The Post

THE POST
2017 | Dir. Steven Spielberg | 116 Minutes

"We can't hold them accountable if we don't have a newspaper."

In the mid 1960s, an embittered military analyst leaks classified reports documenting the extensive secret history of the ongoing Vietnam War that was hidden from the American public to various news outlets. It is a race against the clock for the reporters of the financially fragile Washington Post to obtain the documents to beat other publications to press time, but when the Nixon Administration bars the New York Times from publishing the classified information, Katharine Graham, the reluctant owner of the Washington Post, must choose between protecting the integrity of her politician friends and the stability of her business, or serving the American people by exposing the truth.

Steven Spielberg's latest film is a relatively standard, competently-constructed drama elevated by its magnificent cast. The picture's captivating narrative surrounding the Washington Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers unfolds in a deliberate fashion that is at times frustrating and at times exhilarating. The focus of the feature shifts between the drama surrounding Graham (and the men who both support and subvert her leadership) and the revelation of the shocking truths behind the Vietnam War. The very best sequence of the film involves the leadership of the Washington Post on multiple telephones sharing one phone line, arguing over whether or not their Pentagon Papers story should be published with press time just hours away.

While Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are at the top of their respective games, they do not deliver their very best work. Streep is perfectly regal and relatable as Katharine Graham, but while Graham faces a significant personal dilemma, the role ultimately does not require much range. The same can be said of Hanks' part as Ben Bradlee, with Hanks once again doing a fine job taking on his bread and butter role of the standard everyman, this time in the form of the impassioned newspaper editor-in-chief with little to no respect for authority. The supporting cast is packed with a variety of talent featuring Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Matthew Rhys, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Carrie Coon, Jesse Plemons, Zach Woods, and Michael Stuhlbarg all in key roles.

The true story of the Washington Post's decision to report on the Pentagon Papers, and subsequently provoke the wrath of the Nixon administration, already a story worth telling and retelling, is all the more relevant now considering the current presidential administration's disdain for the press. However, Spielberg's narrative unfolds in an almost painfully procedural way. The Post is without a doubt an important film, but its greatest flaw is that it is just a good movie but not a great one.


FRAGMENTS
- Bradley Whitford appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Get Out

- Tracy Letts appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Lady Bird

- Michael Stuhlbarg appears in three Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film, Call Me By Your Name, and The Shape of Water

- Bob Odenkirk, Jesse Plemons, Carrie Coon, and Michael Stuhlbarg were all featured in the acclaimed Fargo television series

- It's incredibly gratifying to Bob Odenkrik and his comedy partner David Cross, the creators/stars of Mr. Show, featured so prominently together on screen in a Steven Spielberg film


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Michael Stuhlbarg (Nicodemus West in Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

- Carrie Coon (Proxima Midnight in Avengers: Infinity War)

Phantom Thread

PHANTOM THREAD
2017 | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 130 Minutes

"You're not going to die. You might wish you're going to die, but you're not going to."

Renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock is a confirmed bachelor, completely dedicated to his work, and reluctant to maintain any meaningful emotional relationships. One day, a waitress named Alma captures Woodcock's attention and quickly becomes his live-in muse and lover. The pair struggle to love and understand one another as their contrasting personalities alternate between melding and clashing. After their relationship is damaged through several difficult episodes, fearing that she would lose Woodcock, Alma makes a drastic decision.

A tale mad love in the world of 1950s London high fashion, director Paul Thomas Anderson latest film is an aesthetically-rich finely-crafted picture. While every detail in the production design of the feature is lovely, not least of which the real artistic work behind the lavish tailored gowns, Anderson juxtaposes the beauty with a quiet sense of dread. The tension between Woodcock and Alma, accentuated by Jonny Greenwood's brilliant musical score, is palpable and a feeling of discomfort permeates the entire picture.

Announced as Daniel Day-Lewis' final film performance, Phantom Thread is an appropriately fitting send-off for the accomplished method actor. Woodcock is equal parts charming, insufferable, attentive, and cruel, and Daniel Day-Lewis completely disappears into the persona once again demonstrating his ever-impressive talent. Vicky Krieps perfectly complements Daniel Day Lewis' eccentric particularity as the unapologetically headstrong Alma, revealed to be harboring a vengeful mean streak of her own. The feature is driven by the pair's excellent chemistry and by their endlessly entertaining verbal sparring matches courtesy of Anderson's razor-sharp screenplay. Lesley Manville deserves special notice as Woodcock's no-nonsense sister Cyril, effortlessly embodying the protective but wary sibling who knows and has lived with her brother's moods and eccentricities all her life.

Phantom Thread is as visually pleasing as Woodcock's dresses and as emotionally complex as a love laced with poison. Excellent performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps elevate the picture to astounding heights. While the romantic narrative leads to a dark and sinister place that may be surprising and disturbing, it is absolutely captivating.


FRAGMENTS
- Reynolds Woodcock is loosely based on British fashion designer Charles James

- To prepare for the role of Reynold Woodcock, Daniel Day-Lewis designed and crafted a Balenciaga dress from scratch

- Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson states that there is no official credit for the cinematography for the film, and that it was a "collaborative effort"

Lady Bird

LADY BIRD
2017 | Dir. Greta Gerwig | 93 Minutes

"The only thing exciting about 2002 is that it's a palindrome."

Catholic high school senior Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson and her mother Marion are at odds about Lady Bird's desire to attend college away from her hometown. Leading up to graduation, Lady Bird openly defies authority, falls for boys who are not good for her, and briefly abandons her best friend to socialize with the popular kids. Meanwhile, Lady Bird's middle class family struggles through tough financial challenges.

Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is a funny true-to-life coming-of-age story with a screenplay by Gerwig that accurately portrays the life of a high school senior without sugarcoating or over-dramatizing the very real emotions experienced by youth on the cusp of adulthood. From Lady Bird's sometimes clever, sometimes clumsy mannerisms to the questionable social decisions she makes throughout the picture, there is a captivating inevitability in the way Gerwig's narrative unfolds. The early 2000's setting is authentically captured from the haircuts to the music to the truly dumb and naive things teenagers said and believed at the time. The denouement fizzles out slightly, but I guess that's realistic, too.

Saoirse Ronan is fantastic as the titular rebellious teenager, perfectly capturing the spirit and the awkwardness without turning the role into a caricature. Laurie Metcalf matches Ronan's energy as Lady Bird's mother, playing to perfection the headstrong woman who hides her own vulnerability behind a barrier of strict, no-room-for-argument parenting. Conversely, Tracy Letts is lovable as Lady Bird's seemingly perpetually laidback father who is revealed to be struggling with depression unbeknownst to his daughter. Playing the boys Lady Bird fall for, Lucas Hedges excels in a relatively small but rich role as a closeted gay Catholic, while Timothée Chalamet is hilariously believable as the detached teen in a band who believes in wild conspiracy theories and can’t be bothered. Scene-stealer Beanie Feldstein is absolutely adorable as Lady Bird's best friend Julie, quietly playing out a heartbreaking subplot in which Julie has an inadvisable crush on her math teacher.

With nuanced natural dialogue, carried by brilliant performances from its cast, Greta Gerwig crafted an instant-classic in Lady Bird. The attention to detail paid to establish the characters and the setting is remarkable. Most importantly, the themes and ideas at the very heart of the film ring true.


FRAGMENTS
- Tracy Letts appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and The Post

- Lucas Hedges appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

- Timothée Chalamet appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Call Me By Your Name

- Kathryn Newton appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

- To this day, I adamantly loathe the Dave Matthews Band song "Crash Into Me" but the director Greta Gerwig utilizes the song in a surprisingly funny and emotionally touching way

MCU CONNECTIONS

- Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)

Get Out

GET OUT
2017 | Dir. Jordan Peele | 103 Minutes

"All I know is sometimes, when there's too many white people, I get nervous, you know?"

Chris, an African American photographer, spends the weekend at the childhood home of his Caucasian girlfriend Rose to meet her allegedly socially progressive family and their overly-enthusiastic friends. The weekend takes a sinister turn when Chris discovers the unspeakable secret that links Rose's family with several missing local African American people. When Chris goes missing, his friend Rod, a TSA Agent, investigates.

With a clever screenplay and an inspired vision, comedian Jordan Peele's directorial film debut is equal parts uncomfortable and entertaining. The narrative is rich with layers of social commentary on the very real and immediately issues surrounding race and ethnicity in modern America. The most chilling concept presented in the picture is that its monsters do not simply aim to subjugate Chris. The rich old predominately white villains (there is one Japanese man in the crowd) fetishize Chris on a purely superficial level, attempt to suppress and hollow out his personhood, and subsequently fully implant themselves into his shell.

As the emotionally reserved Chris, Daniel Kaluuya is a captivating protagonist, delivering a quiet vulnerability that constantly builds as a formative childhood trauma is drawn to the surface against his will and as he discovers the horror behind his predicament. Allison Williams plays Rose to perfection as the duplicitous bait in her family's scheme. As Rose's surgeon father, Bradley Whitford exemplifies the unnerving shallow friendliness of any racist who has ever denied their prejudice. On the other end of the spectrum, Caleb Landry Jones embodies pure white trash as Rose's brother with a proclivity for random violent outbursts. The most terrifying character of the film may be Rose's psychiatrist mother portrayed by Catherine Keener with cold precision. A close second for scariest character would Georgina, the creepy maid with a disturbing secret, played by Betty Gabriel with delightful creepiness. It is impossible not to root for Lil Rel Howery's Rod, the ineffable and hilarious voice of reason, and possibly the only TSA agent to ever perform a heroic act in film.

Get Out is smart, gripping, socially-conscious horror with a good measure of humor in the mix. The twisted, deceptive, very white antagonists are truly terrifying. Jordan Peele immediately establishes himself as a filmmaker to follow closely.


FRAGMENTS
- According to Writer/Director Jordan Peele, the Sunken Place represents the marginalization of minorities in America as "No matter how hard we scream, the system silences us."

- In the original intended ending of film, Chris incarcerated by law enforcement for killing Rose and her family, but Writer/Director Jordan Peele decided to revise the ending in light of several unjust police shootings of black people that occurred as production for the film was underway

- This film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the category of Musical or Comedy while it is undeniably NOT a musical or comedy

- Bradley Whitford appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and The Post

- Caleb Landry Jones appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Daniel Kaluuya (W'Kabi in Black Panther)

Dunkirk

DUNKIRK
2017 | Dir. Christopher Nolan | 106 Minutes

"All we did is survive."

Trapped on the beach at Dunkirk in 1940, a British Soldier named Tommy is among hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers in the process of being picked off by German dive-bombers. Across the channel, Mr. Dawson, his son Peter, and neighborhood boy George set sail to Dunkirk in Dawson's boat alongside hundreds of civilian vessels to assist in the Royal Navy's desperate rescue mission. In the sky, a Royal Air Force fighter pilot flies towards Dunkirk to provide air support as his wing men are gunned down.

Dunkirk is an extraordinary and suspenseful war picture utilizing the very best of Christopher Nolan's talents as a filmmaker - most notably Nolan's unique manipulation of time. Told through three interwoven narratives that respectively take place over one week, one day, and one hour, tension is established through steadily rising action, breathtaking photography, and masterful film editing. Though the lead characters are not given much expository dialogue or backstory, they are fully-defined by the actions they take in the direst of circumstances. The film is a tale of pure survival, sidestepping any form of a political message, completely distilled and concentrated, undeniably thrilling the most visceral way.

Fionn Whitehead carries much of the film as the soldier Tommy, completely natural as a young man forming unspoken bonds with other soldiers as he desperately fights to survive under extraordinary circumstances. Kenneth Branagh and James D'Arcy make brief but notable appearances as military officers on the mole. Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy provide dramatic conflict on the sea as small boat captain Mr. Dawson and a shell-shocked soldier found floating on debris. Young actor Barry Keoghan plays the well-meaning but hapless George in a memorable but thankless part. As the Royal Air Force fighter pilot, Tom Hardy is simply cool - there is no other descriptor for his performance - he is so cool.

Engaging, inspirational, meticulously-structured, at times disorienting, Dunkirk is a solid cinematic achievement that must be experienced in a movie theater. The film more than compensates for the absence of a conventional narrative with universal depictions of heroism through action.


FRAGMENTS
- Writer/Director Christopher Nolan considered improvising the entire film instead of writing a script but his partner Producer Emma Thomas convinced him to write an actual screenplay

- Dunkirk depicts the struggle of Operation Dynamo on the ground, on the sea, and in the air, while Darkest Hour, also nominated for Best Picture released in 2017, depicts the political administrative challenge behind the operation


MCU CONNECTIONS
- James D'Arcy (Edwin Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame)

- Barry Keoghan (Druig in Eternals)

- Harry Styles (Eros in Eternals)

- Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock and Venom in Spider-Man: No Way Home)