Since the rise of social media and the 24 hour news cycle we’ve seen a turn in the awareness of political scandal and turmoil, government movements, and history being brushed aside or ignored. But there has also been a rise in conspiracy, distrust, and even masses of disinformation. And it begs the question, what is the role of the press, and do they fill that role?
What is so telling about a movie like The Post is that it seems like a fictional thriller. It has elements of those 70s stories of heightened tension and mass conspiracy in a way that can’t possibly be factual… and so it’s all the more harrowing when it is. The government hid details about its involvement in Vietnam from the American people and because of this a war raged, and people died.
And by defying the government to share these details with the people, newspapers, like the Washington Post, put themselves in the firing line to ensure the truth came out. And the Supreme Court ruled that the media serves the people, not the government, meaning they were allowed to share these stories. If this happened today, I think the response would be staggering.
In the past decade or so the world of unreliable sources has exploded. The internet, social media, and now parts of the government itself, have taken steps to discredit, defile, and alter the way the American public views the media. Between the idea of Fake News, Alternative Facts, Multiple Perspectives, and the pick and choose style of sources for articles, the media is now divisive, laced with agendas, and no longer the institution it once was.
So what do we do? How do we change this narrative back to one where the media can be trusted? Well it starts with us, it starts with people knowing that there are stories we will be told that will not be true, there are people who will tell us we do not see what we see, and there are those who will use everything to discredit anyone they disagree with. So it is no longer the time to take anything at face value, it is time to think, question, and ultimately ask who does this information benefit: the powerful or the powerless?
So, let’s break everything down.
All Spielberg movies will be judged based on the same five pieces of criteria.
Acting – Are the performances good and do they serve the story or are they distracting and awkward?
Story and Dialogue – Does the story being told make sense and is the use of dialogue allow it to succeed or does the story struggle and/or the dialogue drag it down
Shooting and Editing – How is the camera used, how are the shots arranged, what other elements are used to enhance the movie?
Design – How does the movie look? Does it help the movie or hurt the movie?
Iconic Moment – Spielberg has made several big iconic moments throughout cinema, what are they, how many of them are there, and which ones stand out the most?
All these criteria will be judged on a score of 10 for a total score of 50.
So here is my breakdown of The Post:
Acting – I mean it’s Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. That alone showcases a ton of talent. But to combine that with the ensemble that fills out this movie, a combination of New York actors and television comedians who showcase their dramatic talents, really helps sell the characters of this one as people over. (9/10)
Story and Dialogue – The plot of this one is paced awkwardly, the moments don’t move together evenly and parts at the end feel very rushed. The dialogue is fine but not special enough to elevate anything and the whole movie just loses its flow more than once. Plus, with Spotlight coming out a few years earlier really makes this feel a few years too late. (5/10)
Shooting and Editing – I think the way the suspense of moments is crafted is really good. The story has great build up for the individual moments and its talent for showing pieces of business really form the rest of the story well, it’s not enough to make it a standout success but it is well done. (8/10)
Design – This feels very mid 20th century, but not enough to make it feel fully period nor stylized enough to make it all stand out. This could have been set now and been designed the same and I likely wouldn’t have noticed. (6/10)
Iconic Moment – I loved the moment when all the papers come together and showcase their solidarity with the Post. It’s a beautiful moment of storytelling to show success without dialogue and it is unveiled incredibly well. (8/10)
Total Score: 36/50
Current Ranking:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Schindler’s List
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lincoln
Minority Report
Jaws
Catch Me If You Can
Hook
The Adventures of Tintin
Bridge of Spies
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
War of the Worlds
The Post
Amistad
Duel
Empire of the Sun
The Terminal
War Horse
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Color Purple
Twilight Zone: The Movie
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Sugarland Express
1941
Always
The BFG
Only two more weeks. This series is coming to an end in less time than we realize and I have seen the previous two movies before so I’ll see if my initial opinion about them changes with the rewatches. But if not then this list is looking pretty solid.
But until then, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
Ploominate 