The Post

THE POST is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep as Kay Graham, a Washington D.C. newspaper heiress, and Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee, the editor who works for her at The Washington Post.  The movie is set in the 1970's, and features the real story of journalists at The Washington Post attempting to publish an article titled The Pentagon Papers, which consists of classified documents never released about the involvement of the United States (U.S.) government in the Vietnam War.

THE POST makes journalism look exciting and basically highlights Amendment I of the U.S. Constitution, which grants freedom to the press.  Even though this movie is set during the 1970's, its release is timely.  We are living in a time when freedom of the press is being threatened, because some people question the integrity of most publications and news broadcasts. A common expression often used is 'fake news.'  Many people are concerned about this, and the audience I watched THE POST with clapped at the end of the movie. It is fair to assume the crowd supports the Constitution.

THE POST is currently playing in theatres.  The official Web site is https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-post.

The Circle

THE CIRCLE, based on the book of the same title, is a different type of film. It shows the consequences of Mae Holland (played by Emma Watson) sharing every activity of her life on social media. Transparency is a reality for many people in today's world, so the story is very relevant.

Tom Hanks gives a fine performance as Eamon Bailey, the co-founder and leader of The Circle. Eamon encourages transparency because it provides opportunity for him and his team to see their innovations in action. The theme here is technology makes us better and everything benefits from it.

The fun scenes in the story display the excitement of working at a large technology company. Everyone loves the job so much they live in an on-site dormitory. The experience is what most people think working at Google is like.

THE CIRCLE is currently playing in theatres. The official Web site is http://thecircle.movie/.

A Hologram for the King

In the movie A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING Tom Hanks plays Alan Clay, a man who is dealing with personal problems and chooses to focus on having a successful career. Many people can probably relate to this. The story serves as a character study, which is a portrayal of traits and qualities of a single individual. In other words, Alan's personality is more important than the plot. Maybe this aspect is what attracted Mr. Hanks to the role.

Another interesting character is Yousef, played by Alexander Black.  Yousef is Alan's driver while he is in Saudi Arabia on business. He is also humorous and manages to intrigue Alan with details about his life. Surprisingly, this movie even provides Alan with a love interest from an unlikely individual. Falling in love really is the last thing on Alan's mind, but that is usually when it occurs.

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING is based on the book of the same title by Dave Eggers. It is currently playing in theatres in the United States and Germany.