I like to make lists. I have checklists, grocery lists, to-dos… the list goes on! ;)
But the kind of list I’ve been most enamored with lately has to do with rankings. I rank all sorts of things. Up to now, every list has been about which things like best (i.e. top films). Today I’m going to take this in a little different direction. This list is related to my most recent one, where I presented my 25 favorite musical artists. Creating the list got me to thinking: considering my musical tastes, what bands do I know about that I should like, but don’t? The artists which appear on this list are not bad artists. On the contrary, they’re on this list because I recognize their objective quality, even if they happen not to resonate with me. So please don’t think too harshly of me if you find one of your favorite bands here. I have respect for every one of these musicians, if not affection. 1. The Who. Were I asked to produce a Mount Rushmore 70s rock n roll bands, The Who would be on it (along with Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd). They’ve got a signature sound, they influenced generations of new musicians, they were even friends with many of my favorite bands… 2. Queen. Of all rock n roll subgenres, glam rock is the worst. More often than not, bands just come off as eccentric, peddling phonies. Not the case with Queen. They were able to pull off their glamness because they owned it without forcing it. Queen are one of the few bands who kept the flame of rock n roll alive through the 80s. 3. Tom Petty. Listen to ‘Free Fallin’ and tell me when you think it came out. Based on the style, who it’s popular with and the radio stations it’s on, it seems to fit pretty well in the mid-70s era. “Free Fallin” was released in 1989. Petty has perhaps the most universal sound of any rock n roller. 4. Bob Dylan. How can you be a rock n roller and not like ol’ Bob? 90% of the time somebody covers a song, it was written Bob Dylan. He is possibly the most talented writer of the 20th century. 5. Bruce Springsteen. I feel ashamed even having him on this list. To many people, Bruce is a symbol of rock n roll and America itself. It’s unpatriotic to dislike Bruce Springsteen.
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I’ve been making quite a few lists lately. Most recently, I wrote about my 50 favorite movies and 50 favorite albums. It was difficult to think of 50 movies I liked enough to consider a favorite. Once I had them, though, giving each a 1-50 ranking was a relatively easy task.
Albums were another matter. I had no difficulty compiling well over 50 albums that I liked. It’s easier to listen to multiple albums in a day than it is to watch multiple films, so it wasn’t surprising that I was able to think of more. The trick was organizing them; after the first three to five albums, figuring out where to place an album became difficult. The reason for this is the nature of albums: they're compositions; a collections of songs strung together to produce and seamless flow from one emotion to the next. Ranking an album is essentially ranking how much an album conveys those emotions, how seamlessly it does so, and how well it resonates with you. Trying to do that just based on memory while accounting for recency bias seemed an impossible task. Nonetheless, I did it. And the project inspired my next list. I’ve set out to rank my 25 favorite artists (there's too much of a gap between the top 25 and the next 25 for 26-50 to even qualify as "favorites."). As this task seemed a little more straightforward than the last one, I’ve chosen to raise the stakes. Next to each artist I’ve included an explanation on why I like them, why they mean so much to me. At least I hope this will clarify why a like what may seem to be archaic or unaccomplished artists, and at most I’d be delighted if it inspired you to check out one or two of them. So, without further introduction (which was more than likely skipped over anyways), here it is, my 25 favorite artists. 25. Humeysha. Western Pop and Indian music fused together. 24. Frank Zappa. The problem with many rock artists is that they deliberately play into the stereotype. Zappa didn't. He'd sing about anything and everything. 23. Rush. I kind of don't want to like this band, just because of how nerdy or pretentious they come off. 22. Electric Light Orchestra. Their album, El Dorado, is reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for it’s complexity and harmony. 21. Grand Funk Railroad. Were they an objectively good band? Meh. But they could rock! 20. The B-52s. It’s like they were solely inspired by The Monster Mash. 19. Violent Femmes. This band is so bad. Honestly. The Ramones’ music was rough, but it was nothing compared to these guys. 18. Joni Mitchell. The best female singer/songwriter of the 60s and 70s. And maybe the best singer/songwriter overall. 17. Eric B. & Rakim. Sampling the best parts of other songs is a key element to hip-hop. Eric B. & Rakim did this to perfection. 16. Traffic. Just need some folk rock? These are your guys. 15. The Rolling Stones. The roughest cut, swampiest band of the 60s and 70s. Yet they did it to such perfection that in the hierarchy of Rock N Roll, they are second only to The Beatles. 14. Fleetwood Mac. No Rock N Roll bands achieves a more mellow yet moving tone than Fleetwood Mac. 13. Run DMC. These guys are the kings of 80s hip-hop 12. Duke Ellington. Pick and album, any album. Ellington has the classiest, catchiest dancing I’ve ever heard. 11. The Budos Band. Jazz, Soul, Indigenous Ethiopian Music and Psychedelic Rock. It’s catchy. 10. Led Zeppelin. Some bands are better at rocking. Some at rolling. Zeppelin were better at both. 9. David Bowie. Few artists have managed to remain constant, creative and relevant, yet continually changing, the way David Bowie did. 8. Emerson, Lake and Palmer. One decent singer, one highly skilled percussionist and one nuclear keyboardist. Put them together and what do you get? 7. Radiohead. Radiohead makes music. Music is art. Art is an expression of the human condition. Radiohead expresses the human condition 6. Gentle Giant. Too creative and progressive for their own good. 5. Pink Floyd. One of my favorite lines of a song is from Pink Floyd’s Dogs: “It’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around.” Say it out loud. It’s perfect. No band ever came closer to flawlessly fulfilling the vision they had for themselves than Pink Floyd did. 4. The White Stripes. Rock N Roll is a dying art form. The White Stripes are one of the few 21st century bands who stay true to their roots without getting choked by them. 3. Nirvana. My buddy just wrote about Nirvana, and he hit the nail on the head, describing it thusly: “when you’re in certain place where your mind’s fogged up and life seems a tiring and endless slog, there really is nothing like Nirvana to speak to you.” 2. Neil Young. Show me an artist who represents Rock N Roll better than Neil Young and I’ll show you a dead man. 1. The Beatles. I never cared much for The Beatles. I only knew their early work, and as a young boy it just didn’t seem tough enough. Then around the age of 18 I discovered The White Album, along with all the rest of The Beatles later albums. They sang about everything. They were free, beholden to no one. They were creative and eclectic. There’s something of the Beatles in everything that’s come since. (Artists that just missed the list: Yes, Patrick Sweany, Lou Reed, The Cars, The Doors, Cream, James Taylor, Supertramp, A Tribe Called Quest) A few weeks back, I made a list of my 50 favorite movies. The idea was that it’d be a difficult task. People watch movies all the time; once a week if not more of than that. Even so, it’s difficult to think of that many movies, let alone that many enjoyable ones.
It took me a while, but I completed my list of 50 (with a few additional movies, in fact), and had so much fun with the list that I’ve been referring back to it and modifying it ever since. I saw Gone With The Wind for the first time last week and enjoyed it so much I realized I had to include it. Don’t ask what movie I had to take out. Well, movies aren’t the only sort of entertainment that lend themselves to list-making. Music is perhaps even more suited to the pastime. Who hasn’t got at least a mental list of their favorite songs? Who doesn’t have playlists for specific occasions? Watching many movies in a row only occurs on special occasions, but listening to song after song, one after the other in a perpetual list, is the way many of us go through life. So naturally, for my next list, I’ve set my sights on music. But for whatever reason, “favorite songs” either seemed too easy to do, or disingenuous to how my favorite music was produced. So I’ve decided to take the road less traveled and focus on my favorite albums. During this process I've discovered just how Rock N Roll partial I am. Over the last five years I've developed a taste for grunge, blues, jazz, and (80s & 90s) Hip Hop. It'll be difficult to find them on this list, though. Rock N Roll, particularly from 1967 to 1976 is my first and indelible music love, a fact well represented in this list. So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present to you my 50 favorite albums. 50. Traffic, Traffic 49. The Howlin Wolf Album, Howlin Wolf 48. Tarkus, Emerson Lake and Palmer 47. Band On The Run, Paul McCartney/Wings 46. Revolver, The Beatles 45. The Cars, The Cars 44. Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd 43. Grand Funk Railroad, Grandfunk Railroad 42. The Budos Band, The Budos Band 41. Three Friends, Gentle Giant 40. Humeysha, Humeysha 39. Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell 38. Blue, Joni Mitchell 37. 2112, Rush 36. Rubber Soul, The Beatles 35. Hot Rats, Frank Zappa 34. Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque, Duke Ellington 33. The Wall, Pink Floyd 32. Coney Island Baby, Lou Reed 31. Brain Salad Surgery, Emerson Lake and Palmer 30. Apostrophe('), Frank Zappa 29. OK Computer, Radiohead 28. Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends Ladies and Gentlemen, Emerson Lake and Palmer 27. Meddle, Pink Floyd 26. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones 25. Animals, Pink Floyd 24. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie 23. The Yes Album, Yes 22. Crime of the Century, Supertramp 21. Rumors, Fleetwood Mac 20. Harvest, Neil Young 19. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Neil Young 18. Nevermind, Nirvana 17. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin 16. Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House, Neil Young 15. No Answer, Electric Light Orchestra 14. Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes 13. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, Traffic 12. El Dorado, Electric Light Orchestra 11. Trilogy, Emerson Lake & Palmer 10. The Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin 9. The Bends, Radiohead 8. Abbey Road, The Beatles 7. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd 6. The White Stripes, The White Stripes 5. Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd 4. MTV Unplugged Live in New York, Nirvana 3. Greendale Live at Vicar St., Neil Young 2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles 1. The White Album, The Beatles The President has generally been one of the most high profile, if not the most high profile, person in the country. We pay attention to everything he does. A brief search on the internet yields countless articles of brainy and inspirational quotes from our commanders in chief.
But what’s a lot more interesting to me are the quotes that, thought not as inspiring perhaps, have stood the test of time. I’m interested in the things presidents say that stick in America’s collective mind. I present to you a list of the most remembered quotes uttered by the President of the United States of America. “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook.” Ah yes: Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. Another interesting thing about Watergate is how so many scandals since have taken names which come from it (Deflategate, Spygate…) when people can't even remember what Watergate was. “Four score and seven years ago…” Who hasn’t impersonated Honest Abe’s remarks after the battle of Gettysburg? And everyone apparently knows how he sounded, which is odd considering the phonograph wasn’t invented until 1877, after Abraham Lincoln’s death. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Bill Clinton’s testimony is used in undergraduate psychology and communications classes everywhere as an example of how people speak differently when they’re lying. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” These are possibly the most famous words spoken in relation to the Cold War, and among the most famous ever spoken against tyranny and oppression. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Kennedy is probably the most impersonated president (with perhaps the current exceptions of one or two recent presidents). Not many people realize that JFK spoke these words during his Inauguration speech in 1961. “Ich bin ein berliner” is another iconic Kennedy quote. “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy.” Nobody could ever forget FDR’s opening words as he address the nation during the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The tension and shock in the president’s voice is palpable. It’s easy to understand why these words remain unforgettable nearly 80 years later. Do you think I missed any? Let me know!! Image: Salva Kumaran Annamalai, Flickr Healthcare, education, taxes, immigration, welfare, the environment, public safety national security… the list of topics that fall under the political sphere is endless. Chances are, government has something to say about every aspect of your life. And the decisions that local and national leaders make have a significant impact not just on you, but on the nation as a whole. All this is to say, it makes sense to care about the debate surrounding numerous issues.
Now, depending on a host of circumstances, where you live, what your income bracket is, how far you are from retirement (etc.), Some issues will have a greater impact on your life than others, and will therefore be more important. A husband and parent of five young children, cares more about how families are taxed than an 18 year old preparing for college. This might be a selfish approach to politics. But it’s natural, as well as necessary, to ensure that your needs are met prior to fulfilling the needs of others. * Suppose though, that one issue bears tremendous importance in your life. So much so that it overshadows all other subjects under the jurisdiction of government. The opinions you have on all politicians, and the votes you cast are all decided (more or less) exclusively based on this single issue. Not only is this approach to political issues often frowned upon, but if you do it, chances are you'll be disregarded as a “one-issue voter.” There’s more to it that just one issue, people say. No one problem is heavy enough to tip the scales against all other issues combined. It’s politically and morally naïve to think one thing could be so important. Is this really the case, though? Is it objectively, or even circumstantially wrong to allow just one stance to be the basis for an entire political philosophy? Instinctively, you could say no. Of course there are too many issues to get caught up on just one. Let’s pretend for a moment that political issues are baseball cards. Johnny and Bill both collect baseball cards, and they meet up sometimes to trade. Johnny has several cards that he likes, and Bill wants them. Bill on the other hand, has only one card that Johnny wants. But it so happens that Johnny wants it more badly than all the cards that Bill wants, combined. Johnny knows that Bill wants his cards, so he offers them all to him, in exchange for that one special card in Bill’s possession. Bill says no. He wants Johnny’s cards, but he doesn’t think he should have to give up his one card in order to get them. Johnny’s the one-issue voter, in case you hadn’t noticed. Other issues are important to him, but not when compared to the one he cares about most. Bill, on the other hand, may not even think the one issue is as important as Johnny thinks it is. He can’t make the trade though. He's unwilling to compromise. Bill thinks he’s right, and it therefore makes no sense to him that he should have to make a deal in the first place. In a sense, Bill’s a one-issue voter, too. Because, just like Johnny, he’s allowing one thing to keep him from all the rest. This does not illustrate how one-issue voting it bad, per se. But it does show how those who denounce others as focusing on a single problem may be guilty of the very same thing. Defending one territory at the expense of many others gives de facto primacy to the one above the many. Culpability (or credit) for allowing the countryside to be won in the battle for the city belongs to both parties. It takes two to tango. Now, let’s get away from analogies, and into real-world examples. In the mid-nineteenth century, the United States of America was literally divided in two over the issue of slavery. Many people truly believed slavery was wrong, many truly believed it was right and just, and some chose a side in order to achieve ulterior motives. But everyone took a side. The entire country was swallowed up into the question of slavery; that single issue dominated society and politics to the point of war. And yet, it was necessary for voters to care so deeply about the question of slavery for the issue to find resolution (if only through war). Who would reprimand a voter in mid-nineteenth century USA for allowing slavery to outweigh all other political issues? It did outweigh them. Slavery was such an injustice, such an evil, that to consider any combination of issues at the time adding up to a comparable level of importance would be, in effect, to willfully perpetuate the status quo. No stance was tantamount to standing with the opposition. Slavery not only begged the voters’ attention, it demanded their action. One-issue voting is not only permissible, but sometimes necessary. There are times when a situation is so dire, so tragic, that exclusive attention and immediate action are imperative. And accusing someone of being a one-issue voter is not as damning as it seems. If it were, then compromise might be an option to the accuser. It’s merely a tactic used by people who won’t compromise to slowly tilt the balance of power and control more in their favor. Whether one issue merits the neglect of others is most times at the discretion of the voters’ judgement. All other times it is at the discretion of the issue itself. *Needs as opposed to wants. We have a moral obligation to ensure that our own needs are met, or else we cannot properly see to the needs of others. And even with that being said, spouses and children represent a sort of exception to that rule. The 2019 season has come and it has gone. Just like every year, it felt too short. Eight teams made it to the postseason in 2019. Some are likely to make a return next year, and some probably will not. Here are predictions as to what 2020 has in store for the Athletics, Rays, Brewers, Nationals, Twins, Cardinals, Braves, Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros.
Athletics The perpetually underrated team. Few people ever expect the Athletics to compete, and yet they do. Billy Beane is the master of creating rosters that don't appear like much, then go out and put up W's. The A's don't rely on star power, they get wins in the aggregate. Never count out the Oakland Athletics. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 75% Rays Was Chris Archer the best thing that ever happened to Tampa Bay? Definitely not. But trading him might have been. Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows were stars in 2019, and it's reasonable to expect similar performances in 2020. With a little health, the Rays might not only be good next year, they could be better. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 85% Brewers Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal are likely departing via free agency this winter. Both were key contributors to a team that did not live up to expectations and only made the playoffs after an obscene month of September. There are a lot of ifs that could help make the 2020 season a successful one for Milwaukee. A rebound from Jimmy Nelson, continued development of Keston Huira and Trent Grisham, and young arms like Corbin Burnes realizing their potential are just a few examples. To make a long story short though, the path to the postseason will be a tough one for this ball club. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 30% Nationals The 19-31 record the Nationals began the season with was not them. One look at the roster should be enough to see that Washington is good enough to beat anybody, which they proved this postseason. It's not amazing that the Nationals came back from a poor start. It's not even amazing that they won the World Series the season after losing a super duper star in Bryce Harper. The truly amazing thing is that the Washington Nationals have been so good for so long and have only now found postseason success. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 95% Twins The Twins. Oh the Minnesota Twins. What are we gonna do with you... One year they're great, the next they struggle, then they're good again, then they're excellent. Writers called the 2019 Twins one of the weakest 100-win teams they could remember. It's a fair assessment. In a division where the Indians may have made the playoffs if they had kept Michael Brantley, and the White Sox are stacked with young talent, the Twins have plenty of competition headed their way in 2020. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 55% Cardinals Otherwise known as the Yankees of the National League (to me, anyways). The Cardinals find a way. And it looks like they've got a rising ace in Jack Flaherty. St. Louis has some questions, though. How will Paul Goldschmidt age? Can Matt Carpenter and Andrew Miller perform better? What will the rotation look like after Flaherty? That, coupled with a division that doesn't seem to be loosening up by a long shot, makes things difficult for St. Louis. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 45% Braves It's fortunate for the baseball world that the Braves didn't go farther this year, because their future looks almost as bright as anyone's. Outside of making a bad impression on the postseason stage, Ronald Acuna appears primed to take his place as one of the premier stars in Major League Baseball. With a supporting cast featuring the likes of Freddy Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Mike Soroka, Max Fried and others, the Atlanta Braves don't appear to be going anywhere. Other than to the playoffs, that is. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 85% Yankees How did the Yankees win 103 games with all those injuries? Even more interesting, how do that many players (over 25) even sustain injuries throughout the course of a season? The Yankees have to be healthier in 2020, how could they not? And if indeed they'er healthier, how could they be worse? The bigger obstacle to the Yankees' success next season is the Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays, all of whom look ready to compete. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 65% Dodgers This team is the enigma of the 21st century. How can an organization with such an effective front office, such a flexible payroll, such a constant stream of talent coming up from the minors and perpetual trips to the playoffs still be without a championship in the last 31 years? Don't expect them to regress next year, though. Gavin Lux and Walker Buehler are ready to pick up the the standard and carry the Dodgers into the 2020s. The Padres may put up a fight in the west, but the Giants, Rockies and Diamondbacks all have work to do before catching LA. Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 80% Astros Man, this is a team. In spite of a tough loss to the Nationals in the World Series, Houston is probably the most complete team in baseball. As with every team. there'll be some free agent departures - most notably the possible exit of Gerrit Cole. Nonetheless, with a stacked lineup, a solid defense and a rotation that'll feature Justin Verlander and Zack Grienke, the Astros will compete next year. The bigger question, is what will the Mariners, Rangers, Athletics and especially the Angels do to compete with them? Likelihood to return to the playoffs: 75% . Image: Vonya Ronin, Flickr What's your favorite movie? What are your top five favorite movies? Top ten?
It's relatively easy to come up with a short list of movies. These are the films that resonate with us. We come back to them again and again for their humor, their romance, their intensity. A person's list of their five favorite films describes not only what they like to watch, but what they like to watch repeatedly. But what about something a little more expansive? What about a little more challenging of a list like, say, top 50 favorite movies? We've all seen dozens if not hundreds of films. But do 50 of them make enough of an impact that we remember them, and would even consider them favorites? That's the trick of 50. What follows is a list of my 50 favorite movies, as well as a (slightly more) objective rating as to the actual quality of the film. Comments with regards to my list are welcome. 50. Gone With The Wind - 4/5 49. The Usual Suspects - 4/5 48. Ben-hur - 4.5/5 47. Darby O'Gill and the Little People - 3.5/5 46. To Kill a Mockingbird - 4/5 45. Inception - 4.5/5 44. Wayne's World - 3/5 43. The Grand Budapest Hotel - 3.5/5 42. Some Like it Hot - 2.5/5 41. Rocky IV - 2.5/5 40. Help! - 2.5/5 39. Scarface - 4/5 38. Arsenic and Old Lace - 4/5 37. Megamind - 3/5 36. Moneyball - 3.5/5 35. It's a Wonderful Life - 4/5 34. Rocky - 4/5 33. The Great Escape - 4/5 32. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - 4/5 31. The Dark Knight - 4/5 30. Good Will Hunting - 4.5/5 29. Back to the Future - 5/5 28. Captain's Courageous - 4.5/5 27. Cinderella Man - 5/5 26. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 3.5/5 25. The Godfather - 4/5 24. Oceans 11 - 3/5 23. 2001: A Space Odyssey - 4/5 22. The Court Jester - 3/5 21. Star Wars: A New Hope - 3.5/5 20. Major League - 2.5/5 19. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 3/5 18. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 4.5/5 17. The Godfather Part II - 4.5/5 16. The Prestige - 4/5 15. Singing in the Rain - 5/5 14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 4.5/5 13. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 4/5 12. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 3/5 11. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 2.5/5 10. This is Spinal Tap - 2.5/5 9. The Goonies - 3/5 8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 4.5/5 7. The Revenant - 4/5 6. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery - 2.5/5 5. Memento - 4.5/5 4. The Shawshank Redemption - 5/5 3. The Legend of 1900 - 4/5 2. Stalag 17 - 4.5/5 1. Interstellar - 5/5 Image: Flickr, Cjaegel My friend recently asked me a question. He was watching his favorite movie, and wanted to know if I thought it was the “greatest movie of all time.” Now, that of course is a difficult case to make for any movie. But he and I thrive on the dialogue that develops around GOATs, Mt. Rushmores and other superlatives of a similar nature. What that movie was however, and how I answered, are not the subject of this post. Rather, I want to talk about the question that came to my mind because of our conversation: what are the top five movies of all time? Or, barring that, what are the top five movies that I would recommend? I tend to be rather picky with regards to the cinematic productions I consume. The fact is, movies are long! And spending 100-180 minutes on a film is a serious commitment. I seldom watch a movie unless I, a- have a relative certainty that I will enjoy it, or b- deem it a culturally important film (i.e. having ingrained itself in the collective societal memory). Avengers: Endgame qualifies as an example of the former, while Star Wars: A New Hope is the gold standard for the latter. The resulting catalog of films I’ve seen looks something like the Big Screen equivalent of a “Great Books” series. From Citizen Kane and Casablanca, to The Dark Knight and LaLa Land, I enjoy films that have a reputation for excellence, and try to avoid the rest. So among these films, here are five the you should see, and why you should see them. 5. Stalag 17 (1953) It’s not likely many people have seen this film. It was relatively successful in its time, but hasn’t had the same longevity as its contemporaries, like The Great Escape (1963) or The Longest Day (1962). What makes this film unique though, are all the different elements director Billy Wilder managed fit together harmoniously. Stalag 17 is a movie about prisoners of war in Germany during WWII. It’s production is simple, yet elegant, allowing the actors and the story to provide the entertainment. A dramatic whodunnit film with just the right amount of humor mixed in, this silver screen William Holden flick holds the audience’s attention for all two hours of run time. You'll like this if you like: The Great Escape (1963); 12 Angry Men (1957); Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971). 4. Interstellar (2014) The only entry on this list I had the luxury to see in theaters, this was a film I never wanted to end. Though special effects tend generally to function as a crutch, compensating for a film’s weaker elements, this is not the case with Interstellar. Christopher Nolan brings the developmental complexity we’ve come to expect from his plots, and puts it in a setting that’s impossible to look away from. I'm a sucker for a good space film. But precious few come close to meeting the standard which Interstellar sets. Think of if as the 21st Century sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, but with more dialog and a richer plot. I treat myself to a viewing of Interstellar precisely once a year, every year around Thanksgiving. Watch it on a big screen, in a dark room with surround sound for the full effect. You'll like this if you like: The Revenant (2015). 3. Memento (2000) The second Christopher Nolan entry on this list, and surprisingly one of his less well-known films. Memento asks hard questions about right and wrong without answering them. Most stories run beginning to end. Memento gives you one piece of his upside down murder mystery at a time, from the beginning and from the end, until they meet in the middle at the conclusion of the film. This masterful storytelling approach by Nolan that helps get the audience into the head of the protagonist. This one might take back-to-back viewings to understand. You'll like this if you like: Inception (2010); Se7en (1995). 2. The Legend Of 1900 (1998) The most obscure entry on this list. The Legend Of 1900 is an Italian Film, conveniently written in English. Though the story of a boy who is born and raised on a ship without ever leaving it doesn’t seem intriguing at first glance, the minimalist setting only shines a spotlight on a story more compelling than many of the greatest epics. Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) isn’t afraid to combine nihilism with hope in a seemingly impossible union. There is adventure in simplicity, creativity in austerity, and joy in sadness. This film deserves undivided attention. You'll like this if you like: Forest Gump (1994); The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008). 1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) The top three films on this list came out within seven years of each other. And that’s not an accident. The 1990s into the early 2000s were a golden age for cinema, and The Shawshank Redemption is perhaps the best example.
Not too fast, not too slow; not star-studded, not riddled with amateurs, not too depressing, not unrealistically hopeful; not burdened by the necessity of believability, not undermined by implausible optimism. This is a story about people. The audience gets a sense of real, tangible, authentic humanity while watching The Shawshank Redemption, and without the usual heart-warming cliches or gut-wrenching tropes. This film isn’t out to make a quick buck, it’s not out to wow with special effects, it’s not going to babysit, distract, or help burn up a couple hours of the day. The Shawshank Redemption has everything a film needs and gives an audience everything it deserves. You'll like this if you like: The Green Mile (1999); It's A Wonderful Life (1946); The Patriot (2000); Good Will Hunting (1997). Hope you liked my list! What are your recommendations? Leave a comment below and maybe I'll mention them next time! It’s May, and things are starting to change. Months of dreary, gloomy, icy-cold weather are behind us. People are beginning to put away their galoshes and taking out their sandals. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire are giving way to marshmallows toasting on a campfire. Skating on ice rinks has finally ended, tanning on beaches is soon to begin. The long-awaited warm weather months are soon to return.
Perhaps the biggest sign of the coming summer though doesn’t have to do with the weather. In colleges throughout the country, students are looking ahead with anxious anticipation to what some of them might call their impending doom: graduation. Sure, graduation is exciting. The cap and gown, parties, beginning a new stage of life… all of this is well and good. But it can’t completely overshadow the challenges that await. College is something we look forward to for years. Living on your own for the first time and making all your own decisions. When you’re just beginning college, four years seems like infinity. Everything is new and exciting. Your biggest problems are the things that qualify as food in the caf, and the fact that you’re 10 page term paper is due tomorrow and you haven’t started it yet. There’s no need to worry about the future. That’s years away. And suddenly, it’s not. Graduation is weeks - nay, days! - away. You didn’t think there was enough coffee, Red Bull and Ramen in the world to get you through all your classes but here you are. Finals come and go. Senior week comes and goes. You’re walking across the stage… and just like that, it’s over. Now what? For most of us, when people ask what we’re going to do after college, we mentally refer back to our majors and talk about how we’ll get a job in a related field. So we’ve got a career in mind, sure. But what, really, are we going to do? College ends so abruptly that it leaves no time change from the confident college senior one moment, to the post-grad trying to scratch out a living the next. It took me a long time to make the transition. But I did it. And here are a few lessons that I wish I would have known when I graduated.
Life after college is daunting. Away from everything you’ve known for the last four years of your life, now people expect you to apply what you’ve learned and make something of yourself. Don’t worry about other people’s expectations, and don’t worry if you don’t become Bill Gates overnight. Know that you have people who want to help. Set ambitious, but attainable goals. Stay the course and make progress, little by little. This isn’t the end of college, it’s the beginning of life. If you don’t figure it out instantly, don’t worry. I didn’t either. A year ago, I decided to change the way I interacted with my money. At the time, I was doing alright, and I didn’t see any problems. I knew I was doing fine, but I sensed that there was room for improvement. If you know me, you’ll realize that I don’t like thinking in terms of good enough. I think in terms of making things great, striving for excellence. So, I started managing my money. I started budgeting, telling my money where to go and setting spending limits. Rather than checking my savings account to see how I was doing, rather than letting my money manage me, I took control. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t fun. Before, buying whatever I wanted came first, and paying bills came second. But now, there was a limit to how much I could spend. Every dollar had a job, and many of the jobs weren’t the fun kind. But then I began to notice some things: my loans were steadily going down, my savings were steadily going up, I began to feel more confident and worry less. See, before, if I had a car problem or a dental problem, I didn’t have the finances to take care of it, which turned it into a money problem too. It was a negative cycle of compounding problems. But now that I was managing my money, that wasn’t the case. A few months back, I made a road trip from Wisconsin out to Kansas. I was several months into budgeting by this point, and had been able to build up my savings and emergency fund. My last day in Kansas, I woke up, and went out to my car only to notice a nail sticking out of my slowly deflating front tire. Before, I would have had to use my credit card, pay for the tire replacement with money I didn’t have, and worry about it the whole road trip back home. But because I had control of my money and had an emergency fund saved, I simply went to the shop, paid for the replacement and went on my merry way, feeling empowered rather than worried. See, that’s what the point of budgeting is: building security in your life, finding peace. Nobody wants to go through life not knowing how they’re going to pay the rent, or having loans hold you back like a ball and chain. No, we desire peace, security, stability. When we have that, diving into the adventure of life is so much more rewarding. But we don’t get that peace without making some sacrifices. Let me just say, going out for a fancy dinner, buying a nice car or going on a vacation is a lot more enjoyable now that I know where the money’s coming from, and knowing I can afford it. I’m not perfect. But I know that since I am in control of my money, since I give every dollar a job, and I know where it’s all going, since I have a budget that I follow, that everything will work out. I am going to get there. I am going to prosper and flourish in ways that would have seemed impossible before. That’s the point. A budget doesn’t control you. A budget puts you in control. |
Nick MartinMy name is Nick Martin. I write sometimes. These are my thoughts. Archives
July 2021
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