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.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Cure (1997), 8/10

Kurosawa had many happy accidents take place during the production of Cure, making the final product an amalgamation of chance and fate just like its beautifully written story. Moments such as the weather during the beach scene and the second murder, the length of certain takes, or even some of the events that take place were a product of the filmmaking process, showing an adaptability and working fluidity that serve the project well. The plot and the narrative progression of the film are very unique and unsettling, as are Yakusho and Hagiwara's performances. Hagiwara in particular embodies the character of Mamiya so profoundly that it becomes hard to separate his being from the character. Mamiya's understated manipulation and the disproportionately combative responses to his calm demeanor are a large part of what makes Cure work so well, and what makes its character arcs so interesting. His demeanor and dialogue are equal parts disturbing and philosophical, but also add a sort of humor to an otherwise brutal story. The unclear storytelling, particularly in its final sequences, only add to the film's staying power and its broader meaning. This coupled with the juxtapositions of lighthearted presentation with brutal imagery, especially in the first murder of the film, help the picture stand out immediately but develop further beyond the obvious themes quite rapidly. If ever a film begs a second watch, it is surely Cure. Yakusho explains the significance of the film's characters as, "how humans become monstrous when they are in a stress free state". This is a proper summation of the film's main underlying theme and shows how intimately he understands Kurosawa's story and what informed his character. Unlike many other psychological thrillers, Cure takes its time to develop, unfold, and spend time with its story without overstaying its welcome.

Nintendo / Intelligent Systems - Super Metroid (1994), 8/10

Super Metroid (or Metroid III) was one of the most influential and mechanically interesting video games to be produced, further developing and solidifying an entire genre of platformers, to later be dubbed Metroidvania, initially popularized with Metroid for the NES in 1986. What makes Super Metroid particularly successful and timeless, however, is its combination of mechanical complexity, creative game progression including free exploration, including secrets, and its uniquely developed and presented atmosphere. The visuals and art direction are some of the game's most immediately apparent strengths, quickly followed by the game's method of introducing the player to the planet Zebes and its various regions. The game's introduction sets up a story that could be presented entirely within the gameplay, and most of the story develops throughout the gameplay itself, a more effective and powerful mode of presentation. The isolation felt upon arrival at Zebes complements its atmosphere and the player's experiential tutorial. Once the planet is teeming with danger, the journey itself is fairly straightforward in terms of story, but brilliantly crafted in the way the player is introduced to new areas, items, and techniques. The secret areas range from easy to discover to cryptic, as do the additional abilities not explicitly presented through gameplay such as crystal flash, making guides a practical necessity to experience the game to its fullest potential. While it is a sort of weakness in presentation, it does add to the game's replay value, particularly the vast amount of area to explore with non-obvious secrets hidden throughout. The boss fights are generally interesting and properly difficult for their placement, with Ridley outshining Mother Brain as a final boss, but this is appropriate considering Mother Brain's thematic place in the series and the subsequent escape sequence. Super Metroid is clearly one of the best video games beyond the confines of its genre and is properly timeless.

Robert Mulligan - To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), 4/10

To Kill a Mockingbird is a decent novel and its film adaptation follows suit. Gregory Peck embodies the greatness of Atticus Finch’s character, and the children act remarkably well, yet Mulligan does little to build upon the themes of the novel, using practically none of the potential unique to the visual medium. Not only does the film squander its potential, but it falls prey to all of the shortcomings of the literature it portrays, potentially even more so. The contemporary criticism of the novel’s white savior and its very limited, narrow portrayals of women and black characters is impossible to ignore, especially with the film’s additional focus on the trial of Tom Robinson, a character who exists in order to reflect Atticus’ heroism and provide what amounts to cheap tears. Like the novel, the story redeems itself with a shred of historical complexity after Tom’s death, but again the film does very little to explore the potential left lingering in the book. Apart from literally transitioning from page to screen, the film To Kill a Mockingbird is un uncreative and unimaginative interpretation of an overpraised novel. It will continue to persist due to great acting performances, particularly Peck’s, and the novel’s power as a cultural influencer during the early sixties.