So I guess this is it huh? The last thing I write for this newspaper. 

Now I’m not sure how many other people have written dedicated “goodbye” articles but I’m willing to wager not all that many. I however am going to because that’s the type of person I am. 

What I’m about to say might sound hard to believe considering what I do here, but I am a very sentimental person. I’m sentimental about people, I’m sentimental about objects, but more than anything, I’m sentimental about experiences. This experience has been nothing short of life changing. I’m not being hyperbolic or overly cushy with that statement either. I mean exactly how it is written.

When I came into this school four years ago I knew I had a passion for the art of film but didn’t know how to express it. I also knew that I had many strong opinions about many different things, but never had a channel in which to convey them. I had known for years that I wanted to make cinema a part of my life it’s just at the time I didn’t know how. 

My English teacher for freshman year was Mrs. Kisatsky, who as you may or may not know is the advisor of the journalism class and club. She apparently saw some sort of potential in me that not even I saw. I remember it clear as day. I was at the club fair walking around checking out the booths when she saw me. In an attempt to coax me to join, she said five words I’ll never forget: “You can write movie reviews.”  It was as if in that very moment I was exposed to a world that I didn’t even know existed. That I could take my passions and my opinions and give them some sort of shape. I was so excited that I even wrote a film review that night. It was awful. It was a paragraph long, and it was about Goodfellas. I thank God I never had the inclination to actually publish it because the world does not need to see that absolute mess. 

After that though, I hit the ground running. I started with Affliction, a review I wrote solely because I believed that film deserved more attention (I still do; it’s a great movie). Then came the Birdman series. At the time I DESPERATELY needed an avenue to try and pick that film apart and discuss the levels of substance. Reds and La La Land were written due to my undying love of those films, while West Side Story (2021) was born out of my undying hatred. That brings us to today with what I like to call the “Assignment Trilogy” of Falling Down, 8 ½, and Tremors. These three were only written to be turned in for a grade and were never really intended to be published. However as the end of the year drew closer and I came to realize I didn’t have one more fully fledged review in me in time, I figured they would be nice capstones. 

I guess I ought to explain what’s been going on huh? 

These last few months have been very long, very hard, and very confusing. This is for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is trying to close out my final year of high school on a high note whilst contending with my growing sense of apathy towards anything scholastically related. As for Les Miserables (2012). I tried to start writing it many, many, many times. But I would always only get about a paragraph in and have to stop. I have so much to say about that godforsaken movie, most of it scene/moment dependent, that I don’t think I could do my thoughts justice. 

That’s a problem that has permeated over my entire career on this newspaper. If I am unable to deliver what I want to make, exactly in the way I want to make it, I don’t want to do it. Making concessions when it comes to my work has always been tough for me, and it’s something I’ll have to work on in the future. But it was for these reasons that I decided to scrap Les Miserables (2012) and move on to something else. That something else was SUPPOSED to be a gigantic review of the Paranormal Activity series of movies—where I would talk about the filmmaking for each one, the many inconsistencies & retcons in the overarching story between the films and my personal opinions of each. I even have a 53 page document of “notes” which is mostly just me ranting and losing my mind. Maybe I’ll still write that one, one day. I don’t want the lost brain cells to go to waste.

Even this, what you’re reading right now, was supposed to be paired with a review of Interstellar. 

So I’m sorry for my absence, and I’m especially sorry if I let anyone down.

You might think this is all sappy, and it is, but I really don’t care. Honesty has always been an important thing to me, especially in my writing. It would not feel right to write a “send off” without being 100% completely honest with what I say. I’ve tried to reflect that philosophy in the reviews I’ve written my entire time here. 

You may wonder what do I do now that it’s all over?  In response to that I’m going to be a total nerd and quote Gandalf in Return of the King: “End? No, the journey does not end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.” Of course in this instance, “death” is akin to “graduation,” but I feel like the sentiment still rings true. Although I will no longer have this station or you fine folks to read what I write anymore, that’s not going to stop me from writing. These four years have sparked a fire in my soul, one that can never be extinguished. It is a fire that commands me to continue on with what I’m doing in the same way until I die, whether that’s through my college’s own newspaper or my own personal internet blog. I am never going to stop doing this. That fire will burn forever.

It would, however, feel wrong to leave without discussing any movies. So as a little, let’s say “parting gift,” below are my top 25 favorite movies with 1-3 sentence summaries of my feelings about them: 

1. 1. Shawshank Redemption: Everything about this movie is great down to the very last minute detail. There’s a good reason it’s the highest rated movie on IMDB.
   2. 12 Angry Men: Second greatest movie ever made behind Godfather II. Has some of the simplest yet most complex acting I’ve ever seen. The writing is second to none.
   3. There Will be Blood: If you need an example of a movie that could be described as “towering,” go with this one. This movie grabs you by the shoulders the moment you start and doesn’t let go until it’s good and ready.
   4. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): One of the most intelligently and thoughtfully written films ever made. I wont say anymore, I BEG you to watch it for yourself
   5. La La Land: Beautiful and wonderful. Need I say more?
   6. Whiplash: Aggressive, hard, and in your face, yet also subtle and multilayered. J.K Simmons gives an absolutely PERFECT performance.
   7. All the President’s Men: Who knew a movie about the two guys who blew open the Watergate Scandal would be so interesting? The highlights are the great set design and superb use of sound. Hoffman and Redford also give grade-A performances.
   8. Se7en: THE best detective/cop movie (fight me; I’m right). Fantastically written and even better performed. It will stick with you for a long time. 
   9. Falling Down: To summarize this movie would be like summarizing a Shakespearean play. There are just too many moving parts and so much to chew on that once you think you’re done, there will still be some left on the plate.
   10. Reds: Despite being 3 ½ hours long, it really doesn’t feel bloated at any parts. It uses its runtime well and tells a complete story giving light to one of history’s more forgotten figures. 
   11. Affliction: Wade Whitehouse is such a complex character and I don’t think people give Nick Nolte enough credit for how well he plays him. Glen Whitehouse is one of THE best movie villains ever and James Coburn deserved his Oscar.
   12. Tremors: Dumb, stupid fun that doubles as an actually great monster movie with some truly memorable and likeable characters. 
   13. Interstellar: My favorite Nolan film. Absolutely stunning and breathtaking from every angle. The acting, the story, the writing, the visuals, the MUSIC! I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about it.
   14. Gone Girl: Hey did you know Ben Affleck could act? Yeah he’s actually REALLY good at it! Amazing story and SUPERB acting, Rosamund Pike stole the show as another one of cinema’s greatest villains.
   15. Nightcrawler: Movie about a creepy loner weirdo who only works at night? Who else but Jake Gyllenhaal! So messed up but so SO good.
   16. Boogie Nights: Uhhhhhhhh it’s really REALLY good. Can’t say anymore though.
   17. Cape Fear (1962): Despite being a really famous movie this film is horribly underrated. Max Cady is an absolutely TERRIFYING and truly evil villain who’s brought to life only by a transcendent Robert Mitchum performance. The dynamic between him and Gregory Peck is what really makes the movie.
   18. The Brutalist: I adore every single facet of this film. Despite being nearly four hours, every scene is so captivating and breathtaking that you can’t help but be engaged. Top that all off with a career best performance by Adrian Brody and you end up with something truly special. 
   19. Glory: This film might actually have the best overall ensemble cast ever put together. Each character felt so real and was so well developed that even though you know they don’t, you just can’t help but want to see them succeed.
   20. Blue Jasmine: An amazing story with great characters all elevated by an absolutely perfect performance by the divine Cate Blanchett. I was left in awe of what Woody Allen was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.
   21. Network: A film criticizing the sensationalism of the media that feels just as relevant today as it did back in the 70s. Tightly written with some detestable yet also sympathetic characters. Peter Finch gives one of cinema’s greatest performances.
   22. White Heat: My personal favorite non-mafia gangster movie and that’s solely due to James Cagney’s unforgettable performance as Cody Jarrett. 
   23. A Bronx Tale: My second favorite gangster movie. A highly intelligent film about the choices that a young man is faced with and how those choices shape who he ends up becoming. The dueling perspectives between Sonny and Lorenzo where neither is wrong but neither are wholly right either adds a whole layer to the narrative that a lesser writer could have easily missed out on.
   24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931): The best adaptation of the story to film (in my mind). Fredrick March is absolutely fantastic at making Jekyll and Hyde feel like two different people. So much to the point where my stepmom couldn’t believe that they were played by the same actor. He is the only person to win an Academy Award for this role.
   25. Dr. Zhivago: One of cinema’s most beautiful love stories. This film is so grand in its presentation that it almost feels overwhelming at times. Very few other movies have so effectively captured my heart and made it bleed for the main characters, truly unforgettable.

Now since most of these movies are rated “R,” I dont think I’m allowed to tell you to go watch them. So instead, how about I say I think you should CONSIDER adding them to your watchlist.

Well I guess this is it, huh? (bringing it back full circle from the beginning).

But seriously though, thank you.

Thank you to my mom who edited most of my early work. Thank you to my dad who was and is always willing to talk about movies with me. Thank you to Mrs. Kisatsky for turning me on to this whole thing in the first place.

Most importantly, I thank you. The people reading this, even the people who aren’t reading this I thank you too. You are the ones who add that important bit of legitimacy to what I do and I know that without you none of this means anything. 

So, thank you.

I’ll leave you now with the words Truman Burbank did before he too stepped out into the real world:

“Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya: Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.”

“In Reel Time“

Tristan Good