Notes, Views, and A Couple of Tunes
In Case You Missed It
On Friday I shared a newsletter on how:
Variety Isn’t Inconsistency—It’s Intentional Range
You’re not being messy. You’re being multidimensional.
Great creative leaders don’t stick to one note—they design dynamic bodies of work.
If your content reflects your curiosity, that’s not a flaw—it’s a signature.
Inconsistency is when there’s no thought behind it. Variety is strategy in motion.
Designed variety builds identity. Unchecked fear silences it.
👉🏻 Read the full newsletter here! 👈🏻
What’s Been Playing This Week
This week I had to make, and commit, to a few decisions I’ve been dragging my feet on, including:
Using my Regal Unlimited plan at least 2x a week for contemporary film releases, because…
I’m only keeping these paid streamers:
Disney+ w/ ads (mainly TV & Marvel),
Prime Video,
MGM+ (original/international/classic content), and
Klassiki (Eastern European films. My wife is Russian, & I thought it helpful to understand that side of the world more in depth)
Reaching over 1,400 films in 8 months, slow my collecting to a crawl in order to actually begin studying these films-which was always the original intention.
Commit to posting 1 playlist, 1 review, and 1 program a week, regardless of any other emails/Notes posted.
That said, here’s the last four I’ve seen and logged:
Edge of Tomorrow - 9/10
A Working Man - 7.2/10
Novocaine - 7/10
Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’ - 10/10
Have you seen any of these recently? What’s your take on them?
Stay tuned for my next Note where I share my watchlist for this upcoming week!
“Here’s the thing: on a movie, time is money. And time, even more than money… time is an opportunity to get another take.” - Tom Cruise, Edge of Tomorrow
Behind the Reversal: Finding a Hidden Gem in TENET’s Second Disc
In my quest to build and curate a personal film library—and complete my Nolan filmography—I recently thrifted a copy of TENET for just $9. What I didn’t realize until I got home was that it was a two-disc set. I didn’t even check—I was just too eager to watch it again.
But the real surprise came when I popped in the second disc: a feature-length documentary on the making of the film. And it blew me away!
More than just a behind-the-scenes extra, this doc offers a rare look into the craft, decisions, and creative precision of Christopher Nolan. It became an unexpected but perfect addition to my independent filmmaking study.
As I’ve shared before, I’ve been building my own self-taught film school—studying the greats through commentary tracks, physical media, and in-depth features. And this documentary is exactly the kind of deep dive that makes physical releases so valuable. It’s educational, inspiring, and makes you see the film—and filmmaking as a whole—in a new light.
If you can find a copy of TENET with this included, don’t hesitate. It might just change how you view not only Nolan’s work, but cinema itself.
This isn’t just a bonus feature—it’s a masterclass in motion pictures and sound.
Live, Die, Repeat: A Loop Within Sound
Edge of Tomorrow will be this week’s FILMS For Your Consideration pick!
Be sure to check out the Cinema Tunes playlist for it: Live, Die, Repeat: A Loop Within Sound, available now! It’ll help get you pumped and primed for this wild ride!
This playlist echoes Edge of Tomorrow’s cyclical structure and emotional arc: from disorientation, through transformation, to resolution.
With industrial grit, pulsing electronics, and cinematic tension, it captures both the psychological strain of looping death—and the catharsis of mastering fate.
👉🏻 Tune into the whole playlist here! 👈🏻
What If You’re Not Lost—Just Hiding?
Finding your audience isn’t always the hard part—being findable is.
Do you pivot too often to be recognizable?
Do you hesitate to share your real thoughts, fearing rejection?
The more authentic your content, the stronger your signal.
Trust makes you visible. Fear makes you forgettable.
For instance, it's no secret that I love to write found poetry, but for three years (2020-23), I was so afraid to share my work out of fear that no one would understand, accept, or engage with it.
It turns out that…
The more I shared, the less fear I felt.
The more I shared, the more readers and Creatives—who felt the same anxiety I often feel—felt seen, felt heard, and were able to connect with my poetry on a deeply personal, and individual level.
I was reminded that, the work I create is meant to take on a life of its own, and is left to be interpreted innumerable ways by whoever engages with it.
All I have to do is create. Share. And step out of the way.
So, here’s the fifth preview poem from my upcoming poetry collection, Pen, Paper, & Heart Vol. 01: Words to the Wise.
👉🏻 Read the full poem here! 👈🏻
One For the Road
The Real Fear Behind Sharing Isn’t Rejection—It’s Exposure
For writers and poets, putting work out there feels like being read too deeply. But…
You designed your piece with intention—now it’s time to let it live.
The fear isn’t the post—it’s the vulnerability that comes with it.
Remember: what moves you is likely to move someone else too.
Your work isn’t done until someone else feels it.
