u/sat5ui_no_hadou

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Would the Rugged SUB 9 have any issues running 9mm NATO super safely versus 9mm Luger?

I really enjoyed this movie. The Kubrick and Lynch elements made me feel very nostalgic. One of the first things I did was hop on Reddit to read other people's analyses of the film. I think the theories are very interesting, but they mostly revolve around Sam being an untrustworthy narrator. Him being the Dog Killer, having schizophrenia / being caught in a delusion.

But the feeling I got immediately after watching the film, which I guess is a hot take, is that most of what we see on screen is literal.

Who is the Dog Killer? A person in the area who kills dogs.

Who is the Homeless King? An eccentric but skilled operator working for the elites.

Who is the Owl? Probably a rotating cast of female assassins who have been MK-Ultra'd / Manchurian Candidate'd into the role.

Who is the music producer? Exactly who he says he is.

Who is Sam? A guy who fell in love, and that became the most important thing in his directionless life.

I don’t think the clues should be dismissed as paranoid pattern recognition. I think Sam genuinely stumbled upon something large and ominous. It’s straightforward: he’s a noir detective looking for a dame.

The finale of the film could come off as nihilistic because, as stupid as the idea of ascending into the cosmos after running out of food in six months is, there’s a valid point that spending your life working a 9-to-5 to make car payments isn’t necessarily better.

And ultimately, what really matters is that Sam succeeded. He found Sarah, he got to say goodbye, and he got the closure that, even if the choice Sarah made wasn’t a great one, it was her choice.

That’s the theme I took away from the film: free will is a greater power than whatever influence shadowy forces may try to exert over you. “Never give up. Trust your instincts.” — Peppy from Star Fox

Is this the correct interpretation of the events that happened on screen? I highly doubt it, but the film gives you the free will to make that conclusion. There’s enough ambiguity that, if you want to believe that a naked woman in a bird mask is knifing down grown men in Los Angeles, that’s a totally valid interpretation of events. And that’s how I enjoy this film most.

When Bear first makes the wish, Freaky Nikki says, “I did just lose my cat.” I think this is an indication that the entity inhabiting Nikki’s body is not a demon or a tulpa, but maybe a manifestation of Bear’s own subconscious. Freaky Nikki’s bizarre behavior might have its roots in Bear’s own insecurities and misunderstandings about what love is and how it works. As he becomes more emotionally unstable, so does she. The wish is a projection of himself.

Most analyses interpret Bear as a weak, spineless predator and manipulator. While I don’t necessarily disagree with that assessment, I do think there’s been a lack of consideration for the fact that Bear’s only clear way to truly resolve the situation is suicide. Self-preservation is arguably the strongest human instinct, so it’s understandable, even somewhat sympathetic, that he tries to go along with things for as long as possible.

There also hasn’t been much empathy from audiences for the sheer escalation of the situation: what begins with using a silly novelty item becomes “you have to kill yourself to free a condemned soul.” Realistically, I doubt most people would actually have the fortitude to go through with that, as Bear ultimately couldn’t. Most would probably contact the authorities, have Nikki arrested, allow her to spiral further into madness and self-destruction while incarcerated, and then attempt to move on with their lives while carrying the guilt of having ruined someone else’s.

Only other shooter game that I can think of that has local campaign co-op for 3 people is 2003’s Brute Force. Side scrollers and Gauntlet style dungeon crawlers don’t count.