You know, everyone keeps repeating this story about Ben Franklin over and over again — you know the one — about how in 1787, as the Constitution was adopted, Americans gathered on the steps of Independence Hall. When they saw Franklin, they asked, ‘What do we have, a republic or a monarchy?’ and Franklin replied, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’
But what did Ben Franklin even mean by that? Was he trying to say that a Democracy is only as strong as its institutions and that if the people in power become nakedly corrupt and are not checked, that Democracy becomes a hollow pretense that’s no better than a despotic monarchy? Or did he mean that the newly founded nation was a banana republic?
Leaving aside the fact that ranked lists are inherently subjective, I honestly cannot tell if this one is an elaborate satire or if perhaps the author concluded that actually choosing a “best” Coldplay song was an exercise in self-flagellating effrontery.
Here it is: A line of demarcation between those of us who embrace Coldplay as the music that serves the least desirable and neediest parts of ourselves, and those people who try to deny that such a part of themselves exists (in public anyway). Loving Coldplay means acknowledging that Aaron Sorkin was right to score a screamingly melodramatic montage from The Newsroom to this daringly sappy and ultimately overpowering emotional gut-punch. Yes, it’s embarrassing. And, sure, mocking this sort of thing will get you hundreds of likes and retweets on Twitter. But the next time you’re alone, and your phone is out of batteries, and you feel broken, you will put on this song and the part where Will Champion’s drums and Guy Berryman’s bass crash in behind Jonny Buckland’s soaring guitar will … fix you. And, like Chris Martin sings, tears will stream down your face. And then the song will end, and you will tell no one. But we’ll know.
Philosopher Karl Popper defined the paradox in 1945 in The Open Society and Its Enemies Vol. 1 (in note 4 to Chapter 7).
Less well known is the paradox of tolerance: Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. — In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.
Socratic lessons can be articulated in all manner of ways. Pedro Blas Gonzalez examines John Huston’s 1947 fable about avarice and greed.
This is a story told from the perspective of time and the ironic constitution of the former, as this relates to human existence. What is so daunting about Dobbs’ fate does not seem important, that is, until we attempt to make sense of it. How does Dobbs’ story play out in actual human existence? Because cinema employs a closed-ended logic, that is, a resolution, the viewer is afforded a propaedeutic for future action.
propaedeutic | ˌprōpēˈd(y)o͞odik | formal
adjective: (of an area of study) serving as a preliminary instruction or as an introduction to further study.
noun: an introduction to a subject or area of study.
I just got through watching John Huston’s 1948 adventure film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, starring Humphrey Bogart and currently sitting at #120 on IMDb’s Top 250 Movies list. A cursory search for commentary on the film turned up the original 1948 review in the N.Y. Times, which ends with a strange sentence.
To the honor of Mr. Huston’s integrity, it should be finally remarked that women have small place in this picture, which is just one more reason why it is good.
Indeed, women barely factor into the 2 hour runtime of the film. Every speaking role is male. The tale is certainly steeped in masculinity, manifesting as naked ambition, paranoia, and a deft commentary on the soul-warping power of greed. Perhaps the reviewer simply thought that the fairer sex were simply too good to be an integral component of a story so bleak, rugged and philosophical. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
By Dabit100/ David Torres CostalesPictures of Ecuador [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, from Wikimedia CommonsI’m a sucker for Wikipedia articles like this one listing off a number of extreme points on Earth. Fascinating to think about the difference between the highest peak above sea level (Mount Everest), as opposed to point farthest from the center of the planet:
The point farthest from the Earth’s center is the summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador, at 6,384.4 kilometres (3,967.1 mi) from the center of the earth (the peak’s elevation in relation to sea level is 6,263.47 m (20,549 ft)). This is because the Earth is an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect sphere: it is wider at the equator and narrower between the poles. Therefore, the summit of Chimborazo, which is near the equator, is farther away from the center of the Earth than the summit of Mount Everest (the summit of Mount Everest is 2,168 m (7,112.9 feet) closer, at 6,382.3 km (3,965.8 miles) to the Earth’s center).
If anything, Rogers’s simple message feels more revolutionary today than it did 50 years ago. In a culture dominated by the notion that you’re in a constant race and you’re always falling behind, that you always need to work harder and produce more, the space and time to be liked exactly as you are feels like the most precious gift imaginable.
1. Leonard Cohen – You Want it Darker
2. Karl Blau – Introducing…
3. Angel Olsen – MY WOMAN
4. Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat to Earth
5. David Bowie – Blackstar
6. Kevin Morby – Singing Saw
7. Merely – Uncanny Valley
8. Various Artists – Day of the Dead
9. Whitney – Light Upon the Lake
10. Local Natives – Sunlit Youth
In 2016, I watched only a paltry 9 films in the theaters. I know, it’s pretty lame, for someone who claims to love movies so much.
But times have changed! People watch films on their phones, on a train, waiting in the airport for their flight to board, etc. Several neat streaming services came into their own this year. HBO Now, Mubi, and FilmStruck, to name a few. I watched some great stuff (and some of my favorite films of the year) via such services.
I have modified my tradition of separating films into lists defined by when they were released and instead offer a list of 16 films that I tremendously enjoyed viewing for the very first time in the year 2016.
Will Oldham, Daniel London and Lucy in Old Joy
Old Joy
Silence
Wendy and Lucy
Saving Private Ryan
Bill Cunningham New York
Phoenix
The Witch
The Sunset Limited
Woyzeck
99 Homes
River of Grass
Omohide poro poro (Only Yesterday) in Japanese with English subtitles
Training Day
Song of the Sea
The Invitation
Psychohydrography
LEGEND:
Regular = movie watched on a TV or other device BOLD = denotes theatrical viewing Italic = denotes a “mini series” or “television movie” Underlined = denotes a short film (30 minutes or less)
Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, and River of Grass are all Kelly Reichardt films which were shown as a part of a themed retrospective on Mubi. In 2016, her new film, Certain Women, hit limited distribution in theaters however I didn’t manage to catch it. Seeing so many of her films in short succession has given me a new appreciation for the form of narrative storytelling that allows the viewer to simply experience the characters having interactions with one another. Old Joy takes the cake for best film I saw for the first time in 2016. Two friends whose lives have diverged over time reunite for a camping trip into the Columbia Gorge. A spare, simple, elegiac film that touches on the truest hopes and pains of a deep friendship. I found it moving amidst a year of failed relationships amongst a few of my dearest friends.
Andrew Garfield and Yôsuke Kubozuka in Silence
Martin Scorsese’s long-gestating passion project Silence was released in NY and LA in time for Oscar consideration on 12/23/16 and I made a concerted effort to go and see it. My showing was in a screening lounge at The Landmark in Los Angeles on that date. One couple walked out in the middle of the film. The guy returned for his big gulp of soda a few minutes later. I stayed. I was blown away.
Edward Burns, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg, Tom Sizemore, and Barry Pepper in Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan was a first-time viewing for me in 2016. An incredible film that has informed and inspired practically every other war film since. Amazing. Utterly amazing.
Bill Cunningham. 1929-2016. RIP.
Bill Cunningham passed away in 2016 and after his death, Mubi presented the documentary Bill Cunningham New York ~ wait for the interview where the filmmaker starts to ask personal questions. It’s a true moment of revelation.
Klaus Kinski in Woyzeck
Another retrospective that I very much enjoyed watching was of many of Werner Herzog’s films, also shown on Mubi. His collaborations with Klaus Kinski remain the stuff of legend for filmmakers. Woyzeck is perhaps their best joint effort. Kinski is the madman who was never tamed nor cured. Their working relationship ended after Cobra Verde.
Below is a complete, alphabetized list of all 109 Films, Short Films, TV miniseries, and shows I took in throughout 2016:
LEGEND:
Regular = movie watched on a TV or other device BOLD = denotes theatrical viewing Italic = denotes a “mini series” or “television movie” Underlined = denotes a short film (30 minutes or less)
2001: A Space Odyssey
99 Homes
America (2013)
American History X
Anomalisa
Arrival
Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt
Bernie
Bill Cunningham New York
The Black Stallion
Burn After Reading
Captain America: Civil War
The Comb
The Conjuring
The Crossing Guard
The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
The Decline of Western Civilization Part III
Die Hard
Documentary Now! Season 1
Elf
Extraordinary Tales
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in 70MM)
Finding Dory
Futurama: Bender’s Big Score
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Futurama: Bender’s Game
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Galaxy Quest
Game of Thrones: Season 6
The Great Dictator
The Grinch
The Hateful Eight
The Heartbreak Kid
Home Alone
An Honest Liar
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Indecent Proposal
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Invitation
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
The Jungle Book (2016)
Jupiter Ascending
Kentucky Fried Movie
Kung Fu Panda
The Ladykillers (2004)
The LEGO Movie
Liar Liar
The Little Prince
Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro) English Dub
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 3: Beyond ThunderDome
Making a Murderer
Master of None: Season 1
Meeks Cutoff
Moonrise Kingdom
The Muppet Christmas Carol
My Side of the Mountain
Sin Dios ni Santa María (Neither God Nor Santa Maria)
The Night Of (Season 1)
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre)
Old Joy
Omoide no Mânî (When Marnie was There) English Dub
Omohide poro poro (Only Yesterday) in Japanese with English subtitles
Peaky Blinders (Season 1)
The Peanuts Movie
Phoenix
Pitch Perfect 2
Psychohydrography
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Ratatouille
Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies
River of Grass
Rocket Man
Rome: Season 1
The Room (with Rifftrax!)
Saving Private Ryan
The Secret of Kells
Sen to Chihiro no kakimakushi (Spirited Away) English Dub
The first couple batches of Dorothy weren’t my absolute favorite in the Hillsboro lineup. There was a sinister pine and weed resin to them that was a touch too sappy in execution when placed against the innumerable other phenomenal offerings. Different strokes, palates gonna palate. However, Hill Farmstead’s barrel program is basically that machine that transmutes Urkel into Stefan. So what happens when you give the appellation shortening treatment to Dorothy’s sticky oily bones? Let’s find out:
The first couple batches of Dorothy weren’t my absolute favorite in the Hillsboro lineup. There was a sinister pine and weed resin to them that was a touch too sappy in execution when placed against the innumerable other phenomenal offerings. Different strokes, palates gonna palate. However, Hill Farmstead’s barrel program is basically that machine that transmutes Urkel into Stefan. So what happens when you give the appellation shortening treatment to Dorothy’s sticky oily bones? Let’s find out: