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hmmmmm…. perhaps apathy is boring……. & perhaps passion is cool………. being excited about things is endearing……..having interests makes one more interesting…….perhaps mocking and finding flaw in everything makes one’s world less saturated and enjoyable……..hmmm……..just been thinkin about it….

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via this onion article

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finally found a way to enunciate my better call saul experience

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breaking bad fanart :) 

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(almost) every mention of Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad

update to this video

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they were in love here

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Business can change you, and chew you up, and spit you out, and be rid of you, and on to the next thing.

-Alicia Keys

This is the thesis of the movie Nope(2022). A psychological alien thriller on the surface, that also doubles as a critique of exploitation. From animals to Hollywood, we as a society are always looking for the next thing to ogle. But maybe, sometimes, we shouldn't look.

There's a lot to this movie. I've seen quite a few critiques lately that have accused movie's director, Jordan Peele, of going mainstream with this movie and say that there's nothing to this movie but the size and spectacle of it. And while that is important, to say that's all it is would be glazing over a majority of the film.

This movie is about OJ and his sister Em, trying to save their dying horse ranch business after the sudden death of their father. A nearby amusement park, owned by a former child star named Ricky offers to buy them out when strange occurrences start to happen and all three of them realize that there's something strange in the sky.

This is a very basic summary and doesn't even include all of our characters but it helps with context regarding critiques for the movie. Exploitation is first brought up when the movie opens and we meet Gordy, a chimpanzee who used to star on a TV show before going on a rampage. "A wild animal attack no one could've predicted."

More critics like to say this subplot is irrelevant to the main plot but it's actually essential to the movie's thesis. Gordy was being exploited. He was a wild animal, traumatized by being raised by humans and forced to perform to crowds every day of his life. The day he seemingly "snaps" after a balloon pops had been coming for a while. If it wasn't a balloon popping it might've been a phone beeping or someone taking away his favorite toy but afters years of pent up confusion and anger, he was set off and attacked the other actors. But he wasn't the only one being exploited.

Both Ricky and Mary Jo were child actors. Now while not directly stated, it can be inferred that it was just as bad for them. Children should not be put in the spotlight and used for entertainment at such a young age. Mary Jo is attacked by Gordy I'm his rampage but when he sees Ricky and there's finally a barrier put between them (a table cloth in film), Gordy finally calms down. He's no longer being directly stared at for once in a long, long time. Sadly he's shot right in front of Ricky and he internalizes this, years later, Ricky sees this strange alien force as something off a second chance to help Gordy. But he's not actually helping, he's continuing the cycle of exploitation by putting it on display for the crowd to ogle and exploiting the horse he bought to use as bait for the creature. And the film punishes him and everyone else for staring.

The alien does not want to be someone else's entertainment. It gets angry when it realizes Em and OJ are trying to photograph it. There's a running joke of their pictures bring "Oprah Worthy" which while funny, is very intentional. Her show is known to exploit human stories and tragedies for views which is what the siblings are now trying to do. (As for everyone who tries this in movie, it doesn't go well)

The TMZ motorcyclist is also very intentional. Not just paparazzi but TMZ. The trashiest of trashy tabloids that have no qualms about hurting anyone with what they say, do or take pictures of. They have published photos of underage stars in compromising positions repeatedly and continually banked off it. Him crying out for his camera even as he's about to be eaten to get a picture of the creature is representative of the company and others like it that continue to perpetuate the system of exploitation that is fame and Hollywood.

But with fame and Hollywood comes Em. The moment she's introduced, her character trait of trying to advertise and sell herself in Hollywood, is an exploitation of herself. And OJ knows this, trying to keep her level headed but she keeps going for the stars. She keeps looking up. She stares into the abyss that is the alien's gaping maw. Only stopping when it means she can save her brother. Their relationship is the core of this film and the final shot Em gets of the creature dying, she doesn't even look at it. She looks at her brother.

This movie is just, really good man. I seriously reccomend you see it and help support the momentum of a great director.

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NOPE SPOILERS

Still can't stop thinking about the scene where he talks about the SNL sketch. How he had to see the most traumatizing thing in his life turned into a joke by white actors. And he had to laugh it off.

How Hollywood turned him from the exploited into the exploiter, so when he stood toe to to with the animal again, this time he was the same as the showrunners who's carelessness caused his trauma to begin with.

Similarly, OJ's trauma over his father's death was underplayed by the Hollywood execs at the shoot. None of them had any compassion for him. But he stayed true to himself the whole movie.

In conclusion I LOVE DRAMATIC FOILS I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM

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Nacho’s and Lalo’s outfits in Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

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better call molcar

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greg hirsch

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hey friends! just a little PSA. i’ve been seeing people share this painting:

and i just want to make sure everyone was aware that this painting is entitled “saturn devouring his son” (emphasis added). the painting represents a greek myth in which the greek god cronus/saturn devours one of his own offspring! in other words, this is a painting of familial cannibalism! if saturn were devouring his wife or other romantic partner I wouldn’t be making this post - romantic cannibalism is healthy and good! - but he is devouring his son. please stay safe and remember that cannibalism should only be practiced between romantic partners!

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figured someone might exhale from their nose to this

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bcs + barry, inspired by x

(bonus: here i was gonna put a screenshot from a bill hader interview i remember watching on conan a couple years ago. bill hader talked about running into vince gilligan after season 1 of barry aired and how vince gilligan had congratulated him on it. bill hader told him “you know we just ripped you off, right?” and then bill hader did a very impressive impression of vince gilligan’s laugh. i swear to god that interview happened, but alas i cannot find it and i know not every conan interview is currently archived).

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l

nacho so dumb fr he could have been living a lana del rey song could have been grtting mustache prostate orgasms on the daily could have had that old man walking on his knees just 4 a chance 2 suck him he could have had all the jewelry guns gold clothes cars in the world he could have been royalty and he threw it all away for a dad who doesnr even like him and i