Snakes! On a plane!

This summer, society will experience an event that will define a generation, if not a century. Maybe even a millennium. Theaters will release a movie that is sure to pass "The Passion of the Christ" in recent cultural relevance as well as "Citizen Kane" in historic cinematic achievement. The movie, of course, is "Snakes on a Plane."\nYou haven't heard of "Snakes on a Plane?" Well, let me enlighten you. The premise of the thriller is that an assassin lets loose a case of snakes ... on a plane. Rarely does a movie's title convey such important plot information, but "Snakes on a Plane" is no ordinary movie.\nDespite the movie's B-movie premise, it recruited Samuel L. Jackson, already somewhat of a cult figure because of his role in movies like "Pulp Fiction," to star as the FBI agent trying to protect the witness who is the target of these deadly snakes. After these details become public, the movie became something of an online cult phenomenon. The buzz (or hiss?) has reached the point where CNN.com ran a story earlier this week about the obsession, which manifests itself mostly as parody. Blogs, fake posters, fake trailers and Photoshop software have all played roles in elevating the cult following.\nYou either find this funny or you don't. For me, I can't help but laugh at the fake trailers at www.youtube.com that juxtapose dramatic music with screenshots that alternate between idiotic statements and video footage that invariably depicts Jackson as Mace Windu.\nBut there is a lesson to be gleaned from all this, I promise.\nThe use of parody for comedic ends has become overwhelming, and it isn't limited to "Snakes on a Plane." You might have seen or heard of a Saturday Night Live video sketch called "Lazy Sunday." In this video, SNL cast members parody rap videos by making their own hardcore rap with lyrics about watching the "Chronicles of Narnia" and using Google Maps to find a theater. The video had barely emerged before alternative versions such as "Lazy Muncie" began to pop up. We are making parodies of parodies.\nAs for "Snakes on a Plane," instead of merely mocking culture, parody can actually change it -- sometimes quite literally and immediately. Using Jackson's role in "Pulp Fiction" as inspiration, many of the mock trailers and posters for the movie feature dialogue from Jackson along the lines of "I want these fuckin' snakes off this muthafuckin' plane!" You get the idea.\nAs a result of the massive Internet following, New Line Cinema allowed for the reshooting of several scenes that will take the movie from a PG-13 rating to R. The reason? The producers wanted scenes in which Jackson could have lines similar to those in the mock trailers.\nThat's pretty amazing. Someone should parody it.