The Post Review

3.5 Stars

 

The Vietnam War was a 20-year long war in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975.  In 1965, American military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) reported with disgust to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) that no progress was being made.  McNamara commented that his findings meant that things were actually getting worse.  Almost immediately after their conversation, McNamara spoke with the press reporting falsely that the situation was getting better in the War.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C. in 1971, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) took over operations of The Washington Post newspaper after her husband Phillip died.  Their competitor New York Times published reports on cover-ups about the Vietnam War and were quickly silenced by President Richard Nixon.  Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk), a journalist for the Post got a meeting with Ellsberg who gave him 1000 copied classified documents confirming the cover-ups.  

The Post is the true story about the first U.S. female newspaper publisher Kay Graham as she and her Chief Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) struggle between their duties as journalists to expose the truth about the White House cover-ups about the Vietnam War and their responsibilities to their employees to keep them safe when they are threatened by the White House to stay away from the story.  

The Post was nominated for 9 Golden Globes, though it didn't walk away with any wins.  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri beat The Post for Best Picture Drama, Guillermo Del Toro took home the award for Best Director for The Shape of Water, Gary Oldman beat out Tom Hanks for Best Actor for his role as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, and Frances McDormand beat out Meryl Streep for her performance in Three Billboards.

 

Most are familiar with the story, at least with the highlights.  But The Post goes deep into the behind the scenes efforts and struggles that went into exposing the lies being told by the White House spanning 4 Presidents about the Vietnam War.  But it was about more than just the War.  It was about one of the core tenants of what makes America unique: the freedom of the press.  Journalists have both an obligation and a responsibility to share the truth, and they have a right to do so without obstruction.  Streep and Hanks were both brilliant, as you would expect.  I have yet to see Hanks in something I haven't enjoyed and both should be nominated for an Oscar for their performances.  The Post was directed by Stephen Spielberg and the music was composed by John Williams to round out the posse of Hollywood A-listers involved in this film. I anticipated 4 solid Stars from The Post.  It looked like it would be exciting, intense, upsetting, infuriating, inspiring and rewarding as we were given an inside look to a pivotal time in our nation's history regarding politics and the press, something that is as relevant as ever in our current political climate.  

 

I am lowering my rating slightly.  Spielberg did a great job keeping the story moving.  Not staying in one scene too long, keeping the characters straight so the viewer can follow along with all the players involved in the cover-up and the exposure, using angles to help emote feelings of power and doubt and inferiority.  Hanks was fantastic as Editor Ben Bradlee.  He was equally dedicated to his boss Kay Graham as he was to his employees when threatened by the government as he was to his paper The Post and getting the truth out there.  Streep was brilliant as the first female newspaper publisher Kay Graham who struggled with the transition from the wife of a publisher who hosted parties and lived on the sidelines to taking over complete control and having to make important decisions on her own, decisions that impacted her family's legacy as well as the many people who worked under her.  You definitely felt the anguish over her decisions, the doubt in herself, you cheered when she mustered up the courage to stand up for what was right and not cave in to what was safe. 

 

This is one of those difficult films to rate based on my personal ranking scale.  Remember, there are three main facets to my rankings.  First, how accurately does the preview lead you into the film?  In this case, you get exactly what the preview sells.  Second, the film itself.  This is a great movie, well told, superbly acted and deserving of nominations and awards.  And third, and most importantly, the likelihood of me owning the movie in my personal collection.  And this is why the rating drops slightly.  For me, The Post was entertaining, insightful, and extremely well done from directing to acting to story-telling; however, seeing it once was enough.  While I may watch it again when it comes to the pay channels, it most likely won't be something I'm rushing out to own.  Therefore, I'm lowing my rating to 3.5 Stars.   So, movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see. 

 

The Post Preview

The Vietnam War was a 20-year long war in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975.  In 1965, American military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) reported with disgust to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) that no progress was being made.  McNamara commented that his findings meant that things were actually getting worse.  Almost immediately after their conversation, McNamara spoke with the press reporting falsely that the situation was getting better in the War.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C. in 1971, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) took over operations of The Washington Post newspaper after her husband Phillip died.  Their competitor New York Times published reports on cover-ups about the Vietnam War and were quickly silenced by President Richard Nixon.  Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk), a journalist for the Post got a meeting with Ellsberg who gave him 1000 copied classified documents confirming the cover-ups.  

The Post is the true story about the first U.S. female newspaper publisher Kay Graham as she and her Chief Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) struggle between their duties as journalists to expose the truth about the White House cover-ups about the Vietnam War and their responsibilities to their employees to keep them safe when they are threatened by the White House to stay away from the story.  

The Post was nominated for 9 Golden Globes, though it didn't walk away with any wins.  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri beat The Post for Best Picture Drama, Guillermo Del Toro took home the award for Best Director for The Shape of Water, Gary Oldman beat out Tom Hanks for Best Actor for his role as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, and Frances McDormand beat out Meryl Streep for her performance in Three Billboards.

The preview tells a story that most are familiar with, at least the highlights.  But The Post goes deep into the behind the scenes efforts and struggles that went into exposing the lies being told by the White House about the Vietnam War.  But it was about more than just the War.  It was about one of the core tenants of what makes America unique: the freedom of the press.  Journalists have both an obligation and a responsibility to share the truth, and they have a right to do so without obstruction.  Streep and Hanks look to be brilliant, as you would expect.  I have yet to see Hanks in something I haven't enjoyed and both should be nominated for an Oscar for their performances.  The Post was directed by Stephen Spielberg and the music was composed by John Williams to round out the posse of Hollywood A-listers involved in this film. I am anticipating 4 solid Stars from The Post.  It looks like it will be exciting, intense, upsetting, infuriating, inspiring and rewarding as we are given an inside look to a pivotal time in our nation's history regarding politics and the press, something that is as relevant as ever in our current political climate.  I think it will be something I want to watch again and will have a strong chance of making it to my home collection.  So, am I right?  We shall see.

Darkest Hour Review

3.0 Stars

 

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) spearheaded the efforts to warn about the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Germany.  British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced into  retirement in May of 1940 when Parliament grew tired of his lack of leadership, foresight and results against the impending War. Churchill replaced Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Great Britain, in the early days of World War II.  In the early stages of the war in 1940 and 1941, the British Empire was nearly alone in their opposition to Hitler, and Churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts were a source of inspiration in this dark time.  One of his most famous and inspirational speeches included "we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Darkest Hour is the historical story of the early days of World War II as Hitler began his conquest of Western Europe.  Churchill had warned about this and now Great Britain was all but solitary in their defiance of the Nazis.  A peace treaty was proposed and it was now up to Churchill to decide what to do.  According to the treaty, Hitler would stop his war with Western Europe provided that Great Britain did not interfere with his plans to move east and conquer the USSR.  Churchill was never a fan of the treaty and felt that bold retaliation, standing their ground against the Nazis, would be their only hope of true survival.  But, Churchill faced a lack of support from his own party, and even felt the pressure to not only entertain the idea of the treaty, but to accept it or face his own removal as Prime Minister.  While battling with his doubts about the treaty, his doubts about the chances of Great Britain's survival whether they signed the treaty or not, and his own doubts about his ability to properly discern what was best for his country, Churchill took his fears and doubts to the people.  They overwhelmingly expressed their disdain for the Nazis and their resolve to never give in.  Thus, Churchill rejected the offer. 

Director Joe Wright is no stranger to epic historical and moving stories as he has already tackled Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, and Atonement which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Directing in 2008.  While Atonement did win for Best Picture, Wright lost out to Julian Schnabel who directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  While neither Darkest Hour nor Joe Wright have been nominated for a Golden Globe, Oldman has been nominated for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, and an Oscar nomination is all but guaranteed as he pulled of one of those rare performances where you do not see the actor on the screen, but rather their character come to life.  While all the actors who have been nominated and won an Oscar over the last two decades have deserved their recognition, perhaps the most notable was Daniel Day-Lewis's win in 2013 for his performance as Abraham Lincoln.  Oldman accomplishes the same brilliant execution.  Not once did I notice that it was Gary Oldman, but rather I saw nothing but Sir Winston Churchill in the movie Darkest Hour.  It was inspired, flawless and genius.

Unfortunately, for me, the rest of the movie just didn't hold up to Oldman's efforts.  I expected Wright's latest work to be a moving, gripping and tense look behind the scenes of the early days of World War II.  I had high expectations for Darkest Hour and gave a 4 Star Prediction.  To me, it was slow, uninspiring, dull and dragging, especially considering the film is about one man's decision in a time that effectively helped to lead his country and the world out of one of the darkest times in world history.  It is worth watching, for Oldman's performance alone; however, if you haven't seen it already in the theatres, wait for it to come out for rent.  It's definitely worth renting, and I might watch it again, but I'm pretty sure it won't find a home in my permanent collection.  Therefore, I'm lowing my rating to 3 Stars.  So, what movie will be on my mind next? We shall see.  

 

 

Darkest Hour Preview

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) spearheaded the efforts to warn about the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Germany.  After Neville Chamberlain's retirement in May of 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain, in the early days of World War II.  In the early stages of the war in 1940 and 1941, the British Empire was nearly alone in their opposition to Hitler, and Churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts were a source of inspiration in this dark time.  One of his most famous and inspirational speeches included "we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Darkest Hour is the historical story of the early days of World War II as Hitler began his conquest of Western Europe.  Churchill had warned about this and now Great Britain was all but solitary in their defiance of the Nazis.  Hitler sent his Deputy Rudolph Hess to offer a peace treaty.  Hitler would stop his war with Western Europe provided that Great Britain did not interfere with his plans to move east and conquer the USSR.  While the odds were greatly stacked against him, and he faced opposition from officials in his own country who doubted his abilities, and even doubted them himself at times, Churchill rejected the offer.  He did not feel Hitler could be trusted to keep his word, and he felt that by standing firm against the Nazis, he could help keep Western Europe unified and pave the way for eventual intervention and help from the United States.

Director Joe Wright is no stranger to epic historical and moving stories as he has already tackled Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, and Atonement which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Directing in 2008.  While Atonement did win for Best Picture, Wright lost out to Julian Schnabel who directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  While neither Darkest Hour nor Joe Wright have been nominated for a Golden Globe, Oldman has been nominated for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.

If the movie holds up to the preview, then Oldman indeed is worthy of the nomination in a dramatic and powerful performance.  And if Wright's previous work is a testament to what we can expect, then audiences are in for a moving, gripping and tense look behind the scenes of the early days of World War II.  I have high expectations for Darkest Hour and am giving a 4 Star Prediction.  I think it will be well worth the money in the theatres, something I'd watch again, and has a good chance of making it to my home collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.