Nathan Holic

Author: nholic

  • Miami: City of Dreams

    Though I loved “Cocaine Cowboys” for its numerous profiles of some really strange and distinct characters involved in the late ’70s and early ’80s drug trade (from drug runners to hitmen to newscasters), I think the film is most remarkable for its full and rich portrait of the city of Miami. “Cocaine Cowboys” seems to…

  • Dead Snow: Nazi Zombies

    “Dead Snow” lets us know, from the very start, what we are going to get: it’s Norwegian, set in the snowy mountains (at a cabin far from any civilization), and there are Nazi zombies who inhabit the dark woods outside the cabin. With that sort of premise, you’re the only one to blame if you…

  • The Cove: Shouldn’t Be True

    Like “GasLand,” a documentary I watched a couple months ago, “The Cove” is filed under that “I really wish this wasn’t true” category. It’s a disturbing, disturbing film, the type where each new scene seems to reveal some other horrible act that just doesn’t feel like it should be happening. If you’ve ever watched the…

  • The Problem with Haunted Houses…

    As far as haunted house movies go, “The Haunting in Connecticut” isn’t bad. In fact, it has a lot going for it: the premise is unique, first and foremost, and the characters all feel fresh. At the story’s center is a boy suffering through cancer treatment, and the film actually does an admirable job of…

  • Harlan County USA

    Another one of those documentaries that doesn’t seem like it could be possible. “Harlan County USA” is tough to watch, a series of snapshots of an America that no longer exists, and that–when you look at the dates of the events, early 1970s–you cannot believe was so recent. Quite simply, this movie showcases (without any…

  • Into the Wild

    It’s taken me a little while to process my thoughts on “Into the Wild,” which (I suppose) is another way of saying that it’s a complex movie about complex characters without any single clear message. The very best literature avoids easy answers, opting instead for questions, and “Into the Wild” definitely fits this mold. It…

  • The Epic Eminem Analysis: Part II

    “The Slim Shady LP” had introduced the world to a prankster, a rapper named Eminem and his crazed alter ego Slim Shady, who both seemed custom-made to combat the boy bands and bubble-gum pop of late ’90s radio. The characters swapped songs on that first CD, with the Eminem tracks containing just a hint of…

  • Re-Living High School English

    “The Metamorphosis” was one of those books that I was forced to read in high school, and that I sped through in a single weekend, expecting or hoping for it to be like a best-seller, like “Alien” or “The Fly” on the printed page. When I saw immediately that it wasn’t written with Stephen King…

  • The Best Creative Nonfiction Vol. I

    As a strong supporter of the “Best American Short Stories” collections, I wasn’t exactly sure what to think of Lee Gutkind’s “The Best Creative Nonfiction.” After all, it seems like a lot of different publishers and editors are using “The Best” in their titles, even when they aren’t affiliated with “The Best American” series, in…

  • “Inception”: is it good to be the most “talked-about” movie of the summer?

    I always think it’s fun to try to understand why certain critics would make certain comments in their reviews. “Toy Story 3,” for instance, has a 99% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com, which means that there were just 1-2 critics who gave it negative reviews (full disclosure: I haven’t seen it…but if you’re the only one…