Cinephile No. 766 "At Eternity's Gate"

Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Director: Julian Schnabel, Writers: Jean-Claude Carriere, Julian Schnabel, Starring: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac

Plot: “A look at the life of the painter, Vincent van Gogh, during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.” -IMDB

Review: Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most renowned painters to have ever lived. Famous for his impressionistic style, “At Eternity’s Gate” attempts to frame the artist in a new light. By doing so, we uncover some truth about a man who is often spoken of in myths and legends. Thanks to yet another Oscar-worthy performance from Willem Dafoe this truth is real. It is visceral. It is impactful, and it will not soon be forgotten by the likes of me.

One of the first things you will notice about this movie is the camera style chosen by Director Julian Schnabel. By allowing the camera to linger, hold tight close-ups, and move violently, we get a sense of the lonely and maniacal visions that planted themselves in the mind of van Gogh. Most of this film is spent in quiet reflection as the artist takes in majestic vistas that inspired so much of his work. This solitude allows the camera to become a character in the film, but it also personifies the insanity and depression that had a choke hold on the artist.

I have often heard that every artist is a little insane and/or is doing battle with some pain buried deep in their life. Given that most of van Gogh’s challenges were mental, I can only imagine that there was a blurriness to how he interpreted the world. When I have been fortunate enough to stand before his creations, I see that blurriness come to fruition in the style of impressionism. In many ways, this film solidifies my suspicions.

The work of Vincent van Gogh and his innate ability to turn misery into art meant that he was destined for a different time than one in which he found himself. Rejected by critics and the larger public, he wouldn’t find great popularity until he passed. Dafoe, for his part, does a fantastic job of portraying the longing to be accepted. He also raised bigger questions that still, after all this time, need to be answered about mental health. In the end, this film left me at a loss for words and grasping for understanding about an artist’s relationship to eternity. For that and so many other reasons, I cannot recommend it enough.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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Musical Thesis: The Shins “Heartworms”

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE MUSICAL THESIS PLAYLIST

At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews aren’t about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.

The thesis behind “Heartworms” by The Shins is slightly mysterious and requires some detangling to find. It wasn’t until my third listen through the album that some themes began to emerge for me. As always, it is these themes that I attempt to tie to something much bigger.

First to emerge was “digging in.” Much of this album is about self-identification. The concept of digging in has so much to do with being firm in our beliefs, understandings, ways in which we see the world, and admitting what we don’t know. As we age, this sense of identity becomes easier to define. For a band that has been around for a while now and if you’ve spent significant time with their music, you get the sense they have arrived at a point of fully understanding who they are in the world at large and among their peers.

The idea of digging in then becomes even more reflective as the second concept, the way we look at ourselves, emerges fully formed. I don’t know if we should ever be satisfied with a life of comfort. There should always be things we should attempt to perfect about ourselves. Of course, we will never achieve all of these lofty ideas we have for ourselves, but the pursuit must mean something. It must and can bear fruit

Be good to each other,

Nathan

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Cinephile No. 764 "Vice"

“An Opportunity Man,” a review of “Vice” by Nathan H. Box

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Director: Adam McKay, Writer: Adam McKay, Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell

Plot: “The story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.” -IMBD

Review: “Behind every good man is a good woman” is how the old saying goes. From where I sit, I don’t know if I would call Dick Cheney a “good man.” With that said, the woman standing behind the future Vice President of the United States, Lynne Cheney, was the driving force behind the power he assumed. It was the pressure she applied that forced him to be a better man.  

Adam McKay who directed “The Big Short” about the 2008 financial crisis opens this story on a young Dick Cheney running line in Wyoming. After flunking out of Yale, Cheney has returned home. We find a man who drinks too much and cares too little for his future. With Lynne Cheney at his side, it is her pushing and prodding that begins to right the ship. In the blink of an eye, a man with no direction is turned into a man of opportunity. With this change, comes an unquenchable lust for power. We are also afforded an opportunity to see the softer side of the future Vice President as he plays the part of father and doting husband.

Throughout this movie, we get to laugh more than we should especially when you consider this film is about a Washington bureaucrat. The comedy that is found here is thanks to the brilliant writing of McKay and an Oscar-worthy performance by Christian Bale who portrays the Veep. In fact, one of the most memorable scenes in the film takes place between the Cheney’s as they lie in bed and the script gives way to Shakespeare. These moments matter, because the power dynamic between the couple is an odd one; like the Underwood’s in “House of Cards.” Case in point, the Cheney’s at an event with then-President George H.W. Bush. As we watch them take in the room, you get the sense they are like snakes waiting in the grass calculating their moment to strike.

Of course, Dick Cheney’s coup de grace is 9/11. This is when he became one of the most consequential men in the history of the United States. It was that event and all the days following it where we got to see Dick flex his muscle and put into place his ideal form of government. As a student of history, the decisions he made and those he persuaded the president to make made an indelible mark on our country and the world putting us on a course where the ramifications are still being felt. If you are fishing for a better understanding of this period in time and the chaos it ensued, then I highly recommend giving this movie a chance.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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A Reader: “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk

As always, this is not a book report. Rather, it is an opportunity to discuss some ideas that stuck with me while reading “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk.

The Power of Addiction

Addiction is crippling. It possesses the power to destroy a person, family, and community. The range of addictions men and women find themselves in service to vary like shades of green. In this book, the addiction is sex, but the lessons remain the same. Addiction can take hold of a person’s life and never let go without a proper countervailing fight.

What stuck with me while reading this book is how ill-equipped we are to face addiction as a society. We spend millions on ad campaigns but turn rehabilitation over to the private market. We entrust those solely focused on profit with rehabilitation without a single thought given to the idea that making people whole again may not be in their economic interest. Until we come to terms with this reality, we can prepare ourselves to live in a world where people don’t improve. Instead, they maintain, do the time, and more often than not fall back into the same traps that caught them the first time.

The Power of Forgiving Yourself

There is tremendous power to be found in the act of first forgiving yourself for transgressions. No matter the level of severity, if we can make ourselves whole again, then we can begin to work on others. Depending on what transpired, that road may be long and winding, but it cannot be walked without first coming to terms with what you did wrong, creating a plan to correct your mistake, and then walking the path a better and more enlightened power. Without a doubt, there will be roadblocks ahead of you. You will trip, fall, and face people with no interest in forgiveness. These shortcomings matter very little if you have done the heavy lifting of forgiving yourself.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

Cinephile: Cinema for the Ages (2019)

These films were my five favorites of the 2019 Oscar Season. Click below to read the reviews of each.

“A Star Is Born,” click to read the review.

I try my hardest to not give films five-star reviews. No matter the art form, very little approaches the reality of perfection. “A Star Is Born” isn’t a perfect movie, yet it moved me in unexpected ways. It left me emotionally involved in its characters long after I had departed the theater. Its story shook me in ways I was unprepared to face. Its aftermath for me and everyone else who has seen it is Oscar worthy. This is why I am giving it 5-stars. This feeling of near perfection is all thanks to two people crossing paths.

“1985,” click to read the review.

As an out and proud gay man, I know the story of “1985” well. I don’t understand the urgency of needing to come home and confess something before it is too late, but I understand the feeling of coming home for the holidays and with the intention of sharing who you truly are and failing to do so. In more ways than I can count, I related to this black and white tale. On an emotional level, it shook me at my core. By the time it was all over, I was left distraught to ponder over one of the very best movies of the year.

“First Man,” click to read the review.

After an end to the Apollo missions, the American love affair with space began to lie dormant. Sure, we’d tune in for another satellite being launched into the furthest reaches of space, parts added to the International Space Station, or an astronaut breaking “time in space” records. Recently, thanks to the likes of Elon Musk and American cinema, we’ve begun looking at the stars and collectively dreaming once again. “Interstellar,” “The Martian,” and “Gravity” have helped fuel this idea that something like a manned mission to Mars is possible. Before we go further than any man has ever gone before, it is necessary to pause and realize where we’ve been. “First Man” is about those men and women who dare and have dared to do the impossible.

“Green Book,” click to read the review.

The plot of “Green Book” is predictable. Most of the time such a sentence is a nail in the coffin for a film. At the very least, it is strike one. That isn’t the case for this movie. Instead, this film is saved by the on-screen chemistry between Viggo Mortensen’s character, Tony Lip, and Mahershala Ali’s character, Dr. Don Shirley. Tony Lip is an opportunity man trying to make ends meet. Dr. Shirley is a classically trained pianist. As they drift into each other’s atmosphere, the real fun and drama of this film starts.

“Isle of Dogs,” click to read the review.

I have never given an animated film a five-star review. That changes today. It changes with Wes Anderson. I am an unabashed fan of Anderson. Sure, his writing and directorial style are quirky, strange, and tend to buck the norm. Still, inside of every single film is an extreme attention to detail; detail trending toward some sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In Wes Anderson films, every shot, every line, every scene, and the placement of every character is gone through with a fine-tooth comb. Every detail matters, because every film should matter. We, as audience members, deserve to be treated to something with this much love and devotion. Anything else is disrespectful to our intellect and our hard-earned money.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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Cinephile: My 2019 Oscar Ballot

If I were a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this is how I would vote for the 91st Oscars…

Actor in a Leading Role: Christian Bale, Vice

Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, Green Book

Actress in a Leading Role: Glenn Close, The Wife

Actress in a Supporting Role: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Animated Feature Film: Isle of Dogs

Cinematography: Roma

Costume Design: Black Panther

Directing: Roma

Documentary Feature: Minding the Gap

Documentary Short Subject: End Game

Film Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Foreign Language Film: Roma

Makeup and Hairstyling: Vice

Original Score: If Beale Street Could Talk

Original Song: “Shallow,” A Star is Born

Best Picture: A Star Is Born

Production Design: First Man

Animated Short Film: One Small Step

Live Action Short Film: Detainment

Sound Editing: First Man

Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Visual Effects: Ready Player One

Adapted Screenplay: A Star Is Born

Original Screenplay: First Reformed

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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Cinephile: My Year at the Movies (2019)

On Sunday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host the 91st Oscars. As is tradition this time of the year on Natetheworld, I am publishing my annual list of every movie I saw in the last year ranked from best to worst. Last year, I saw 66 films in a theater and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Be sure to comment below.

5 Star Films

1. A Star Is Born

2. 1985

3. First Man

4. Green Book

5. Isle of Dogs

6. Three Identical Strangers

7. Won’t You Be My Neighbor

8. Jonathan

9. At Eternity’s Gate

10. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

4 Star Films

1. Annihilation

2. Lean on Pete

3. Galveston

4. Roma

5. If Beale Street Could Talk

6. Eighth Grade

7. Ben Is Back

8. Vice

9. On the Basis of Sex

10. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

11. 2019 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts

12. 2019 Oscar Nominated Short Subject Documentaries

13. Avengers: Infinity War

14. First Reformed

15. The Wife

16. Bohemian Rhapsody

17. The Old Man and the Gun

18. Ashes in the Snow

19. Black Panther

20. Banana Split

21. Museo

22. The Rider

23. We the Coyotes

24. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

25. Love After Love

26. Ready Player One

27. Deadpool 2

28. Christopher Robin

3 Star Films

1. You Were Never Really Here

2. Unloveable

3. Blackkklansman

4. The Favourite  

5. Solace

6. Song of Back and Neck

7. 2019 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

8. American Animals

9. McQueen

10. Cold War

11. Mule

12. Aquaman

13. A Simple Favor

14. American Dreamer

15. Softness of Bodies

16. Project Involve Shorts

17. Mid90’s

18. Oceans 8

19. Staycation

20. The Wrong Todd

21. The Incredibles 2

22. The Death of Stalin

23. Sorry to Bother You

2 Star Films

1. Game Night

2. Ride

3. The Happy Time Murders

1 Star Films

1. A Skin So Soft

2. BuyBust
   

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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Cinephile No. 763 "Cold War"

“Love and Freedom” a review of “Cold War” by Nathan H. Box

Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM

Director: Pawel Pawlikowshi, Writer: Pawel Pawlikowshi, Starring: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc

Plot: “In the 1950s, a music director falls in love with a singer and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France.” -IMDB

Review: “Cold War” begins with a simple aim to collect the folk songs of Eastern Europe during the Cold War and communist Russia’s grip on that half of the continent. Moving from village to village, Wiktor, played by Tomasz Kot, is looking for the best of the best. While the end goal isn’t immediately clear, as a spectator and student of history you know the ultimate goal is to bring positive attention to the people and traditions under Russia’s control.

This search for talent brings Wiktor someone who infatuates him almost instantly. Zula, played by Jonna Kulig, is blonde, talented, beautiful, and sings with a spirit giving glory to her people. From the moment Wiktor lays eyes on her, he is in love. What seems like a normal relational drama shifts into something more complicated, as we are asked to question the meaning of love and art in communist Europe. With the potential to be truly free and live a life in France, our story becomes an endeavor on Wiktor’s behalf to convince Zula to flee to the west.

This film then enters into the “Sam & Diane” or “Jim & Pam” phase with the exception here being the very real divide of the Berlin Wall. This barrier keeps you guessing whether they will make it or not. It seems that every time they find each other some greater force pulls them apart and then forces them back together again. It would be impossible for this push and pull not to change a person and that is exactly what happens here. It also adds an additional layer of complexity to the story.

As the story escalates, the realities of the relationship seem to be impossible. Even after a return to where it all started, you are left unsure whether this thing can last. But isn’t that true of all relationships? No matter the level of complications facing a relationship, aren’t the cards always stacked against it? For beautifully displaying this drama and allowing it to play out during the Cold War, I think this movie is worthy of a night of streaming.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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Musical Thesis: Ryan Adams "Prisoner"

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE MUSICAL THESIS PLAYLIST

At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews aren’t about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.

Every Ryan Adams album is peppered with sadness. Yet, of everything he has done in his prolific career, the music on “Prisoner” is his most relatable. After the end of every relationship where I found myself madly in love, I’ve reached for Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds “Live at Luther College.” On repeat, you could find me sprawled out on my bedroom floor, crying, and searching for comfort in “Typical Situation.” These were losses that changed my whole world. As I listened to this album from Ryan Adams, I found a kindred spirit. Someone going through what I’ve been through. By channeling his pain through art, he has created a collection of songs I would reach for if I ever found myself in that dreaded position again.

In almost every song, you can sense disbelief that his marriage has ended. For any of us who follow Adams on social media, it is clear that disbelief exists to this day. But who among us hasn’t been there? The longer a relationship lasts, the longer you become attached to someone. When that falls apart, the grief can seem to last just as long. When I listen to this album, I don’t hear grief. What I hear is shock. For me, this is an interesting place in a person’s mind to give birth to a work of art. Not many artists before or since have focused on this space and time. Without a doubt, Adams sums up the feeling of something suddenly gone better than most.

In the natural order of things, we know what comes next. We mourn. We grow angry and then somewhere out of nowhere we find the strength to move on with our lives. I think albums such as this can serve as a springboard. They let us know what we are feeling isn’t unique. You and I aren’t the only people in human history to have their hearts broken and we won’t be the last. As sad as this album is, it can also comfort. For a rock and roll album, that’s pretty powerful.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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A Reader: “Sons of the Profits” by William Speidel

As always, this is not a book report. Rather, it is an opportunity to discuss some ideas that stuck with me while reading “Sons of the Profits” by William Speidel.

 Native Americans

Long before I claimed an apartment in West Seattle… Long before I moved into my dorm in Edmond… Long before my family settled on the plains of Oklahoma, these lands were cherished, cared for, and home to a proud race of people. It is these people who were on my mind while reading “Sons of the Profits.” While the book is primarily focused on the tribes occupying the Seattle area, it wasn’t hard for me to think of all the people who lived in places I have ever called home. I imagined their joy, struggles, and pride. I thought about the coming wave of Europeans who would claim these lands as their own. My mind fixated on the bloodshed, treaties that were never honored, and promises never kept. Rarely in human history has such a fate been visited upon a people like the hell that made its presence known on the doorsteps of those who once lived in all the places I have ever called home.

The Railroad

The railroad was the economic engine that first tied this country together. As a network of rail was laid from east to west, communities of all sizes fought for their chance at a stop. With trains, there was a chance at commerce, trade, and opportunities at larger markets. Without a train, communities existed on a map, but nothing more than that. I can only imagine what this point in history looked like but reading of the war of rail between Seattle and Tacoma painted a vivid picture of how important the railroad was to a city. It also gave me insight into a rivalry that lasts to this day.

The Role of Women and Water

To read this book is to come to terms with the importance of women and water to a community. Removing Indians freed up land. Coaxing the railroad brought jobs. Women and water meant life for generations to come. Human history didn’t always happen in this order, but for municipalities occupying the western United States, this seems to be the order of things over and over again. Of course, each step carries some level of sin that can never be forgiven. For many, this is beside the point, but for those of us provided with the opportunity at hindsight, it should matter a whole lot.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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