NEW FLICKS

The Post
When you toss two huge stars together and have Steven Spielberg directing it, you should have a great movie. But here, you only have a good one.  Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in the new flick, The Post.

It's based on a true story that takes place in the early 1970's, with the landmark case of the Washington Post printing deeply classified Pentagon papers, essentially proving the Vietnam War was a sham, and the government had been lying to the public for 35 years.  There's a court case too, and it's basically a First Amendment movie.  There is nothing really wrong here, there just should have been a lot more right.

Hanks and Streep are fine, and there a moments in this that are really moving.  It's a period piece and we are transported back in time nicely.  There's just something missing.  I think it's the lack of really strong dialogue, instead of a bunch of average speak.  It's a bit too long and a bit to - average, with a ton of potential, but that's where it ends.

The Post.  Rental, or stream in a couple months.


The Darkest Hour

This is simply fantastic.  And right up front, Gary Oldman gives one of the best performances I have ever seen.  He stars as Winston Churchill in the incredible movie about the early and dark days of WWII in England, and his defiance of Hitler and even members of his own government.

Oldman should win about every award there is for this.  It's one thing to transform and invent a fictional character for a movie.  It's quite another to take on the awesome responsibility to play maybe the most important historical figure of the 20th century.  Oldman is amazing, and totally unrecognizable as he becomes Churchill.   In this, Churchill is real, good, fallible, and human.

The script is incredible, and the amount of dialogue that Oldman delivers is insane.  And he delivers it with unmatched skill.  His performance alone is not to be missed.

The Darkest Hour. Fantastic.