Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Gigi: You wanna know what I had done, don't you? Well I thought I'd get more work if I went down a cup size. So I'd look like a hanger, ya know? But then my surgeon, Dr. Andrew, he pointed out a lot of other problems with my body. So I had them: shave my jaw, I had a slight eyebrow lift, new nose, cheeks, inner and outer lipo... oh, and they pinned my ears. 

Jesse: Why?

Gigi: So I could wear a ponytail?

Happy 5 to Nicholas Winding Refn's fantabulous and darkly gorgeous The Neon Demon! This movie has been out five years as of today, and also as of today I have done exactly five posts telling you how "Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life you can learn from The Neon Demon." Who knew? This film is stacked with Life Lessons. Important things, like how to get a ponytail through plastic surgery. I plan on re-watching the film over the weekend (it's been a couple of years) but for now why don't y'all go read this fine piece by our pal Fiona at MovieJawn that's celebrating this anniversary and says anything I might want to say without me having to expend any effort. I love it when that happens!

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Roberto Sarno: True beauty is the highest currency we have. 

Without it, she would be nothing. 

Dean: I think you're wrong. 

Roberto Sarno: Excuse me? 

Dean: I said, I think you're wrong. 

 Roberto Sarno: So are you gonna tell me that 

it's what's inside that counts?

Dean: Yeah, that's exactly what I think. 

Roberto Sarno: Well I think, that if she wasn't beautiful... 

you wouldn't have even stopped to look.

Did I tell you guys that Alessandro Nivola liked one of my tweets the other day? Be still my heart, and other organs, he did. This one:

.

Somebody need to make sure that Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer are doing okay STAT!

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) September 27, 2016

I tweeted that after the terrible news about Liev Schreiber & Naomi Watts splitting up - we've lost too much this year; I can't take any more grieving. Anyway I think we can take his "like" as confirmation directly from the source that they're doing fine; phew.

I hope you have all seen The Neon Demon by now, which really might've become, with immediate success, my favorite Refn movie of all. And this scene's a stand-out -- even though his part's pretty small (too small if you ask me) my love for the movie's partially owed to Nivola's perfectly smug performance as the fashion designer in love with beauty.

Oh and a happy 46 to Mr. Refn today!

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Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Jesse: Something's in my room!

Hank: What do you mean something's in your room?

Jesse: I saw something in my room!

Hank: Are you high?

I love it when Keanu plays lowlife scumbags (a la Sam Raimi's The Gift) so it's always a treat when I'm reminded that he pops up for a couple of scenes to be a vulgar creep in Nicolas Winding Refn's 2016 masterpiece The Neon Demon -- I wish Refn and Keanu had worked together again! And I am kind of shocked they didn't. Give Refn a John Wick movie to direct! I don't like that franchise at all but NWR would make me watch it. And probably love it too -- he'd know how to make its beautiful neon-lit love of violence truly gratuitous to the point of sick-making instead of just pornographic like it's been in that franchise to date. Anyway it's Keanu's birthday and I gotta say...

Keanu being 62 is something I literally cannot deal with right now

— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Gigi: God, I love this color on me. 

Ruby: Red rum. 

Gigi: What? 

Ruby: That's what it's called. They say women 

are more likely to buy a lipstick if it's named 

after food or sex. Just think about it. 

Black honey, plum passion, peachy keen. 

Gigi: Pink pussy.

Happy 32 to Jena Malone today!

And if you saw Nocturnal Animals this weekend then
you saw her other great (albeit brief) 2016 performance.

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Ruby: You've got that look. Oh don't worry honey, that
whole deer in the headlights thing is exactly what they want.

A happy 33 to the great Jena Malone!

.

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

The Neon Demon (2016)

Jesse: I can't sing, I can't dance, I can't write... no real talent. 

But I'm pretty, and I can make money off pretty. 

Happy birthday to the really talented Nicolas Winding Refn!

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