I'm confident in my knowledge of music, to the point of where I'm comfortable making semi-declarative statements about things like 'best' or 'most influential.' I know that such knowledge can never truly be complete, and that there's always more to learn, but I've done so many deep dives, decades-sweeping projects, readings, and writings to feel like I'm about as close to an 'expert' as one could be on such a wide-ranging and subjective topic.
Movies, on the other hand, are…
Let me begin by stating that I am a pretty serious Bob Dylan fan. I’ll define ‘serious’ as owning every installment of the “Bootleg Series,” but not a collector of actual bootlegs. The thing about Dylan fandom is that it can run REALLY deep, to the level in which genuine Dylanologists tend to listen to little beyond Bob, and can/will recite minute details from his professional and personal life at the drop of the hat. I’m not at that level…
My first review of a theater-viewed film -- and the first five-star rating that I've awarded -- happens to be for one of my favorites, as I recently caught 'The Big Lebowski' at a 4/20 screening at Portland's Hollywood Theater.
And yeah, it's still fucking great. Perhaps the funniest movie that I've ever seen, and easily one of the most endlessly quotable to boot. Sure, the Coen's have arguably created far more immersive universes than this 'barely a period piece,' but the laugh-a-second nature of 'Lebowski' makes it -- for me at least -- the most essential entry in their excellent body of work.
Rating: 9.7
Criterion Collection #1130
Though I've spent most of my adult life 'seriously' rating and reviewing music, up to this point, I've largely avoided doing the same for film. However, I've recently decided to make an honest effort to become more cinema literate, and plan to expand my horizons with a particular emphasis on the films that are part of the Criterion Collection.
And what better place to begin than with 1971's Shaft? Okay, I'm sure that there are plenty of…
