The Post

"News is the first rough draft of history."

Filmology Rating: 3.13 out of 4

Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, that being The Washington Post. With help from editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four U.S. presidents. Together, they must overcome their differences and risk their careers to help bring long-buried truths to light.

“The Post” is one of the years finest. Nothing flashy, nothing out of this world, and nothing ground breaking. What we have is masters of their craft coming together to make a work of art. Taking this films metaphorical wheel is one of the all-time greats Steven Spielberg. Mr. Spielberg has mastered his craft over many decades of hard work and dedication to perfect the art of tension. A newspaper isn’t suspenseful right? It’s just paper correct? It’s what those thousands of letters and characters composed on paper that adds emotional weight. What is the message of what has been written and what may come of it. The best scene in “The Post” does not feature either of its superstar leads, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, and even more so, it doesn’t have any sound either….

A moment of silence stole the show for me.  Director Spielberg silences the world as he slowly pans the camera to recognize a quiet moment; a reporter has just typed up a history altering news article and as he stuffs the paper into a cylinder vacuum tube to be sent to print, he hesitant. it was this moment of silence that spoke louder than an Oscar clip that they will cut out during what will probably be another nomination for Meryl Streep. This journalist realizes what is about to happen and how this will change the world. As the weight of the world hangs on his shoulders, he pushes the cylinder through the vacuum changing history as we know it. Spielberg my man, you have done it again!

This film reminded me a lot of The 2015 Oscar winner for Best Picture, “Spotlight”. “Spotlight” kept it simple; nothing flashy and nothing over-the-top but just a solid script with a deep story to tell. Masters of their craft came together to tell a story that desperately needed light to be shone on a dark part of history. “The Post” is no different. I highly recommend seeing this one before the Oscars role around because this will sure to be nominated for several categories.

Rating: See It

-Nick