#24: The Truman Show's Compassionate Core

What a true man. 

As the butterfly emerges form the cocoon--reborn, resurrected, entire--it floats on the breeze, a being somehow the same as the caterpillar it once was, a being somehow different. If only we could see this metamorphosis in a human being, that we may draw limitless inspiration and joy.

Praise be (prayer emoji) to the universe, director Peter Weir gave us this gift in The Truman Show, a film as masterfully crafted and as chortle-worthy as it is profound. Truman (Jim Carrey) is an Everyman living a life of ideal American standards, a life that is, according to all of his friends, perfect. And yet, Truman feels a longing for travel and for the world beyond his limited existence, an existence whose limits he does not fully understand. Maybe, Truman thinks, there is more to life than new kitchen utensils, a mortgage, or even a cold six pack that his friend Marlon always has. To escape the confined world he knows, Truman will have to listen to his soul instead of everyone around him, who, at the behest of the powerful Christof (Ed Harris) work to thwart Truman's real self.

Christof (Ed Harris), a face of compassion.

For those who thought Jim Carrey was only good at speaking from his rear end, think again. This movie has masterful performances by Carrey, Harris, and the always delightful Laura Linney. If you are a True Snob, you will put on your life vest, enter the revolving door, and touch the sky with us, as we all seek to be True. So grab yourself one of Marlon's beers or fix yourself some Mococoa Mix--no artificial sweeteners--and follow the North Star to 🇫🇯 (Fiji).

(A special thanks to Mr. Philip Glass for offering your music to this wonderful film and thus this episode of the podcast.)

#23: Inferno: What In Hell Is Happening?

"Dirty" Tom Hanks stars in this terrible new film. 

There are not many good things to say about the new film Inferno. In fact, there might not be any. It's horrible. Truly excruciating to bear. Fortunately, with special guest David Spitz at our side, we find plenty to snob about re: this terrible offering from washed-up director Clint Howard. The newest film in the Dan Brown adaptation-series that began with 2006’s The Da Vinci Code, Inferno follows the misadventures of ole Robby Langdon (played by Tom “Chilly-T” Hanks) as he follows a new trail of symbols. But hey, this time he has amnesia! So what’s been happening in the past? Why is he here? Why are any of us here, watching this horrible movie? Some questions are not meant to be answered, which is the premise upon which Clint Howard’s new film is founded. Should you choose to see Inferno, know fully that you are choosing to descend into a place of horror and despair, a place of confusion and chaos, where no pillars of value stand. This is an irrelevant movie that should not be seen. So tune into this new episode of General Snobbery! You don’t want to miss it! 

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This painting by Botticelli is important in Inferno, I think. 

#22: Matt Trolled Spiritual Gangster

“Who’s the #Sandra in your life?” This is one of the many questions that we ask on today’s episode of General Snobbery. As much as we enjoyed critiquing the evil corporation known as "Spiritual Gangster" on last week’s episode, we realized that we’d left out a very important detail: the origin story of our despising of that evil corporation.

It all began on a simple day of Instagram #wanderlust, when suddenly Matt stumbled upon this company’s page. Filled with bafflement, filled with rage, he responded in the only way he could: by trolling Spiritual Gangster. It was only a matter of time before they blocked him, just as it is only a matter of time before they block General Snobbery. But before they blocked him, Matt left behind some shimmering relics of Snobbery-style trolling, which involves not the name-calling and ridicule of a Bro-type approach, but rather the creation of a particular persona that develops comment by comment, gradually leading the social media master of Spiritual Gangster to believe that this created persona is actually completely insane. 

We hope you join us for a laughter-filled episode, Listener. Should you enjoy, would you be so kind as to subscribe to us on iTunes? Or perhaps to leave a kind review? We thank you dearly. Fare thee well.