Grade: C+
A through-line I noticed and enjoyed as I sat through Steven Spielberg’s new movie The Post was smoking. This takes place in the 60s and 70s, when cigarettes and cigars were very prevalent in restaurants, inside homes, and at everybody’s desk at work. The cinematography is bathed in drab off-white, greyish colors, and tense conversations and confrontations occur where people act up a storm and smoke at each other. The air almost never looks clear.
The Post is a journalistic thriller about a series of events I was not around for, and it did not win over a new fan in me. It is talky, often boring, and is like the kind of film you’d have to watch in school. I understand and respect how timely, important, and relevant it is, but I was ultimately left thinking “ok, I get it, but so what?” This genre is not a lost cause for me. I liked Spotlight. I don’t know if it’s because I’m old enough to remember when the story behind that film happened, but it had that “something” that got me on board. Here, though, I appreciate the technical craft and skill involved. I appreciate the stellar assembly of actors who all portray their roles serviceably. I appreciate that they suited the action to the word and played the stakes. I can appreciate all of that, but I cannot get on board with The Post.
Grade: C+
Film Reviews by Mark 
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