“The love for movies is the one thing that transcends time and space”
INTERSTELLAR’s 10th anniversary, 🎟️ our very first Movie Club event, what makes film so special, the magic of 70mm, the art of movie trailers, & recommendations worth your time this holiday season
Hot off the press!
Welcome to the first edition of THE ULTIMATE BOON, a monthly newsletter exclusively for paid subscribers. Think of this as a sort of “behind the scenes” medley of movie musings and travel stories, quotes and cat videos… An informal smattering of culture and commentary to fuel your growth, inspire you, and make you smile.
This time around, we’ll celebrate a sci-fi classic, demystify physical film, discuss how to cut a good movie trailer, and then finally roundup some film, TV, and book recommendations worth your time as you close out the year.
I’m also excited to announce our very first Movie Club event below...
Mark your calendars, and enjoy!
Get ready to go Interstellar
It’s safe to say we’re all Christopher Nolan fans here, right?
He’s one of Hollywood’s most commercially successful directors, and also one of its most original... Living proof that there’s audience appetite for more than the risk-averse storytelling formulas and soulless sequels that monopolize the box office.
Here at The Lighthouse, we recently broke down Nolan’s 2010 epic, Inception, peeling back its many layers to discover what it can teach us about filmmaking - and why it’s worth believing in the impossible as you make decisions in your life.
Without exception, Nolan’s films are technical masterclasses. They’re also intellectually stimulating and, contrary to popular opinion, full of heart.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in my favorite of his films, Interstellar, which was just re-released in cinemas in celebration of its tenth anniversary!
-Drumroll- Speaking of which:
🎟️ Our very first Movie Club event - LIVE!
I’m looking forward to our first-ever “watch party” here at The Lighthouse. To kick off the New Year, we’ll hang out, network, trade stories, and break down Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR together in real-time, in honor of the film’s tenth anniversary.
Join us for lively discussion and camaraderie with kindred spirits! I have no idea how many people will tune in, since this is the first time we’re doing this. But we’ll have fun whether we wind up with an intimate gathering or a full house!
This event is exclusively for paid subscribers. If you’ve already upgraded, then you’re all set - simply follow the instructions here at the appointed time below.
(Please note that you’ll need your own copy of the film if you want to watch along with us, but you’re welcome to tune in regardless).
WHEN: Saturday, January 04, starting at 09:30am EST. We’ll catch up for half an hour, then begin watching together promptly at 10:00am EST.
WHAT: A virtual “watch party” of INTERSTELLAR.
Passion is a good data point for deciding what to do
With our first-ever Movie Club officially around the corner, I wanted to share a few thoughts on Interstellar. I was lucky enough to see it in 70mm IMAX when it first came out, back in 2014. Actually, I was on a first date, and I’m embarrassed to admit that the screening made such an impression on me that I had to excuse myself after it finished to be alone with my thoughts. Suffice it to say that that relationship didn’t last!
In my view, the work itself is extraordinary in any format, what writer Lauren Wilford describes as “a Great American Novel of a movie… There’s the part of it that wants to be hard sci-fi, but it’s also a movie about the idea of destiny, and what the idea of destiny can guide us toward.” Her thoughts put words to my feelings so perfectly:
As I approach middle age, I've developed a taste for stories about someone crossing a threshold - stories of someone walking through a door that locks behind them. Interstellar is a very adult epic, in that sense. It's about the things you can't take back. It's about becoming prepared for the moment, and then realizing that nothing could have prepared you, not really.
There's no way you could have known, and you had to choose anyway. It's about the way that a sense of destiny might kill you - but that it might save you, too.
…The characters change their minds over whether they've made the right or wrong choices… But what Interstellar seems to propose is that passion may be as good a data point as any for deciding what to do. There's so much you won't know, either way. You may be in for pain, either way… There's something very rousing about watching characters launch themselves at something; want something; love something; rage against the dying of the light. A beautiful and morally serious film.
...It didn’t connect with everyone when it came out, but I’m thrilled to see more people appreciating Interstellar now, ten years later. It’s got such sincerity and soul. For me, thematically, the film is a powerful reminder that it’s okay to take big swings and miss.
Case in point:
Rishi, who runs the guesthouse where I’m staying here in Nepal, observed that I’ve been feeling down recently due to a loss beyond my control. “Life is shorter than your shoelaces,” he quipped. “The problem is that when we lose something, we become distressed - but you don’t know what’s around the next bend one, two, three months from now. So. No need to cut your shoelaces shorter than they already are, hm?”
Passion can point you forward.
Launch yourself at the thing, and accept the pain if you fail to achieve it.
Or as Lauren says of Interstellar: “Things can go wrong, very wrong, for years, but somehow be made right in the fullness of time.”
Why we should care about physical film
It’s not just the thematic ambition of Interstellar that floored me back in 2014… It was also the film’s glorious 70mm projection in the cinema.
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