The Magical Mysteries of Scott Pilgrim Revealed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2019)

I must admit that when I first watched the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, directed by Edgar Wright; I thought the movie was rather straight forward. Young man meets young woman, they fall in love, young man has to battle seven deadly ex's in fights to the death (well, maybe not that straight forward in terms of a love story)... maybe if I break the story down to love at first sight, conflict, victory, win the damsel in distress, and happily ever after... that's rather straight forward. But, not until recently, upon revisiting the movie nearly ten years later did I see that there is a key to understanding this film which is a mystery wrapped as a mummy within an enigma. They key is the music, the words... that is quite self evident isn't that? Of course, the words and music are a key of understanding... of course! Oder, mais oui! However, perhaps I am now much more introspective, pensive, and knowledgeable than I was nine years ago.
Over the past year; I, Myself, have taken up the boldface keyboard in order to write scripts of ancient mysteries and spiritual order, of musical and operatic themes, of film and liturgical references and citations; and of Historical conflicts and treaties of resolution. Coincidentally, or by Divine and Cosmic Forces of Our Universe; after writing a Fantastic Four script, I went in search of actors to play the part of Johnny Storm. By happen stance, I came across an article about an actor named Matt Lauria as an up and coming actor in a series known as Kingdom written by Bryan Balasco. I thought; My, My, My, this actor reminds Me of a High School heart throb, somebody that I used to know a long time ago.
I began to research Kingdom and got the basic gist of this TV show; Mixed Martial Arts fighters and their lives. Ok. Seems rather direct... So, I endeavoured to rent the Kingdom from the local library to see how this actor, Matt Lauria, acts. To get the rhythm of his line delivery, the cadence of his voice; his motor movements and facial expressions on screen; as I had done with actors for different roles in the film scripts I wrote when making actor recommendations for the parts Long story short, I fell in love with Matt Lauria's acting; and thought, Matt Lauria is My Johnny Storm.
I don't remember exactly how I returned to the Scott Pilgrim movie. I vaguely remember thinking about Matt Lauria in terms of the character Todd Ingram as I happened upon Brandon Routh as the Atom in the Legends of Tomorrow series. No, that wasn't what the catalyst was, the prompt was Mae Whitman, because I started to watch the Parenthood series. I looked at her rÃ©sumÃ©; and saw... Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I didn't remember her in Scott Pilgrim, but that was because I probably didn't know her from any other film or TV show at the time. Hmm... Scott Pilgrim, I didn't really remember that movie. I began to watch clips of the movie on Youtube; and then I remembered how much I enjoyed the film upon Initial Viewing.
I then watched the movie again, and suddenly... I began to notice things I didn't notice before; but these weren't just objects in the background or understanding a line of foreshadowing; these were much bigger references; as though this movie is a Master Skeleton Key to unlocking the doors of perception in order to comprehend the Universe. Hmm, so many. Shall We begin?
8 bit opening, just like the old Nintendo games. Strange video game effects and music? Very strange. Toronto. What kind of movie IS this? An amorous comedy? Comical in more ways than one. Opening, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is dating an underage girl, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), who is still in High School while he is a young twenty something. Scott's dating history is rather hazy, but We get the feeling that Scott is... flaky with his exes as his friend's name time after time that Scott had been dumped, or broken the hearts of the females he was dating; including the band's drummer, Kim (Alison Pill).
Did I mention that Scott is in a band? Yes, Scott is in a band called Sex Bob-omb with his friends Stephen Stills (Mark Webber), Kim Pine, and "Young" Neil Nordegraf (Johnny Simmons). Yes, these are obvious musical references to greats from musical History, such as Stephen Stills and Neil Young from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; Buffalo Springfield, and Neil Young and the Crazy Horse Band. Some of the band's music was written by another musical prodigy from this generation, My Generation being Generation Y, known for his fusion of musical genres, hip beats, sound effects; and soulful, thoughtful, and hooky melodies; that man being Beck; and Beck's music being a key to understanding this film; especially "Hell Yes" and "Where It's At."
Scott lives with a Gay roommate, Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin), who "sees" a number of people throughout the film, as his bed seems like as a revolving door, Scott Pilgrim included. He acts as Scott's voice of reason, a mentor in some ways, and has a very paternal figure on the young Scott. We get the feeling that Scott lives on the poorer side of life at this time, because basically everything in Scott and Wallace's room, with the exception of Scott's coat, is Wallace's.
One day, as Scott is visiting the library in a scene reminiscent of the Song of Roland, Orzabal, in the Tears for Fears "Head Over Heels" music video; while with Knives, he falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at first sight. He asks his friends about her, he stalks her, he dreams about her, and then has him visit her while she's at work. You'll have to see the movie to understand this, or just think about pizza; as I used to be a pizza delivery man like Chris Jager in New Orleans. And on dating they go, "hooking up" with each other on the first night of a cold blizzard, walking through a black starred doorway; Scott getting to proverbial 1st base; as Scott is still dating Knives Chau at the same time. A dating Nightmare, and a poor reflection on the calibre of Scott's soul. Scott, as Johnny Cash, has to walk a fine line between these two women.
They fall in love with each other, and... then... Scott gets an email. A duel to the death? Over Ramona? League of evil Ex's? Deleeete. Scott asks Ramona to see him and Sex Bob-omb perform at a local low level battle of the bands. But his bandmate, Stephen Stills thinks there might be rec execs there, so he's stoked about the performance. Crash and the Boys (despite their drummer Trasha Ha (Abigail Chu) being a young woman), a Nintendo video game reference, is the band they play against. A foreshadowing. The band is led by a neogothic emo frontman, Lucas Wilson (Erik Knudson) and he and "the Boys" deliver a 2 song blistering set while Wallace heckles the band and gets uncomfortably cozy with Scott Pilgrim's sister, Stacey Pilgrim's (Anna Kendrick), date Jimmy (Kjartan Hewitt).
I'll admit, Crash and the Boys did deliver on their performance; and if I were in Stephen Still's position of following Crash and the Boys on stage, I would be freaking out too. But, it wasn't Scott trying to get Stephen to come to his senses that prompted him to prompt Steve. It was that Ramona and Scott's other girlfriend were starting to talk to each other. Sensing that the conversation might turn to Scott, Sex Bob-omb takes to the stage; a and opens with the song, "Garbage Truck," a catchy fuzz tune. Enjoying the music, not really paying attention to the lyrics, but more attention to the interplay between Jimmy and Wallace, wait a minute. Wallace staring at Jimmy; initials, W.W.; Scottish History? William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Robert Plant? Jimmy Page? Stairway to Heaven! And I see, if Heaven is Love, then at the end of the scene, Wallace and Jimmy are making interface love with each other.
Then, crash! From the rafters, an angry Indian named Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha) enters the scene and the E-"Mailman" challenges Scott Pilgrim to the duel alluded to in his email. Scott sees Patel coming and repels his attack with a reversal and a 64 combo counter-attack, kicking Matthew off stage, and onto a chess or checker board floor. At this point, Ramona is forced to uncomfortably recounts her liaisons with Matthew, and their fight against the jocks in her Middle School, portrayed as American football players, and Flowers speaks of Matthew's Mystical Powers. Mystical Powers?
Matthew begins singing as though the film were now a Bollywood movie as he sings the song entitled "S-L-ick", as identical demonic hipster chicks (Christine Watson), who looked suspiciously like the actress from Queens of the Stones Age "Burn the Witch" music video flock to Patel's flanks adorned in what appears to be black starred Rage Against the Machine shirts, and pink leather Roman Catholic School girl skirts. Matthew lights himself on fire with his magical powers, and delivers an off key lyrical, and fireball, assault on Scott Pilgrim. An angry Scott critiques Patel's poor performance and muses that the line he sang doesn't even rhyme and ends the fiery rain of Matthew Patel with a cymbal. Jungle Book, Mario Bros, the "Red Flower" of fire power.
Wait... didn't that rhyme. Did Matt say "out," or something else? Hmmm. Out rhymes with about. The printed lyrics say "Down," is that accurate? Ok, wait, I hear "down" or is that "Doubt" as in the John Patrick Shanley film now... or is that just because I'm listening for "down" and I heard "out" before? Ah, the joy of discovering what the lyrics really are, and you know... sometimes the lyrics presented to you aren't what the lyrics really are. You should take a listen to "S-L-ick" and decide for yourself. And the whole motif of a fight between the Indian and the Pilgrim seems to be completely confirmed by the Queens of the Stone Age "Burn the Witch" video since the actress playing Matthew Patel's "demon hipster chicks" (Christine Watson), appearing as the models round about Robert Palmer in "Addicted to Love