#34: Mr. Roland Emmerich, Hear Our Plea!

Dear Mr. Roland Emmerich, 

Mr. Roland Emmerich, the Master of Visions, Contemplating the Cosmos

Good day to you! We send you great joy and light from General Snobbery Podcast! 

As you know, we are great fans of your work. In fact, we have made it quite plain to our listeners that Independence Day: Resurgence is the definitive film of our podcast. Thus, we recorded this episode for you, Mr. Emmerich, that we might bring a shred of joy to your life in repayment for all the joy you have brought ours. 

We are well aware of your busyness, and we are most grateful for your continual creativity (and for your gifts!). Yet should you find a few spare moments whilst driving, flying, or perhaps lounging in the ole tub after a long and productive day, we sure hope you pop on this episode that we have recorded for you. While our pronunciation of the German words in our introduction may be flawed, know that we attempted these words in an effort to show our love and appreciation for all you do. 

We need not say more here, but know that in this episode, there lies a proposition. We hope that you consider it. Should you find joy and/or delight at the thought of entertaining this proposition, you know how to contact us. 

Thank you, Mr. Emmerich, for all that you have brought us and the world. Regardless of your response, know that we have great respect for you and eagerly anticipate what future projects you will bring to be. 

With love, joy, and gratitude,

Matt and Sean
General Snobbery Podcast

INTRO LYRICS

Roland E. it’s G. Snobbery
Coming at you from dimensions only YOU can see
With your warlord visions and your creativity
Giving people images of universal majesty 

Our torschlusspanik has arisen in our dreams
That if we don’t act soon, opportunity will leave
So we beseech of you on humble bended knee
You might listen to this episode recorded for thee

We await in space of gemütlichkeit
and invite you to join us in our seeking of the light
that the fight for understanding and an openness of mind
May possess and progress all of humankind 

For your fingerspitzengefühl inspires
Makes our luftschloss feel as real as our desires
So Master Emmerich hear now our plea
To unite with the forces of Eternal Snobbery! 
 

TRANSLATION OF GERMAN WORDS

Torschlusspanik - fear that time is running out to achieve life goals
Luftschloss - unrealistic desire, like airy castle
Gemütlichkeit - space of warmth and friendliness
Fingerspitzengefuhl - empathy with things and people

#32: The Big Lebowski

There is the occasional movie that earns the adage, "ever ancient, ever new."  The great Coen Brothers opus, The Big Lebowski, is one of these movies indeed.  Few movies are as quotable as this one, with its many F words, its right-winged Walter rants, and the wonderful voice serenades of Sam Elliot (and his mustache). 

In short, Lebowski is a True Snob's dream.  It is a complex machine that moves with absolute ease and enjoyment.  Sort of the cinematic equivalent of a Segway, only way cooler.  On the surface, The Big Lebowski is a film about a kidnapping.  Only, that is simply the surface.  Through the medium of brilliantly conceived - and always enjoyable - characters, the Coen Brothers take us into a world of philosophical universals, engaging cultural mentalities and evoking contemplations on time.

Liam (J. Hoosier), ever faithful to The Jesus

This episode marks the beginning of General Snobbery's new interview campaign.  While the main characters are a delight, even the smallest of characters tells a whole story in this film.  Sean and Matt have been fans of Liam for years.  Who is Liam?  He is Jesus' bowling sidekick, his apparent minion who follows and defends Jesus with absolute loyalty.  Liam, that is to say, James Hoosier, we seek your wisdom.  Help us understand this movie!  For while it is great, The Big Lebowski is a film about which words ultimately fall flat.  It can never be exhausted.

And so how can one know this film?  First, press the play button, Listener.  Let Sean and Matt help you a little.  And after you have done that, evoke the spirit of Ancient Israel, a spirit that embraces mystery in time and space.  For "generations come and go, but The Dude abides" (Ecclesiastes 1:4).

#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.