The Post

Going In: This is Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. I should see some pretty good acting. It should be well put together. I'm not expecting it to be absolutely fantastic, but it should be pretty good. I'm expecting a 6 and 8.

Popcorn Score: 7/10. I wouldn't mind seeing it again but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'll probably rent it because it has a lot to say about journalism and I think the message is timely and important.

Art Score: 8/10. This is a decent film and the message it carries is important to review from time to time.

Acting: 3/3. The stars brought it. Streep and Hanks did not disappoint. The only person who looked out of place was Bruce Greenwood and to a much smaller extent Hanks. I think this is that they've played certain roles and these are not those roles.

Cinematography: 1/2. Standard period piece which relies more on realism. It's not a judgement, there's just not much room for the DP to shine.

Art/Costume/Make-up/CGI: 2/2. They have a typesetting machine. Like an old one. It made me feel like I was there (I used to work at a small town paper - man I did not realize how valuable light tables are). I'm not sure there was any CGI. If so, it wasn't obvious (honestly, it may have been the typesetting machine).

Music: 1/2. I wouldn't expect this to be a surprise, except it's John Williams. I'm really surprised the music didn't take more of a center stage.

Editing: 1/2. Standard editing. There was one where I think they broke the 180 rule and it was a little jarring to see Hanks on one side of the room and then magically show up on the other side.

Story: 4/4. Theme and character. The story structure wasn't typical. Usually, it's pretty easy to tell (based on where the characters are) where you're at in the story. This was a little more difficult and I like that. The theme could not be more timely and while I know that's almost chance (movies usually take 2 to 3 years to produce and the story is done year 1), it was still a good reminder.

Directing: 2/3. This is Spielberg so it's well put together. I'm not sure there's enough wow to make it something bigger. But it's a solid movie nonetheless.

Producing: 2/2. It's a good story and well told. The timing of journalism and its role within society is a good one to hear every now and then.