One major pitfall that I feel like Peele ultimately sideswiped here is the thematic unpacking of another BIG IDEA. He tackled race and class, almost exclusively so, with two movies drowning in metaphors and symbolism. What would be the BIG IDEA here? I went in completely cold so I could be surprised. And what I came away with is that Nope is really about a few different ideas, all of various sizes. Sure, it's mainly about society's obsession with spectacle, a fairly big idea. But it's also about the desire to capitalize on tragedy, and ownership of art and art forms (primarily in regards to black performers and artists), among other auxiliary themes. (Not to mention a clear through-line about animals and taming them, which feels like it acts as both its own motif and as symbolic reenforcement for some of the other ideas.) These concepts are more insular, specific, fleeting. And I appreciated his willingness to move in a different direction. Not every film has to be about a BIG IDEA. And, honestly, sticking with that line of thinking feels like a really stifling way to work, imo.
It does feel like Peele is still working towards that perfect, 10/10-tier movie, but the three he's given us have all been excellent. He's firmly among the list of current filmmakers whose work you can't miss.
CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 625 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 627 ⫸
⫷ EPISODE 625 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 627 ⫸
Nope (stylized as NOPE) is a 2022 American neo-Western science fiction horror film directed, written, and co-produced by Jordan Peele under his Monkeypaw Productions banner. It stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as horse-wrangling siblings attempting to capture evidence of an unidentified flying object. Appearing in supporting roles are Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea, and Keith David. It was released on July 18, 2022.
0 comments:
Post a Comment