Okay I’ve been lazy long enough. I think a week is as long as I can use the excuse of wanting to leave my year end recap up before working on the current year stuff. But yeah, it’s 2018 and while movie wise, 2017 went out on a whimper for me on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day started with a bang at the movies.
This is the latest masterpiece from Steven Spielberg. I’m just so used to thinking back on his films that I grew up with, that I forget that he is STILL a master filmmaker. And I love how he’s balancing the fun (Ready Player One out in two months!!!) with the prestige (um The Post). This time, he brings in Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep to bring the true story of the Washington Post and their decision to continue publishing the Pentagon Papers after the White House was trying to stop them. When this movie started pre-production, whodda thunk it woulda been so relevant and necessary by the time it was released.
When I said that it was a masterpiece, I meant it. Every aspect of this film is on point. It’s very stylish, and looks like something right outta the 70’s where it’s set. There’s some really cool cinematography going on. The screenplay is tight (okay, it takes a lil bit to get going–lots of exposition, but then it’s spot on). John Williams is doing the score because of course he is. And that cast is phenomenal.
Streep and Hanks are at their best. There were even a few moments where the audience applauded after a particularly pointed line from Meryl (although the words were as important as their delivery in those cases, but still, noteworthy for sure). Seeing two masters go toe to toe carrying an offscreen partnership on the big screen was such a treat and alone worth the price of admission.
Something else that’s great about a director like Spielberg is that he’s gonna assemble an incredible team to fill out the entire movie. So many recongizable faces in supporting roles: Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk (who is phenomenal), Allison Brie, David Cross, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Jesse Plemmons, the list goes on. I even noticed a few beloved Broadways stars (Jessie Mueller and Stark Sands) sneaking in for a couple scenes.
And then there’s all the timely political implications of the story. I won’t go into it here, but it’ll be pretty obvious once you watch. This is an important film and a well made one and it is absolutely worth your time.
The Post – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/