General Snobbery | Film and Philosophy

Wallowing in the isolation of the wake of Matt's noble departure for the Appalachian Trail, Sean called out to the great General for guidance on how to carry forth this mighty torch. Indeed, his questions were answered. It became clear that, for the time being, General Snobbery must assume the Interview format, in which the perspectives of the One Listener may be shared. Thus it came to be that fo...

For this monumental, groundbreaking, unforeseen tenth episode (praise be, praise be), we travel off the beaten track of film deconstruction, endeavoring into a late-night, windy conversation in which Sean interviews Matt about his noble decision to hike the Appalachian Trail, which he is currently doing. The meditative interview traveled many interesting places, discussing such topics as Bill Brys...

A few final considerations of Air Force One lead Matt and Sean to synthesize several late 90s films into a singular theme: the collapse of the American Dream. What fears manifested in our culture leading up to the millennium? How is it that they seemed to anticipate the events of September 11th, the most catastrophic tragedy of our nation’s history? How did 9/11 affect our perception of films, whe...

Air Force One is one of the most iconic action films of the 90s. Why? Is it really that good? Yes. It really is. But what makes it so good? How can a movie directed by a German guy focusing on Harrison Ford as the infallible President of infallible America vs. rogue Soviet terrorists be so enduring? How much of it has to do with the fact that Glenn Close is the Vice President? Probably a lot. Rega...

In an unexpected evolution of conversation, Matt and Sean find themselves discussing what’s oft considered the fundamental question of existence: “What does it mean to be?” In a snob meandering through ideas related to The Matrix, The Truman Show, human consciousness, Richard Linklater, our constructions of reality, Starship Troopers, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, we soon break new ground into such t...

Feeling that their conversation re: Roland Emmerich's great sequel Independence Day: Resurgence ended insufficiently, Matt and Sean migrated from the basement to sit at table beneath the seven stars of the St. Louis night. Situated amidst the crickets and cicadas, beneath the jet airplanes, within the cool and gentle breeze, they set out to discuss the question: What's the deal with all the sequel...

Roland Emmerich strikes again with Independence Day: Resurgence, the much-anticipated sequel to the 1996 generation-defining film, Independence Day. In this special episode, Matt and Sean rendezvoused in the physical plane to see this laugh-out-loud comedy in a theater of St. Louis, Missouri (a city whose landmark Arch thankfully escaped the wrath of both films). We entered the theater, days after...

As Stanley Kubrick's science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey ends with a segment entitled "Beyond the Infinite," so General Snobbery, in its conversation about The Martian (2015), travels "Beyond the Damon." After another fifteen minutes of Martian-related conversation--conversation spanning from David Bowie's horribly-placed "Starman", the film's use of Abba, Wall-E and Iron Man's strange i...

Matt Damon plays Matt Damon in Ridley Scott's 2015 film The Martian, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy. Part musical, part comedy, The Martian dazzled viewers with its orange scenery, its tale of hope and triumph, and its marketing of Matt Damon as the hero of mankind. In this particular iteration of himself, Matt Damon is mistakenly stranded on Mars in what m...

In the first true episode of the new podcast "General Snobbery", your snobbish hosts engage in electric conversation meandering about diverse topics related to the 2015 Colin Trevorrow* film, "Jurassic World." Topics considered include Chris Pratt's one-dimensional role, Bryce Dallas Howard's one-dimensional role, the cast of archetypal side characters, Newman's death from "Jurassic Park", Samuel...

In the prologue for the new podcast "General Snobbery," your snobbish hosts snob about such topics as Air Force One (1997), Christopher Nolan, Glenn Close's oft-unrecognized contributions to contemporary feminism, that scene in Jurassic Park where Newman dies, and the lost, sacred art of snobbery.