hit and run driver.  Dean notices that Chris hand is trembling, which he immediately recognizes is a sign of cigarette withdrawal. Dean offers to have Missy help him out, using hypnotherapy, but both Rose and Chris refuse.  The Armitages mention that they came at the right time, because they're having a get together this weekend.  A party thrown as a tradition started by Roman, where he invites his friends for fun and games. A tradition that Dean carries in honour of his father.  All the while we see the first sign that not everything is what it seems.  As Georgina is refilling Chris' tea, she seems to fall into a trance before snapping herself out of it in time to accidentally spill some on the table.  Missy firmly and rudely tells her to go get some rest, prompting a glare from Rose.  Jeremy finally arrives, heading for the back yard because no one answered the door.

Later that night, Jeremy tells some embarrassing stories at the expense of his sister, including but not limited to reflexively biting the tongue off a previous date, that tried to slip him the tongue.  Missy goes to get dessert and we get a shot of, Georgina staring ominously through the kitchen before the door closes.  Jeremy discusses martial arts, with Chris mentioning he took Judo, while Jeremy is a practitioner of Ju Jitsu. Specifically stating that unlike Judo which involves strength, Ju Jitsu, involves the mind being 2 - 4 steps ahead of your opponent. He tries to demonstrate on Chris, but the family forbids it.  Now the thing that interests me about Jeremy is that in the ongoing theme of hidden racism in this movie, he's the only one of the group that is a little more open about his prejudice.  First acting friendly and affable, but then swinging to commenting on Chris' frame and "Genetic Make-Up" as he puts it. Whilst the rest of the family save for Rose come off as innocently insensitive. Think on that for a second. 

Rose vents about how, Jeremy has never acted that way around her previous boyfriends. And seemed shocked that they were all being racist in their own way.  Chris takes it in stride, but not without gloating slightly. Even assuring her that the party despite her insistence that it's the whitest thing he'll ever see, wouldn't possibly go wrong. They make up and have sex.  Later that night, Chris is still awake while Rose is sleeping. His mind still on the dead doe while a fly annoys him and he is creeped out by a lion plush staring at him. He kills the fly and turns the plush away before seeing an open closet door in Rose's room. Chris goes downstairs looking around the house, while Georgina passes him without him noticing.  Feeling a craving, Chris goes outside to have a smoke. Only to be startled by what seems to be Walter running towards him, only for him to pass by him. He is then scared by seeing Georgina apparently staring out the window at him.  When she's really just looking at her reflection.  Having enough surprises, Chris goes back inside only to be caught by Missy, who coerces him into her office.  They make small talk about how the hypnosis is supposed to work. While he jokes about the pocket watch method, she explains that hypnosis uses focal points that bring people into heightened suggestibility.  Little does poor Chris know, the focal point she's using is a silver spoon stirring and clinking against a china tea cup.  Using this, she brings up a traumatic memory of Chris. Making him relive his mother's death. In that he was at home watching TV, his mother was coming home late and while he was worried, he didn't do anything.  Blaming himself for her demise.   Missy uses this fear and sadness to first paralyze him then make him sink into the floor. Causing him to leave his memory and fall into a void where he can't speak out and his vision of the real world is being shown through a TV screen that seems to be drifting away from him as he falls, no matter how much he screams.  Missy calls this The Sunken Place. That is until Rose closes his eyes, shutting him in darkness.  When I first saw this scene, I could see why Peele made an excellent host for the Twilight Zone.  The whole scene comes across as an episode. The Sunken place being borderline supernatural.  According to Peele writing this scene made him cry. For reasons I will explain later. Now a lot of people whom have participated in hypnosis and hypnotherapy can tell you, that Hypnosis only works if you want it to work.  While I agree, they did make mention subtly why it worked on Chris despite his protests when he sunk.  It's because when he made the joke about the pocket watch, she remarks that he watches too much TV before joking about it herself.  Now because he's shown to have watched too much TV, he believes in the idea that hypnosis can happen against his will. Since he had no prior knowledge of the subject.  Not to mention there's somewhat of a secret to Missy, that could also explain it. 


S.T.: And that's not even getting started on stuff like MK-Ultra. 


Shut up S.T.

Chris wakes up the next morning to both Rose showering and his phone ringing. Rod texted him with a joke text of his dog Sid getting drunk.

Thinking what happened last night was a dream, Chris goes outside to take photos of the woods. He returns to the main yard with chairs set up for the party.  He spies through Georgina's window while she was adjusting her hair.  She catches him but he looks away taking more pictures.  Chris meets up with Walter while he is chopping wood. Whom among most things, talks a creepy way regarding Rose's beauty, while also revealing that Chris wasn't dreaming and that the hypnosis worked. As seen when he tries to light up a smoke, but couldn't out of disgust.

He explains to Rose what happened and Rose tries to be apologetic once again.  He also mentions that Walter may have a crush on Rose, by the way he spoke about her.  Rose dismisses it, jokes about it too.  However before they could continue talking the party guests arrive.  Walter is seen greeting them in a more friendly manner as he helps them out of their cars.  Chris and Rose tries to mingle with the guests, but they have a rather awkward way of making conversation. Which seems to invoke Sidney Poitier.  First they meet the Greenes. Gordon and Emily.  Gordon shows interest in Golf, which seems innocent at first, but when Gordon mentions Tiger Woods and asks Chris to see his form, they leave. Rose then introduces Chris to the Deets.  Nielsen and Lisa.  While Nielsen doesn't say a word, Lisa admires Chris's physique a little too much, touching his muscles and asking Rose if he's better in bed.  Naturally the move to another spot.  Meeting yet another old white couple.  Parker and April Dray. Parker seems to mention skin colour as though it were fashion trends. Or in his words "Black is in fashion." I'm not racist. I love and hate everyone equally, but I can't help but crack up when this Colonel Sanders lookalike said that.  Chris having enough of the positive prejudice, decides to go take pictures, hoping this would blow over soon.  As he does he sees what seems to be the only other black person in the party. A man named Logan King, who seems to dress in clothes too vintage for a modern man like him and seems to be talking strangely like Georgina and Walter. To make matters stranger, he's with an elderly white woman named Philomena.  Who seems to be his wife.  However that's not the only reason why Chris looks at him funny.  He seemed familiar to him.  

At his wits end, Chris, then runs into yet another white person,  Jim Hudson.  A famous Art Dealer whom has a mutual admiration with Chris, due to their interests in photography.  Unlike the other guests, he claims to be above ignorant stereotyping and that he mostly laments his inability to photograph, due to losing his eyes to blindness. Jim seems to provide some much needed relief as the one non-racist white guy of the group. Wait.

Chris retreats upstairs to Rose's room which causes a collective creep factor as the guests stop talking to each other and look up. Paying close attention to his movements.  

Upon entering his room, Chris finds his phone unplugged with his battery dead. He suspects Georgina may have unplugged it but doesn't know why.  When he talks to Rose about it, he insinuates that maybe Georgina doesn't like the idea of a white girl dating him and that she did that out of spite.  Prompting Rose to leave.  He calls Rod and informs him of how strange the scene is.  Mentioning that they act as if they never met a black person that hasn't worked for them.  He also mentions his hypnosis session, which Rod protests, claiming that Jeffery Dahmer did the same thing to his victims before killing them and theorizes that the Armitage family are planning on making him a sex slave. However when Chris mentions how strange the three black people he's met are acting, Rod throws him off guard implying that maybe Missy hypnotized them too.  

Just after hanging up with Rod, Georgina shows up to apologize regarding the phone, but her tone and the dangerously creepy way she's approaching Chris, unsettles him. He tries to break the ice by making a joke about being nervous around too many white people. Which causes something in Georgina to snap, breaking into tears before turning it into laughter, while creepily reassuring him that the Armitages treat her and Walter like family.  Much like what Dean said about them. She leaves. This was more than enough for Chris to suspect something was up.  

He steps outside and Dean introduces him to more friends. The Wincotts, The Jefferys, Hiroki Tanaka- wait what the fuck?  I thought this was an all white mostly black party, what's a Japanese guy doing there? Oh but I kid, see Peele wanted to show that minorities can also be envious of other minorities on top of just white vs black and vice versa.  Anywho  Tanaka asks if being an African American in the modern world has advantages and disadvantages.  At a loss for words, Chris asks Logan the same question.  While the answer Logan was given seemed very 5th Column, it was enough time for Chris to take a picture of Logan to send to Rod.  However due to him accidentally leaving the Flash on, it triggers something in Logan.  Suddenly his face turns into a frown, his eyes glow a slight white before it fades and his nose begins to bleed. Everyone including Chris stares at him in confusion, but that is when he utters the words we've all been waiting for since we saw them on the cover. "Get out.  GET OUT!!!"  He flips out and grabs Chris telling him that over and over, before Jeremy and the guests restrain him.  Dean dismisses the event as an epileptic attack and Logan seems to be back to "Normal" before leaving.  To lighten the mood, Dean tries to put the party back on track with sparklers and bingo. 

Chris and Rose go for a walk and while alone, Chris suspects that Dean was lying due to having an cousin with epilepsy and knowing it couldn't have been that.  Not only that, but he confesses to Rose that he felt like he knew Logan.  He claims that ever since Missy hypnotized him, he's been thinking of fucked up things and that he needs to leave.

While all that is going on, the "Bingo" game begins. Dean is hosting it and it seems that each person has already filled out their cards (With a not so subtle row of yellow dots on Tanaka's).  However as the camera pans out, of the Gazebo, we see that the "Prize" being shown is a large photo of Chris.  Dean being silent and giving signs similar to that of an auctionee- oh fuck.  This isn't a bingo tournament, this is a slave auction and the winning bidder, is Jim Hudson.  Of course. The one you'd least suspect. 

Chris confesses that there was a chance he could have saved his mother, but he didn't. A notion he came to regret. Because of that he promises to take her with him when he leaves. 

They walk back to the estate, as the guests were leaving.  With Jeremy playing ominously on the ukulele. While passing by Georgina, Walter, Missy and Dean all giving him creepy smiles. Before they start packing, Chris calls Rod.  Sending him the photo he took.  Rod immediately calls him back, telling Chris who Logan really is.  Andre "Dre" Hayworth an old friend of theirs.  When Chris mentions Philomena, Rod not only double's down on his Sex Slave theory, but warns Chris to leave.  The phone's battery dies and Chris rushes Rose and while he's packing his own stuff, he hears a noise.  He sees that Rose's closet door is open again. He goes to investigate and he finds a red box. In it he discovers photographs of Rose with various black partners including but not limited to Walter, Georgina and Andre. 

Chris runs into Rose again and asks for the car keys so he can put the bags in the trunk. Rose has trouble finding them, but they head downstairs anyway.  Jeremy blocks the door armed with a lacrosse stick and Missy comes out offering tea.  Rose, claims that they have to go take care of Chris' dog. But by the looks on their faces, they don't buy it.  Chris desperately asking Rose to get the car keys out, while Jeremy advances on him.  Dean comes out to the fireplace asking what Chris' purpose in life.  Mentioning fire as a reflection of their own mortality. Being born, breathing and dying.  Making a speech about being gods wrapped in cocoons. Chris gets impatient and yells for Rose to give the keys.  Jeremy takes a swing at him. Chris asks one more time only for Rose to bring them out. Now knowing she was in on whatever they were up to. Chris tries to take on Jeremy only for Missy to tap the teacup three times triggering his hypnosis. Putting his mind back in The Sunken Place and sedating his body. Chris can only watch helplessly as Jeremy and Dean carry him to the basement, with Rose remarking that he is one of her favourites. Just what are they planning to do to him?

Rod tries to call Chris the next day, but only gets voicemail.  He check's Chris' to feed his dog and look for him.  Then using his laptop he looks Andre up to find he's been missing since January 2016, that the search got cancelled and most importantly he spots a photo of him and Rose.  

Chris wakes up in what appears to be a rec room, strapped to a leather chair and sat in front of what appears to be an old analog TV. The TV plays a commerical style video in which Roman Armitage explains that Chris is here because he has been chosen by them to participate in the Coagula procedure.  Claiming that it unites a black person's physical advantages and a white person's determination. Even mentioning that the result would have him part of the family.  When the video ends, the TV changes the channel to footage of Missy stirring the tea cup and knocking Chris out again.

Meanwhile, Rod tries to get the police involved with Chris' disappearance. However they laugh at him when he mentions the sex slave theory.  

Rod doesn't give up though and tries calling Chris again. Only for Rose to answer.  Rose feigns knowing where Chris is, claiming he flipped out and left his phone behind.  Rod however sees holes in her story and tries to record her. However she not only catches on, but insinuates that Rod has been trying to fuck her. Now this part I never gotten, because I didn't know if she was trying to throw him off their trail or luring Rod over so that she can take him next.  Either way, though Rod flips out and hangs up remarking how genius her move was.  Also give Allison credit here, she was able to fake worry while still remaining stone faced on the phone. Either she's a great actress or a sociopath. 

 
Chris wakes up from his trance and the TV turns on once again.  Jim this time is on it and speaking directly to him through an intercom system.  He explains that the Coagula Procedure, Chris is chosen for comes in three stages.  The first being sedation, through hypnosis. The second, psychological pre-op. Explaining that, once Chris understands what is going on, that the procedure will work properly.   The third, transmutation.  Specifically they plan on replacing all of Chris' brain save for the stem, with Jim's.  Effectively letting Jim take over his body, with Chris' mind being in the passneger seat.  When Chris asks why Black people.   Jim himself never quite understood why, save for theorizing that many of them are envious, of what they view as the benefits of African American life.  Some want to be stronger, faster, cooler. However, Jim wants something much more than mere status and physical advantage.  He wants Chris' eyes so he can return to his former glory as a photographer.  And surprisngly that makes him the most evil and I'll tell you why later.

Chris noticed that the arms of the chair have been ripped from his post hypnotic scratching.  Finding cotton underneath.  The teacup shows up again, putting Chris back to sleep.  

As Dean prepares to extract Jim's brain, Jeremy goes to retrieve Chris. Upon untying him, Chris wakes up and knocks Jeremy senseless with a croque ball. He then impales Dean with a deer head trophy, causing him to stumble and hit some candles accidentally setting the basement on fire.

Upon leaving the basement, Chris finds Georgina, who runs away in fear. He confronts Missy who tries to subdue him with the teacup again only for Chris to break it. Chris risks impaling his own hand trying to take Missy's knife and killing her with it.  Just when he was about to get to the door Jeremy ambushes him intending to put him in a sleeperhold.  Chris using Jeremy's advice from earlier thinks three moves ahead. Trying to open the door twice, knowing Jeremy would try to close it with his foot.  The third time, Chris gets him with Missy's knife, subduing him long enough for Chris to stomp him to death.  

Chris takes Jeremy's car keys and tries to steal his car.

Meanwhile despite being in a burning building, Rose is listening to "Having the time of my life." While eating Froot Loops and searching for her next conquest on the net.  One of which, played by Key.  Rose, if you're thinking of hunting that guy down you may want to do some research. The man is crazier than you are and he's heir to Heinz Ketchup. He'll kill you. 

Chris mananges to get the car started and tries to drive away, only to accidentally hit Georgina.  Triggering his memories of his mother and prompting him to try to save her.  The action getting Rose's attention, revealing that Georgina is actually Marianne Armitage.  Which Chris learns the hard way, when she wakes up and attacks him for ruining her house.  The car crashes and Marianne along with Georgina dies.  Chris tries to escape on foot only for Walter, Roman Arimitage to chase him down.  Fun fact, the entire scene was meant to be the punchline of Roman's jealousy of Jesse Owens, but Peele thought him calling Chris, Jesse would have been too silly. 

Chris uses the camera flash just as Rose arrives with a rifle in her arms.  Walter takes over the body and tricks Rose into giving him the gun. Wounding her and killing himself so that Roman doesn't take over again.  

Rose tries one last desperate attempt to shoot Chris, but he disarms her.  Chris contemplates strangling her, despite her pleas, but when she smiles at him in defiance he lets her go.  A police car shows up, with Rose trying to make it look like Chris was attacking her, only for it to not be a Police Car.  But rather, Rod's TSA service Vehicle.  He grabs Chris and leaves an annoyed Rose to die on the street.  


This movie was pretty fucked up. In terms of horror, it's not quite a unique premise, but it does havea unique spin on it.  Peele was able to mix traditional horror, with social commentary. Referencing the movies of old, while giving every scene a point.  Now comes the time where I talk about a few things. 


First of all this movie needs to be seen at least twice.  One to run through it and two to capture details.  

Case in point, Walter/Roman.  Now on the surface, it seems to be an allegory for slavery, as rather than use modern tools like gas powered lawnmowers and chainsaws, Walter instead does everything the slow and hard way.  Push mowers, raking, using an axe.  One would think the Armitages are making him break his back for money.  However upon knowing who Walter is, it comes off in a whole new light.  Dean mentioned that Roman almost got over losing to Jesse Owens.  Since Roman now has a black body of his own and still retains his olympic skills from the 1930s, he uses old fashioned methods of building muscle and speed. That scary look on his face when he startled Chris with his hard running, was really just Roman in full concentration on the run.  

The real allegory for slavery is Georgina/Marianne. However not in the traditional sense. Throughout the movie it's been hinted that Georgina was fighting Marianne on the inside, with no exposure to flashing lights to boot. The scene where she breaks down, before Marianne takes over again, shows a clear example of two minds fighting for control of one body and one mind dominating and enslaving the other.  

Then there's Rose's actions knowing now what you didn't know then.  When the cop asked for I.D., we initially thought that it was racial profiling at play.  However considering how many black people were in those photos, it's safe to say that maybe that cop also caught wind of how many were missing Upstate and he wanted to make sure Chris wasn't one of them. Then of course her acting like she's offended by her family, lulling Chris into a false sense of security. The scariest part about her is up until after she reveals herself for the evil she is, we almost believe her.

Then of course there's the man who wanted Chris' eyes. Jim.  While he insists he's not racist, he represents another problem that people overlook.  You can be as tolerant as tolerant can be, but if you've found an intolerant system you can abuse for your benefits, then you'd go for it.  Much like he did.  And to his credit, he mentioned he'd be fine if it were anyone of any colour. However that doesn't make it better. 

Now the thing that really intrigued me about this, wasn't so much how bad the family was, but how they view themselves.  It would have been very easy for them to be Conservtive without changing a thing in the story.  However Peele decided to go the opposite direction and go after the White Liberal side of things.  Positive discrimination turning into envy and eventually the most horrifying attempt at cultural appropriation that makes Blackface look like suntan gone wrong. 

Regarding Dean's Obama line, that there should be considered a red flag along with "Some of my best friends are X" If I were Chris (No pun on the movie intended), I would have said "Nope" and ran. The fact that Whitford sounded genuine about it, made it more scary. 

Rod represents the audience, his tone and voice represents how the audience would react to similar situations. However, I found it intriguing that among most jobs he could have gotten, he got TSA. As it turns out, while funny as they may be in the , Peele wanted at least one positive TSA character. 

Then there is Missy.  Whom uses hypnosis in an effort to help her customers possess other people's bodies.  Now where have I heard that before.   Of course, Being John Malkovich.   Keener who plays Missy, plays a woman named Maxine Lund whom started a side business with the door that allows any who enter to be John Malkovich.  Because of the simularities of both characters and the actress who played them, fans have speculated the connection.  Jordan Peele and Malkovich directore Spike Jonze, claim it's canon.  Make with that what you will, but it does explain a lot.  Maybe she got bored of possessing white people and tried to possess black people instead. 

Then there's that mental prison. The Sunken Place. Peele mentioned that he cried when he wrote that because he used it as a representation on how marginalized the black community was. They could see and hear the dangers around them but they couldn't be heard themselves. Hence why no matter how loud Chris screamed, no sound came. 

That being said, as someone who is a nut when it comes to Spirituality, Meditation and Hypnosis, I theorize that before Missy tainted it, the Sunken place was originally meant for more noble intentions. Like Poo's Mu training from Earthbound.

The movie is well acted especially by Georgina Andre's and Walter as they had the task of playing black people possessed by white people pretending to be how racist white people view black people.   Kaluuya gave a stellar performance as Chris and judging by what I've seen in the Nope promos, he's shaping himself to be quite the horror star. Allison was very convincing as both potetential victim and villain. Lil Rel was really good at drawing a line between snarky but loyal best friend, to crazy nut that no one can take seriously, only to be a hidden badass in the end.  Using his skills to find Chris.

The movie was nominated for 4 Oscars and won Peele "Best Original Screenplay". While nothing concrete has happened, fans have demanded a sequel. 

Thanks for readng. Stay safe.

No comments:

Post a Comment