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Posted: |
Jan 23, 2018 - 12:23 PM
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By: |
SchiffyM
(Member)
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I found the film to be full of such...I wouldn't say 'amateurish', more **rolls eyes**...moments.
I get that. Spielberg wears his idealism on his sleeve sometimes. That said, I'm starting to fear we've gotten to a place as humans where cynicism is mistaken for sophistication, where we're prone to roll our eyes at any motivation besides craven self-interest. We see it in our movies, our politics, our news shows. Spielberg feels things, and tells us. Some find that manipulative, or naïve, and that's fine. But it's a choice he makes as a director.
I love "All the President's Men." But "Spotlight" never got past "admirable" to me. The performers were terrific, everything was beautifully done, but the story had no push. The reporters knew what was happening, confirmed it was happening, and despite ominous whispers that you couldn't go after the church, nothing ever really came of that. There were no real impediments to their exposé, no really tough decisions to be made, just a lot of deservedly righteous indignation.
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I'm getting interested in this one, especially after undergoing a new appreciation of Williams' work with Family Plot.
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There are at least a dozen or two Williams scores to prioritize getting long before this one. 
Yavar
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There are at least a dozen or two Williams scores to prioritize getting long before this one.
Yavar
Sigh, that's kind of what I figured. Besides, Family Plot will hold me for awhile, plenty of rewarding listening on that one.
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It's no huge knock on Williams, I don't believe, there are just so many other Williams scores you should explore before any of his modern works.
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Posted: |
Jan 23, 2018 - 3:00 PM
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By: |
CCW1970
(Member)
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I found the film to be full of such...I wouldn't say 'amateurish', more **rolls eyes**...moments.
I get that. Spielberg wears his idealism on his sleeve sometimes. That said, I'm starting to fear we've gotten to a place as humans where cynicism is mistaken for sophistication, where we're prone to roll our eyes at any motivation besides craven self-interest. We see it in our movies, our politics, our news shows. Spielberg feels things, and tells us. Some find that manipulative, or naïve, and that's fine. But it's a choice he makes as a director.
I love "All the President's Men." But "Spotlight" never got past "admirable" to me. The performers were terrific, everything was beautifully done, but the story had no push. The reporters knew what was happening, confirmed it was happening, and despite ominous whispers that you couldn't go after the church, nothing ever really came of that. There were no real impediments to their exposé, no really tough decisions to be made, just a lot of deservedly righteous indignation.
That's one of the best comments on Spotlight I've read. It definitely jibes with how I felt, even if I couldn't quite put my finger on why it felt just okay.
I also very much agree with your take on Spielberg. It's one of the things I love about his work. I'd rather have the occasional "over idealism" than cynicism.
My 16 year old stepson was curious why I laughed at Streep's "I can't go through this again" line at the end of The Post. So, we watched All the President's Men this past weekend. What a terrific film! Goldman is one hell of a writer. And, I can't think of anyone who could do a better score for that film than Shire. It's such an effective score, largely because of how it's spotted.
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Posted: |
Jan 23, 2018 - 3:02 PM
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By: |
CCW1970
(Member)
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As the film began I was surprised that Streep was playing a 50s "society lady", one of the most boring cliché parts in cinema, yet she was the one I couldn't take my eyes off. Thanks to Streep she has taken it away from the ordinary and made it flesh and blood. I sense since it is one of a handful of parts she has had based on a real person she did her homework bigtime. Again I am looking at a performance, even though it looks like Streep, I see little of her in it. She and Daniel Day Lewis have mastered the art of disappearing into their character. Since the handful of "good old boy" friends I have, don't just dislike THE POST but detest it, I have the feeling the film has accomplished more than meets the eye.
Also, after all these years hearing Williams do a "newspaper" score for the first time was a delight.
That's very much how I felt. Streep can overdo it sometimes. But, I think she did a phenomenal job here. Watching her character, an already grown and accomplished woman, grow even more to be a leader amongst all the countering viewpoints of the male stockholders, was a treat to see. She was fantastic.
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I found the film to be full of such...I wouldn't say 'amateurish', more **rolls eyes**...moments.
I get that. Spielberg wears his idealism on his sleeve sometimes. That said, I'm starting to fear we've gotten to a place as humans where cynicism is mistaken for sophistication, where we're prone to roll our eyes at any motivation besides craven self-interest. We see it in our movies, our politics, our news shows. Spielberg feels things, and tells us. Some find that manipulative, or naïve, and that's fine. But it's a choice he makes as a director.
Thank you. I agree completely.
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Posted: |
Jan 26, 2018 - 2:16 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Eventually I saw it.
I didn't find very much to comment on in the film.
Puzzlingly undramatic, and if there was a big message it was like coffee has caffeine, unless its decaf.
Anyone could have made this, and just copy Spielberg's staging from all his other middling movies to make ppl mill around on cue in the background. Ok I commented.
Spielberg used to be my favoritish.
The score barely registered to puff it along, sorry JW. The Terminal, only more serious!
Last Jedi score wins
Totally disagree.
The amazing thing is that I really don't care about the genre in question. I have a particular aversion towards newspapers/investigation movies with lots of papers, telephone calls, dialogue and office spaces. Usually bores me to tears. I also don't think the premise of this film is as exciting as LINCOLN or BRIDGE OF SPIES. There's not as much on the line, so to speak -- even though the publication of the papers obviously has huge implications. So why, then, did I like it so much -- and even MORE than the aforementioned movies?
Well, I think Spielberg is a master of squeezing juice out of a lemon. The film is so chockful of playful ideas and visual motifs that there's rarely a moment of downtime. The use of doors and lamps, for example. Or swirling camera movements, like the fantastic "Skype" conversation towards the end when the camera swirls around Streep; although the men are no longer in the room, they're still swirling around her through the phone line as she's making the crucial decision. The framings (Streep in relation to the men [on the verges], Hanks in relation to his employees [the feet on the desk shots], the use of deep focus photography with constant movement and activity in the background. Stuff like this is like candy to a film lover's heart!
Williams' music is beautifully spotted. Relatively sparse, but always on target. Loved the electronic murmurs in the beginning (shades of MUNICH) or the riveting rhytmical figures for crucial moments or the 'newspaper machinery'.
For me, both film and score is in a whole other LEAGUE than THE LAST JEDI, even though I liked that movie quite a bit, and the score was at the very least a runner-up to my Top 10.
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Both Film & Score play in perfect harmony imho - John Williams rules!
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Posted: |
Jan 26, 2018 - 10:21 AM
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By: |
Morricone
(Member)
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As the film began I was surprised that Streep was playing a 50s "society lady", one of the most boring cliché parts in cinema, yet she was the one I couldn't take my eyes off. Thanks to Streep she has taken it away from the ordinary and made it flesh and blood. I sense since it is one of a handful of parts she has had based on a real person she did her homework bigtime. Again I am looking at a performance, even though it looks like Streep, I see little of her in it. She and Daniel Day Lewis have mastered the art of disappearing into their character. Since the handful of "good old boy" friends I have, don't just dislike THE POST but detest it, I have the feeling the film has accomplished more than meets the eye.
Also, after all these years hearing Williams do a "newspaper" score for the first time was a delight.
That's very much how I felt. Streep can overdo it sometimes. But, I think she did a phenomenal job here. Watching her character, an already grown and accomplished woman, grow even more to be a leader amongst all the countering viewpoints of the male stockholders, was a treat to see. She was fantastic.
Amen.
It was a fascinating choice. Instead of making her a preordained heroine, Meryl portrays her as a lady who loved her role of being supportive to her husband and enjoyed schmoozing. Simply to keep in touch and pleasant with the people behind the scenes that enabled the Post to keep going. An important role that might be visually boring in lesser hands. Rather refreshing to see this. THEN when she is thrust into making some world changing decisions she is absolutely terrified. You are watching her talk herself into many of these decisions, which seems more heroic than Tom Hank's Bradley, who has chosen to make these decisions as editor every day. I don't think I have seen this portrayed on screen ever, which is what separates it from every other movie.
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Posted: |
Jan 26, 2018 - 1:29 PM
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By: |
CCW1970
(Member)
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Eventually I saw it.
I didn't find very much to comment on in the film.
Puzzlingly undramatic, and if there was a big message it was like coffee has caffeine, unless its decaf.
Anyone could have made this, and just copy Spielberg's staging from all his other middling movies to make ppl mill around on cue in the background. Ok I commented.
Spielberg used to be my favoritish.
The score barely registered to puff it along, sorry JW. The Terminal, only more serious!
Last Jedi score wins
Totally disagree.
The amazing thing is that I really don't care about the genre in question. I have a particular aversion towards newspapers/investigation movies with lots of papers, telephone calls, dialogue and office spaces. Usually bores me to tears. I also don't think the premise of this film is as exciting as LINCOLN or BRIDGE OF SPIES. There's not as much on the line, so to speak -- even though the publication of the papers obviously has huge implications. So why, then, did I like it so much -- and even MORE than the aforementioned movies?
Well, I think Spielberg is a master of squeezing juice out of a lemon. The film is so chockful of playful ideas and visual motifs that there's rarely a moment of downtime. The use of doors and lamps, for example. Or swirling camera movements, like the fantastic "Skype" conversation towards the end when the camera swirls around Streep; although the men are no longer in the room, they're still swirling around her through the phone line as she's making the crucial decision. The framings (Streep in relation to the men [on the verges], Hanks in relation to his employees [the feet on the desk shots], the use of deep focus photography with constant movement and activity in the background. Stuff like this is like candy to a film lover's heart!
Williams' music is beautifully spotted. Relatively sparse, but always on target. Loved the electronic murmurs in the beginning (shades of MUNICH) or the riveting rhytmical figures for crucial moments or the 'newspaper machinery'.
For me, both film and score is in a whole other LEAGUE than THE LAST JEDI, even though I liked that movie quite a bit, and the score was at the very least a runner-up to my Top 10.
Your description of Spielberg's visual grammar is on the money. It's one of the main reasons I see everything he makes, regardless of whether I think I'll like it. And Williams has a tremendous knack for spotting, knowing when to have music take the forefront, when not to, in a drama such as this.
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I wish he made a movie about the man who leaked the PPP, Daniel Ellsberg. IF there is a 'hero' in this story it is him not the Washington Post NOR THAT "EMPOWERED" woman KG>
But, I look forward to seeing it anyway!
b
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