Ladies and gentlemen, THE summer jam of 2009

[Moetown]

I'm just saying that he didn't sound like a man with a plan last night. I'm certainly not being swayed by anybody.

[Jeff]

We need a new daily topic.

[Moetown]

On a different subject -

It's possible for shrimp to be too good.

[Doctor Rock]

We need a new daily topic.

Okee dokee. 

[matthew]

No really, is that a band or something? 

I don't know. I never heard of them before, either. We just happened to notice that there were some professional bangers (along with crew, techies, security and managers) standing outside the hotel of the Doubletree Plaza Hotel around the corner from here (it sits on the side of the Sherbrooke overpass that runs across Berri). We couldn't manage to identify them visually, but later we looked up who was supposed to be in town, and we clearly identified one of them from the pictures of some band named Black Label Society, the one big $40 metal show that happened to be on last night.

[matthew]

This is absolutely unbelievable.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/-6KGZ4UQjgc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/-6KGZ4UQjgc</a>

I found it very unsettling.

I posted that (long with the other good evangelical propaganda video clips) the other day in my deeply buried Everything Good from Everything is Terrible thread.

[matthew]

Matt, let's call a spade a spade here...you've been a beacon of intellectual/academic rigor (at least since I've been here) and (what I thought was) cynicism (which, to my mind, including my own self actually, might mean idealism of a fashion), and you're saying in the previous thread that these descriptions are insulting in some way? I know you're all distracted-in-love-and-too-busy-to-drop-by-crappity-regularly, but............... dude, you're still a goob, right? I mean, you haven't forgotten the little people who made you what you are?

I have no problem whatsoever with the ancient meaning of the word, but I am violently repulsed by the modern, kneejerk contrarian, the hipster poseur who reflexively rejects anything positive or humanistic as contrived, pretentious bourgeois fantasy or mawkish and manipulative sentimentalism. The thought that I might come across this way terrifies me. In fact, I touched upon this in a PM to Patrick not too long ago.

I am intellectually cautious (or at least try my best to be a practitioner of intellectual self defense) and am sometimes (sometimes? always?) initially skeptical of the professed altruism or alleged motivations of others, but I do not believe I am not as horribly jaded and cold-hearted as was implied.

"Imagine the best-made, most sincere, least-pandering movie about hope and unlikely happy endings you could ever think of... would Matthew like even that movie? No. Sorry, [...].

"I am only pointing out that cynicism runs core to your soul, so a movie like of that ilk never had a shot with you. You may as well have saved your two hours"

makes me sound like I have NO HEART whatsoever and I should not even contemplate watching films that require one. It was THIS definition of "cynicism" that I loathe.


Yes, I am the one who, as a teenager, wrote on the wall of my old bedroom my favorite quote from Leonardo da Vinci's writings: "Intellectual passion drives out Sensuality."

Yes, I dropped out of college because I could not stand the pseudo-intellectuals and jaded elitists that populated my liberal arts classes. I railed against sacred cows because I wanted to destroy the materialistic obsessions of all matter of snobs ...these were cynical pursuits, I admit... but my cynicism is an impassioned one, quite the opposite of what was suggested in what Jeff wrote.

   

[Jeff]

I wasn't saying you were heartless, Matthew. I think that's quite a leap from saying you were an inherently cynical moviegoer.

Do I think you "reflexively reject anything positive or humanistic as contrived, pretentious bourgeois fantasy or mawkish and manipulative sentimentalism"?  In life? Of course not. In film? Yeah, that was more or less my read on you at the movies. But I have always attributed that more to a restless desire to see something new than anything else. That said, the essence of being a "hipster poseur" is being a phony. And you, my friend are as sincere and without artifice as anyone I know. (That should read as a compliment.)

I have previously noted that you seem to have a distaste for most of the archetypal elements that tend to recur in film stories. Me, I like seeing someone try to reinvent the wheel from time to time, but am perfectly happy to see someone spin the holy hell out of the old one, too. But when you have gone after films I considered good because you felt they depended on older than dirt tropes and time-worn themes, it hit close to home, because I always knew that while I might disagree with you, your points were valid.

Really, though, this is all just me talking out my ass. Prove me wrong: give me a list of feel good movies you enjoy. I'll apologize in a nanosecond. I'm not not talking one or two exceptions that prove the rule, either. I mean a list.

Heartless? Nah. You're good people, and high on my list, as ever. I hope to meet you next year and tell you as much in person.

[Moetown]

Right after he beats your ass for being a heartless bastard.

[Jeff]

GET HIM! GET HIM!

 

[Moetown]

I found it very unsettling.

I posted that (long with the other good evangelical propaganda video clips) the other day in my deeply buried Everything Good from Everything is Terrible thread.

I haven't been reading as much crappity off the main pages lately. I thought it was the scariest movie I've seen in a while, and scary movies are just about all I watch.

[Doctor Rock]

[Poop Fresh-Herbed Pickles]

You dirty devil

[Just Some Girl]

Matt, let's call a spade a spade here...you've been a beacon of intellectual/academic rigor (at least since I've been here) and (what I thought was) cynicism (which, to my mind, including my own self actually, might mean idealism of a fashion), and you're saying in the previous thread that these descriptions are insulting in some way? I know you're all distracted-in-love-and-too-busy-to-drop-by-crappity-regularly, but............... dude, you're still a goob, right? I mean, you haven't forgotten the little people who made you what you are?

I have no problem whatsoever with the ancient meaning of the word, but I am violently repulsed by the modern, kneejerk contrarian, the hipster poseur who reflexively rejects anything positive or humanistic as contrived, pretentious bourgeois fantasy or mawkish and manipulative sentimentalism. The thought that I might come across this way terrifies me. In fact, I touched upon this in a PM to Patrick not too long ago.

I am intellectually cautious (or at least try my best to be a practitioner of intellectual self defense) and am sometimes (sometimes? always?) initially skeptical of the professed altruism or alleged motivations of others, but I do not believe I am not as horribly jaded and cold-hearted as was implied.

"Imagine the best-made, most sincere, least-pandering movie about hope and unlikely happy endings you could ever think of... would Matthew like even that movie? No. Sorry, [...].

"I am only pointing out that cynicism runs core to your soul, so a movie like of that ilk never had a shot with you. You may as well have saved your two hours"

makes me sound like I have NO HEART whatsoever and I should not even contemplate watching films that require one. It was THIS definition of "cynicism" that I loathe.


Yes, I am the one who, as a teenager, wrote on the wall of my old bedroom my favorite quote from Leonardo da Vinci's writings: "Intellectual passion drives out Sensuality."

Yes, I dropped out of college because I could not stand the pseudo-intellectuals and jaded elitists that populated my liberal arts classes. I railed against sacred cows because I wanted to destroy the materialistic obsessions of all matter of snobs ...these were cynical pursuits, I admit... but my cynicism is an impassioned one, quite the opposite of what was suggested in what Jeff wrote.

   

I get what you're saying. Sorry if your feelings were hurt (but I doubt very much Jeff would ever deliberately insult you and I know I certainly didn't mean anything by what I said either).

[matthew]

I wasn't saying you were heartless, Matthew. I think that's quite a leap from saying you were an inherently cynical moviegoer.

Do I think you "reflexively reject anything positive or humanistic as contrived, pretentious bourgeois fantasy or mawkish and manipulative sentimentalism"?  In life? Of course not. In film? Yeah, that was more or less my read on you at the movies. But I have always attributed that more to a restless desire to see something new than anything else. That said, the essence of being a "hipster poseur" is being a phony. And you, my friend are as sincere and without artifice as anyone I know. (That should read as a compliment.)

I have previously noted that you seem to have a distaste for most of the archetypal elements that tend to recur in film stories. Me, I like seeing someone try to reinvent the wheel from time to time, but am perfectly happy to see someone spin the holy hell out of the old one, too. But when you have gone after films I considered good because you felt they depended on older than dirt tropes and time-worn themes, it hit close to home, because I always knew that while I might disagree with you, your points were valid.

Really, though, this is all just me talking out my ass. Prove me wrong: give me a list of feel good movies you enjoy. I'll apologize in a nanosecond. I'm not not talking one or two exceptions that prove the rule, either. I mean a list.

Heartless? Nah. You're good people, and high on my list, as ever. I hope to meet you next year and tell you as much in person.

See, I was not even clear enough in my responses to put an end to this anxiety. I know that you don't see me as heartless ... I was only perturbed by the possible interpretations of what you wrote... and so I freaked out a little.

No worries.