#31: La La Land: A Movie That Is Good From Damien Chazelle

Damien Chazelle's La La Land is a good movie. It is so good, in fact, that you'll be hard-pressed to find anything negative said about it on this snob. In fact, we are finding it difficult to say anything about it in this description. Like trying to describe the "True Snob," attempting to describe this film has a way of making words disappear. That is because its images transcend words. It is an exuberant expression of emotion and possibility tinged with a realistic portrayal of human beings and the inevitable struggles of real-life relationships, no matter how fantastical they may be at first. 

Legend

Throughout this early snob of 2017, we discuss stuff as far-reaching as The Last Temptation of Christ, the music video for "Cool" by Gwen Stefani, (500) Days of Summer, George Clooney's stardom and "smuggy" Oscar acceptance speech, (John) Legend, I Am Legend, Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler, Neo's dive-bomb into Hugo Weaving's chest, and the necessity of struggles in following one's dreams.

D. Chazelle, Talking

General Snobbery was most inspired by this film to continue living its dream to #LetUsWriteID3, a dream for whose actualization we are willing to travel through the deepest pangs of suffering. This path of life leads such grand and unexpected places. Who would have anticipated that a conversation beneath the Cincinnati stars would eventually yield an interview with DeObia Oparei, a truly wonderful man? Who can predict where this snobbing journey may lead? We cannot, listener, and neither can the great Damien Chazelle. All we know is that we must not submit to any blockades, regardless of how many Twitter followers we lose for inexplicable reasons. 

In words penned by the great Roland Emmerich, delivered by the great @BillyPullman, "We're going to live on!" In the words of the late great Freddy Mercury, "I'm having a good time, having a good time, I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky... There's no stopping me." Let us continue to ride these waves into the vast reaches of the Stratosphere, transcending the Mesosphere into the land where dreams reside, into the shimmering tesseracts of "La La Land", a place of infinite bliss and possibility. Yay. 

#30: DeObia Oparei Interview

What a wonderfully joyous man

In July of 2016, in the formational days of General Snobbery, cohosts Matt and Sean traveled to a St. Louis theater to see Independence Day: Resurgence. They expected to be wowed by Goldblum. They expected great things from Pullman. But never in a trillion eons could they have anticipated what soul-enriching performance would come from DeObia Oparei, the man who portrayed Dikembe Umbutu. 

Instantly, Umbutu became one of Matt and Sean’s favorite film characters of all time. His combination of wisdom and power yielded some of the most memorable scenes from Roland Emmerich’s wonderful film, including a scene in which Umbutu saved many gun-firing Americans by massacring a rogue alien with his dual machetes. He truly stunned Matt and Sean, and the majority of their episode on ID:R was devoted to Umbutu’s magnificence. 

Now, after multiple episodes devoted to Umbutu and much tweeting at Mr. Oparei, something truly extraordinary has occurred. For the thirtieth episode of General Snobbery, the one and only DeObia Oparei has visited the podcast. 

How can we express our gratitude? How can we communicate our joy? No words may reach the fantastical summits of emotion that developed upon speaking to Mr. Oparei, he who portrayed Umbutu, the Master of Warlord Visions. DeObia expressed such kindness, such warmth, such joy throughout our conversation. Had we had all the time in the world, it is beyond the point of doubt that the conversation could have continued ad infinitum, beyond even where the Harvesters reside. 

Our interview with DeObia

In our joyous conversation, DeObia grants insight into how he understands Dikembe, how he approached his role, and how inspiring was his experience working with Roland Emmerich. We discuss DeObia’s relationship to yoga and meditation, the meaning of the word “mudra”, and the importance of stillness in developing the “inner life”. He tells us of the play he wrote, Crazyblackmuthafuckin’self, a well-received investigation into identity that ran years back in London. He even clears up false reports regarding his past as a stripper in Australia, explaining how his opening of a dance theater ultimately yielded this widespread delusion. 

DeObia's Diverse Showreel

We are so grateful we got to speak with this great actor who has appeared in so much, from Game of Thrones to Your Highness, Doom to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. As you listen, listener, we are certain you will hear what kindness erupts volcanically from his mighty soul. DeObia is truly a great man, and we are boundlessly thankful for what joy he has brought our lives. 

Three cheers for #Umbutu and the many great performances of DeObia Oparei yet to come! Praise be, dear listener. May many Warlord Visions visit you in your deepest dreams. 

#26: Ubuntu of Umbutu: DeObia Oparei, Here Be Our Plea!

Dear Mr. DeObia Oparei,

Greetings on this fine day! This message comes to you from Sean and Matt, curators of General Snobbery Podcast. As you have likely discovered via our tweets and Instagram posts, we are big fans of your work. Specifically, we adulate your work as Dikembe Umbutu in Independence Day: Resurgence, and we remain grateful for the celestial degree of joy it has brought our lives. 

With you, DeObia, we sense a great kinship.

While we wish not to elaborate too much in this episode description, we beseech you to give this episode a listen during a few free moments you may find amidst your busy, illustrious life (perhaps whilst relaxing in a crystal-laden bathtub with candles and incense burning?). We have an offer for you, a plea if you will, over which we hope you will let your mind wander in your meditations. It is our sincere hope that you will consider being interviewed by us on General Snobbery, that we may get to know the man behind the machetes, the ubuntu of Umbutu. 

Should you decide to share a few moments of your time with we lowly plebeians, know that a great gift will be coming your way, both in the physical and in the spiritual. All information w/r/t contacting us can be found on our website, generalsnobbery.com. Yet in truth, given our positive interactions on Twitter, we believe a Twitter DM will be the best bridge between our distant worlds.

We thank you, Mr. DeObia, for your sincerity, your generosity of spirit, and your bringing to be of Dikembe Umbutu. May many profound visions come your way. 

With hearts of gratitude,

Sean and Matt
General Snobbery Podcast

PS: If you wish to gauge our interviewing abilities before agreeing, you might have a listen to episodes X-XII, all of which take the interview format. Fare thee well.