Skip to main content

Bridge of Spies Review


What I liked: This was a good movie. I thought that they did a good job capturing the feeling of the beginning of the Cold War. I wasn’t actually around during the Cold War so I might not be qualified to comment on that but there was the sense of intense patriotism on both sides and the start of East Germany trying to become a real power. They also had the construction of the Berlin Wall. I thought that they did a good job of portraying the confusion that instilled. I liked the main character. He was a stubborn persistent lawyer. The whole first part of the movie reminded me about John Adams defending the British soldiers from the Boston Massacre. The overwhelmingly positive message from the film was the positive effect that one principled person can have on history. I also liked that for the most part they movie focused on the history. Yes, I’m sure that there was fabrication and Hollywoodization but it didn’t feel as fictionalized as some of the films that are “inspired by real events.”
What I didn’t: The story was really tight and this squished out character development. They did a good job suggesting lives for some of the characters but most of them like they were standing in to progress the plot. Also I hope that the American student was mostly invented because he made profoundly bad decisions. Also, who only has one copy of their dissertation? Even in typewriter era wouldn’t you at least have a carbon copy?
Who should watch this: This is a good period piece for a quiet evening in. It grabs your attention without making you go to bed anxious afterwards.
Would I watch it again? sure.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Titanic

What I liked: Liked is definitely the wrong word for it but the scenes of the sinking of the Titanic were masterful. They were technologically impressive, apparently remarkably accurate, and emotionally gripping. The variety of ways in which different people dealt with a completely hopeless situation was both touching and thought provoking. Especially beautiful was the string quartet. In isolation from the love story, the sinking of the Titanic is a tragic reminder of the cost of hubris and the necessity of regulating emergency procedures and capacities. It carries similar gravitas as a war film. At the 25th anniversary of the film, I can appreciate how Titanic has impacted movies made later.  What I didn't: So here's the thing. I feel very bad for you if you died in the sinking of the Titanic. I feel less bad for you if you managed to get on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then decided to get off. I question all of your decision making and priorities if you decide to get off a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Annihilation

  What I liked: I liked the crystal trees and the creepy people plants. The multi colored lichen and flowers were cool too. I liked how disorienting the loss of time and flashbacks were, they did a good job of maintaining the disquiet and suspense. I liked that they remembered that mutation and evolution has no goal, it's just a thing that happens with all kinds of side effects. I liked their little boat trip in giant crocodile infested swamp. I'm not sure if I loved the silver skin suit but I can't deny that it was interesting.  What I didn't: The heroes are all scientists who go on a mission to find out what is going on inside the "shimmer". For being all scientists they don't draw very well on their test one variable at a time training. If nothing has ever come out of the shimmer, try sticking a stick in and see if you can pull it out. Step inside with a harness on so if you don't come back they can try and pull you back. Walk in a little ways and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

See how the run

What I liked: I liked how very enthusiastic the sergeant was. And I appreciated that, remarkably, both the senior detective and the assistant were competent. It seems like usually this is a one or the other kind of pairing so I lament the partnership that inevitably formed somewhere else in the department of two incompetent officers. The story boarding was very fun and it was very clear that the director in the film had never seen nor heard anything about The Mousetrap. I liked the recurring snow shovel. For the second time in as many months the detectives were using the means, motive, opportunity chart for the suspects. Still no sign of a murderer using one though.   What I didn't: Why after you take a tumble through a cake and a pile of shellfish would you go find a replacement outfit in the costume department of the theater instead of just going back to your house? I mean I might enjoy that, you could come back to the party dressed as Henry VIII, or a demigorgon, or a tree....
Post a Comment
Read more