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Something about me? I have been a nerdy cinephile for as long as I can remember. Putting the two together is living my best life. That notwithstanding, I was born to express, not to impress, so I blog because I don't have friends. In other news, I like hashtags because they look like waffles, prefer my puns intended, and I always give 100% unless I'm donating blood. Thanks for reading.
To his directorial credit, Jordan Peele has three films and one underrated TV series, once he went free solo from the Comedy Central sketch show Key & Peele. Oh yeah, and one Oscar for best original screenplay on Get Out.
His first two films had complex foundations of systemic racism and battling one’s demons, but reviews have been anything but complex. They are simple, direct, and resounding for what comes out of his mind. Then, here comes NOPE. This is a movie with a used car lot dancing air bodies, a black-owned dude ranch, power outages, and one gargantuan flying saucer.
Each movie has a stark indie vibe with blockbuster plotlines. Jordan Peele is talented like that–walking the bridge between the novel and the commercial. As for NOPE, the societal magnifying glass will be evident in this film, but no one knows its aim–another Jordan Peele hallmark.
Understanding the fandom Jordan Peele has accumulated, people paid attention when the Associated Press posts a story on the eve of NOPE’s release that flirts with that exact balancing act. The interview is more like a fireside chat, but one response stood out with neon strobe lights to his fans.
(Candidly, it is a fantastic interview with AP film writer Jake Coyle. If you’re a fan of Peele or Coyle, read it. I am of both. You should be as well.)
Leading the Charge
Spielberg. Coppola. Tarantino. Nolan. Scorsese. Cameron. Fincher. Scott. Malick.
While all those revered directors–and others like them–have full names, it’s not necessary. Their mononymous names don’t need introductions. We know their work, skill, and force on the set. When they speak, actors listen. The obedience is instant because they know those one-name wonders behind the camera will make them better.
That’s Daniel Kaluuya, one of the highest regarded actors today. The guy has an Oscar for a role many considered untouchable. (Watch Judas the Black Messiah and let us know who else could have been Fred Hampton. Answer: Absolutely no one.) Where Peele points, Kaluuya walks. Even the British dynamo (yeah, he’s British) knows Jordan Peele can do anything.
Yet, one thing Jordan Peele won’t do is film franchises.
AP Coyle: There aren’t many filmmakers with as much freedom to make original studio movies as you. You’ve had chances to join major franchises. How focused are you on crafting your own films from the bottom up?
Peele: Nothing is more rewarding than being able to lead the charge on something that comes from somewhere deep and to get the support of a team on something like that. I feel like if I were working off of someone else’s property, I would owe something to someone else. Besides that core piece of inspiration, it just doesn’t seem as fun to me.
AP, July 18, 2022
There is a reason his scripts and screenplays create such fanfare–they’re his! Every director has a sense of ownership of their projects. When the Russo Brothers put their stamp on The Avengers, do you think they felt, “Yeah, this won’t be that good because of that Stan Lee guy?” Of course, not.
But, something must be said about any person who creates something from scratch. A chef and a bag of ingredients. A carpenter and a tree. An artist with oils and a canvas. Or a writer staring at a blank screen and blinking cursor. Also, creating an untold story in Hollywood is a gamble. What if the audience doesn’t like it? Will the reviews be trash? What if…anything? So, Coyle asked one more time…
AP Coyle: Have you been tempted?
Peele: Yeah, there has been temptation. Sure. And there is temptation. There’s so many things I love. And yet, when faced with my very favorite properties, it still doesn’t beat the thing I haven’t written yet or the thing I haven’t figured out.
Nothing beats the feeling of bringing something to life in Hollywood.
Ask the Coen Brothers or Paul Thomas Anderson about that triumphant feeling about putting something 100% original in the can. Pull aside Gus Van Sant, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers and question them on the risk of indie films. There are CVS Pharmacy receipts that aren’t as long as the responses they could give you about that.
Yet, there’s Jordan Peele. A maverick with a pen. An independent filmmaker with an idea. A target with one arrow or bullet. A man on a mission. And when we all go see NOPE, we will leave the theater believing this fandom is better off for it.
Featured Image: Jordan Peele and the NOPE team at the film premiere in Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock via People magazine
Something about me? I have been a nerdy cinephile for as long as I can remember. Putting the two together is living my best life. That notwithstanding, I was born to express, not to impress, so I blog because I don't have friends. In other news, I like hashtags because they look like waffles, prefer my puns intended, and I always give 100% unless I'm donating blood. Thanks for reading.
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