Do you ever have one of those days where you thought you did something, are absolutely sure of it, are so sure there really isn’t any need of double checking that you did it, only to later realize you didn’t do it at all? Yea, that was me, today, with my Pick of the Week. This weekend I think I must have looked through this week’s new releases thought about what I would pick, what I would say about that pick, and then promptly killed my web browser without actually writing anything. Somewhere in the fogginess of my brain I thought I actually did the writing. In my defense it was a really long, horrible, no-good, stress-filled day. I’m thinking of moving to Australia.
Forgive me if this is short. The Post stars Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Alison Brie, and Carrie Coon. It was directed by Steven Spielberg. It is about how the first female publisher of the Washington Post (played by Streep, of course) and the paper’s role in releasing the “Pentagon Papers” – classified documents about how the American Government lied to Congress and the people about the Vietnam War. This ought to have been a home run of a movie. It ought to have swept the Oscars. People should still be talking about this movie and continue that talks for many years to come.
But The Post kind of came and went. It made money and got good reviews. It was nominated for quite a few awards, including two Oscars, but it won very few and wasn’t really considered a front runner in anything. It’s generally considered a good movie, but with that cast, director, and subject matter it should have been so much more.
But hey, now it’s become my Pick of the Week so I’m sure Spielberg is resting easy. [Read Steve Geise’s review.]
Also out this week that looks interesting:
The Awful Truth (Criterion Collection): Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star in this madcap comedy about a married couple, each suspicious the other is cheating and then use that excuse to cheat themselves. I suspect they get back together in the end.
Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years, Vol. 2 – Border Crossings: The Crime and Action Movies: Arrow Video presents five more films from the irreverent Japanese director.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 11: Many a good time was had by me in college watching the MST3K crew make fun of some ridiculously bad movie. They’ve jumped around a few times since then, most recently landing at Netflix after a long break and a Kickstarter campaign. This newly revived series now stars a totally new cast including Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt. I have Netflix so I won’t be buying this, but for those who don’t plan on some laughs.
The Color of Pomegranates (Criterion Collection): A highly unconventional biopic of the 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat-Nova recounted in a succession of opulently exotic tableaux.
The Commuter: Liam Neeson plays the action guy he’s been playing for the last decade, but this time he does so on a commuter train.
