#45: Disney, Marvel, and the Seven Faces of John Boyega

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In the image you see, John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) has seven faces. Each one is smaller than the one before. This is an image that Matt made, and ever since that moment, it has baffled both of us. It appears boundlessly significant, and yet, time and time again, we are left with the question: what does it mean? 

In today's snob, we delve deeply into these many Boyega faces, contemplating possible meanings ranging a diverse spectrum. We consider the suggestions provided by some of our beloved listeners, such as Amanda Pumpkins' connection to René Magritte's classic painting The Son of Man. What does it mean when the apple becomes a tiny Boyega face? 

In a shocking turn of events, Boyega's many faces ultimately leads us to a new chapter of this snobbing endeavor: the felt responsibility to watch every single film of the Marvel Universe, from beginning to end, and snob about them as we go. For we have grown suspicious of Empire Disney and Darth Marvel, and we must learn more of what mysterious signs they are providing. For perhaps only in so doing may we discover the truth behind the layers of Boyega and glimpse the appearance behind the apple. 

We intend to approach this mission with the concentration and patience of Tibetan monks creating sand mandalas, like those in the video below. We know that this endeavor will challenge us, and perhaps it will damage our psyches to an irreparable degree. But we must continue the search, and we must discover the truth of Boyega. He may be mankind's last hope. 

#4: The Martian Part Two: Beyond the Damon

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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 influence on the climax, and the characters' roles not as characters but as deliverers-of-exposition--the conversation meanders into realms neither your hosts nor Matt Damon could have foreseen. What woe hath becommeth this flatlining Hollywood system? How does an illusory notion of "quality" continue to veil the populace's perception? Does commenting on a genre necessarily yield transcendence of that genre, a la Deadpool? How shall we respond in a filmic system that recycles material to repackage as propaganda-infused advertisements for a failing federal agency called NASA? Woe may be the way for many, but for others, the only logical response to the madness may be found through the lost art of snobbery. 

Our deepest gratitude to McMannus Pottery Co. for sponsoring today's episode. May our snobs be with you, always, eternally, dear listener.