Thread by @Soundsaboutrig4

Did you know all it takes to realize what's going on is having some sweet sunglasses and a total lack of bubblegum?

Well, @Soundsaboutleft and I found that out the other day.

And it inspired us to make art...which just ended up looking like Shepard Fairey's Stuff

And before people go "It's more relevant now than ever," remember this was made during the Reagan era. It was plenty relevant then (and now).

So let's jump into one of the best documentary about the secret world of rich people controlling us: They Live.

It stars Rowdy Roddy Piper (RIP), Keith David, and Meg Foster.

It was written/directed/composed by a god amongst humanity known as John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster).

I can not stress enough how amazing this film is.

If you haven't watched it, go watch it.

It starts off with Carpenter's amazing score playing with a shot of graffiti that says "They Live." They pan under Spring Street bridge as Piper (playing a drifter) walks across the tracks.

This soundtrack is so ...HEY. That's now a park in LA.

It was a sketchy as hell trainyard.

There's downtown LA just past Chinatown.

FORGET IT, JAKE!

Roddy keeps walking through downtown LA while it ...rains?

Huh. That's a rare beast.

He crosses...OH HELL. I KNOW THAT SPOT! You can now pay $20 for a hamburger there.

Piper walks past fellow drifters and homeless people with a b...holy crap.

You can get REALLY expensive shaving cream at that place today. I mean back then it was rough, but today? Man. REALLY EXPENSIVE.

I mean holy crap is it expensive.

Roddy goes into an unemployment center. This was back when you had to physically go places to apply or find jobs.

Man...so much easier to just ...not get a job via email.

We find out Piper (playing Nada in the movie) is from Denver, but left because everything went to hell and there was no jobs.

He's told there's no work and to piss off.

Roddy walks in front of city hall if I'm getting my angle correct on this.

A street preacher is laying down some truth about how the rich are exploiting us and how greed and money is controlling us.

That we need to wake up.

Cops show up to take the guy and I can't tell if it's because he's anti-money or a POC that makes the LAPD arrive so fast.

HEYOOO. CURRENT COMMENTARY!

Roddy wanders around until he finds a hard spot to sit down to sleep. He looks through an open window to watch a show that back then was "funny because this isn't true yet" to basically modern TV.

FUCK.

A helicopter flies around and makes no noise.

Come on. It's our city bird. IT makes lots OHHH...I see that was your point.

That's...smarter than me.

We cut to Roddy going to a work site to scab a union job.

Roddy looks at union workers laughing and doing nothing and I get your point here, but bashing unions in this movie doesn't make the point you think it does.

I mean you could argue that...fuck it.

We see Roddy and Keith David both shoveling in a sea of dirt and rebar.

Roddy's boss swings by and tells him "Don't you dare sleep on this work site and you'll be paid later."

Keith David walks up being THE COOLEST DUDE EVER. @ImKeithDavid is one of the best actors ever and no one can convince me otherwise.

Keith David tells Roddy about a shelter and a place to stay.

Roddy says nothing and Keith walks away and Roddy follows him.

They walk a long way before Keith stops to ask why he's follow him.

Roddy is like "I'm watching to see where you go."

This is such a simple and yet brilliant way to have these two bond.

We cut to an encampment where people are homeless and banding together to make food and build a community.

Uh...that location was bulldozed with a lot of buildings around it to build..you know where this is going.

Keith introduces Roddy to Gilbert, a dude who seems to oversee the site.

He wants Roddy to help with the broken shower.

We see people waiting in a food line.

We see some form of hope from this.

We find out that Keith has a wife/kids back in Detroit and he hasn't seen them in 6 months. All the steel mills are closed and Keith David complains that the execs gave themselves raises as people starved.

Holy crap is this movie great.

Roddy seems to still find patience with the world, but Keith David will have none of it.

He, rightly, points out that it's a rigged game from birth.

Roddy still "believes in America. I follow the rules."

Keith looks on almost in awe that someone could still have so much faith while getting so little in return.

Roddy wanders around the encampment as tv plays.

Drifter (that's the character's name from what I can gather) is sitting and watching TV.

It's making fun of commercials, but...uh. Yeah. It's today's.

We then get a pirate signal of a guy telling people that 8 months ago scientists discovered that alien signals are being sent out.

We don't get much, but the watchers are getting headaches as their normal TV program is interrupted.

We also find out that the poor are growing as equal rights are destroyed.

Repression reigns and we are all inadvertently helping them control us.

Basically, greed is good is the mantra of the 80s and holy crap that's still the case.

Basically, it's a bit about how we're all puppets allowing the rich to control everything and have everything while giving nothing.

Drifter changes the channel as Roddy watches the street preacher from earlier arguing with Gilbert and being dragged inside a building that has been torn down and I think apartments are there now.

The next day and, again, we get a sense of community in this encampment.

We see these massive high rises in the background where the rich and powerful play overlooking this.

Roddy goes to Gilbert and confronts him about the argument.

Gilbert brushes it off, but Roddy is suspicious.

We cut to people watching TV as the pirates take over the the signal again and telling people what's going on.

Today we have...uh...a lot of not so great people try to use this "ending the signal" stuff without a hint of irony because they don't grasp the point of this movie.

The people hate the tv signal being interrupted. It pains them literally.

Roddy watches Gilbert go into the church and follows after as a chorus sings.

Roddy goes inside and realizes the chorus is a recording and that some scientific shenanigans are going on. Oh and there's some sweet ass sunglasses.

On the walls is painted "THEY LIVE. WE SLEEP."

I don't want to make any connections b/w a church and this...ya know what.

I won't.

*taps nose several times*

Roddy looks through a hole as Gilbert and the pirate signal guy walk about how the signal is being interrupted.

They also have a sweet dish.

Gilbert talks about how it's almost pointless doing the glasses because they can't make enough to wake people.

Meanwhile, Roddy stumbles across a stash of sweet, sweet sunglasses.

Then Roddy is grabbed by the street preacher. We realize he's blind and he's testing his hands.

We find out it's the "revolution."

Okay...and then we get some stuff to show that *taps nose* may not be the truth of everyone.

We cut to a helicopter flying over and Gilbert/scientists putting on sunglasses.

We cut to Drifter telling Keith about some kind of violent events going on...cult stuff.

The helicopter continues to circle and...uh.

Are you sure there's not just a car chase?

We then see Keith watching Roddy talk his way into getting binoculars from some dude.

And Drifter is going off about how this shit (cult stuff) happens at the end of any century.

Roddy watches the scientists taking out the boxes into cars and panicking.

Keith comes over and asks WTF is going on.

Roddy is like it's not even a real church.

Keith is like "Leave that shit alone. It's not our business."

Gilbert and the scientists piss off as Keith talks about not wanting to rock the boat as he has a job...and remember he has a family.

We cut to hours later at night with Roddy still watching.

And then the helicopters arrive.

Scientists and others fuck off as the helicopter circles.

Okay...may you should have left earlier like your friends.

The LAPD shows up along with scientific investigation and they attack the church.

They must have heard a POC was inside.

HEYOOO COMMENTARY!

The homeless watch from their encampment as more and more police come. They're in riot gear and have bullldozers.

With the flares they look sinister as shit.

The bulldozers then plow over the encampment as people panic and run away from their lives being destroyed.

Oh, this isn't a raid. A developer just bought the lot and wants to build million dollar condos while lying that it'll be affordable housing.

Those who don't flee are beaten by the cops/bulldozed.

Roddy, meanwhile, has seen this shit before. He just strolls around a bit as chaos ensues. He's looking for Keith.

Keith runs as the police "protect and serve" people's skulls.

Roddy goes down the hill as he comes around and sees the street preacher and signal guy getting "served and protected" by the police in riot gear.

The cops scream "THEY'VE GOT A GUN" and beat them to death.

Roddy sees binoculars guy huddling in a corner and helps him try to get away, but the cops swing around the corner and chase after them.

Roddy and binoculars go inside a building.

We hear the cops screaming "PROTECT AND SERVE!!!" as they continue to beat people.

In the 80s people saw this and went "how awful." Today we just go "Oh, is this the nightly news?"

Roddy finds a bunch of people chilling in the house and he looks outside at the carnage.

Oh, and binoculars is back with his family/friends.

We cut to the next day with the tv playing in the mostly destroyed/cleared encampment.

The remaining people scramble to find the last few bits of personal items/food that's left as super models on the tv show off their money/fashion.

Roddy goes back to teh church building that's been ransacked...

Sorry

*checks notes*

"Served and protected."

Roddy goes and breaks into the stash he found the day before.

It's filled with boxes.

He takes one and avoids a patrol that's outside looking to protect and serve some more.

He dodges past it and goes into an alley to look at WTF is in the boxes.

Hey, I know that alley, It's near a very expensive restaurant these days.

Roddy opens the boxes and finds...

NOTHING!

I kid. He finds sweet as fuck sunglasses.

Dozens of them.

I'd take at least 3 pairs. One for the eyes, one over said pair of sunglasses, and one to be slid up on top of my head that I can miss when I'm looking for my glasses ontop of said head.

Roddy is like "WTF. Sunglasses?"

He takes a pair and puts the box underneath some trash in a garbage can in an alley.

That's where I put my hopes and dreams long ago. Along with my writing career.

HEYYOO

*cries in corner*

Roddy walks down the street, looking down, and puts on the sunglasses.

It makes the world black and white.

He takes them off and puts them on to look at an ad.

It says "SHEPARD FAIREY." I mean "Obey."

This is legit one of the best scenes in cinema.

Him looking at ads and seeing, through the glasses, the hidden messages of marrying, breeding, obeying, sleeping, etc.

In fact EVERYTHING is there to make you sleep and buy and consume and just be part of the consumer class.

Even magazines are there to tell you to obey.

I have to admit. Uh. Life with the sunglasses on is really bland.

Wait. He has the glasses on is and reading the Wall Street Journal.

HEYYYOOOOO

Finally, some rich dbag talks shit and Roddy puts on the glasses and see he's an alien.

A vile, soul-consuming monster who would watch the world burn for a dollar.

SO...yeah. Rich guy.

The guy running the magazine stand asks him to buy or piss off. He's holding money that says "THIS IS YOUR GOD" and I'm 99.999% sure I could make a career out of just ripping this movie off.

Roddy puts the magazine back as his mind continues to blow.

He's like "I wonder if the matrix will rip this idea off" and then walks on as we see devices saying "SLEEP" and "SMOKE" and "EAT AT JOES."

Roddy walks around LA looking at all this shit and sees that the rich are, mostly, aliens.

Those in power are aliens. Those with money are aliens.

The servants, etc. are all just pawns for these leeches

DO YOU GET THE GOD DAMN SOCIAL COMMENTARY?

But, seriously, this movie does a great job of pointing out how Reaganomics is a lie.

Oh, and we find out all food labels, etc. are part of this sleep/consume/obey.

We also see normal humans talking to aliens, but the aliens are the ones getting the promotions, etc. Humans, even those with money, are pawns to the aliens.

Roddy then sees a politician on TV is an alien.

Then some rich slag pumps into him and he just slams her ass.

Roddy then comments "with the sunglasses, formaldehyde"

The aliens inside the building talk into their wrist watches to inform that a human can see them.

Roddy fucks off.

The other aliens outside turn to look at him.

We realize that this communication goes out wide.

Though, one alien does stop to fix her hair.

Then Roddy gets protected and served by a cop who is an alien who asks where he got the glasses.

The best part is one of the signs says "Sleep 8 hours." This is how I know this isn't going on in real life.

I don't sleep 8 hours.

The cops are then like "Come with us and we can talk about maybe you cooperating with us like a good quisling."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidkun_Qu…

The cops try to take him, but Roddy second amendments the shit out of them and we realize that they, too, are mortal.

There's some commentary there I won't go too deep into.

Roddy grabs a shotty/other weapons and goes inside of a bank to deliver THE BEST SHIT EVER.

We see that several people in the bank are aliens and the rest are humans.

Roddy is doing an amazing job at Lethal Enforcer.

We then see an alien talking into its watch. Roddy goes to blast a fool when he uses his wrist watch to fuck off into thin air.

I LOVE RODDY PIPER.

This movie wouldn't be nearly as awesome without him.

Roddy fucks off outside and we see a drone flying.

Roddy is pissed it's hovering over his backyard and blasts it.

We hear some youtuber scream "IT'S A PRANK, BRO!"

Roddy runs over and stumbles across a human cop.

He lets this one go because he only ganks aliens.

We cut to a woman (Holly) walking through a grungy as hell parking lot.

She goes to her expensive as hell car as we hear sirens.

Roddy ..uh...okay this isn't cool. I get why he does it, but he takes her...well. He makes her be his uber driver.

Holly drives outa nd we see more cops and more riot-geared cops running up the street.

This actually a wonderful nod to the fact these "goon squads" are at teh ready in local stations since they're running there instead of driving.

Man, I love this film.

I really wish we had a sunglasses reveal on whether all the riot gear cops are aliens or not.

It has serious implications.

Roddy tells Holly to keep driving and to stop lying that she's married.

Roddy tells her to go to her place and...okay. Yeah, that's not great, but he did just find out the planet is controlled by horrendous monsters.

I found that out at 14 when I read history.

They go to her place and a neighbor sees Holly going in and he and his partner don't seem to bat an eye at their neighbor being manhandled inside by some dude.

Honestly, I'd probably not notice either.

I'm oblivious to shit in my neighborhood unless it's someone blasting music

They go inside and Roddy collapses and takes off the glasses.

He talks about how it's "like a drug."

He then apologizes for taking her.

She calls his ass out and says "You have two guns. You're not sorry. You're in charge" and holy shit that's an amazing line.

Roddy tries to explain to her what's going on, but he sounds like a madman and holy crap does Meg Foster absolutely kill it.

She hammers his ass verbally and bloody hell is she amazing in this.

She's like "I'll put on the glasses, but it doesn't matter. I'll see it how you see it. It's not my way. It's your way."

Roddy begins to doze and, ya know, I gotta say I'd be tired after finding out that...wait.

I already made the joke rich people = monsters.

Holly seems ready to do something, but he talks to tell her he's still awake.

She goes to get a drink.

We find out she's a program director for a tv station.

Roddy talks about signals & Holly takes the opportunity to smash a bottle upside his head & he blasts through the god damn sliding door and over the cliff and onto the road below.

Holly calls the cops as Roddy stumbles away

Roddy, we find out, dropped his glasses.

He's trying to rest as the cops come roaring up to protect and serve his skull.

Roddy wanders off hurt and we cut to Keith on the job site.

Roddy calls out to Keith, but he's like "fuck off. You killed people and you're crazy."

Roddy is like "I didn't kill anyone."

Keith, man, this moment. It's great. The fear Keith has.

We cut to Roddy walking down the street and we see a bank of TVs showing a photo of him that's obviously from years before.

Roddy goes into the alley to find the sunglasse, but the can is empty.

He sees the garbage truck that just grabbed it and he goes to get the glasses back.

He opens the back of the truck and Ernest falls out.

I kid. He gets some of the glasses as the truck drives away.

those garbagemen are going to have to swing back later once they realized what happened.

Roddy walks forward and we see Keith there.

He throws Roddy a week's pay and begins to leave.

Roddy confirms he's human and then demands Keith put on the sunglasses.

What follows is THE GREATEST FIGHT IN MOVIE HISTORY.

I don't care what fight you want to point to. It's NOTHING compared to this six minute battle.

Roddy just wants Keith to put on the sunglasses and Keith just wants to adjust the location of Roddy's ribs and nose.

From what I understand, Roddy helped to choreograph this scene. I think Keith might have helped.

Either way it's wonderful.

Keith even gets off the amazing "You dirty mother fucker" when Roddy does a cheapshot.

Roddy hands Keith the glasses and he just drops them and decks Roddy.

He has NO GOD DAMN INTEREST in the madness Roddy proclaims and with good reason.

The media has been calling Roddy a killer all day. Which, technically, he is...but of aliens.

Oh, are you writing some comment about how some other lame ass fight scene is better?

You're wrong.

Just delete your comment and watch this.

I can not stress enough how wonderful this scene is.

Most movies would have had a simple fight and then Keith going "Okay. I'll look."

This adds MASSIVE depth to that. They keep fighting. KEith keeps not looking.

At one point Roddy realizes he went too far and apologizes.

Keith doesn't give a shit and HOLY FUCK HE BODY SLAMMED HIS ASS IN AN ALLEY.

Keith, after kicking Roddy's ass, drops his glasses on Roddy and says "Fuck You."

God, I love this movie sooooo much.

Keith goes to lean against a wall and Roddy walks over. You think it's over, but it's not.

Roddy beats the shit out of Keith and bodyslams his ass.

He puts the glasses forcefully on Keith and drags his ass over to see the reality.

We see aliens seeing this and calling the cops.

Keith is freaking the fuck out at the aliens, the signs, the drones, etc.

"Brother, life's a bitch and she's back in heat."

My god Roddy and Keith are amazing.

They stumble down the street beat to shit and both wearing sunglasses.

Did I mention I love this movie?

They go into a seedy as hell motel.

I don't recall if this particular hotel has been turned into million dollar lofts, but there's a good chance.

Keith asks for a room and they both stumble upstairs...hurt.

They go into the room and holy shit.

I just got a package and it has sunglasses in them.

I gotta go check on them...and make coffee. Be back.

They go into the room and both look like hell.

"Ain't love grand," Roddy says and I swear half of the dialogue is just his amazing quips.

Keith looks out the window at the Shepard Fairey Artwork.

Roddy tells him to only wear them for a bit else it causes headaches.

Keith and Roddy talk about the aliens, but Roddy has no answers.

We get some background about Roddy. Basically, his father abused him and literally beat religion into him.

This caused Roddy to leave at 13 and there's some solid implications there.

And, holy crap, his dad was psychotic. Like...straight up.

Keith wonders if aliens have "always been with us." "They love it. Watching us hate and kill each other."

Uh...yeah...that's the rich.

The next day, Keith goes upstairs with groceries and Gilbert follows.

Gilbert gives them the address of a meeting that night.

It's about "waking up the world."

Oh, shit. I know that spot int he meeting.

Those tracks are not there. Overpriced apartments are there, though.

I stumbled across it when finding the filming location of Always SUnny.

Here's a hot tip for all you people battling aliens. Don't all meet together in one spot. A quisling will dime you out.

Inside this building we see dozens of "woken" people who got out of the Matri...oh. Wait.

Sorry. Wrong movie.

*coughs*

A woman inside tells them to take off their glasses. "We're all human here."

True, but there's always quislings. Always.

She then hands them contacts.

Oh, shit. I hope those are soft contacts because hard contacts are a bitch.

They put them in. Man...those sunglasses are cool, though.

Gilbert and Keith and Roddy chat.

Gilbert tells them most of the cops are human, but many of them know what's going on. They're cool with it.

They get money, power, etc.

*taps nose*

We also find out that global warming is so the atmosphere turns into the alien's comfort level.

This...this explains why rich people refuse to do anything to curb the death of our planet and pay for propaganda to convince rubes.

We also find out the aliens are just opportunistic developers there to exploit everything.

*kicks over table*

SOCIAL COMMENTARY!

The signal guy tells people to get out of the matr...oops.

Wrong movie again.

We then see a bunch of pew pews in a row for them to start an assault team.

OOOPS. I DON'T KEEP MEANING TO IMPLY THE MATRIX RIPPED OFF THIS MOVIE.

They talk to some dude who hands them a watch.

Turns out it's a two-way radio and some way to disappear.

Gilbert then starts the meeting and complains that half the people are missing.

Basically, they're getting got hard.

He also tells everyone to act normal in their lives.

The crowd wants to battle, but Gilbert, rightly, points out it's a wait and see game of trying to destroy their signal.

"Also, we're waiting for Neo. Which is just ONE. I mean...holy crap is that on the nose."

They then talk about TV and that's when Holly reappears and talks about the signal.

Roddy is like "I'm going to go hit on her" and Keith just nods like "hell, yeah."

She apologizes for what she did and that she didn't know.

It's implied...HOLY SHIT THERE'S AN EXPLOSION.

The police come in and immediately "protect and serve" with the second amendment.

The survivors try to escape as 5-0 goes 187 on people.

See...see what I did there?

Roddy and Keith have a wicked cool gun battle in an alley that looks...like a video game FPS.

Roddy wants to go help the survivors, but Keith is like "Fuck that. You'll die."

He then tries to use the wristwatch to listen in, but the cops are there to "protect and serve."

The watch gets borked and a portal hole appears on the ground. It tells them they have 10 seconds to get thru and Roddy/Keith jump in.

They appear in a tunnel.

What's weird is the thing is in English, but the signs in the tunnel are in alien.

Keith and Roddy walk down the long hallway paranoid as we hear the success of the attack in English...

Which makes sense because it's implied they're human (the guards) who are excited that they get to join the aliens.

We hear people applauding and they follow the noise.

We see a dining hall (think Oscars back when) with lots of richly dressed dbags listening to some POS alien talk about how by 2025 the aliens will control everything.

Just create social media to speed it up.

So we find out these are humans who are working knowingly for the aliens and excited by it because they get money.

The humans also applaud that the resistance has been put down.

That's when Drifter appears dressed in a tux.

We find out he's a quisling.

Should I call him Cypher?

OOOPS. Sorry, the Matrix is a TOTALLY ORIGINAL MOVIE!!!

Drifter then gives them a tour because he thinks they're with the aliens.

He talks about the cool ass watch and shows them the dimensional portal they use to Star Trek across the universe.

Drifter continues to give them a tour.

This one is the studio area where they send out the signal.

I can 100% guarantee aliens could easily find collaborators who'd knowingly work for them.

Hell, there's an entire political party that has sold out their country for money.

*coughs*

Roddy and Keith want to get farther into the studio when the guards ask for their authorization.

Keith and Roddy show them their second amendment and they get to go on through.

Roddy then grabs Drifter and demands to know where the satellite is.

Drifter is pissed. He doesn't want them to end the signal.

"It's business. That's all it is."

Gotta admit. Drifter makes a good...oh come on. He just disappears with his watch.

Roddy and Keith make a hell of an entrance into the studio.

We cut to execs pissed their ratings are dropping...along with the staff.

Roddy and Keith separate the humans (alive) from the aliens (less so).

They make their way thru the studio. Roddy asks for where Holly is, but they get no help from a random person.

Roddy asks for directions in a very...passionate way and they continue to make their way through.

We see some guards with PKE meters and this is a better sequel to the Ghostbusters than Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Ha, suck it!

Keith and Roddy continue to play Lethal Enforcers including tests of not pew pewing humans who round the corner.

They finally find Holly and Roddy is like "I trust that you didn't betray humans."

Roddy is 100% thinking with his manhood instead of his brain.

Roddy runs upstairs as Keith lags behind.

Holly comes up behind him and second amendments Keith.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Roddy goes up to the signal generator.

He asks if they're clear and Holly tells him to turn around.

She tells him not to interfere.

Helicopters appear and everything is against Roddy.

He's fucked.

He drops his pew pew.

Holly tells him to come inside and it's implied that maybe she wants him to come inside and be part of the traitors.

Roddy, though, pulls out a hidden pew pew and does to her what she did to Keith. YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESERVED, HOLLY!!!!

Roddy then says "Fuck it" and pews the signal generator and then gets got by the cops on the helicopter.

But, he was successful in destroying the signal generator.

With his dying breath, Roddy flips off the helicopter.

We then cut to the TV where EVERYONE on it is an alien and they're exposed.

Inside of bars, bedrooms, etc. the humans have woken up to the reality that aliens are amongst them.

That the rich and elite aren't their friends, but there to exploit them and enjoy their suffering.

Ooops...I meant aliens. Wasn't it great when that billionaire pretended to care about people?

Or when CEOs are on tv shows where they're undercover and "help" a couple workers while exploiting the rest.

Or when they make twitter jokes?

AREN'T THEY JUST OUR FRIENDS???!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and the best part? A critic alien on the tv talks shit about Carpenter.

It then cuts to some woman naked on top of an alien.

She looks down and gasps and he goes "Hey, what's wrong baby" and then it ends.

Well, that was They Live and it's one of the best movies ever.

Did I mention John Carpenter is one of the best directors ever?

@threadreaderapp unroll

glasses off*