The Neon Demon

One of my favorite non-horror films of recent years is Drive starring Ryan Gosling. I had heard positive things about it on Youtube from Cecil of GoodBadFlicks, and then turned in a blind buy at Best Buy about a year or so ago on blu-ray. Haven't regretted it since. It starring redhead goddess Christina Hendricks doesn't hurt anything either. She also has a cameo role in The Neon Demon as Roberta Hoffman. When I found out that this film was written by Nicolas Winding Refn (who also was involved in Drive as the director) I had to bend over backwards to try to make extra time to take some notes. The Neon Demon is very similar in tone and pace against Starry Eyes, which is absolutely a good thing. They are both extremely different however, as instead of being focused on Hollywood and the film business, this one primarily sets itself inside the catty, bitchy world of the fashion industry and the skeletor models that inhabit it. You have to have a certain weight, look, and empty attitude. Being ridiculously stuck-up and self-centered always helps getting in on that line of work as The Neon Demon promotes the fact that women that can't act like that just won't survive. There are a lot of other theme's below the surface here as well, and most of them are actually presented metaphorically in actual physical form in the film making for some strange scenes and acting/dialogue choices, but it all works to portray the fact that modeling is just as cruel a profession as anything else can be if the work culture ends up melding itself that way. 

Dead already huh...

Wouldn't taking a shower be easier?

  It's always party time.

There's to many bony bitches. Where's Christina Hendricks?

    Stop it. This red light is giving me a fucking headache.

Pavlov rang my bell.

 City skylines are always personal and romantic.

A lioness breaking into your hotel room. That's new.

This jackass is a pro at making Jesse feel way to uncomfortable.

All that glitters is gold.

Room full of skeletons.

Oh well you ugly bitch. Time to get a real job.

I'm not sure about the make-up either, but you look like Pennywise's coked out sister.

  To be fair, I really don't have anything to complain about when it comes to The Neon Demon. I liked it more than I expected. I thought I would like it just based on the fact that Nicolas Winding Refn was involved, but it's style, colors, camera work and overall structure far surpassed such a superficial fan-boy mind set. There is a lot to take in with this film, and you even have Keanu Reeves playing Jesse's dickard of a landlord at the motel she's living in in the film, which also adds a small layer of enjoyment and confusion at the same time. If you watched Starry Eyes and became a fan of that, give The Neon Demon a spin. It's basically the same idea just executed much differently, and it's fashion instead of film. I'm late to pose for these Calvin Klein tightie-whitie ads. Ciao.