Musical Thesis: The Ten (August 2024)

The Ten is an ever-evolving list of music I am digging. Be sure to check back often, because the list is always changing. To listen to the playlist, please click below.  

2024 is turning into a strange year for music. In the last eight months, I’ve added nearly 3,000 songs to my library, but much of my year has been dominated by a live acoustic album and a movie soundtrack. As I continue to dig through these new additions, I am uncovering songs reaching across the spectrum of human emotion. In these ten songs, you will hear somber songs, pulsing songs, songs that are energetic, focused, heart breaking, and character focused.   

As you dig through the list, I am interested in hearing what emotions these songs evoke for you.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

Cinephile: The Ten (April 2024)

The Ten is a ranking of the ten best films watched in a calendar year... so far. New films, old films, theatrical releases, and streaming adventures, all movies are considered. Many films will enter, but only the ten best will make the list. Every movie watched in 2023 has the potential to shake up the list. Be sure to check back often and let me know what you think. 

Goodfellas  

Occasionally, I need a friendly reminder of the power of cinema. When I do, I often reach for Goodfellas. This movie, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci, continues to fascinate me. If you forced me to do so, it is one of those films that would rank high on a list of my favorite films of all time. I wholeheartedly believe the story it tells to be that good.  

12 Years a Slave  

12 Years a Slave possesses the power to change you in ways few films can. I have revisited this film a few times now and every single time I find something new to appreciate about it. The first time I watched it, it confronted my own white privilege. The second time, I watched the film with my mother. She allowed me to ask questions about her experiences and what it meant to live through the Civil Rights Movement. This last time, I watched with the understanding there is a political movement afoot in our country focused on revising history. None of these journeys have been easy, but each one has been deeply necessary.  

The Whale  

The Whale is an empathy-inducing-machine. It is a world with a mission. Placing us firmly in the shoes of someone standing on the outside of society, we feel pain and a sense of longing that might otherwise be foreign to us. From my perspective, I found the entire experience to be deeply moving. For now, I do not know if it is an experience I am hungry to revisit soon. That should not deter you. I strongly recommend this film. Afterward, I also recommend you spend some time with how it made you feel.  

Close  

Awkwardness defines your teenage years. As you grow into yourself, you discover your identity, your likes, dislikes, and the things that bring you joy and pain. It is an age defined by transition. Close spends its time examining the lives of two young friends. We analyze their relationship, as well as their explorations of who they are and who they want to be. The story is hard to watch and challenging. I would encourage you to stay the course. I am confident there is a better version of yourself on the other side of this film.  

The Dark Knight  

The Dark Knight remains the comic book movie by which I judge all others. No longer relegated to the cartoonish corners of the cinema landscape, this film offers a serious take on the genre. By focusing on character development, presenting a nuanced villain hellbent on anarchy, and a hero tested by his limits, this is a film I still hold in high regard. After more than a decade of the Marvel and DC cinematic universe, very little compares to it.  

Spotlight  

I admit it. I have a natural bias when it comes to films centered on journalism. My education and early career aspirations make it nearly impossible for me to judge these movies fairly. Luckily for me, Spotlight is one of the best crafted films ever made focused on investigative journalism. From pitch to publication, it wonderfully builds a world where the stakes seem high, and the dead ends seem real. Sure, it can over-romanticize the profession. Still, it remains a film by which I judge all others in the space.  

La La Land  

When I review a film, the first question I ask myself is simple. How did that experience make me feel? Based on a film’s ability to elicit emotion, I begin a deeper process of trying to understand its underlying message. La La Land makes me feel happy and nostalgic for my time spent in Los Angeles. It perfectly captures the energy and creativity that defines LA. It asks the audience to dream boldly. It makes me smile from ear to ear. At times, that is all I need.  

Lincoln  

I am a sucker for a well-made biopic. Lincoln places us firmly in the center of the Civil War and in the shoes of men and a society wrestling with the abolishment of slavery. Around meeting tables, in the halls of power, and deep in debate, we see power wielded, flexed, and shaped by men who helped turn the tides of our history.  

Free Solo 

The first time I watched Free Solo was at the cinema. On a large silver screen, I watched in astonishment as Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo El Capitan inside of Yosemite National Park. My second experience with this film was from the relative safety of my home. Naturally, I was worried the film might lose some of its impact. This time around, I found myself less focused on the vistas and towering heights. Instead, I soaked up the people surrounding Alex and their challenges. It provided another layer I felt during my first viewing. This time around, I appreciated it so much more.  

Field of Dreams  

Field of Dreams reminds me of time spent with my dad. In the front yard, we would practice fielding and batting. On the baseball diamond, he would coach my little league team. You really get to know your father when you see him through the eyes of other children. This film made me miss him deeply, and those summers spent together playing a sport we deeply loved.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan

Musical Thesis: The Ten (February 2022)

The Ten is an ever-changing list of music I am digging. Be sure to check back often, because the list is always changing. To listen to the playlist, please click HERE. 

The first playlist in this series nicely wraps up the previous year. If you missed it, I named First Aid Kit’s Who by Fire: Live Tribute to Leonard Cohen as my favorite album of 2021. To prepare for that essay, I spent a lot of time with First Aid Kit, but they do not have this playlist all to themselves. Willie Nelson and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, both who made appearances on my ten favorite songs of the year list, join the party. Taken together as a collection of songs, I hear a theme. Religion, poetry, and classic songwriting are very present here. Most of these songs are also very somber, reflective, and approachable. Spending time with them has given me a lot to contemplate, but they have also made me appreciate the power of a live performance. They really make me miss live music. 

First Aid Kit—Suzanne 

First Aid Kit—Who by Fire/As the Mist Leaves No Scar 

First Aid Kit—Prayer for Messiah 

Willie Nelson—Learnin’ the Blues 

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah—Where They Perform Miracles 

First Aid Kit—You’d Sing Too 

First Aid Kit – Hallelujah 

First Aid Kit—Everybody Knows 

First Aid Kit—Chelsea Hotel #2 

First Aid Kit—The Future 

Be good to each other, 

Nathan 

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Cinephile: The Ten (January 2022)

The Ten is a ranking of the ten best films watched in a calendar year... so far. New films, old films, theatrical releases, and streaming adventures, all movies are considered. Many films will enter, but only the ten best will make the list. Every movie watched in 2022 has the potential to shake up the list. Be sure to check back often and let me know what you think.

The Tragedy of Macbeth  

Open a can of tennis balls and smell the potential. That is how 2022 feels. Undoubtedly, my favorite film of the year will change before we pop the champagne on the 31st of December, but for now, The Tragedy of Macbeth has left an impression of me I cannot shake. Featuring stellar performances from Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, this familiar story is given new life thanks to the vision of director Joel Coen. Coen chooses a minimalistic approach that enhances the dread, perilousness, and ominous nature of this story. Without a doubt, this film breathes new life into Shakespeare’s famous play and left me in awe.  

V for Vendetta  

Every couple of years, I return to V for Vendetta. During the Trump years, it felt like required viewing in the same way that 1984 felt like mandatory reading. In the shadow of those dark days, this film now feels like a cautionary tale. If we are not careful, misinformation, exploitation of current events, governmental surveillance, and rights sacrificed for the greater good will form a slippery slope leading to a reality few of us will recognize.  

The Imitation Game  

The Imitation Game is one of the best movies released in 2014. Looking back on the life of Alan Turing, you see his brilliance, sacrifice, work, and how the world reacted to his homosexuality on full display. In the years following this movie, this film means more to me. Throughout history, who else has had their work discounted because they looked or loved differently? Who are the heroes lost to time because of prejudice and discrimination? When I think about the life of Alan Turing, my heart breaks for those who will never fully get the credit they deserve.  

Licorice Pizza  

Licorice Pizza is the newest film from acclaimed director, Paul Thomas Anderson. It focuses on a fascinating relationship between Alana Kane (Alana Haim), Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), and a struggle to make it in 1973’s San Fernando Valley. Watching these two chase their dreams and settle for get reach schemes, I was reminded how fun going to the movies can be. In the madness of what has become modern cinema, we have forgotten original stories transfixed on relatable characters can bring joy and fascination. Mr. Anderson, thanks for reminding us once again.  

Don’t Look Up  

Don’t Look Up features an all-star cast comprising Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and many more. Directed and written for the screen by Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short), the film attempts to a draw a parallel line between the depiction of an asteroid heading for Earth and a populace that won’t heed their warning to how we are responding to the climate crisis in the real world. In lots of ways, this film doesn’t stick its landing perfectly, but I think we should commend it for its execution.  

Insomnia  

Starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams and directed by Christopher Nolan, Insomnia is one of those films I have been meaning to watch for years. On a frigid January night, I finally pulled the trigger and made it happen. The film focuses on two Los Angeles homicide detectives who are called upon to assist with a murder investigation in a small Alaskan town. Boiling beneath the surface of this movie are subplots that have a habit of exploding at just the right time. When these truths are realized, this movie gets exceptionally good!  

The Matrix Revolutions  

I know The Matrix Revolutions is controversial. For many movie-goers, it felt like a letdown when compared to the previous two entries in the series. I hear those complaints, but still find myself willing to defend this film. With all its symbolism, mystery, and intrigue, I find something new to appreciate about what it is trying to convey each time I watch it. Is it the weakest film of the original trilogy? Yes, but it still entertains.  

The Matrix Resurrections 

The Matrix Resurrections spends almost every second of its run time trying to justify its own existence. By doing so, it undoes foundational work that began over 20 years ago, all to breathe life into a series that did not need to be resurrected. Without a doubt, there is still a lot to like about this movie. It is beautiful to behold. It is packed with surprises for die-hard fans and nostalgia. It leaves you thirsty for more, but in these pursuits the film never stops to ask whether it should.  

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul  

Released in 1974, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a story about a lonely, German widow who falls in love with a much younger, Arab worker in the decades following World War II. Surprising friends and family, they marry and must carry the weight of their decision. This film has a lot to say about racial tensions and how we view age gaps in relationships.  

Boy  

Boy is the story of an 11-year-old who is a devout Michael Jackson fan living on the east coast of New Zealand of 1984. When Boy’s absentee father returns after a stint in jail, the family is thrown into chaos as a search for money buried years ago is launched. In this search, this film’s awkward and dark sense of humor may shine. From beginning to end, this film made me laugh, but it also possesses a lot of heart. This movie is filled to the brim with countless moments that made me think of my father and our relationship.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan

This website exists because of readers and supporters. If what you just read made you smile, please consider supporting the website with a monthly gift. Your support means everything and proves to the world that original content still matters.

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