Best – The Pop Culture Philosopher

The late, great Aretha Franklin, who, until her death on Thursday was perhaps the world’s greatest living singer, was the undisputed Queen of Soul, but she was a master of many genres. She grew up[…]

Top 10 Movies: #1 – Children of Men

July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 Chris SunamiBest

Repost: Just rewatched this amazing film recently, and what once felt like a warning from the near future now feels ripped from the headlines… Today, most people know director Alfonso Cuarón as the first Latino[…]

Image by Michael Todd Williamson

7 Best Dylan Covers

March 15, 2018March 7, 2018 Chris SunamiBest

I’ve always been fascinated by cover songs. The vast majority of them just make you long for the original. But every once in a while, someone does one that brings the song a whole new[…]

My Dream Episode of SNL

December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 Chris SunamiBest

I’ve been watching SNL for over 25 years now, and with all due respect to the common wisdom that your favorite SNL cast is your first cast, it’s as funny now as it’s ever been.[…]

Top 5 Epic Rap Battles of History

November 9, 2017November 10, 2017 Chris SunamiBest

Back before Thug Notes or Drunk History, Epic Rap Battles first brought the distinctive Millennial high-culture/pop-culture blend to YouTube with their vision of what it would like if some of the great names of history[…]

Image by Serena Kuo

The New Black Cinema: Moonlight

March 23, 2017March 22, 2017 Chris SunamiBest

My wife had one major concern going into Moonlight. “Is it going to be ‘gay Precious‘?” For the record, I was a fan of Precious, the Oscar nominated story of an obese black teenager who[…]

From the Columbus Dispatch

April Sunami, artist extraordinaire

February 16, 2017February 23, 2017 Chris SunamiArt

As many of you know, my wife is Columbus artist April Sunami. Twelve years ago (when I first shared with her that memorable last name!) she wasn’t nearly so well known. It’s been a pleasure[…]

Top 10 Movies: #2 – Do the Right Thing

April 30, 2015May 13, 2015 Chris SunamiBest

It’s the hottest day of the year. Spike Lee is known as an actor’s director, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his masterpiece, 1989’s Do the Right Thing, an acknowledged classic of American[…]

Top 10 Movies: #3 – Casablanca

April 9, 2015May 13, 2015 Chris SunamiBest

What hasn’t been said about Casablanca? It’s a nearly flawless piece of cinema, and the crowning achievement of the old “assembly-line” system of movie-making, under which the studio would pull a director, a couple of[…]

Top 10 Movies: #4 – Stand By Me

March 26, 2015May 13, 2015 Chris SunamiBest

While Stand By Me (1986) is undeniably an excellent film, I’m not sure I can actually justify how high it ranks on my personal Top 10 list (it almost came in at number 3, but[…]

The Pop Culture Philosopher

Books, Music, Movies and Philosophy (Updates Thursdays)

Category: Best

In Memory of the Queen of Soul

7 Best Dylan Covers

My Dream Episode of SNL

Top 5 Epic Rap Battles of History

The New Black Cinema: Moonlight

April Sunami, artist extraordinaire

Top 10 Movies: #3 – Casablanca

Top 10 Movies: #4 – Stand By Me