On this instalment of Themes & Memes, we return to the subject of converging technologies via the 2015 indie film 'Creative Control'. Directed by Benjamin Dickinson and distributed by Amazon Films, the film casts Dickinson himself as 'David', a hip, NYC based advertising executive tasked with marketing 'Augmenta' glasses; the latest in augmented reality technology. After being given a pair to test out, we follow David's descent into the hedonism of the NYC Hipster scene, as he pursues an affair and drifts further into distractions and escapism.
Topics Discussed Include: Creative Control, Google Glasses, Augmented Reality, Amazon Films, Benjamin Dickinson, Gavin McInnes, Advertising, Music Videos, NYC, 'Augmenta', Autobiographical Story, Hipster Lifestyle, Yoga, New Age, Relationship Dynamics, Sexual Appetites, Affairs, Infidelity, Occult Principles, Promiscuity, Reality Vs Fantasy, Guilty Pleasures, 'Sexting', Distractions, Pandering to Base Desires, Present Moment Awareness, Advertising, Philosophy of Marketing, Lack of Focus, Younger Generation, ADHD, Escapism, Virtual World, Marketing of Converging Technologies, Tailor Made for Hipsters, Devotion to Fashion & Trends, Inability to Escape the System.
On this episode, we take a serious look at a ridiculous film in 'Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' from 2006. Being the second instalment in Will Ferrell's 'Mediocre American Male' film trilogy, we deconstruct the ways in which this sub-genre of comedy mocks conservative American culture, most especially the presidency of George W. Bush and the mainstream conservative value system. We also look at the 'Sabido Method' of transposing social norms through screenplay, along with other tricks of stagecraft such as the use of comedic extremes, real-word references, and self-satirical product placement.
Topics discussed include: Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Judd Apato, Adam McKay, 'Mediocre American Male', Comedic Actors, Genres of Comedy, Popular Culture, NASCAR, Anchorman, Deconstruction of Conservative Values, Contemporary Morality Play, Risque Humour, Conservatism, Right Wing Politics, Cultural Demographics, Christianity, George W. Bush, DuPont, DynCorp, Halliburton, Carlyle Group, KFC, McDonalds, Product Placement, Self-Satire, Sasha Baron Cohen, Perrier, France, LGBT, Sophistication, Character Archetypes, Frontrunner vs Underdog, Debasement, Degeneracy, Gender Roles, Denigration of the Male, Juvenile Behaviour, Drugs, Homoeroticism, Sexually Inappropriate Themes, Profanity, Sabido Method, Breaking Down Prejudices, Changing Moral Values, Comedic Technique, Lack of Judgement, Identification with Archetypes, Stupidity, Comedic Extremes, Pushing the Envelope, Political Statements, Dialectics, Liberalism vs Conservatism, Toilet Humour, Subversive Impact of Comedies.