So for a few years now I have been listening to This American Life on NPR’s free weekly podcast. It is “that show by those hipster know-it-alls who talk about how fascinating ordinary people are” to quote theO.C. I don’t actually watch the O.C. but on NPR I heard them discussing how This American Life made it on to this fictional TV show. Anywho, this is a show that is so fascinating because it reveals what is true about me and about us as humans. They do shows about everyday minutiae that you would never think would make for interesting radio. For instance they did a show about superintendents, you know the guys who manage your building? One of my favorite shows was a show all about testosterone, don’t ask me why, I think it just brought to light something that you would never ordinarily think about. Another show that I loved was a show about Guantanamo Bay and things that you never knew you wanted to know.
There is also a television series on Showtime which is even more fascinating because I don’t have to imagine what things look like, what the places they visit look like. (although there is something to be said for getting to use my imagination as an adult) The show last night was incredible, they filmed an Iraqi 20 something, that lives in America and travels around the Midwest and the South asking people why they voted for the war in Iraq. I was so surprised by the answers people gave. I am shocked that many people in this country live in such ignorance. I would encourage anyone seeking truth, seeking beauty in life and in human kind to give this show a chance either on the radio or on TV.
There is something to be said for the movie that can hold your attention despite the curious lack of anything actually happening. This has to be one of my favorite genres because it allows the audience to really get to know the characters and know their motivations and their idiosyncrasies. Any movie can have a great plotbut the delivery, if wrong, can ruin the entire movie. Since I LOVE people and figuring out why they do what they do, this is the ideal form of art to me even though the characters are fictional, they are relateable and I often see parts of myself in the struggling heroes.
The following are a list of my favorites.
Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach dir./writer)- 5 guys graduate college and spend the entire length of the movie trying to determine what to do next and where they went wrong.
Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater dir/writer)-2 twenty somethings meet on a train in Europe and decide to get off the train and explore Vienna discussing philosophy and falling in love.
Before Sunset (Richard Linklater dir/writer)-Sequal to Before Sunrise, this time the two meet up again 10 years later and determine that not much has changed and they are still thinking of one another.
Waking Life (Richard Linklater dir/writer)-Brilliantly animated story involving a young man in a dream meeting different people and discussing the meaning of life.
Dazed and Confused (guess?–Richard Linklater dir/writer)-This one follows kids graduating from high school, great one-liners, excellent soundtrack and an all around good time.
Holy crap this rollercoaster was an adventure. I am surprised i didn’t barf all over the place. Check it out next time you are at Magic Mountain in CA.