FilmVideoArts

FilmVideoArts is a blog that focuses on analyzing visual media and sharing research I am currently working on. I am college professor in film/digital media and, prior to this, I worked in the film industry for almost two decades. Contributions from third-party sources on this blog will always be credited and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

[filmvideoarts]

[filmvideoarts]

[filmvideoarts]

[filmvideoarts]

Mike is wearing a work jacket for the parking company he works for and it has the initials, SMQ, stitched on it. I’m assuming that it’s a sly reference to Steven Michael Quezada, who plays Gomie, but elephantandthedove suggested that it could stand for Steve McQueen. While at first, this may sound unrelated, it should be noted that the watch worn by Walter White during his 2 minute jail killing spree, is the TAG Heuer Monaco 1133, which is also known as the ‘Steve McQueen Monaco.’ This is the watch that he wore, and made famous, in his racing film, ‘Le Mans’ (1971). Steve McQueen, it should be noted, died of lung cancer.

[filmvideoarts]

Ding! Ding!

Another clever Hector ‘Tio’ Salamanca reference in Better Call Saul, Sunk Costs (se03 ep03)

[filmvideoarts]

Better Call Saul - Sunk Costs se03 ep03

Breaking Bad - Ozymandias se05 ep14 

Jimmy was bound to a rail with a steel cable, as was Jesse. Luckily, Kim Wexler didn’t try to free Jimmy from his captors.

[filmvideoarts]

Sneakers and their shoes. Better Call Saul se03 ep03 Sunk Costs

[filmvideoarts]

[filmvideoarts]

I do appreciate the puns used by the writers.

[filmvideoarts]

It keeps going and going and going...

[filmvideoarts]

Peekaboo! Saul isn’t the only person hiding in the season three premiere episode of Better Call Saul. Heisenberg lives!

[filmvideoarts]

“Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.“ - Prison Chaplain, A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This is just one of many references to A Clockwork Orange used in Breaking Bad. On the left of the image collage is a promotional poster for the film and on the right we see Hank’s trophy, Tuco’s grill encased in Lucite.

The framing of Walter, as the camera racks focus from the grill to his face, is a metaphor for the new position he holds in the drug empire and suggests the assimilation of one of Tuco’s traits, which Walter does repeatedly throughout the show. Walter is a demon possessing qualities from his vanquished foes.

[filmvideoarts]

“And I'm goin' down / All the way / I'm on the highway to hell” - AC/DC

While Better Call Saul many repeat visual themes used in Breaking Bad, many of these are recontextualized and serve as a way to contrast certain characters that all hail from the same fictional world. Last week, I posted a collage of Chuck and Walt, who both suffered from fainting spells and share similar poses. In these scenes, both Walter and Mike are in the midst of a crime, but Walter is emotionally overwhelmed, as he throws away his gas mask in anger, which is in stark contrast to Mike, as he calmly goes about his business.

The RV in Breaking Bad, which gets stuck in a hole, is a metaphor for Walter, who is on a downward path to hell. The truck in Better Call Saul belongs to Hector ‘Tio’ Salamanca, who is seen reacting wildly once he hears the news of his truck’s hijacking. 

It’s interesting to note that the RV is not a Winnebago, it’s a Bounder. Bounder: British, informal dated, a dishonorable man.

[filmvideoarts]

“Well the Devil went down to Georgia / He was lookin' for a soul to steal He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind / And he was willin' to make a deal“ - Charlie Daniels, The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1975)

Looks like the ‘crossroads’ theme of Breaking Bad is alive and well in Better Call Saul. I’m looking forward to see what happens with the Sandpiper Crossing storyline.

[filmvideoarts]

KA-POW! BAM! VRONK!

[filmvideoarts]

“I must have killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille.“ - Blazing Saddles (1974)

[filmvideoarts]

“It’s a classic combination. In a way, Walt and Jesse are a 21st-century version of Laurel and Hardy.”  -Vince Gilligan

This is the Three Stooges episode that Jesse was watching in Se01Ep02. While I believe that there are also other inspirations for the Tio character, this one is in the actual show.