This review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad. It is reprinted here in slightly altered form...
If you take film critics, Rotten Tomatoes, or any review aggregate site seriously you might think that future Oscar contender The Post (86%) is a pricey gift from Santa Spielberg that’s come exquisitely wrapped for Christmas. You might also believe that the new Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman (51%) is an oversized lump of coal fouling up your otherwise pretty stocking. Don’t fall for that anti-fun / theme=worth messaging; See both for a well-rounded holiday week at the movies...
They were 35, 37, and 32 when they won their first Osars
This Best Actor race has not been shaping up as we suspected two months ago when few imagined that fresher faces like 21 year old Timothée Chalamet, 28 year old first time leading man Daniel Kaluuya and 39 yr old but reads younger fringe dweller James Franco would be looking more secure for Best Actor spots than three of Oscar's all time favorite legendary leading men: Denzel Washington (2 wins), Tom Hanks (2 wins), and Daniel Day Lewis (3 wins). But that's what it feels like today after the SAG nominations have capped off a busy busy couple of weeks worth of pre-Oscar honors.
But can it really be true that there's only one spot to claim between these three titans of Oscar hearts? Or are we reading the tea leaves wrong? Are voters ready to move on to fresher blood (two twentysomething in one Best Actor category would be quite something since that category far prefers mileage on a man) or will two or even three of the legends make it, tossing out one of the rising stars? What's your take on the situation? Though people have been calling Best Actor "weak" for months (perhaps for the lack of frontrunners... with Gary Oldman less of an inevitable winner than he at first seemed) it seems awfully competitive at the last minute.
Chris here. I was just mentioning the other day that we had yet to see any real goods on Steven Spielberg's The Post, and voila: we just got a new trailer and poster. And the promise of the film being a potential major Oscar player has just gotten a whole lot more intense.
If we thought this one aims to capture the zeitgeist, the first look makes good on that and then some. Gender equality, journalistic integrity, a lying government, etc. The Post seems to hammer all of these in a graceful way to make for what looks to be a richly entertaining drama. There has been steady buzz for this first look online (and not just from movie obsessed folk like us at The Film Experience) since dropping late last night, so we may also have a big box office hit on our hands.
So what Oscar questions might have been answered here? For starters, Streep is definitely a lead performance, landing both top billing and the majority of the trailer's attentions - so the Best Actress race just got definitively more crowded. Giggle at the various hairpieces, but it's worth pencilling this next to other Makeup and Hairstyling hopefuls.
Of course with any reveal, there is also inevitably more questions. In The Post's case, which of these featured supporting male actors could be a contender? Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, or Bob Odenkirk perhaps? Might Sarah Paulson's earnestness get her an awaited first nomination or is she more of a crucial bit player? Give us your first impressions and burning questions in the comments!
Chris here. Luckily this year only has a few late-breaking Oscar hopefuls, with the highest profile being Steven Spielberg's The Post. The film has been another snappy production for the director after beginning production earlier this year, a strategy that worked out just fine for the director with Munich. The rush carries an added weight this time as the film details the release and fallout of the Pentagon Papers, a subject of great topicality in our current administration. Add in the first cinematic pairing of Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep (not to mention an ever expanding cast) and you've got a can't-miss assemblage.
We will hopefully see a trailer any day now since its Christmas Day limited release date is getting closer. For now, we have this first image of the newsroom and its various hairpieces to ponder over. Or in the case of Carrie Coon's beehive, to worship over. So let's do an old-fashioned Tag Yourself - I'm Tony-winning Jessie Mueller peeking out behind some white guy. Tag yourself in the comments!
In 2015, Sweden selected Hannes Holm's A Man Called Ove as their submission for the Academy's Foreign Language Film race. The selection payed off, as the country earned their 15th nomination in the category. Now, Tom Hanks and his production company Playtone have acquired the rights to develop an English version of the film.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 10:30AM 
