A while back I made a list of my 50 favorite movies. It was a great exercise because it forced me first off, to think of more than 50 movies I really liked (not an easy task). Secondly, it helped me to see what sorts of movies I'm into and what movies I want to keep in my back pocket for a rewatch later on. Naturally, I've seen some new movies since the last time I made this list, and my opinion on a few others has changed. So a an updated list seemed like a fun idea. Here it is. *Parenthesis denotes previous ranking. 1. Interstellar (1) 2. Stalag 17 (2) 3. The Shawshank Redemption (4) 4. The Revenant (7) 5. One, Two Three (N/A) 6. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (6) 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (8) 8. The Goonies (9) 9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (23) 10. Memento (5) 11. This is Spinal Tap (10) 12. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (11) 13. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (12) 14. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (13) 15. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (14) 16. Singing in the Rain (16) 17. The Legend of 1900 (3) 18. Die Hard (N/A) 19. The Prestige (16) 20. The Godfather II (17) 21. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (18) 22. Star Wars: A New Hope (21) 23. Oceans 11 (24) 24. Rocky (34) 25. The Court Jester (22) 26. Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (19) 27. The Godfather (25) 28. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (26) 29. Cinderella Man (27) 30. Casablanca (N/A) 31. Back To The Future (29) 32. Captain's Courageous (28) 33. The Grand Budapest Hotel (43) 34. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (32) 35. The Great Escape (33) 36. Major League (20) 37. It's a Wonderful Life (35) 38. Moneyball (36) 39. Ice Age (N/A) 40. Arsenic and Old Lace (38) 41. Casino Royale (N/A) 42. The Dark Knight (31) 43. Help! (40) 44. Rocky IV (41) 45. Megamind (37) 46. Skyfall (N/A) 47. Wayne's World (44) 48. Inception (45) 49. Ben-Hur (48) 50. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (47) Previously in the top 50: - Good Will Hunting (30) - Scarface (39) - Some Like It Hot (42) - To Kill A Mockingbird (46) - The Usual Suspects (49) - Gone With The Wind (50) Maybe Next Time: - The Truman Show - Dial M For Murder - The Patriot - What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? - Amadeus Good chance it'll be on here once I see it: - 1917 - Tenet - No Time To Die - A Man For All Seasons - Alien Thanks for reading to the end! Feel free to share your thoughts!! Image: Flickr, Cjaegel
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Podcasts are amazing. They’re free, they’re entertaining, they’re informative and you can listen to them on your own time. At work, in the car, during a workout, they are good for everything!
Here are my favorite podcasts right now. I listen to multiple political podcasts, but I’ve deliberately chosen NOT to include them. HMU if you really want to hear my thoughts on political podcasts.
Bonus: Two Track Audio. With Nick Martin And Charles Iner. This is a plug for my own show. Charles and I generally spend 30-60 minutes talking about two songs related to each other in some way. It’s informative, but hopefully entertaining and not dry. We try to keep it light and we have a really good time. So if you want to keep up with me and Charles, and maybe learn a thing or two about modern music history, check it out! Reading is like, dope bro. There are two things that really stand in the way of prodigious book consumption for me though.
The first is that I’m a slow reader. I suppose I could work on learning to read more quickly, but here we are. Fortunately, my slow reading is accompanied by pretty good retention. Second, I just can’t make as much time for leisurely reading as I’d like. Between 40 hours of work per week, 6 hours of class, several hours of homework, exercise most days quality time with my wife, cooking and eating, and chores, there is just aren’t huge swaths of time leftover for reading (if there are any college profs out there in the mood to share their secrets, I'm all ears). Luckily, I’ve recently begun listening to audiobooks.* This has helped me chip away at a long list of books I might otherwise never make it to. All that being said, below is my list of books I intend to read and listen to this year, along with a brief description. The Civil War, Shelby Foote. Last year, I read Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, an 800 page single volume chronicle of the Civil War. It was excellent! But I found after reading it that I still didn’t know as much about the narrative of the war as I’d hope to. It’s extremely difficult to keep up with generals, campaigns, locations, etc. And reading one book once just didn’t suffice. So I’ve picked up Foote’s 3 volume tome of the Civil War. Each book is approximately 1,000 pages, so it’s quite a bit more thorough. It’s been fantastic, though I don’t recommend reading it in any form unless you’re truly dedicated. Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux. I first read Therese’ biography back in college. Without a doubt the most fiercely joyful soul I’ve ever encountered. This is a book nobody should go through life without reading. The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky. So many people who I respect consider this an all time great, providing immeasurable insight into the human condition. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson. I’ve always been fascinated with English Literature from this era, and this story in particular. Citizens, Simon Schama. I’ve been on a history kick for a while now, and this is apparently a well-regard account of the French Revolution. The Everlasting Man, G.K. Chesterton. GKC is one of the most fascinating writers and thinkers I’ve ever encountered. This is his account of history, as understood with Christ as the lens through which it can be understood. 1984, George Orwell. I tried reading it once and quit because it was too depressing. Many people say fiction has greater insights into the way of the world than non-fiction. I’m inclined to agree. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer. Just wrapping this one up. And incredible account of a disaster on Mount Everest. The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman. One of the key books discussing WWI, Tuchman goes in depth describing the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton. Perhaps his most famous book. I haven’t read it in a few years and it’s time for a refresher. To Hell on a Fast Horse, Mark Lee Gardner. More or less a biography on Billie the Kid, one of the Wild West’s most (in)famous outlaws. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey. Another one I’ve got to reread. This is the best “self-help” book I’ve ever picked up. If that gives you an idea of the sorts of things I like to read, maybe you would feel comfortable suggesting something else for me to add to my list! Thanks for making it this far! Peace. *I believe that listening to a book is a fundamentally less fruitful form of information consumption than reading a book is. It's like going for a run versus going for a walk: both are good, and one is more difficult and more beneficial than the other. But that’s an argument for another time. The Cinema has only been around for about a century. Though technology and culture changes have of course impacted it massively, it’s still of critical importance to bear in mind that even without these exterior forces, film has still undergone notable refining as a craft throughout the decades. What this has taught us is that there are several elements that contribute to making good movies. Some decades have perfected certain elements, while other decades have prioritized others. Here are, by my estimation, the ingredients needed to make a good movie.
Sensory Spectacle. This may be the most popular ingredient right now. Make a film that’s visually arresting and you need do little else. Still, minutiae are not to be forgotten. If you haven’t watched, or listened to, The Revenant in an environment which does justice to the film’s sound design, you’re missing out. Narrative Eloquence. I don’t just mean plot complexity; plots don’t need to be complex to be excellent. I simply mean how well a story is written and told. Each and every film has to, in some way, provide enough information to keep their audience in the loop, and little enough so they're interested in what happens next. Moral Substance. A film doesn’t have to teach you a lesson, but it does need to have the characters learn something one way or the other. “The hero’s journey” is the best type of story to tell. If a film can tell the hero's journey in a way we recognize, while still making it new and exciting, it's guaranteed to be a classic (i.e. Star Wars: A New Hope). Rootability. If the protagonist isn’t likable or at least intriguing, you can forget the whole movie. This is the most basic and maybe the most indispensable ingredient. Acting and production. Naturally, if a film has poor acting or was not produced well, it can kill an otherwise good movie. I won’t make judgement calls on this factor when I rank decades; I feel it’s assumed that good films from every decade have sufficiently good acting and a quality of production proportionate to their era. Now that we're done with all that, here are my favorite decades. *I felt it was necessary to combine the 50s with the 60s, the 30s with the 40s, and the 1920s with anything that precedes them. It’s quite difficult to divorce these decades with regards to style and artistry. If you feel differently, please let me know! 1990s. This decade did an awesome job on narrative eloquence. Stories were written well and told well. Some gems from the 90s: Shawshank Redemption, The Legend of 1900, Goodfellas. 2000s. Narrative eloquence with spectacle thrown in. Favorites: Memento, The Lord of the Rings, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 2010s. Spectacle was on full blast this decade, with some narrative eloquence thrown in. Favorites: Interstellar, The Revenant, The Grand Budapest Hotel. 1970s. Rootability. Sort of; the 70s dominated in creating the most memorable protagonists. Favorites: The Godfather II, Star Wars: A New Hope, Rocky. 1980s. Rootability with narrative eloquence thrown in. Maybe the most perfect film was made in the 80s. Favorites: The Goonies, Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 1930s/40s. These decades were absolutely bonkers for narrative eloquence. Rootability is also big here. Favorites: It’s a Wonderful Life, Casablanca, Aresnic and Old Lace. 1950s/60s. Narrative eloquence and, surprisingly, spectacle. Favorites: Stalag 17, Ben-Hur, 2001: A Space Odyssey. 1920s. The silent film era relied heavily on spectacle but also did well on narrative eloquence. Favorites: College, The General. Interested in reading more? Check out my top 50 Favorite Movies, Five Movies Everyone Should Watch, Star Wars movies ranked, 50 Favorite Albums. And don't forget to check out my music podcast, Two Track Audio, wherever you get your podcasts! Image: Flickr, Cjaegel We’re all stuck at home right now, and we’re all watching more tv than normal.
The problem with TV shows and movies is that they aren’t the most productive way to spend time. If you’re like me and too much TV makes you feel like you’ve wasted all your time, consider a different approach to entertainment. Not a drastic change, just a small one. I suggest watching movies on IMDB’s list of Top Rated Movies. I myself have seen many of the 250 films on their list. It’s a great way to choose a film. Not only are these films popular, increasing the likelihood that you’ll like them; they’re also famous. The films on this list by and large are recognized for their excellence in some way or another. So, even if you don’t like The Matrix or Paths Of Glory, you’ve at least seen a movie that has an important place in cinematic history, and you can join in the conversation about it. Today, I’m going to highlight a handful of movies on IMDB’s list that I’ve seen, and describe who and what they might be good for. The Godfather. Has any adult not seen this film? Goodfellas. A fantastic movie if you're into The Godfather. City of God. A film that brings systemic problems to light and makes you hate them. The Usual Suspects. If you like crime TV shows, this might be a new favorite movie for you. Sunset Blvd. What happens when a star fades away but doesn't realize it? Dr. Strangelove. A delightful take on the pre-apocalyptic movie setting. Amadeus. Not the most historically accurate film... though it gives Mozart a certain Kurt Cobain like aura. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Don't watch this if you like dialogue and hate drawn out scenes. Citizen Kane. Considered by some to be the greatest film ever made. Casablanca. Considered by most everyone else to be the greatest film ever made. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Wish there was a way to forget Corona ever happened? Singing In The Rain. Oh man. Probably the all time greatest musical. Some Like It Hot. A good Marylin Monroe film. Pan’s Labyrinth. A dark, mature fairytale. Dial M For Murder. The Alfred Hitchcock film you probably haven't seen. Gone With The Wind. The Bachelor's over, but this should scratch your itch for the next four hours. The Truman Show. Imagined being quarantined for 35 years. The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wayt wut? Ben-Hur (original). This is the only way to portray Jesus in film (Ben-Hur is not about Jesus) Rocky. The most human love story I've ever seen on film. Check my list of 50 Favorite Movies for even more options! So I few weeks ago, I blasphemed against an entire genre of music by creating a satirical list of the best country songs of all time. None of the songs were country songs though, they were all southern rock or folk rock. The joke was that country music is so unlistenable that rock n roll fulfills the country music itch better than country music itself does.
Country music seems to have lost its way creatively several decades ago, and has long since ceased to be a groundbreaking genre (I am also beginning to suspect this of my beloved rock n roll, by the way). Even with that being said though, it’s impossible to deny the place country music has in American music history, and American history itself. Name five artists or groups from the U.S. engrained into our culture to the same degree as Johnny Cash. So, as an apology to the maligned, and a nod to the genre I so recently disparaged, I give you, not a list of “the best country songs of all time,” but a list of some of my favorites. Amarillo By Morning, George Straight When You’re Hot You’re Hot, Jerry Reed Amos Moses, Jerry Reed Hey Good Lookin, Hank Williams I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Hank Williams Jambalaya, Hank Williams Your Cheatin Heart, Hank Williams Rolypoly, Hank Williams I Walk The Line, Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash The Ballad of Ira Hayes, Johnny Cash (Ghost) Riders In the Sky, Johnny Cash God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer, Johnny Cash Sunday Morning Coming Down, Johnny Cash One Piece at a Time, Johnny Cash Diggin Up Bones, Randy Travis He Walked On Water, Randy Travis King of the Road, Roger Miller The Battle of New Orleans, Johnny Horton North To Alaska, Johnny Horton Sink the Bismark, Johnny Horton Big Iron, Marty Robbins El Paso, Marty Robbins I Like Beer, Tom T. Hall Crazy, Patsy Cline I Fall To Pieces, Patsy Cline Jolene, Dolly Parton Flowers on the Wall, Statler Brothers Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, Conway Twitty Kiss and Angel Good Mornin, Charley Pride Okie From Muskogee, Merle Haggard Waltz Across Texas, Ernest Tubb Walkin the Floor Over You, Ernest Tubb Welcome to My World, Jim Reeves Am I Losing You, Jim Reeves Cattle Call, Eddy Arnold Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, Willie Nelson Convoy, C.W. McCall Country music has deep roots. It’s down to earth, it’s day-to-day, it enjoys the little things and talks about the pain. There’s nothing like grabbin the hound dog, hoppin in the ‘ol pickup and driving on down to the feed store for some supplies. All the while, the windows are rolled down, arm’s hangin out the window and country music’s on the radio. Something about that rumbling V8 makes the music sound that much better.
That’s the dream, man. Ain’t nothing better. Things like that might have ebbs and flows, man. But it ain’t going nowhere. Country’s in the blood. You can take the cowboy out of the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch out of the cowboy. It seems impossible, since there are so many unforgettable country songs, but I did my best to make a list of what I consider the best country songs of all time. Enjoy! 30. Already Gone, The Eagles 29. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil Young 28. Ramblin Man, Allman Brothers Band 27. Lookin' Out My Backdoor, CCR 26. Ohio, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 25. Ain't Wastin' Time No More, Allman Brothers Band 24. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd 23. Mr. Soul, Buffalo Springfield 22. Take It Easy, The Eagles 21. Act Naturally, The Beatles 20. Down By The River, Neil Young 19. Lyin' Eyes, The Eagles 18. Peaceful Easy Feeling, The Eagles 17. Alabama, Neil Young 16. Dear Jill, Blodwyn Pig 15. Carry On, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 14. Swimmin' In Quicksand, Black Oak Arkansas 13. Blowin Free, Wishbone Ash 12. Midnight Rider, Allman Brothers Band 11. Heart of Gold, Neil Young 10. Rocky Raccoon, The Beatles 9. Old King, Neil Young 8. Born on the Bayou, CCR 7. Keep on Chooglin', CCR 6. Desperado, The Eagles 5. Midnight Rambler , The Rolling Stones 4. Uncle Lijiah, Black Oak Arkansas 3. Old Man, Neil Young 2. Honky Tonk Woman, The Rolling Stones 1. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Neil Young Oh wait? These are all Rock N Roll songs by Rock N Roll bands... Yup! Seriously though, there are a few decent country songs: Amos Moses and When You're Hot You're Hot by Jerry Reed, Amarillo By Morning by George Straight, a few songs by Randy Travis and all Johnny Cash (man, he could rock n roll...). I know I probably lose all credibility by writing this. YouTube is one of the ultimate procrastination outlets, where productive nights go to die. We hate how much we love YouTube. It's a guilty pleasure. Nobody's proud of the time they waste on YouTube. It's the sort of thing people admit to. Admit, not declare. Then again, everyone loves YouTube videos! If you show one to somebody, they're guaranteed to have half a dozen more to show you. So, rather than bore you anymore superfluous writing, just check out the list! supa hot fire vs b bone Top Soccer Shootout Ever With Scott Sterling HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA Leeroy Jenkins HD 1080p Guy On A Buffalo - Episode 1 (Bears, Indians & Such) The Hobbit - Saxo Man My Heart Will Go On - Recorder By Candlelight by Matt Mulholland sporty Kristen Schall is a Horse! - Comedy Shuffle - BBC My beautiful wife and I are both loyal Benedictine College Ravens. She’s completing her final semester of Civil Engineering, I am graduated and work as the college’s Social Media Specialist. We met at Benedictine in November 2016 and were dating a few months later. In December of 2018 I proposed, and in August of 2019, we married. It’s been a beautiful journey. But not without its bumps.
(PSA: follow nickmartinmke on Instagram to see the day-to-day adventures of Jules and I!) Juliana and I were apart from each other for a considerable amount of the time we dated. A while back, I wrote about our experience on long-distance relationships. Now that we’re married, it’s interesting to look back at all the work it took to make it here. We’ve both learned a lot along the way. Jules and I thought we'd share some of the things we've learned. Today, it's my turn. 1. Mindedness. G.K. Chesterton once said, “don’t be so open-minded your brains fall out.” Being okay with anything, taking everything as it comes and going with the flow is a dangerous approach in life. Applied to relationships, it leads to making decisions based on feeling rather than a combination of consideration, discipline and emotion (emotion is an important component, but it cannot guide the way without consideration and discipline). At the same time, don’t be so closed-minded you make it impossible for God to act in your life. Provided you’re living morally and virtuously, adding any more hard limiters to dating should be done with prayer and consideration. A dating fast, for instance, can be a valuable tool for healing from past wounds or growing in virtue. It can also be used as an excuse not to pursue the vocation God is calling you to. Be careful not to limit the Holy Spirit with the guidelines you set for yourself. Thought one is Mindedness: use your faculties to stay on the right path, but at the same time have the courage to go at God’s pace. 2. Communication. Everyone says that in a relationship, communication is key. Well, it’s important before dating, too. If a guy has a good relationship with a girl and would like to date her, he should tell her so. The reason why, as men, we often don’t is because we’re afraid of rejection. (And by the way, no decision should never be made out of fear - except maybe running from a wild animal). So instead we flirt and hint and look for signs, the result of which is the we put the burden of risk on the lady, who then has to hit her man with a baseball bat to get a message through. Guys, just be direct. rejection will not hurt as much or for as long, and success will feel even better. If a girl likes a guy, she needs to stand by the punch bowl. Ladies, don’t ask men out, you probably don’t want a guy who isn’t courageous enough to ask you first anyways. But also, don’t think waiting on him means making it difficult as difficult as you can. Give him opportunities to reach out to you. When you’re at the dance, stand by the punch bowl so he can offer you a drink and ask for a dance. Ladies, if you don’t like a guy who asks you out, be direct. He had the courage and respect to ask you out, have the courage and respect to tell him the facts. There’s nothing worse than when “maybe some other time” really means “absolutely not.” Thought two is Communication: pursue clarity and practice directness. 3. Understand Obstacles and Barriers. Learn the difference between obstacles and barriers. This is a critical distinction that most of us fail to make all the time. Obstacles can be overcome, barriers cannot. Obstacles are healthy junctures couples reach that help a relationship grow or help them to see their weaknesses. Barriers problems so significant as to make a healthy, happy relationship impossible. There are two common ways that we fail to understand the difference between obstacles and barriers.
Hope that's helpful! Next time we'll have "Some Thoughts On Dating, Part: Jules." The most beloved film series in cinematic history, and I have the unmitigated audacity to rank the episodes. But "the dark side of the force is a pathway to many things which some consider to be... unnatural." So, with the unlimited power of the force, I have only one thing further to say before presenting my list: this IS the blog post you're looking for.
11. Solo. What even? Cool to see Darth Maul, I guess. 10. The Last Jedi. Lots of problems. The Last Jedi was two hours of aha moments followed immediately by just kidding moments. 9. The Rise of Skywalker. The most fun to watch of the new films. The story arcs of Rey and Kylo Ren wrap up well, and it’s always nice to see the baddest villain that ever was bad. 8. Rogue One. Perhaps the most lauded of the new films. It’s a good story, it doesn’t rely on fan servicy returns of old characters, and it explains important historical events that make A New Hope possible. 7. The Force Awakens. So if Attack of the Clones is so terrible, why rank it ahead of the sequel trilogy? Basically, because George Lucas had creative control of the prequels and were therefore the work of the creator’s hand so to speak. Anything not made by Lucas is automatically docked for it’s indirect lineage. The Force Awakens is ultimately the best new film because it more or less remakes the original. 6. Attack of the Clones. I hope we can all agree that this is the worst prequel? Terrible terrible dialogue. Sure, Jar Jar’s role is cut back substantially, but other characters more than make up with minutes worth of cringy screen time. All I really have to say about Attack of the Clones and it’s effect on the Star Wars universe is that it’s like sand. 5. Revenge of the Sith. This is the prequel that most consider the best. And indeed, it is the most watchable. But only because of it’s action sequences. Without them, it’s a film whose climax (the turning of Anakin to the Dark Side) is barely two thirds of the way in and the rest is all fall out. 4. The Phantom Menace. You’re probably thinking “This movie stinks! It’s the worst of the prequels! How could he pick it?!” Here me out… If you can look past Jar Jar Binks (a difficult task, I’ll admit) what you’ve got is a fascinating, multi-layered mystery as to the existence of an evil imposter and his influence in the galaxy. 3. The Return of the Jedi. The most controversial installment of the original trilogy. Do we like Ewoks, do we not? The cuddly yet fierce teddy bears are notoriously divisive. Setting them aside though, Return completes wraps up the original trilogy without any loose ends or unanswered questions. And the redemption at the end of the film is the most powerful moment in the entire Star Wars universe. 2. The Empire Strikes Back. From my experience, this is the most universally liked episode. It’s the original Star Wars, but with a more complex story, more resources and the biggest reveal in cinematic history. Nearly everyone has Empire among their top three favorite Star Wars movies. 1. Star Wars. More than simply being “The one that started it all,” Star Wars (A New Hope) is the perfect film. There are enough established actors to give the film credibility, enough new faces to make the cast unique. There were enough funds to do everything well, but few enough that creativity and ingenuity were not suffocated. The story is new enough that it was the first of its kind, yet timeless enough that the characters seem like our close friends from the very first moment. There’s a suspense this film somehow builds without ever making you despair for Luke and the Rebels. There’s mystery and intrigue without potholes or cliffhangers. It stands alone perfectly, and yet leaves room for subsequent installments to tie themselves in. That's my list! If you'd like more, check out the podcast I recorded about The Rise of Skywalker. |
Nick MartinMy name is Nick Martin. I write sometimes. These are my thoughts. Archives
July 2021
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