just finished watching Natural Born Killers for the first time and like a) i loved it, obviously and 2) it's fascinating who differently it reads here 2022 than it did when it was such an explosive scandal in 1994
in 1994 - i vaguely remember this, but only vaguely, as i was eleven then - people were Big Mad about this movie and its apparent celebration of violence and murder, etc etc
people are also very good at missing satire, and yes the argument can be made that when you include the thing you are satirizing then you become it. THE SATIRE ISN'T EVEN SUBTLE
there is literally a montage at the end of all the vile shit that had ALREADY happened in the nineties
Natural Born Killers is saying, "Here's where we're headed, folks, buckle in"
and it was right
Mickey and Mallory deliberate cultivate their fame/infamy, always leaving one person alive to tell the tale
which is as close to doing it for the 'gram that 1994 was gonna get
how many killers have we had in the last decade or so posting online manifestos, posting footage of their crimes, planning their shit online?
Mickey and Mallory would THRIVE in social media culture
for all that, though
for all that, with the state of the world bringing us at least one new atrocity to be furious about every day with no end in sight?
watching these fictional assholes murder dozens of people whilst swearing their love to each other and then escaping prison by indirectly instigating a full-fledged riot is fucking cathartic
it's positively soothing to that amoral animal part of your brain that wants to punch the asshole customer or jam your thumb into a bully's eyesocket. you can't ever give in to that part of your brain, and the vast majority of us wouldn't even consider it. we can't
so we have characters like Mickey and Mallory and countless other incredibly violent fictional assholes who do it for us. it's a safe way to let off steam
just like horror movies are a safe way to experience fear: nobody actually gets hurt. all in good fun
anyway, this got a bit out of hand, but if you're down for all of the above plus Woody Harrelson at the peak of his hotness, Robert Downey Jr having an Australian accent for no reason, and some bizarre but captivating enterimental filmmaking, check this movie out
/thumbs up to you, you always have smart takes on things
aw, thank you