Reviews
HORSES, HAVOC, AND HEART RACING SUSPENSE: ‘Nope’ (2022) Review
Jordan Peele’s third horror film puts the audience in the hot seat with its heavy themes and expert composition.
My three-word review for Jordan Peele’s Nope: See this movie.
My six-word review: SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT F**KING NOW.
I will be upfront and say I really disliked Us. I thought it was a very well-shot film that showed its hand way too early and far too often for my taste. While I loved the concept up until the third act, I thought that it didn’t recapture the spark of Get Out and how that film reveled in the suspense and the mystery of it all.
But Nope does dwell on the atmosphere of the unknown, it has the mystery pumping through the film’s veins and giving it the lifeblood to hook you and keep you glued to your seat. So, when I say Nope is by and large the best of the three films, trust me on this one. On all fronts, it is a masterpiece, and it left me wanting more as I sat stunned in the theatre over the course of the credits.
Nope follows the Haywood siblings: the pragmatic, skilled & softspoken Otis Jr., or “OJ”, (played by Daniel Kaluuya), and the jack of all trades charmer Emerald (Keke Palmer). Disillusioned by Hollywood and the horse training business inherited from their father, the brother and sister become aware of the unidentified flying object skulking around the isolated mountain range their ranch is in, and the duo endeavor to be the first people to record it.
That’s about as much of the plot I can tell you without ruining the film, so let’s talk about our leads. I’m sure Keke Palmer’s going to be getting a lot of love given she is the film’s main source of levity, delivering an incredibly funny performance. But who I really enjoyed was Daniel Kaluuya. He plays the demure and tired OJ with a strong, silent delivery that is carried through his eyes. He’s got this one-of-a-kind on-screen presence, playing a character whose youth belies the amount of struggle and misery he’s had to go through. His onscreen chemistry with Palmer brings us a stellar portrayal of siblings who, despite all their differences and disagreements, have an undoubted and powerful love for each other.
Steven Yeun is incredibly charismatic as former child star Ricky “Jupe” Park, as is Brandon Perea’s techie Angel Torres who both make up the small supporting cast. Michael Wincott’s cinematographer Holst is the dark horse of the production who delivers a gravelly and memorable performance despite his short time on screen.
Besides Kaluuya’s stellar performance, his time on screen encapsulates how good Peele’s direction and framing of his actors is. Thanks to Hoyte Van Hoytema (regular cinematographer to directorial darling Christopher Nolan), we get plenty of dynamic movement with an unearthly smoothness. There are many strong, deft camera pans that follow the movement of characters and give you borderline point-of-view shots that are wholly unique to this film. Shots in this film pull from a gamut of references to the cinematic canon, ranging from more conventional science fiction and horror like Close Encounters, Fire in the Sky, andCloverfield to even one peculiar but fun reference to the anime film Akira (no, seriously!).
Peele doesn’t have just a masterful control of the camera, but the lighting and coloring as well. Palette-wise, lush black and rich dark blues make up most of the film’s nighttime shots, so try to see this in a Dolby Cinema or IMAX theatre because the film will benefit from that. Pair all of this with a triumphant and masterfully crafted soundtrack, and I genuinely can’t find a thing about this movie I dislike.
Truly, everything in Nope is deliberate and meticulously orchestrated. Everything down to the smallest one-off sight gag from early on being reincorporated in the finale is ingeniously planned down to the second, a hallmark of how he is a sniper with his films: only precision shots that leave you floored.
Fair warning, I will be discussing the film’s themes here, so skip to the Bottom Line if you want to go in blind. Reader discretion is advised.
Beyond its perfectly set-up story, Nope masterfully explores the grotesqueries of cinematic exploitation. The whole film makes you really ponder about who suffers to bolster our demanding and insatiable film industry, mainly through the use of screen animals.
When I say the “Gordy” segment of the film had me clutching the arms of my seat in the cinema, I don’t say that with an ounce of exaggeration. I cannot overstate how powerfully this film delves into the notions of spectacle coming at the cost of not only our animal companions, but our humanity as well, and the fact that the film’s villain is so expertly tangled into this strain of thought is what astounds me the most.
Theme talk ends here.
Bottom Line: A film whose runtime is put to perfect use, capped off with a finale that will leave you breathless and astounded by how Peele composes a story about family, our egos, and the creation of movies themselves. If it isn’t the best horror film of the year, Jordan Peele’s Nope definitely has some of the most gut-wrenchingly terrifying scenes in horror this year. Run to the theatre and watch this expeditiously– you won’t be disappointed.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
