Top 5 Movies (and Top 5 TV Shows) for Fans of Coffee

Greetings, reader!

Two days from now will be October 1st, which marks a severely underrated occasion: International Coffee Day. As a massive fan of the caffeinated beverage, I decided to celebrate by sharing a list of recommended movies and television shows for fellow coffee enthusiasts. If you want something thematically coherent to watch with your cup of joe during International Coffee Day, look no further!

#5 in movies: Thor (2011)

"This drink, I like it"

"I know, it's great, right?"

"ANOTHER!"

A nice cup of joe will keep you awake and focused for any Marvel movie, but it fits the first Thor film particularly well, due to the hilarious scene quoted above. Who could forget Thor (Chris Hemsworth) tasting his first-ever cup of coffee, only for him being accustomed to Asgardian culture as opposed to Earth becoming painfully obvious as he requests another cup by loudly smashing his cup onto the floor? "I meant no disrespect", the oblivious Avenger adds to the confused onlookers in what might just be the film's funniest scene. I do sincerely hope that no actual coffee was harmed during the making of that scene.

#5 in TV shows: Friends (1994-2004)

"Come by at lunch so that my boss doesn't see you - Kim will freak out, she already doesn't like me"

"That's weird, I don't think my boss likes me either"

"...I don't think mine likes me either!"

"Maybe it's a universal thing"

"Or MAYBE...it's because you're all hanging around here at 11:30 on a Wednesday!"

That, dear reader, is the smartest thing Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) ever said over the course of ten seasons.

Seriously though, so much of Friends is spent in the lovely coffeehouse Central Perk, that you'll often find yourself craving for a nice cup of coffee yourself when watching the iconic sitcom. Let's just hope that the coffee you're drinking with your Friends viewing is better than the woeful coffees that Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) makes throughout season 1!

#4 in movies: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

"Do you ever get that feeling?"

"Sure"

"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there"

Even if it wasn't for the major part that coffee-drinking plays in the film's plot, Breakfast at Tiffany's would still be just the sort of movie that calls for the caffeinated beverage being enjoyed while watching in my opinion. There's just something about classic old-timey Hollywood pictures like this one that feels extra special to watch when sipping a nice cup of coffee on the side.

But I've singled out the classy and timeless Breakfast at Tiffany's in particular, for a number of reasons. Protagonist Holly Golightly, played in a charming performance by the incomparable Audrey Hepburn, belongs to the New York 'café society' of the time - and while this elitist subculture of snobs is very accurately portrayed as an elitist subculture of snobs, there's still something very compelling and endearing in the oft-repeated name 'café society' for caffeine enthusiasts like myself, which adds a level of intrigue to the social dynamics of the film. Furthermore, who could forget the romantic and deeply caffeinated atmosphere of the Tiffany & Co. flagship store, where the titular breakfasts are enjoyed?

#4 in TV shows: Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

"Bridge officers, report for duty. Commander, set a new course - there's coffee in that nebula"

In the world of television, there are many characters who are passionate about coffee (it is after all a fairly easy characteristic of warmth and relatability to give to a character, from a writer's perspective). But hardly any fictional character is as much invested in coffee as Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) from Star Trek: Voyager. Throughout this very solid Star Trek spinoff, Janeway's love for coffee is used as a humorous but also thematically powerful constant, a reminder of home while she's spearheading a mission lightyears away from Federation territory.

Her many, many quotes about the importance of coffee always make me chuckle, and find the captain relatable on a whole new level. It's nice to know that hundreds of years from now, at least in the utopian future envisioned by the great Gene Roddenberry, humanity's love for coffee is very much still a thing.

#3 in movies: The Bucket List (2007)

"Read it"

"Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee. Though for some, it falls under the category of 'too good to be true'. In the Sumatran village, where the beans are grown, lives a breed of wild tree cat. These cats eat the beans, digest them and then...defecate. The villagers then collect and process these stools. It is the combination of the beans and the gastric juices of the tree cat that give Kopi Luwac...its unique flavor...and aroma. YOU'RE SHITTING ME!"

"No, cats beat me to it!"

Really, it's all there in the quote. The reveal of Edward's (Jack Nicholson) favorite coffee's origin may gross you out for a moment, but at least up until that scene, this very fine comedy-drama calls for sipping some very fine (and maybe not cat-originated) coffee. Upon finding out that Kopi Luwak and its origin are a very real thing and not a joke created by this film, I'd feel almost tempted to taste the coffee out of morbid curiosity and overall fascination - if it wasn't so damn expensive, I'd probably add drinking Kopi Luwak while watching this film onto my own bucket list.

#3 in TV shows: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012-Present)

"I bet if you talk to the guy he'll let us out. Just say, I'm the President and I'm gonna be out for a quick coffee"

"Hey Daryl, uh, can you open this up?"

"I'm sorry, I can't allow it"

"That's unbelievable"

Once again, it's all right there in the title. In this wonderfully chill Netflix series hosted by the one and only Jerry Seinfeld, the host and the guest-of-the-week always drive in some fancy car to get a nice cup of coffee while having amusing conversations. For a viewer like me? Love the comedians, don't care about the cars, love the coffee.

This is a nice and mellow series to watch with your morning cup of joe, and don't worry about catching every episode as there's really no point - you can just pick the ones with your favorite comedians in them. I can especially recommend the episodes Seinfeld did with John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, the late great Norm MacDonald, and of course the show's most famous episode - apparently President Barack Obama had cracked just enough jokes in his presidency in order to qualify for 'comedian' status. This makes for one hell of an episode, as Seinfeld and Obama cruise around the White House lawn and enjoy decent coffee while talking through all sorts of subjects.

#2 in movies: David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

"He gave me the Robert Henri book, The Art Spirit, and I loved that book, I can't remember much of it now, but I used to carry it around and the art spirit sort of became the art life and I had this idea that you drink coffee, you smoke cigarettes, and you paint, and that's it. Maybe, maybe girls come into it a little bit. But basically it's the incredible happiness of working and living that life"

The documentary about my favorite director David Lynch is, naturally, a 90-minute stream of thought as Mr. Lynch talks through all sorts of odd subjects from his strange upbringing and peculiar worldview to his cryptic art and curious lifestyle, while pausing to take a heavy drag of a cigarette before going off again.

One thing that you'll learn from the documentary, in addition to some seriously messed-up stories from urban Philadelphia, is that coffee plays a big part in David Lynch's life (as can be surmised from most of his works). He talks a great deal about the titular 'art life', consisting of drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and making art - just like with the comedians and cars and coffee, there's one part of the trio that I don't particularly care for while the other two I'm all for.

#2 in TV shows: Gilmore Girls (2000-2007; 2016)

"You like coffee?"

"Only with my oxygen"

"So what are you having?"

"Coffee. In a vat"

"I need coffee. Extra strong. Double caf. Triple caf. No, forget the caf, throw in the whole cow"

"Everything in my life has something to do with coffee, I believe in a former life I was coffee"

Yeah, I couldn't settle for just one quote. Coffee plays such a big part in this lovely comedy-drama, that I'd put the caffeinated beverage right up there with Luke Danes (Scott Paterson) and Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) as one of the show's most consistent and important characters. The love that the titular Gilmore girls have for coffee is endearing, and it's always a blast to remember the behind-the-scenes fact that Alexis Bledel, who plays Rory Gilmore, despises coffee in real life and is actually drinking coca-cola from those cups throughout the series. Say what you will, that is quite the stunt double performance by the iconic soft drink.

#1 in movies: Fight Club (1999)

"Gentlemen! Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club"

Yeah, uh, I'm terribly sorry for breaking rules #1 and #2. The thing is - I really need to talk about the fact that every scene in this David Fincher masterpiece contains the image of a Starbucks coffee cup somewhere in the background. No, really. Every scene.

Some go as far as to claim that it's every shot or even every frame, and I have to admit that I haven't done the research to find out where the fact ends and the urban legend begins. I just remember reading about this fact, and spotting about a thousand Starbucks coffee cups laying in the background when I watched Fight Club for the second time. They're everywhere! Whether it's a jab at mass production and consumerism befitting the film's themes, or just a fun little visual gag, is anyone's guess.

#1 in TV shows: Twin Peaks (1990-1991; 2017)

"You know, this is, excuse me, a damn good cup of coffee"

"Mr. Cooper, how do you take it?"

"Black as midnight on a moonless night"

"You're not gonna believe this. There was a fish in the percolator!"

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt in the men's store, a cat nap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee"

In the wonderous world of Twin Peaks, coffee is everything. Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) drinks black coffee at every possible moment while always complimenting the beverage, the constant serving of cherry pies and coffee at the Double R Diner is perhaps the most constant source of safety and warmth in the Twin Peaks universe, and coffee even plays a psychedelic role in season 2's Red Room sequences when demonstrating how strangely the laws of physics and reality work in that plain of existence.

In his four-and-a-half-hours-long video Twin Peaks ACTUALLY EXPLAINED (No, Really), YouTuber Twin Perfect gives symbolic meanings to all of the running gags and ongoing themes in the series. In his analysis, he reckons that coffee symbolises the 'fuel' that the detectives in the series run on, and the bitter/sweet balance of the police characters always enjoying strong black coffee and sugary donuts fits in with the show's larger themes of balance between light and dark, hope and despair et cetera. This theory offers a possible explanation for why the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) begins with a stale pot of coffee (Laura Palmer's (Sheryl Lee) mystery has gone stale and the people investigating it need 'refueling'), as well as the season 2 finale's iconic scene of Cooper's cup of coffee freezing into solid form while in the Red Room (the Man From Another Place (Michael J. Anderson) stops the flow of coffee to demonstrate that he controls the flow of the investigation).

But, really, it all boils down to one scene. In Twin Peaks: The Return (2017-2017), the spirit of Dale Cooper is trapped and all but forgotten in the body of one Dougie Jones. Little by little, fragments of memory start to come back to him. This narrative is at its very best in a scene that I consider the most relatable scene in television history: when the poor and simple Dougie Jones is at quite a literal loss for words, blissfully unaware of anything that's going on, he hears the word "coffee", prompting him to smile, get up and walk to where the coffee is while gleefully repeating the word "coffee". Watching that scene truly makes me feel represented.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the beginning of Saturday Night Live's new season by ranking the Top 15 SNL host monologues!

Top 10 Movie Drinking Games

Hear hear!

This topic has been requested from me a couple of times. So, if you're looking to have a fun night of watching movies and drinking with your friends, here are ten fun movie drinking games that I've come up with!

Disclaimer: test these games at your own risk, and remember to drink responsibly.

10. Love Actually

Rule #1: One sip (of a beverage of your choice) every time two characters kiss each other

Rule #2: One sip every time they introduce a character whose actor you recognize from something else (make it two sips if you remember where you recognize them from (make it THREE sips if you know the actor's name)).

9. Any Christopher Nolan movie

Drink every time:

- A character played by Michael Caine appears on-screen

- A character explains a difficult concept to another character

- The soundtrack features blaring Hans Zimmer horn sections OR psychedelic synth layers

- There's a plot twist

8. Cats

Every time a new character introduces themselves in song, take a big gulp of your drink-of-choice.

Every time you feel the animation has reached a new low, take a medium gulp.

During the Magical Mr. Mistoffeles song sequence, take a small sip every time you feel like the song is over - and a huge gulp every time it continues into a new reprise!

7. Any Marvel Cinematic Universe movie

A) Take a sip every time there's an easter egg / reference to another Marvel movie

B) Take two sips every time a character makes a quip

C) Take three sips every time you feel that an action scene has gone on for too long

D) Upon noticing a Stan Lee cameo, take a shot in his memory

E) For every post-credit scene, down your drink and re-fill it in case there's another post-credit scene

6. Titanic

This one is a great couples' activity! Together with your significant other, decide which one is bound take a sip of Jack Daniels every time Jack (Leo DiCaprio) speaks a line of dialogue, and which one takes a sip of Rosé wine every time Rose (Kate Winslet) speaks a line of dialogue. To keep healthy amidst all the alcohol, you should also take a sip of water every time a body of water (such as the Atlantic ocean) is seen on screen.

You can also add the optional Dion rule, where each participant takes a sip of their beverage every time that My Heart Will Go On (either the full-on song or James Horner's instrumental arrangement of it) starts to play.

5. Any David Lynch movie

First of all, you'll need the strangest, most obscure drink you can get your hands on. Then, start the film and drink your weird-ass beverage every time a character played by Jack Nance appears, every time a red curtain is seen in the background, and every time you realize that you don't understand what's going on. Good luck!

4. Fight Club

For this one, you'll need a few different drinks at your disposal: a beer / cider / other "regular drink", something stronger to take in shot form, and Irish coffee or some other coffee-based alcoholic beverage.

The first rule of Fight Club - The Drinking Game is: You do not talk about Fight Club - The Drinking Game.

The second rule of Fight Club - The Drinking Game is: You do not talk about Fight Club - The Drinking Game.

The third rule of Fight Club - The Drinking Game is: Take a sip every time someone says "Fight" or "Club", and a shot whenever the full "Fight Club" is said.

The fourth rule of Fight Club - The Drinking Game is: Take a sip of the Irish coffee every time you notice a Starbucks product on-screen

And an extra rule for all viewers who have seen the film before: Drink every time the ending plot twist is foreshadowed!

3. Any Quentin Tarantino movie

The recommended drink: either scotch (as a tribute to the fatal three-more-drinks order of Michael Fassbender's character in Inglorious Basterds) or bourbon (to generally go with the western influences in Tarantino's filmography).

When to drink: any time a character dies, and every time the F-word is uttered.

2. Any James Bond movie

For this one, you'll need a vodka martini that is in fact shaken, not stirred. You shall sip it every time the word "Bond" is uttered. Furthermore, every time a woman is objectified, take a large sip and yell "FUCK THE PATRIARCHY!"

1. Any Monty Python movie

This is a simple one: drink every time you laugh.

May God have mercy on your soul.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate International Coffee Day by ranking the top 5 movies (and top 5 TV shows) for fans of coffee.

Top 10 Movies to Watch on a Sunday Night or an Airplane

Hello, reader!

I've been playing around with this idea for a long time - 'movies to watch on a Sunday night or an airplane' is such a specific category in my mind, yet it's hard to articulate what makes a film belong to that specific group. After a lot of thought, I've come to the conclusion that it's a mixture of a) being a 'people-pleaser' film that isn't too much of anything so that most people will enjoy the film, b) being at least somewhat lighthearted (whether in the context of a laugh-worthy comedy or just a not-too-dramatic drama with some nice life lessons), and c) being the sort of film that often misses out of my lists as they don't tend to make many all-time-top-10's despite being very solid. These are the understated films that aren't the best at anything, but make for perfectly fine viewing when one's brain isn't up for analyzing Inception (2010) or investing oneself in Schindler's List (1993).

Here are my honorable mentions: Catch Me If You Can (2002), Easy A (2010), Jerry Maguire (1996), Superbad (2007), The Simpsons Movie (2007).

10. We're the Millers (2013)

"Listen to me, I can explain..."

"You are making five hundred thousand dollars and giving me only thirty?"

"You're getting thirty grand?? I'm getting a thousand!"

"...You guys are getting paid?"

In this perfectly fine and extremely watchable comedy, Jason Sudeikis plays the role of a pot dealer who hires a fake family in order to create a cover for a dangerous smuggling operation. Jennifer Anniston, Emma Roberts and Will Poulter are very amusing as the members of the pretend family, and hearts will melt amidst all the raunchy humor as they eventually find themselves actually bonding with one another. There's nothing mind-blowing about We're the Millers, but it's an entertaining comedy that fits the 'Movies to watch on a Sunday night or an airplane' category with brilliance.

9. Speed (1994)

"Well, I should probably tell you that I'm taking the bus because I had my driver's licence revoked"

"What for?"

"...Speeding"

Not all action films fit the 'Sunday night or plane' aesthetic, and most 'Sunday night or plane' films aren't action films. But there most definitely is a sweet spot where these two meet: action films that aren't of the highly choreographed and especially cinematic variety, while still being good enough to not be trash, and actual violence is delightfully lacking in favor of fun-to-watch suspense. And the king of these sorts of movies is undoubtedly the 1994 flick that Homer Simpson once described with these eloquent words:

"I saw this movie about a bus that had to speed around a city, keeping its speed over fifty, and if its speed dropped, it would explode! I think it was called, "The bus that wouldn't slow down"".

That pretty much sums it up. Speed manages to be top-of-the-line intense in the "oh boy, this flick is keeping me on the edge of my seat!" way, without having to be intense in the more dark and real way. Another thriller that fits any given Sunday night or airplane journey well is Phone Booth (2002), in case you're looking for more examples of this variety.

8. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

"What is this guy's deal?"

"He's, what was it, an NPC? A non-playable character. He has a limited number of things he can say"

"My friend Carl is the same way"

Another Top 10 that 2017's Jumanji reboot (and its 2019 sequel) would make would be 'Top 10 films that are better than you'd expect'. When you have a reboot of a semi-classic-ish 90's film, which now takes place inside a video game instead of a board game, with a cast including Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, you expect it to be a specific level - entertaining and watchable, but most likely quite lazy and cringey.

Instead, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle surprises you by being clever and wholesome in all its entertainment value! The sequel is every bit as solid, making for two adventure-comedy flicks very much worth watching and even re-watching when feeling like some nice, light blockbuster entertainment destined to please most viewers.

7. The Bucket List (2007)

"Three things to remember when you get older: never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart"

"I'll keep that in mind as I approach decrepitude"

With its critical acclaim, somewhat heavy themes and main cast of Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List is certainly more 'serious cinema' than most of this list's offerings. Its still makes into today's top 10, because at heart, it is very much a 'Sunday night or airplane' film, even if it has better writing and production values than most such movies. While this Rob Reiner flick has 'quality cinema' written all over it, it isn't quite good enough for Oscar nominations, 'masterpiece' -shouts, or any of my regular top 10's, as there are many films like this one but better.

But The Bucket List is so wholesome, entertaining and thoroughly worth watching, that I have to give it a shout-out somewhere in this blog of mine, and what better place than the list of these overlooked and perfect-for-a-certain-mood films? The Bucket List is a great film to watch with your family if you find it difficult to find a compromise movie fitting everyone's taste, and I appreciate how it represents my general love for various lists.

6. Night at the Museum (2006)

"Some men are born great - others have greatness thrust upon them"

Like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this one most definitely fits the category of films that are better than you expect/remember, even though it's not exactly Citizen Kane (1941). What sets Night at the Museum apart from many superficially similar fantasy-comedy blockbusters is that while it is silly, corny and made to be entertaining in a fairly basic and all-pleasing manner, there is a striking level of authenticity to it. Alan Silvestri's mysterious and whimsical soundtrack makes it feel genuinely magical when the museum figures start to come to life.

The cast ranges from plain hilarious (Owen Wilson as the cowboy Jedediah, Steve Coogan as Octavius) to surprisingly decent acting in such a goofy film (Rami Malek as Akhmenrah, the late great Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt). Night at the Museum has enough heart to make it into one of the best 'watch this on a Sunday night or airplane (or a sick day, or with a large group of friends, et cetera)' flicks out there.

5. Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

"Typical, isn't it? You wait 20 years for a dad and then three come along at once"

I'm a big drama nerd, and I remember one time I was thinking out loud about the age-old question: "I wonder what would happen if there was a movie with no real stakes? Where no real problems occur and fun things just sort of happen? It sounds like a fresh and neat idea on paper, but could it really work?" The friend I was talking to replied with this: "I don't know if a movie 100 per cent like that would work, but I reckon Mamma Mia! is the absolute closest one can get".

Truer words were never spoken.

If you want to watch a film that won't stress you out or make you one bit invested in fictional problems and hardships, but rather will only entertain you in a positive manner with its elements of fun and whimsy, then this is the musical for you. Mamma Mia! is quite simply a blast, and its sequel is every bit as good. There's good music, decent humor, an assortment of iconic and lovable actors, and an overall chill atmosphere that makes for excellent entertainment.

4. Due Date (2010)

"Why are your father's ashes in a coffee can?"

"Because he's dead, Peter"

While it didn't quite make it to first place, I had to rank Due Date quite high as it was the hands-down first film to come to mind when I started to map out ideas for this list. I can't imagine any other top 10 blog topic where Due Date would come up, yet it is a film thoroughly worth discussing. I would never watch it in a context that calls for thought-provoking quality cinema, but it is one of the quintessential films to have around when your brain isn't working at full capacity and you want some mindless entertainment.

Due Date consists largely of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis' characters reluctantly joining forces for a road trip, with the latter being just as wonderfully and hilariously annoying as one could imagine, and the former being just as frustrated with his travel companion as you'd expect (and then some). It's a hilarious and ultimately semi-heartfelt comedy, just a tad better than most similar films while still being very run-of-the-mill at heart.

3. The Intouchables (2011)

"Where do you find a paraplegic?"

"I don't know"

"Where you leave him"

(Trust me, the joke quoted above is very okay and even wholesome in the film's context).

It's always stressful when people ask me for movie recommendations. This happens quite regularly, as I often find myself being 'the movie guy' in most of my social circles. The thing is, just asking for a good movie to watch is a terribly difficult question. Sure, if you ask me to recommend an under-two-hour slasher horror flick from the 1970's, a feel-good romcom to go with a certain ice cream flavor and cheer one up after a bad breakup, or a highly choreographed and intense action flick for diehard fans of the genre to appreciate during a fancy movie night, then I got you covered - specific requests are easy to fulfill. But just "Hey, I feel like watching a movie, can you recommend a movie?" by itself is an absolute nightmare.

I mean, there are so many variables - what is this person's movie taste? What streaming services do they have at their disposal? Do they have preferences or limits on how long the film should be? What kind of mood are they in? What have they already seen, or how do they feel about re-watching films? What did they eat for lunch today? Is the presence of Nicolas Cage a dealbreaker? The list goes on and on.

Therefore, nine times out ten, I'll simply recommend The Intouchables.

I've found this heartwarming comedy-drama to be the ultimate people-pleaser for pretty much any given mood or scenario. It's funny enough to work as a fun comedy for people not wanting anything too serious, but it's also dramatic enough to have substance for people who don't want a mere mindless comedy. It's long enough to kill two hours of your time, but it's not too long for people who still have dishes to do and places to be. It's French enough to make you feel all cultured and civilized, but subtitled and easy-to-follow enough that it won't feel too international unless you're a racist or something. And, while nothing stays on Netflix forever, The Intouchables has been there for as long as I can remember, and Netflix is usually the one platform nearly everyone seems to have at their disposal.

2. 21 Jump Street (2012)

"Do you even know the Miranda rights?"

"It obviously starts with...you have the right to...remain an attorney..."

"Did you just say you have the right to be an attorney?"

"Well, you do have the right to be an attorney if you want to..."

Silly, enjoyable feel-good entertainment at its best. This reboot of the 1980's television series of the same name has jokes that'll make you chuckle even when viewing the film for the 8th time, a plot exciting enough to make you invested and feel like you're watching a real movie instead of a braindead comedy (even though it is very silly), and characters you'll fall in love with.

While most of today's offerings are films that have never appeared on my blog previously, 21 Jump Street actually has appeared a few times (the "Top 10 Party Movies" post I did in the wake of Trump losing the 2020 Presidential election, and the "Twosday Special Double List: Top 2 Movie Franchises that Have Only 2 Movies, and Top 2 TV Shows that Have Only 2 Seasons" list I did on Tuesday 2/2/2022). In addition, it actually made it very close to being in my all-time top 100 movies, only barely missing out! That is quite something for what is ultimately a goofy high school comedy, but it's just that good in its own category. 21 Jump Street is good enough to be watched in any number of contexts, but at its heart it is the kind of film that truly reaches its element when watched on a Sunday night or an airplane - just better than most such films.

1. Tag (2018)

"What's the difference between Episcopalian and Lutheran?"

"Episcopalians don't eat fish"

"That's...pescatarian, that's...not a religion"

"They're all fanatics, I don't know"

I've actually seen Tag twice - the second time was on an airplane, and I had to do some frantic detective work with old calendars to check if the first time had in fact been on a Sunday night. Tragically, it wasn't - but it was in the August of 2018, and isn't the end of summer vacation the calendar year's equivalent to the Sunday night?

Anyways, this ultimate hijinks movie features the hiest of jinks, the mother of all shenanigans - a group of childhood friends who play an ongoing game of tag, so ongoing that it is still going on deep into their adulthoods despite all of them living their own lives far from each other. For the month of May each year, this group of adult men drop all other priorities and put their focus on continuing the game of tag they've been playing since they were kids. The most amazing part? This is based on a true story.

The film is hilarious, adventurous, and amidst the crude jokes and occasional dark-ish humor, extremely full of heart and some hard-hitting life lessons. That being said, it is all about one big game of tag, so you can't take it too seriously (even if some of the lessons stay with you more than you'd expect). My #1 movie recommendation for any given Sunday night or airplane flight just has to be this absolute gem.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the top 10 movie drinking games!

Ranking Jordan Peele's Movies

Greetings, reader!

Nope (2022), the third and newest film by acclaimed director Jordan Peele, was recently released and is still playing in theaters. I figured I'd review this artistic, opinion-splitting horror movie by placing it in my ranking of Peele's films. Naturally, doing a 'Top 3' instead of the usual 'Top 10' (or occasional 'Top 48') could've been a lazy day off for me, but instead I got excited and utilized the shortness of the list to really dive into it and write slightly longer reviews than usual. So, here is my ranking of the three films Jordan Peele has directed thus far, with an in-depth review of each one!

3. Us (2019)

"Once upon a time, there was a girl and the girl had a shadow. The two were connected, tethered together. And the girl ate, her food was given to her warm and tasty. But when the shadow was hungry, he had to eat rabbit raw and bloody"

Out of the three films Peele has made, Us is quite clearly my least favorite, as it has elements I didn't care for and thus feels more flawed than its predecessor and successor in the director's filmography. It's still an overall thrilling and successful film, with much more positives than negatives - I do like all three Jordan Peele films quite a bit, after all.

To start off with the negatives, I found this to be the only film where Peele's signature blend of seriousness and comedy fell a bit flat. With Get Out, I was in awe of how well he blended creepy horror, dark societal criticism and entertaining humor (an impossible-seeming mixture), and while the same elements are strongly present in his sophomore production as well, they don't blend quite as well. Throughout Us, I found the comedy element to be a bit forced and unnecessary, and the transitions from thoroughly dark and serious moments into random bursts of slapstick comedy felt a bit clunky.

That's the main reason for Us being below Peele's other two films in my ranking - but that one negative is outweighed by the many things the film does right, meaning that it's still a damn good horror flick. The social commentary is just as poignant as in his other films, with most of the messages being subtle enough that they call for a lot of thought and analysis in order to come through instead of hitting you right away, yet clear enough to feel powerful and present instead of being too cryptic to make any sense. The narrative of the doppelgängers is creative enough to impress as a mere fantasy-horror storytelling device, but what really gets to you are the metaphors for race relations in the U.S. (a nice double meaning for the film's title US as well), with lines drawn to slavery and its continuous impact on the African-American community.

Oh, and the film's ambiguous twist ending? Possibly the creepiest individual moment in Jordan Peele's filmography, highlighting how solid the overall quality of his movies is as even his least-good offering is the best at something.

2. Nope (2022)

"This dream you're chasing...where you end up at the top of the mountain...it's the one you never wake up from"

I saw Peele's newest film Nope just a few weeks ago in the cinema, and it certainly caught me off guard - I don't know what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. Of course, Peele's two earlier films had been artistic and creative enough that I definitely didn't expect a standard horror film of any sorts, but what surprised me was how different Nope was from the two earlier Peele films, as Get Out and Us have many shared qualities and I just assumed that Nope would continue the pattern. Was I right? The answer can be found in the film's title.

Mind you, that's a good thing - I like filmmakers who try out new things and evolve, instead of repeating the same shtick. And while the film stood out from Peele's earlier works in many ways, it still ends up feeling like classic Peele at heart. It accomplishes many of the same things as Get Out and Us, but through different means. The horror is a different brand of horror (less dark shadow-lurking and humane mysteries/secrets, more otherworldly elements and creepiness in plain daylight), but it ends up creeping you out just the same. The humor isn't nearly as plentiful and present as in the other films, yet there are sparse individual lines of Peele-esque humor to balance out some of the seriousness, and the subtlety and rareness of comedy feels like a fresh change after the slight overdose we got with Us.

And the social criticism - brilliantly woven between the lines. During the film and even after it, I was scratching my head thinking that the film didn't seem to have nearly as much to say about race relations and other cultural issues as the previous Jordan Peele films, and wasn't sure whether this film really was less political or I had just missed things. After reading up and doing some analysis of my own, I started to realize just how much the film did say about these topics, but simply in a manner even less obvious than the already quite subtle material in Get Out and Us. Nope truly is a thinking man's movie, as the interpreting one does after the credits have rolled is an essential part of the viewing experience.

One realization that helped me wrap my head around the film's cryptic and interpretational nature was the presence of exploitation in the media being the film's central theme. In addition to wondering what political and cultural statements I was missing, I was also initially a bit confused about the importance of the Gordy subplot that seemingly didn't figure into the main story very much - but this realization immediately answered both of those questions.

And when you make those connections, things really start to make sense in a mind-boggling fashion: the ape Gordy is exploited for entertainment until he snaps and goes on a violent rampage, while the main characters come from a long line of media exploitation victims as their lineage draws from the original Black jockey from the Horse in Motion (1878) motion picture but their family has been cheated out of success by Hollywood. Yet they themselves engage in a different form of the same act, exploiting the sight of an alien lifeform for media attention instead of leaving it alone, with other characters doing so even more with their ambition getting in the way of safety and common sense.

The acting performances compliment all of this, with Daniel Kaluuya's lead performance best described as "low-key, even uncharismatic, in the best way possible" while Keke Palmer bursts with enough energy for both of them in her delightfully colorful role. The Walking Dead (2010-2022) alumnus Steven Yeun is also brilliant as Ricky 'Jupe' Park, an ambitious showman with a layer of fear and even PTSD bubbling under the surface.

Nope is a visually staggering, delightfully creepy film that has a lot to say throughout its initially cryptic yet ultimately poignant social messages and themes. The cinematography is the best I've seen in Jordan Peele's films, with the scariest scenes being the ones where the camera lingers in odd angles and leaves the viewer waiting and guessing, before something happens. All in all, one of 2022's finest cinematic offerings thus far.

1. Get Out (2017)

"Now, sink into the floor"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait"

"Sink. Now, you're in the sunken place"

As much as I liked Nope, it simply doesn't reach the level of Peele's magnificent debut picture. The atmosphere of uncomfortable creepiness escalating into a frantic sense of chaos, combined with the film's layered commentary on race and history in America, not to mention the unique nature of Jordan Peele's humor bringing its own twist into the mix, is just jaw-dropping stuff. You'd think that such an odd combination couldn't possibly work, and imagine at least one of the horror/politics/comedy elements falling a bit flat (as the comedy element would end up doing in Peele's sophomore movie), but weirdly enough it all works in a perfect balance. The horror is suspenseful and genuine, the social commentary is smart and powerful, and the comedy is well-timed and entertaining, with all three elements complimenting each other in a bizarre fashion.

It's not every day that a horror flick wins the Academy Award for Best Screenwriting (with nominations for best Picture, Director and Leading Actor as well), but this acclaim was thoroughly deserved. Get Out is a unique film, the very setting of which has a lot to say about the United States and the world, and the places the script goes from there are quite mind-blowing. I love how Peele juxtaposes the everyday fear of subtle racism rearing its head in American life (the case in this film being the Black boyfriend meeting his white girlfriend's family for the first time, and feeling uncomfortable despite the family insisting that they're not racist in a slightly off-putting way) with more outlandish sci-fi/fantasy horror elements, as it takes the viewer time to realize just what the threat is and what levels you should be afraid on.

This escalates in a well-built fashion: at first, the family and their house seems nice but just a bit strange. Then, there are individual lines and interactions that make you slightly uncomfortable, first in a merely awkward sense. Then, this discomfort grows into something more pressing, as very gradually you start to realize how screwed-up the family and their home really is, just as the more conventional horror elements start to rear their head amidst the racial tensions. Peele's Oscar-winning script tackles topics like white privilege, structural racism, phony activism and America's failure to learn from its history in a variety of out-of-the-box ways, bound to leave the viewer speechless.

And the cast? Oh boy. Daniel Kaluuya's unconventionally genius lead performance has been rightfully praised a lot, as has Brad Whitford's supporting performance where his character Dean Armitage slowly regresses from well-intentioned family man to nefarious villain. But not enough praise has been shown towards LaKeith Stanfield, who I consider to be perhaps the most underrated actor in Hollywood. As was the case with Selma (2014), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and The Harder They Fall (2021), Stanfield once again plays a role with little screen time, but massive importance, with his one-of-a-kind style of acting giving some serious gusto to the character Andre Logan King, who speaks the film's title words to the main character in a panic-ridden fashion.

So, there you have it - while I appreciate all three of Peele's films and was positively surprised by the things his newest outing did differently, I still can't help but put the uniquely creative and staggeringly powerful Get Out at first place. I wouldn't be surprised if the filmmaker one day made a movie that outdoes his initial feature film, as he has clearly demonstrated a willingness to grow and try out new things, but that day has not yet dawned. In any case, I'll be very curious to see what his next feature film will be all about, and how it will figure into this ranking when the time comes.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list on the Top 10 movies to watch on a Sunday night or an airplane.

Five years since Twin Peaks ended: Top 10 interpretations/theories about the greatest series ever made

Greetings, reader!

This Saturday will mark the five-year anniversary of Twin Peaks: The Return airing its final episodes. As many of you know, I consider the series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost to be the greatest television drama of all time, so such an anniversary calls for some celebrating. I've already done a post on its best episodes (not a mere top 10, mind you - I ranked all forty-eight of them), so today's post centers on interpretations and theories on what it all means.

Now, there are few challenges with such a list, chief among them the question of how much art should be interpreted. There's a lot to be said for enjoying the mystery and not trying to find answers to everything - I hate it when people debate "what really happened" in movies with ambiguous endings, for example, because the whole point in ambiguity is that we won't know what happened and it's left beautifully unanswered for a reason. So, this post won't be all "I think the haunted doorknob in season 2 episode 16 is a direct clue about Mike's identity, meaning that Mike and The Giant are really the same person and they're Laura Palmer's real father" -tier theories (yes, I just made that one up as an example).

It's much more general than that - possible explanations for some of the symbolism and mystery in Twin Peaks, that is fun to write about fully well knowing that it may be slightly right or very, very wrong as none of us know (or should know) what was going on deep in Mr. Lynch's brain when he created this world. Many of these are theories that I've read somewhere and gotten ideas from them, whereas some are ideas that came to me personally when watching and analyzing the series, trying to engage in the mysteries and find meaning for the more obscure events while still enjoying the interpretational ambiguity of it all. A few of these are semi-'obvious' interpretations that Twin Peaks fans have largely agreed on (I've included them so that this post could give something to the many who have watched the series without any clue of what might be going on - Hi, Mom!), whereas others are quite out of left field as a means of adding to the discourse.

Oh, and a spoiler alert is in order!

10. The 'Fire Walk With Me' -poem is what happens in The Return

"Through the darkness of future past

The magician longs to see

One chants out between two worlds:

Fire walk with me"

Having first appeared in Cooper's (Kyle MacLachlan) iconic dream in Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer (season 1 episode 3), this oft-repeated poem is a major part of Twin Peaks lore and even the namesake of the 1992 prequel movie. As I'm not only a fan of Twin Peaks but also a fan of poetry, I've spent my share of time trying to figure out possible meanings behind these bone-chilling words.

One idea that I'm quite proud of is that the poem, to some degree, foreshadows what would take place 25 years later in Twin Peaks: The Return. In the psychedelic climax of The Return's penultimate episode Part 17: The Past Dictates the Future, Dale Cooper appears to (for the lack of a better term) go back in time, crossing paths with Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) and apparently altering the course of history as her murder never happens. Of course, the imagery and narrative structure are so cryptic that this is just one common interpretation of what happens, as one can't really be sure.

But whatever the case may be, the visual of Cooper taking Laura's hand and walking through the woods with her is quite chilling. And my take is that this course events just might be what the poem had prophesized all along: "Through the darkness of future past" (Coop appearing from the future into a dark moment in the past) / "The magician longs to see" (This one can be seen in any number of ways - maybe the magician is the viewer, longing to see what happens while giving the story direction and meaning with one's own interpretation?) / "One chants out between two worlds" (Cooper reaching out to Laura from a different reality) / "Fire walk with me" (Laura being the 'fire' that fueled the murder investigation and thus the whole story, being asked by Cooper to walk with him to safety).

9. It's a statement about dreams

Having watched all of David Lynch's feature films, as well as the documentary David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) and many of his interviews, I can say one thing for certain: the man is seriously into dreams. He's always talking about finding meanings from one's dreams and the importance of having dreams, and dreamlike imagery as well as dream-related stories have made it into damn near all of his works. Twin Peaks is no exception, as dreaming plays a big part in the series - most famously in Cooper's dream in season 1, where he first sees the Red Room and gains a clue that eventually leads to him cracking the case of Laura Palmer's murder.

From what I've gathered, Mr. Lynch believes that we shouldn't brush our nightly visions off in a mundane fashion ("Haha, I just had the craziest dream last night, you'll never guess what happened! So weird! Anyways, what's for breakfast?"), but rather enjoy them and finding meaning from them. When listening to Lynch discuss the subject, you almost get the vibe that he enjoys dreaming more than being awake, and thus has a philosophy of almost 'living in one's dreams'.

And I believe that this strange worldview is one of the major points made in Twin Peaks. So much important stuff happens in dream sequences - in shows like The Sopranos (1999-2007), dream sequences are used to help characters come to certain realizations from their subconscious, but Twin Peaks goes beyond that as the dream sequences are every bit as narratively important and eventful as the 'real life' sequences, if not more so. The quote "We are like the dreamer, who dreams, and then lives inside the dream", coupled with the fact that Cooper literally solves the Laura Palmer murder thanks to remembering what he found out in a dream, really makes it seem like Lynch wanted to make a point about the importance of dreaming by making a series where dreams are more or less the answer to everything.

8. No one knows what the f**k is going on - except for the Log Lady

This is a bit similar to the Bran Stark theory I had throughout Game of Thrones (2011-2019) - for years and years until the final seasons aired, people complained about Bran's story arch being boring and unnecessary alongside the more epic and important storylines. And I would always argue this - for whatever reason, I always felt that on some level Bran's storyline was more important and epic than any other, albeit in an unconventional fashion, and that he would have a massive part to play in the endgame. I don't really know what fueled this - it just felt like Bran's storyline was different from all the others in a somewhat profound and magical manner. And I feel that exact sense of unconventional magic when watching The Log Lady's (Catherine E. Coulson) scenes in Twin Peaks.

Sure, she's a weirdo who gets messages from her log, but then again - the log is never wrong, now is it? I believe the Log Lady to be the wisest, most on-top-of-things character in the series, and that log of hers is connected to some legit truths about the Twin Peaks universe. Her role in Twin Peaks: The Return highlights her importance in David Lynch's vision, as the terminally ill actress was asked to film her scenes ahead of schedule because the scenes were so important and had to be recorded (thankfully she was up for the job, shooting her scenes despite dying about two years before The Return was released). Episode 1 of The Return is dedicated to Catherine E. Coulson, the actress behind the Log Lady, whereas Episode 15 (the one where the character passes away) is dedicated to Margaret Lanterman - the 'real' name of the fictional Log Lady character. That, if anything, feels larger than life, and extra proof of the character's unique place in Twin Peaks lore.

7. Jowday is David Lynch's own personal Godzilla

This one is quite straight-forward, as I came to this conclusion by myself but I've later noticed how a ton of people on the internet have the same idea. Basically, I reckon that the cryptic and surreal imagery in Gotta Light? (Twin Peaks: The Return, episode 8), the hands-down strangest TV episode ever made, gives somewhat of an origin to Jowday, the mythical figure often seen as the ultimate 'big bad' of the Twin Peaks story. And that origin is strikingly similar to that of Japanese movie monster Godzilla.

You see, the original Godzilla (1954) film was a strong statement against humanity's need for violence and war, and nuclear warfare in particular, with the implication that the monster was born due to radioactive pollution from nuclear tests. And I believe that Lynch was making a similar point when writing and directing the nearly-incomprehensible Gotta Light? episode.

After the episode's fairly conventional first act is over and The Nine Inch Nails have performed in the Roadhouse (more on that later), the escalation begins as we flash back to 1945 and see visually spectacular footage of an atomic bomb going off, for a very long sequence. After this, the episode deteriorates into even more experimental and incomprehensible storytelling, but I want to focus on the A-bomb sequence here. I believe that this seemingly disjointed scene figures into the story like this: humanity's testing and use of atomic bombs reached a new level of evil, and this was the catalyst that awakened the being known as Jowday. All of the evil seen in Twin Peaks, from the creature BOB (Frank Silva) possessing Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) and murdering Laura Palmer, to the overall happenings in the Black Lodge and the Red Room, stem from Jowday, who in turn stems from that moment.

Or, David Lynch just wanted to add a cool atomic bomb sequence into his arthouse fever dream episode. Really, all of this is just grasping at straws.

6. The Roadhouse is a meeting point between all realities (including ours)

The Roadhouse plays an absolutely fascinating part in Twin Peaks: The Return - essentially, Lynch wrote and directed The Return as an 18-hour movie, and then just split it into hour-long segments that always end with a musical performance in the Roadhouse. While this may seem like a mere strategy to give thematic endings to otherwise disjointed episodes, many have speculated that there are deeper meanings to these scenes. I believe that this has to do with Lynch's obsession with different worlds, gateways between worlds, and worlds-within-worlds that always find a way into his works. The Roadhouse is where the worlds meet - not just a convergence of the Black Lodge / White Lodge realities and the "real world" of the Twin Peaks story, but the real-real world as well.

After all, for all the experimentation in Twin Peaks, the series isn't particularly meta or fourth-wall-breaking - except for a few select instances in the Roadhouse. For example, after twelve episodes of somewhat famous real-life artists performing at the Roadhouse at each episode's end, episode 13's performer is the character James Hurley, performing his cheesy 'Just you and I' song from season 2, which is a blatant nod to the song's real-life reputation as a piece of the Twin Peaks soundtrack. And, in episode 16, the presenter who always presents the artists by name, simply says: "Ladies and gentlemen, Audrey's dance!" - which is the name of a famous track from Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks soundtrack. Then, a band starts to play Audrey's dance as the character herself is swept into a strange trance, in a moment that completely feels like our reality crashing into the fictional world of Twin Peaks.

Also, I believe that it is a nod to the Roadhouse's otherworldly nature that while the performers are acts we know from real life, they're always just slightly different in the fictional world of Twin Peaks. There's no way in hell that it's a coincidence when Nine Inch Nails are introduced as "The Nine Inch Nails", despite the band's name not having a "The" - the way it is said just feels intentional, especially considering that the Nine Inch Nails performance is the one instance where the episode doesn't end with the Roadhouse scene, but rather continues after it to escalate into all sorts of otherworldly sequences. Similarly, Eddie Vedder is introduced by his little-known real name, Edward Louis Severson III. There's just something odd about the way the Roadhouse scenes are built, and I always got a sense that those are the scenes where all the different realities, including ours, are connected.

5. It's a metaphor for violence on TV

This one doesn't come from me - I've gotten wind of this interpretation from YouTuber Twin Perfect and his video Twin Peaks ACTUALLY EXPLAINED (No, really). The video is, naturally, four and a half hours long, and I've watched the whole thing because of course I have. The metaphor-for-violence theory isn't the entire thesis of the video, but it is a massive part of it, and while I don't fully subscribe to everything that the video states (Twin Perfect really ties everything, all of the characters and locations and events et cetera, to be a part of this one big metaphor), I do believe that he is onto something, and it has affected the way I view Twin Peaks (again, as one possible interpretation, because none of us are ever going to really know everything Lynch was getting at).

To boil it down to basics, the theory stems from Lynch's outspoken outrage at how violence is treated in fiction. Nothing wrong with violence in movies and TV, but it's the way it's often handled that grinds the gears of my favorite filmmaker: he has often stated that he hates how violence is often handled as a light and entertaining topic. In many crime shows and detective movies, it's a bunch of fun and intrigue when a murder happens, and a badass action scene when a hero shoots the bad guy's henchmen dead. Lynch's take is that you shouldn't use violence in TV and movies unless you really deal with what a big deal it is, showing the psychological toll that killing someone has on a human, for example.

And that might just be the point, or one of the points, behind Twin Peaks. Think about it - a girl is murdered, and the whole town loses its shit. We see people in shock, people crying, people feeling physically ill, and all sorts of trauma stemming from this murder, as it dominates the psyche of everyone who knew Laura Palmer for a long time. And throughout the series, as more violence occurs every now and then, the psychological toll is always there. It's funny how many people who enjoy light murder mysteries et cetera don't like Twin Peaks for how violent and dark and twisted it is, but I believe Lynch has a point - in a way, a light murder mystery where someone dies and it's a whole bunch of fun to gleefully solve this murder is more fucked up than this series, where an honest look is taken at how messy and complex the aftermath of a murder truly is. Violence should be a serious and dark thematic device, not a tool of mindless entertainment.

4. The ending is - and bear with me here - happy? (But in a fucked-up way)

I don't remember where I first read about this interpretation, but I've stumbled onto it a few times and it always fascinates me. While the ending of Twin Peaks: The Return is so incredibly next-level cryptic to the maximum that its meaning feels near-impossible to decipher, one thing that seems pretty clear on the surface is that it should induce more panic and terror than joy and closure. After all, Dale Cooper arriving at the Palmer house only to discover that totally different people live there, as he asks "What year is this?" in a mind-boggling manner and Laura Palmer (or the person who looks exactly like Laura Palmer, it's all very unclear) starts to scream, just feels quite bleak.

But there are people who insist that it's actually, at least by Twin Peaks standards, a 'happy ending' - and they may be onto something. Basically, the take is that while the event of Laura Palmer's murder was reversed in the previous episode, something else went very wrong in the timeline, as Jowday will always find a way to spread darkness from the Black Lodge. And this is why it's very good that Dale Cooper left the reality/timeline/setting he had been in earlier, and arrived in whatever the hell the setting of the final scene was. By asking "What year is this", our favorite Special Agent is immediately starting to crack the next case, solve the next mystery. The thesis is that forces from the Black Lodge will always be trying to stir up their evil, but no matter what time and what reality, Dale Cooper will always be there to keep them at bay, which is a comforting thought.

3. It holds a mirror to what we want from television

David Lynch has always been one for exploring genres. Just look at his films - Wild at Heart isn't a mere comedy, but a philosophical film that asks the question "with infinite creativity, what all can the comedy genre be?". The same goes for Lost Highway and mystery, The Straight Story and character-driven drama et cetera. The original two seasons of Twin Peaks feel like a deconstruction of the soap opera genre, with Lynch actively pondering what the genre and its conventions really mean while writing a series that fits into the genre while also checking several other boxes. But another way to look at it is that Twin Peaks is an elaborate parody, an experiment meant to showcase how ridiculous and over-the-top the soap opera genre is, as means of getting TV viewers to reflect on the entertainment they choose to consume.

This would explain why the soap-opera elements are so incredibly over-the-top, even when they don't often seem to fit with the whole "murder mystery" / "supernatural worlds-within-worlds symbolism" vibe. The same theme of making viewers question what they want continues throughout Twin Peaks: with the prequel film Fire Walk With Me, Lynch plays around with the very concept of prequels, as fans were expecting backstories and answers and were instead treated to more mystery and little connections. And, with The Return being released in the height of Hollywood's nostalgic-reboot craze, Lynch really plays around with the concept of reboots and nostalgia, constantly subverting the expectations of viewers who might've expected a conventional return for their favorite characters and the Twin Peaks world they know and love.

If this is what Lynch intended with Twin Peaks, it certainly worked on viewers like myself: watching the series really made me ponder what makes soap operas so popular and specific as a genre, and what I should expect from prequels and/or reboots as an invested viewer.

2. The series never was about "who killed Laura Palmer"

This one is quite well-circulated and fairly agreed-upon, but that just means that it's a good take - and one that blew my mind back when was first watching the series and realized this viewpoint. Basically, the series that broke into massive cult fame with its "Who killed Laura Palmer?" mystery, was never about just that. The people who complain that the series got sidetracked after moving away from 'whodunit' territory into new things have just missed the point of what story David Lynch and Mark Frost meant to tell all along.

The way I see it, the Laura Palmer case is a 'gateway mystery' into larger things. We spend a large chunk of the first season and the first half of season 2 following this mystery, with viewers like me worrying that whodunit-stories often end up feeling a bit anticlimactic when the final episode reveals the killer to be just one of the suspected characters. However, Twin Peaks pulls perhaps its greatest curveball in episode 7 of season 2, where the killer is revealed in unconventional fashion halfway through the season. And it's not a climactic, loose-end-tying reveal, but rather a twist that technically answers one mystery but opens up several new ones.

So, the killer was Leland Palmer - or rather, the being BOB inhabiting the body of Leland Palmer - or rather, the higher-up being Jowday pulling the strings to send BOB to inhabit the body of Leland Palmer who then kills Laura Palmer. Or something like that - like pretty much everything in Twin Peaks, the details can be seen in any number of ways. Point is, the individual mystery that people thought the series to be about is solved halfway through the story, in a way that introduces us to the larger true mysteries of Twin Peaks: who is BOB? What is Jowday? What's up with the Black Lodge? Why do these dark and mysterious forces do what they do, and how do we keep them at bay? What is the role of dreams in all of this? And why is there a polar bear on the island?

Wait, that last one is from Lost. My bad. Point being - the show's main mystery never was "Who killed Laura Palmer?", that's just our gateway into bigger things.

1. The light within the dark

On some level, every analytical Twin Peaks fan seems to see this as one of the show's main themes and meanings - it's the specifics where things get muddled. On some level, it's hard to deny that the story, lore, imagery and symbolism in Twin Peaks has something to do with duality (black and white, good and evil, right and wrong etc.), balance between extremes, and specifically the light found within the dark. This makes too much sense to be a coincidence: just look at the mythos involving the Black Lodge and White Lodge, the role of Laura Palmer's goodness opposed to the evil of the beings behind her demise, the upstanding way in which Dale Cooper and company arrive to counter those dark forces, the evil within the woods of Twin Peaks and the heroic Bookhouse Boys who keep an eye on it, the way Angelo Badalamenti's soundtrack features glimpses of ultimate hope and beauty amidst overall bleak and dark musical motifs, the use of lighting and shadows in the cinematography, the atmosphere of the cozy and homelike Double R Diner in the midst of the corruption-ridden double-dealing town, and so much more.

Twin Peaks really goes into both extremes, as the series features some of the most upsetting and disturbing imagery I've seen on television, but also many of the greatest payoffs and most heartwarming moments I've seen in any medium. By exploring themes of light within the dark, Lynch and Frost manage to create a series that truly feels like just that - the moments of hope and optimism feel so much more real and earned when contrasted to the dark and gruesome events in the series. They created such an intricate web of violence, lies, cruelty and greed with story elements like the Packard Sawmill saga, Leo Johnson's (Eric DaRe) abusive behavior, the beings from the Black Lodge et cetera, that the presence of established positive thematic devices such as coffee, cherry pie, Douglas fir trees, dreams, Eastern philosophy etc. feels like an ultimate comforting blanket, a warm safe space within the unsafe fictional world.

There's a lot to be unpacked, many layers to peel, when analyzing Twin Peaks. I've put a lot of thought into how I personally see the series, and what meanings I have found from it all, and the beautiful idea of light within dark has been the most substantial and powerful takeaway I've gotten from it. For me, that is the one individual theme that Twin Peaks is all about more than anything else. Even in the darkest places, light can be found, and this is a profound sentiment when trying to stay optimistic in the era of climate change, Covid, the war in Ukraine and what have you. Thank you, David Lynch.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of Jordan Peele's films, including his newest release Nope (2022).