Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958), 6/10

Another Sinatra and Nelson Riddle record truly captures a feeling of loneliness and emotional isolation. The title track and “Ebb Tide” are among the strongest but it is remarkably consistent and steadily beautiful in arrangement. While Where Are You? excels more in songwriting, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely excels in its foundational, elemental sentiment. There are no weak songs in the mix, only standouts that mark high points at the start of each side. The gait of Frank’s delivery along with the palpable genuineness is what sets the record apart and makes it exceptional, even among such a successful album career. It does not quite sound like anything else and dwarfs any other sad bastard records of the time. There is also a feeling of coolness that is typically lacking in truly depressive music, partially from Sinatra’s delivery and partly from Nelson Riddle’s understated, tasteful instrumentals. This record is best given complete immersion, as its somber grief taps on one’s shoulder until they succumb to heartbreak. One of the greater smoky barroom soundtracks you will find.

Mstislav Rostropovich - Cello-Suiten (1995), 6/10

A pleasant and worthwhile recording of Bach’s Cello Suites but does not live up to the music’s potential at times. This leaves a feeling of aridity that is hard to escape but comes and goes in waves. There is an obvious mastery to the performances yet in the end the recording itself is underwhelming even with realistic expectations. This may be due to the recording itself or to Rostropovich in moments but regardless these piece together what is a great recording, not the best. Look to Fournier or even Wispelwey. Still worth its time and a rather beautifully performed rendition in certain stages.

Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong (2025), 4/10

The performances are great, there are interesting phrases sprinkled throughout most tracks, and there is clear ambition behind the songwriting. Yet Forever Howlong is almost entirely forgettable and falls flat, not just in comparison to the band’s previous work but in the grander context of the modern creative music scene. The imaginative complexity does not really lead anywhere interesting. The technically sound performances lack spirit. The songwriting only flirts with inspiration or idle satisfaction before quickly retreating back into inert phrases and at times unemotional or detached compositions. There is nothing offensively poor or particularly disappointing about this record, only a smattering of forgettable songs. The lack of Isaac Wood is less of a creative void and more of a charisma vacuum. The vocals are quite exceptional yet in the majority lack morale and proper feeling. The music itself was already headed in this direction, but the band had not fully committed to this lack of clarity and creative direction, resulting in a doubled effect of palpable theatrical confusion and flat sensibility. When they do commit to a particular sound it either works flawlessly for a short duration or shifts quickly towards befuddled distress. Forever Howlong is hopefully a creative pitstop for a very talented group of musicians regrouping and finding new creative footing, but time will tell.

Voltaire - Candide (1759), 8/10

Voltaire's Candide is one of the most interesting and entertaining pieces of satire available to modern readers. Voltaire uses a combination of humor, logic, counter-logic, and narrative playfulness to provide a very necessary and creative response to Leibnizian optimism and the philosophies of the Enlightenment. The number of literary and Biblical symbols and motifs is practically unending and quite impressive for the brevity of the story, yet Voltaire uses a brilliant combination of real historical events and literary allusions to support his attacks against optimism, the illusion of free will, human goodness, and justice. Candide's character experiences an evolution that aptly takes the reader by the hand and guides us through a philosophical maturation, adding to the text's effectiveness as a work of narrative philosophy. The treatment of characters such as Martin in contrast to Pangloss gives insight into Voltaire's thoughts, and sometimes biases, but the relatively open-ended pessimism of the story gives it further meaning outside of any narrow views that have been injected into its events by critics. It is ambiguous whether Voltaire was ultimately supporting a self-annexation from modern society founded in pessimism or a pragmatic, logical participation founded in realism, but this only contributes to the artistic merit of the fiction. The ironic use of the sufficing reason is perhaps one of the strongest examples of Voltaire's satire and the critique of deterministic optimism. The brevity of the story is, again, a strength, as one can feel the story's intentionally balanced quality, never feeling unnaturally truncated but rather appropriately concise.

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations (AD 170-180)

Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, making this a historically significant document of his private notes beyond its value as a work of philosophy. This is fortunate, as the work itself is more interesting as a reflection of Aurelius' character and thoughts than as a work of philosophy. It is a rather straightforward personal reflection of Stoicism in practice, in most parts, rather than a new set of philosophical thoughts that pose new questions. Marcus commands himself, and the reader who is also intended as himself, to adopt and commit to the tenants of Stoic thought as a way to cope with the realities of being a ruler and to flourish as a virtue driven emperor. He also poetically considers death and the end of life throughout the text, more concentratedly in the twelfth and final book. His writing is very widely applicable to pursuing a virtue-driven Stoic lifestyle, making its application attractive and popular amongst result-driven individuals and pragmatic thinkers. While Stoicism itself limits the text as a piece of philosophy, considering it relies almost solely on the work of other Stoics or ancient thinkers while quoting Epictetus, Plato, and others, it is very entertaining and valuable as a personal work. He does not delve into or consider metaphysics or the origins of the conclusions he makes, rather focusing on the implications of Stoic thought and moral philosophy as it relates to fame, interpersonal relationships, "right and wrong" action, hedonism, and many other topics that are personal to Aurelius but widely applicable elsewhere. His notability largely stems from his persistence in being virtuous despite being the most powerful man of his time, failing to submit to hedonist or unvirtuous lifestyles. He also appears to write honestly about his thoughts, avoiding the inner-critic in a literary sense while appearing very self-critical in terms of behavior. He addresses all of the tenants of Stoic philosophy repeatedly, exemplifying the dyeing of the mind, particularly on topics of indifferentism and death. He leans into and relies on spiritual arguments often, similar to Kierkegaard or Aquinas to follow, making some of his philosophical reasonings rather complicated and unworkable. The work itself is rather unorganized as well because of its origins, particularly in book seven and some later books that appear haphazard or unfinished in retrospect, not reflecting a weakness but a limit of the form. He discusses more practical tools and ideas such as his commonplace books, methods for constructing personal responsibility, and even exhibits a personal maturation and evolution of thought throughout his writing. He is particularly persuasive because he chooses to act on his writings and thoughts, committing to Stoicism in a more intense and situationally challenging fashion than any other thinker, ancient or modern.

Steven Spielberg - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), 3/10

Without using gross oversimplifications often applied to criticism of the film, it is hard to specifically point to how Raiders is “great” despite it being dubbed so by many. It is a spiritual precursor to many films of the eighties and nineties including Spielberg’s own projects that rarely say anything meaningful or worthwhile. The fun quality of the movie is hard to quantify but it is plagued by uninteresting one-dimensional characters, misguided appropriations, and a tragically underdeveloped plot. Some action sequences such as Indy’s acrobatics while driving the truck are well done and impactful, but others largely fall under the category of unnecessary or what now amounts to unsuccessful spectacle. It unfairly loses some of its potency because it has been duplicated many times since, but the blueprint itself is clearly and visibly flawed. There is ironically little to praise and much to cringe about, its inherent nationalism, nostalgia probing, poor acting, and self-praised ridiculousness are entirely non-immersive and hard to watch. It feels much longer than it should considering its brevity, mostly because its indulgence is meant to be shared with the audience rather than what it truly appears to be, which is nonsensical silliness and forced scale. It is too narratively grounded to reach the greatness of Star Wars and too ridiculous to reach any sort of greatness as an adventure genre film. The lack of depth in most of its parts, and consequently as a whole, makes the story itself feel empty when it finally ends, so it becomes appropriately and neatly stacked with the ark among the litter of action films who came before and after.

Hal Ashby - The Last Detail (1973), 5/10

It is astounding that Robert Towne wrote the screenplay for The Last Detail just before Chinatown. There is nothing particularly wrong with The Last Detail, especially in its script, but it is a simple, cute story that precedes an intricate narrative masterpiece, perhaps limited by its source material. It is in contrast elevated by Nicholson, Young, and Quaid, who all bring appropriate energy and warmth to their characters in what amounts to a rather simple comedy topped off by a tragic bon-voyage for the young Mule. The film carries a lighthearted air that gives it a particular appeal, but it fails to communicate anything special or unique. The Marine officer who combats Badass and Mule only to be humbled, for example, feels utterly unnatural and unnecessary, similar to several lengthy sequences during the middle act of the picture. Still a nice little story that lets the trio bounce off of one another and comically entertain for its full length. Nicholson is unsurprisingly the most interesting and funny of the bunch, providing more laughs and shudders than any other by a mile, and further characteristically dominating the screen throughout. Otis Young is great in his supporting role, however, with simple retorts that provide quick entertaining quotables such as “I hate this fuckin' chicken shit detail!”. The Last Detail is worth its time and earns plenty of laughs.

Francis Ford Coppola - The Conversation (1974), 7/10

Coppola’s creation The Conversation provides a more interesting and captivating story than most of his other films that rely on source material, also showing that he works best with his own material. Hackman lives and encapsulates Harry Caul, portraying a properly complex yet understated main character victim to practical paranoia and anxiety. John Cazale and Harrison Ford are outstanding as additional cast, yet Hackman embodies the themes of the film, particularly in his changes from the beginning to sequences like the dream scene or his interactions with Bernie later on in the film. There are plenty of artful, interesting shots that continue the thematic trends set in The Godfather but they have more interesting, nuanced topics to discuss. It is not as grandiose a picture as Coppola’s other heavily praised works, but this is essential to make this story work and supports its effect. The writing is certainly less than perfect, reflecting some of the weaknesses to be repeated by Coppola many times in the future such as a far too long-winded approach to contextualization and tangents, yet the most important pieces of the story are beautifully written and presented such as the opening sequence. Hackman’s performance is simply outstanding and never breaks its marriage with the picture itself or the audience’s perception, creating an outstanding natural feel to his character and the way he interacts with the world around him, including his thematic explorations of relationship, privacy, loneliness, and death. While unfocused at times, The Conversation is one of Coppola’s strongest projects and one of the most pleasantly grounded cinematic examinations of the big questions surrounding modernity.