Before The Washington Post and Watergate brought the Nixon administration down, they faced an issue just as daunting when, in 1971, they found themselves in possession of thousands of classified documents on the Vietnam War. If the name Ben Bradlee sounds familiar to you, its because Jason Robards won an Oscar for playing the Post’s editor in the classic All the President’s Men. Stepping into his shoes would be daunting, but if you’re going to have an actor do it, you want Tom Hanks. He’ll be teaming with director Steven Spielberg for the fifth time, and while I’ve had my issues with Spielberg in the last 15 years, none of his collaborations with Hanks have ever been less than stellar. If that weren’t enough, Meryl Streep will be playing the Post’s owner Katharine Graham. In a time where the media has never been more important as the nation’s Fourth Estate, this film and the issues it will examine feel worthy of bringing together arguably the greatest actor, actress, and director of our age. The Post will open December 22, 2017. For the official synopsis, read below.
The Post will follow the 1971 scandal after the decision of The Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) and publisher Katharine Graham (Streep) to publish The Pentagon Papers. Written and leaked by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers established that the Johnson Administration had lied to the public and congress about US military involvement in the Vietnam War, and revealed that the Nixon administration had secretly escalated the war. The Nixon administration tried to stop The Post from publishing them, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General William Rehnquist took the case to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the paper. The late Jason Robards won a 1974 Best Supporting Actor Oscar portraying a Watergate-era Bradlee in All the President’s Men. The Post will hit theaters in limited release on December 22, 2017, with a wide release on January 12, 2018.
When meryl is in a december release movie i am thinking oscar.although judi dench and sally hawkins were strong this year
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If this delivers, this could be THE Oscar movie. It has all the ingredients. Streep is the most likely because Hanks has to compete against Robards’ memory in the same role, but it’s political, it’s timely, it has Spielberg, Hanks, and Streep. If the script lives up to the material and the right Spielberg shows up, this may be the Oscar winner…..because otherwise they’re going to have to recognize genre or extreme indie films. It’s a stellar year through about 15 films and then the quality drops off the shelf.
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Ive seen alot of very good films this year but perhaps just one truly great film and that is the big sick
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I just saw it last night and really liked it. How could you not? And they found a great role for Ray Romano! I wouldn’t say best of the year but right outside my top 10. Definitely a film I hope people discover on blu ray
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Yeah this role beats ice age for sure.
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I love it already. Hanks and Streep will be like seeing Tracy and Hepburn together. This one’s on my list for sure.
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When the subject matter is big enough, Steve shines when he makes his “serious” movies. Even a Japanese POW camp was not big enough. A film about slaves who took control of their ship was not big enough, because the actual movie was just a courtroom drama, though a really good one. Abraham Lincoln was not big enough either, not when the film was about governmental procedure and dealmaking behind closed doors. Steve needs a Schindler’s List to truly shine, he needs to show the horrors of war by revolutionizing the way that war movies are shot. Munich was big enough too. I think it’s a masterpiece.
I really hope he goes big and bold with The Post.
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I hope so too. I thought Munich waa the worst film hes made and the end made me hate him for awhile.
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Really! I was left on the verge of tears. In fact I was a basket case for a few minutes after it ended. It affected me like few films do. Steve was trying to provoke people with that ending, and if you hated it, I could see you being mad at him. Do you mind if I ask why you hated the film so much? I could think of a lot of different reasons why a person might feel that way. The reasons run the gamut. I’m just curious, because I almost put it on a pedestal with Private Ryan, and consider it a part of a trilogy that also includes Schindler. It’s the least of those movies, but I cannot dismiss the power it has over me.
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Ill def give you my rundown. Been a long day, but told you Thor would be good medicine for you.
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Sorry man not trying to pile onto a tiring day by making you think about the most harrowing movies in the world. Thor was indeed good medicine. One of the most purely fun experiences I have had in a theater in a good, long while.
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