A cult classic that has only ripened since its release in 1998, a loony Chandler-noir featuring cannabis, White Russians, and a surfeit of bowling imagery, The Big Lebowski is an unforgettable comedy whose parts are greater than the whole (which is a whirling mishmash of action, absurdity, and subterfuge). These parts, outshining alone the film as a single impression, make up its many glorious moments, its satire and absurdity, its casual self-amusement, and its straight-faced insouciance. Among these outstanding parts are the characters of The Dude, Walter Sobchak, and Theodore Kerabatsos; Maude Lebowski and Jesus Quintana; the Big Lebowski and Brandt; the eccentricities of Walter, the silencing of Donny, and…
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“One day, when in the opinion of the world one has long been educated, one discovers oneself: that is where the task of the thinker begins; now the time has come to invoke his aid—not as an educator but as one who has educated himself and thus has experience.” –Friedrich Nietzsche Like many of those suffering through the dry, endless, prosaic hours of the classroom, I struggled during the years of my education to pay attention to what the teacher had demanded, cajoling schoolchildren that had long since divided themselves into the tiers of institutional excellence: the obsequious and the fawning, the girly brown-noses, the front-rowers, the A-students; the middle…
