Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but I'm fairly certain Snakes on a Plane has changed the course of my future.
How is this even possible, you may ask?
Well, I had always planned to go to grad school, but had been debating in which faculty, what to study, etc. Having gone to see Snakes on a Plane yesterday with Brad and Jim, I realized that I really ought to do something with the theory of media, culture and/or communication.
Without going into it in too much detail, I honestly believe that Snakes on a Plane will go down as a significant film in the history of cinema. Sure, it's not going to win any Oscars or other serious awards, but that's not why it has secured it's place in the history books -- it has far more to do with the context of its release.
It embodies the arrival of 21st century postmodernity to the Hollywood system, and I think, will be remembered as the first film in which the democratization of the Internet really had an effect on a traditionally top-down method of film distribution. This movie is a symbol (and really the first, I believe) of a cultural shift that has been in the making for several years now. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this, and to a greater degree, in the future. Snakes on a Plane pulls no punches, you know exactly what you're going to get from the title of the film. This honesty found a lot of favour among bloggers who immediately picked up on the absurdity of the concept and began promoting the film months before it's theatrical release. This alone is revolutionary, but even more interesting is the fact that New Line then went back and shot several more days of footage MONTHS after the production had wrapped, in order to accomodate the Internet hype. New Line also relinquished the rights for official merchandise (which is UNHEARD of) opting instead to promote fan-based creations. Anyway, I'll leave it at that, as I could (and probably now will) write essays about the fascinating cultural phenomenon that is Snakes on a Plane. As always, Wikipedia has some good background info if you are interested in reading any more.
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3 comments:
Yes.. it's true I was there! Snakes on a Plane really did produce a Damascus experience in Chris!
Considering that Chris bought his first movie camera (saved his paper route money) and started making movies at age 12, I'm not quite so surprised at thie turn of events. He also made audio tapes from about age 3. And books and media have been central to his life always.
Perhaps instead of being surprised,I'm more delighted that he has found himself in the place where he started and where he always belonged!
Yah, gotta see it.
I miss you guys. :-(
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