Tag: Meryl Streep

Geekscape Movie Reviews: The Post

by MCDave

The name Steven Spielberg has long been synonymous with quality filmmaking, and the reliable trend continues with the auteur’s latest Oscar-bound endeavor, The Post. Tapping into the nation’s current political climate, where the standing presidential administration has emphatically combated contemporary news reporting, Spielberg circles back in U.S. history to an eerily familiar time when Nixon sought to silence the media. And with Hollywood entrenched firmly on the opposite side of our President, some believe The Post could actually steal a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards as a clear statement of their dissatisfaction with his policies and public statements. But only time will tell how tall the The Post truly stands against the greatest cinematic achievements of all-time.

In 1971 a Washington Post reporter receives over 3,000 pages of a classified U.S. study regarding the nation’s complete involvement in the Vietnam War. Fiery editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) tries to convince the Post‘s owner, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), to publish the documents, which contain information spanning four presidential administrations and detailing their incessant lying to the public and even congress throughout the duration of the war. Yet, as Graham is caught in the middle of trying to sell her newspaper and demands from the United States Attorney General not to publish the classified material, she’s forced to balance her financial well-being and journalistic integrity surrounding an entire war based off of lies and misinformation.

Spielberg’s The Post captures a pivotal moment in U.S. history with sharp vision and an unusual conciseness that leaves you longing for more. As far as iconic films regarding news journalism, such as All the President’s Men and Spotlight, Spielberg’s effort comes close to their grandeur but not quite close enough. His direction is on point, per usual, yet The Post‘s third act cruises by in a stepping-stone sequence intended to briskly conclude the film. This flat finale is also painted with cheap sentiment, illustrated by the courthouse scene where Streep’s character exits through a crowd solely of women appearing absolutely inspired by her courageous decisions, merely serving as a lazily crafted symbol of her female empowerment. However, tacky elements have became a frequent staple in Spielberg’s work, something that sadly puts a blemish on his always superb abilities as a filmmaker and visionary. And as far as performances go, Streep and Hanks, an absolute powerhouse of a pairing, provide exceptional turns that don’t quite stack up to the pinnacles of their careers, but are certainly worthy of the Oscar praises that they’ve garnered. The Post flows naturally and comes and goes with immense ease, once again proving that Spielberg is a timeless filmmaker capable of delivering highly respectable work at every turn.

GRADE: 4/5

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Geekscape Movie Reviews: Fences

by MCDave

Originally a Tony Award winning play from the late August Wilson, Fences receives the big screen treatment courtesy of director and star, Denzel Washington. The film debuted in early November to the highest of praises from countless members of the Screen Actors Guild, which instantly solidified Fences as a legitimate Oscar contender. Despite its inability to entertain quite as effectively as other awards season hopefuls, you should still expect to hear the film’s name called on Oscar night.

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Troy (Washington) is a former baseball star who finds himself unsatisfied as a 53 year-old garbage man. But as Troy’s resentment trickles down to his star-athlete son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), they two battle over Cory’s desire to play college football. Meanwhile, the family’s adoring matriarch, Rose (Viola Davis), works tirelessly to keep the peace within their household.

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It’s impossible to ignore the playhouse aura that suffocates Denzel Washington’s adapted work. Fences looks and feels like a stage-play in every aspect, so much so that it hampers the film’s ability to stand out as more than just a superbly acted accomplishment. Both of its leading stars will most likely end up as finalists in tightly contended Oscar races. Washington’s performance dances wistfully along a wide spectrum of emotions. There are powerful moments where Washington reminds the audience of his singular talents that have earned him a decades-long career in the industry. Then, on the other hand, the lead star delivers overtly embellished scenes where he sadly begs to be noticed as his character transitions from a hopeless romantic, to a stern father and a villainous foe. Washington’s onscreen counterpart, Viola Davis, provides a more balanced and nuanced performance filled with heart, soulfulness and subtle intricacies. Her work in Fences is an absolute marvel and the stars are aligning for Davis to finally win an Oscar, after being unforgivably robbed by Meryl Streep (for The Iron Lady???) a few years back. Supporting star, Mykelti Williamson – best known as Benjamin Buford Blue, aka Bubba, in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump – has also earned some early rumblings as an Oscar hopeful, further solidifying Fences as a clear showcase for its many actors and actresses.

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Despite the film’s unquestionably promising performances, Fences struggles to resonate in many other areas. A popular saying among filmmakers is “show, don’t tell”. Unfortunately, verbose dialogue and a long-winded screenplay form a recipe for boredom. Even through the stories twists and turns Fences fails to adequately entertain. Many have lauded Denzel Washington’s direction, yet he never overcomes limited settings and the hindrances of a stage-play backdrop. Fences tells an expansive story spanning many characters but, even after piling up nearly a 140-minute running time, these various subplots feel under-developed. It’s because of all these shortcomings that Fences doesn’t quite stack up as the Best Picture contender that insiders are claiming.

Denzel Washington offers a brilliantly acted adaptation that’s geared towards an award season audience. Yet, if you’re searching for more than just an actor’s showcase drowned in dialogue and lacking amusement, then you’ll have to look further than Fences.

GRADE: 2.5/5

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Geekscape Movie Reviews: The Giver

by MCDave

For all of the many passion projects floating around Hollywood, it’s amazing to imagine that Jeff Bridges has spent nearly 20 years begging and pleading for an opportunity to play the title role in an adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 futuristic novel, The Giver. Finally, after decades of struggle and perseverance, the Acadamy Award Winning actor’s wish has been granted. Yet, director Phillip Noyce’s visually compelling finished product proves that good things don’t always come to those who wait.

Following a world filled with war and pain mankind adopts the idea of communities, seemingly perfect places where extreme “sameness” and “likeness” leave no room for envy or jealousy. With happiness and conflict no longer in existence a young boy named Jonas (played by Brenton Thwaites) is given his future assignment, which is to meet with “The Giver” (Jeff Bridges) and become the Receiver of Memory. It’s here where Jonas learns about the old world and discovers a wide range of emotions that he never knew existed. These revelations force the boy to question the entire foundation of his upbringing.

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There are many issues circling around the latest sci-fi drama, The Giver. First, the film lands in an enormous line of young adult novels adapted into major motion pictures, which forms a natural comparison against blockbuster franchises that include The Hunger Games and Divergent. And while The Giver isn’t a far cry from the newly popularized genre’s finest offerings, it struggles to earn a respectable place in the crowded collection. Another blemish resides in the film’s superficial approach to the story. For a novel filled with controversial and stimulating ideas about societal issues, The Giver‘s screenplay barely scratches the surface with properly addressing such topics. Therefore, the feature concludes as a cheapened adaptation focused more on appearance and style than delivering a mindful interpretation of Lois Lowry’s novel.

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To be perfectly honest, there aren’t many glowing attributes to this summer’s newest blockbuster. Outside of a tasteful filming style with its clever use of colors and state-of-the-art camerawork that captures some fantastic shots, The Giver is a rather bland movie. Jeff Bridges gives a fully committed performance but the rest of the cast is serviceable at best. Even fans of second hand stars such as the great Meryl Streep and music sensation Taylor Swift should harness their expectations, because neither character or performance adds much soul to the film. And despite leading man Brenton Thwaites’ valiant efforts, he never feels like the right fit for the role of Jonas.

The Giver helped spawn the young adult novel movement over two decades ago and, ironically, kept getting skipped over during the recent cinematic surge. Now that audiences and fans of Lois Lowry’s work are given the opportunity to visualize her words, it feels like a huge disservice. Perhaps the thought-provoking themes surrounding The Giver were never meant to be translated to the big screen.

GRADE: 2.5/5

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