Marval Movie

The Giver is another take on a post-apocalyptic world. This one is very non-war oriented, and yet disturbing.  After “the ruin”, the elders constructed a world of black and white – cookie cutter communities, no lying, all happiness, work, play, and family. It’s all very subdued and controlled. At age eighteen, kids learn their fate – their job future. Jonas is the last kid chosen and he’s given the job of receiver. He shall meet with Jeff Bridges  - “The Giver”  - and shall learn the history, the emotions, the feelings, and everything that’s been controlled and contained to maintain a new society.  

It’s a rather tortured job. Jonas can’t tell anyone the secrets, but he’s feeling so many things and seeing his new world in color.  He learns about music, love, so many other things that can be good or bad and yet have been part of humanity. He sees war and sadness. In bits and pieces he offers suggestions to his favorite girl about how the world could be. He shares things inadvertently with his younger sister. He knows that the old folks who are “released” aren’t really off to retirement playing golf. And little babies who don’t grow at the rate subscribed, are not designated for families. 

Jonas is dangerous. Meryl Streep, as the elder, gives orders for his removal. But Jonas has a mission – to reach beyond the boundaries on the map – and perhaps then the memories of all can be reinstated.  

I really liked the ideas in The Giver. It's well acted and interesting. I did not read the book, and from what I understand they changed some stuff that could annoy readers. I give this a thumbs up. The kids in it are good and Jeff Bridges is always a gem. Sometimes we have to take the good with the bad. A society that controls everything misses out on the little things that make us human.

I admit I am a sucker for movies about journalism. Old fashioned nose for news, knock on doors, make phone calls, and then clack in some letter type and let those presses roll…..hum and rumble and watch old fashioned newspapers roll off the presses. Oh my. I can smell the ink.

That’s what The Post, Stephen Spielberg’s latest time capsule, is all about.  From Time Magazine 1/15/18 -  This historical drama about the 1970s publication of the top-secret Pentagon Papers is swooningly  in love with journalism.

Basically the Papers detailed the scope of the Vietnam War in vast detail – the US was mired in a mess and the top brass knew it, but did not reveal the problems, and dug deeper into war. This was a grave mistake for the public.  The NY Times broke the story, got stymied by courts, and the Washington Post took the ball and ran with it.  This was a huge decision by Katherine Graham, the owner of The Post, who was trying to take the company public. Lots of conflicts. The movie explores internal back story, while the news is breaking.  The pace of the movie is intense.

Meryl Streep, as Katherine Graham, is amazing as an actress. You can see her thinking, weighing options, affected by her Washington connections (i.e. the Defense Secretary, etc), and then choosing publication come hell or high water.  Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) is the salty chief who is for publication all the way.  The movie has many a conversation and argument in regards to publish or perish. This movie is a bit old school, but in a good way. Spielberg knows his audience

I loved a quote near the end of the movie. Katherine says that her late husband stated, “The press is the first draft of history.”  Think about that as it pertained to the early 1970s, the upcoming Watergate era, and now the press today and all the talk of “fake” news.  No matter what – we need the fourth estate to report and keep us in the loop. The Post is a cinematic take on history and also a commentary on today.