Mudbound: Solid History, Highlights Needed Discussions

Lately Netflix has been trying to prove that their original content can be just as good as any of their competitors, and Mudbound seems to be their attempt to garner some praise at the Academy Awards. What else could possibly prove that the studio helmed by the streaming service is as good as any of those who’ve been around since the film industry began? Certainly, this is a movie made for those who love movies that win Oscars® – it falls right into line with 12 Years a Slave (2013), Fences (2016), The Help (2011), and plenty more. Because of this, while the story may be pretty and deeply emotional, it still comes off feeling like a story you have definitely heard before, just with different characters and different circumstances. It might not be the most ground-breaking film of the season or an attempt at something new, but it is still well-written with some great performances.

The Post is Solid Reporting (or Storytelling)

I have to say, I had to try really hard not to make a lot of comparisons to Spotlight (2015) in this review. There are a few reasons for this: One, I really love Spotlight. Two, Tom Hanks’ character is the father of John Slattery’s character, and I think that is hilarious. And three, well, it’s hard not to make a comparison about a film centered around a newspaper making a huge discovery that came to theater just in time for Oscars season when Spotlight won Best Picture two years ago. I tried to sit through the movie and judge it for itself, honestly, I did. But come on, it’s even co-written by the same guy (Josh Singer, who also wrote The Fifth Estate (2013), he has a very strong stance on the importance of journalism). So, when a movie is helmed by Steven Spielberg, stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, and discusses one of the most important journalistic discoveries in the U.S. government, how can it fail to be great? Well, it fails to be great by just being okay. There’s nothing terribly wrong with it, but there is also nothing so wonderful about it that this film will stand out.