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The Post (2017)
The Post (2017)
Steven Spielberg directing Hanks, Streep, Odenkirk, Greenwood, Plemons, and Brie should make a lot of money and be a high quality movie, right?
The film is about The Washington Post Newspaper it 1971. It chronicles how the press defies the government as they want to release loads of classified documents pertaining to the Vietnam War.
The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and the noteworthy cast includes Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, Bruce Greenwood, Jesse Plemons, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, David Cross, Zach Woods, and Michael Stuhlberg.
The Post is dry as the desert sand. Bright, but also burned out.
The movie was a little hard to follow in the beginning. It has a slow start. Almost every scene seemed drawn out. Because some of the scenes drag on, it takes away from the storyline. You either lose interest and it makes it harder to remember small details that do not matter until later on.
Like many political dramas, the stars come out to play. However, often there are too many stars in the sky, so to speak. There is not enough movie to go around. That is exactly the case with this film. There was this kind of detachment from the main characters.
Odenkirk was probably the most entertaining part of the film and it felt like he was hardly in it. Hanks was likable, but his performance was nothing special. Streep’s character started to develop about halfway through. I feel like the movie had plenty of time for us to become attached to the characters, but it just never gets there.
The entertainment value that we have come to expect from a Spielberg directed film, was hard to find. The spark was just was not present. The scenery was great. It felt like the right time and place that it was depicting. There was not a shortage of acting ability. The Post just falls short of all expectations.
It is a likable overrated, underachieving, sluggish, and detached film. It is worth a one-time rental.
I rate this movie a 6 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Bobby (2006)
Doubt (2008)
Lions for Lambs (2007)
JFK (1991)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips is based on the true story of when a US flagged-cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. This was the first time that this had happened to an American cargo ship in 200 years. Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) was the captain of the ship.
Back in 2009 I had a warehouse job that enabled me to listen to the radio all day long during my shifts. I remember having my ears glued to the little radio that was set up in my work station as I listened intently for updates about what was happening with Captain Phillips, his crew, and the Somali hijackers.
It was already 4 years ago, but it feels like yesterday. I remember how America responded to this act of terrorism and that made me curious to see how the film would portray the situation. I figured if the movie followed the truth closely, than it might have the potential to be a quality film and an Oscar Contender.
The movie was directed by Paul Greengrass. Billy Ray wrote the screenplay, but Richard Phillips wrote the book that it is based on, “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea.”
The noteworthy cast includes Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Michael Chernus, David Warshofsky, Chris Mulkey, Max Martini, Omar Berdouni, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, and Mahat M. Ali.
Hanks has not had a great part for a while, until now. There was a time when he had one excellent movie after another. This will be the movie that puts him back into the spotlight (it already has). The role fit him like a glove and he wore it well. His performance should be worth an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and if he wins, it would be well deserved (another one to add to the collection). The film also deserves a Best Picture nomination.
The film does not follow the facts completely, but the few things that it does change only serve to make the movie more powerful, more entertaining, and more enjoyable. The things that were changed were done so tastefully. After all, with Tom Hanks in the driver’s seat, Hollywood has to dress the story up a little bit to turn it into a blockbuster.
Captain Phillips is an edge-of-your-seat suspenseful thriller that is one of the best movies of 2013. It is one of those films that hits home a little harder because it is based on a true story.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Happy Birthday to Tom Hanks
Happy Birthday to Tom Hanks! He is one of the most well-known actors of all time and he turns 57 years old today.
Hanks has been on the top of the acting food chain for over 20 years, until recently. Although he has continued to make a number of movies over the last few years, it seems like his popularity has decreased lately. Besides contributing his voice for Toy Story 3 (2010), Tom Hanks has not had a quality acting part in a successful movie since Angels & Demons (2009).
His upcoming role in Captain Phillips (2013) appears like it has the potential to revive his career and bring him back into the spotlight. If it doesn’t, I guess there is always Toy Story 4.
Just think about all of the solid performances that Tom Hanks has given to us over the course of his career. The man sure has been consistent.
My favorite Hanks movies are Saving Private Ryan (1998), Road to Perdition (2002), Catch me if You Can (2002), Big (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), and A League of Their Own (1992), just to name a few.
Trailer for Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips (2013)
This film is based on the true story of when an American cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. This was the first time that this had happened to an American cargo ship in 200 years.
Does anybody remember how America responded to this hijacking? Do you remember Captain Phillips?
It’s hard to believe that happened about 4 years ago.
If this movie follows the truth closely, I think that it might have the potential to be a quality film and an Oscar contender.
The film is directed by Paul Greengrass. Billy Ray wrote the screenplay, but Richard Phillips wrote the book “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea” that it is all based off of.
The cast includes Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, John Magaro, Chris Mulkey, Corey Johnson, David Warshofsky, Yul Vasquez, and Michael Chernus.
Hanks has not had a great part for a while. Could this be the movie that puts him back into the spotlight? I will have to be there when it releases to find out.
The film is set to release on 10/11/13.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a tender, heartfelt drama about a boy (Thomas Horn) who tries to keep the memory of his father (Tom Hanks) alive for as long as possible. The boy is completely devastated after his father dies inside of the World Trade Center during the attacks on September 11th, 2001. He finds a key to an unknown lock that belonged to his father and he is prepared to search all of New York City to find out exactly what the key will unlock.
The pace of the film was pretty slow and it allowed for the development of the main characters. It did not have to rely on special effects or action, just actors acting and telling a story.
Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock both give charming performances in the film, as they usually do. But, their roles were miniscule in comparison to the breakout performance of 14-year-old Thomas Horn. Horn came out of nowhere. He did an excellent job of acting in his first movie ever. The young man was able to carry the majority of the film on his back. Thomas Horn reminded me a little bit of Haley Joel Osment. It will be interesting to see what Horn does next.
Max Von Sydow did a great job with his supporting character.
Jeffrey Wright and John Goodman both had minor supporting roles.
My only complaints about the movie are that it was maybe a little too slow during some parts and it was a little bit predictable. It would have been more beneficial to the film if Hanks and Bullock had a little bit more face time.
It is hard to get excited to watch a movie that has anything to do with the attacks on the WorldTradeCenter on 9/11/2001. That is the reason why I did not rush out and catch this movie in the theatre when it was out in 2011. I’m glad that I did take the time to finally watch it because it did turn out to be a pretty touching story.
I rate this movie a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
