#9: 9/11, 90s Movies, South Park, and the Death of the American Dream

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, where a filmic moment is suddenly cast across America's screens as reality and not spectacle? How has the Hollywood landscape changed in the wake of that catastrophe? We posit that a certain darkness is present in contemporary action films that cannot be found in most 90s films, a darkness telling us that all might not work out in a world where "terror" lurks in the shadows.

Films discussed include Ransom, American Beauty, Fight Club, The Truman Show, and Team America, with a particularly long segment dedicated to our most favorite of shows, South Park. Shout out to the great Roger Ebert for informing many of our thoughts. 

Links:

• Here's that great compilation of Harrison Ford frantically speaking about his family issues in several films. 
• Hillary Clinton chillin' in Cedar Rapids. 
• John Oliver interviews Edward Snowden in Moscow. 
• Roger Ebert trashes South Park: Bigger, Longer Uncut

#8: Air Force One

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. Regardless, it turns out that this movie is filled with endless joy. So much joy! Boy. Let me tell you. Watching a giant CGI airplane crashing into the Caspian Sea, somersaulting into oblivion, is just as enjoyable in 2016 as it was in 1997. Please, one listener, fly aboard this snob of many, many laughs as we unlock the many treasures of this fantastically delightful film.

Join us again in two weeks when we use Air Force One to ascend into the infinite skies of 90s action films, questioning what they, compared with contemporary action films, tell us about the human condition. 

Oh, and the actor whose name we couldn't remember is Philip Baker Hall. Sorry, Phil. 

#7: Film and Philosophy

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 topics as Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Heidegger's Being and Time, smartphones, paradigm shifts, Infinite Jest, and Ken Wilber. Can film be art? Should film be art? Can film save the world? How the heck did Independence Day: Resurgence lead us here? We may never know. Yet as we evolve, transcending and including what hath come before, so we delve deeper into the infinite realm of snobbery, following its wonderful directions wherever they may lead. 

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