Spielberg, Streep and Hanks deliver
At a time when press is continually under attack, ‘The Post’ couldn’t be any more timely if it tried.
At a time when the press is continually under attack, “The Post” (2017, Fox, PG13, $28) couldn’t be any more timely if it tried.
Meryl Streep delivers a superb performance as Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham who, in the midst of taking the paper public, is faced with a very tough decision about publishing the leaked Pentagon Papers.
She can either side with her editor (Tom Hanks) in defying President Nixon’s request to keep the information sealed, or she can listen to the money men (Bradley Whitford, Tracy Letts) and back off from printing the explosive report about the Vietnam War.
Forcefully acted and paced like a thriller, “The Post” ranks with Steven Spielberg’s best. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.
Also New to VOD and Streaming
Like Me: A study of isolation in the Internet age, this surreal indie from debuting writer/director Robert Mockler has a lot going for it, including a potentially fascinating central figure named Kiya who is brought to life by talented newcomer Addison Timlin (“Little Sister.”) But Mockler doesn’t really know what to do with Kiya, a loner who cruelly documents her crime spree on social media. By far, the most riveting segments involve Kiya communing with a kidnap victim (Larry Fessenden) whom she hauls around in her trunk after using him as a prop in one of her online posts. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Humor Me: After losing his job and being dumped by his wife, a once-promising playwright (Jemaine Clement) is forced to move in with his father (Elliott Gould) at a Jersey retirement community. Some of the humor is broad as a barn but just when you’re ready to write off “Humor Me,” it surprises you with funny and shrewd insights about the ways fathers and sons relate to each other. Best of all, Clement shows off his gift for warm sarcasm, keeping up a steady flow of smart, edgy small talk, whether he’s falling in love with a musician (Ingrid Michaelson) or sparring with his more successful brother (Erich Bergen). On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Kodachrome: Fresh from its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival comes a road-trip dramedy about an aging record company exec (Jason Sudeikis) who joins his fatally ill father (Ed Harris) on a mystery journey to Kansas to develop four long-hoarded Kodachrome rolls of photos. Watch for Elizabeth Olsen in a supporting role. On Netflix. Russian Doll: While this lowbudget crime thriller about a lesbian police officer (Melanie Brockmann Gaffney) trying to solve a kidnapping doesn’t always work, it’s such a groundbreaker that it’s worth a look. For starters, Gaffney’s character is not defined by her sexuality though she does wind up with a girlfriend who helps her crack the case. Some of the acting is iffy but the voice-over narration recalls hardboiled noirs of yesteryear and the setting of a local community theater feels novel. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. The Brokenwood Mysteries - Series 4: Four compelling crimes await you if you choose to spend a little time in the seemingly sleepy hamlet of Brokenwood. Big city detective Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) joins forces with two locals (Fern Sutherland, Nic Sampson) to solve a quartet of gruesome murders, including the deaths of a skydiver whose parachute was tampered with and a farmer feuding with associates over honey bees. On AcornTV. Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Season 11 (2017, Shout Factory, unrated, $70): After a nearly 18 year hiatus, the series returns with all 14 episodes from the newly revived program. Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt, with help from their wisecracking robot pals Tom Servo, Crow and Gypsy, have a blast lampooning some classic cheesefests, including “Repitilicus” and “Yongary.” Guest stars include Mark Hamill, Neil Patrick Harris, Joel McHale and Jerry Seinfeld.
On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.
For The Kids
Wacky Races - Start Your
Engines: Buckle up for this all-new animated series, which is based on the classic racing
show from the late 1960s. There’s ten episodes jampacked with fast, furious fun. Put pedal to the medal alongside Penelope Pitstop, Captain Crankshaft, Patty Pending, Peter Perfect and the diabolical Dick Dastardly. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Maya The Bee 2 - The Honey Games: Here’s an animated comedy with plenty of buzz! The action begins after a slow harvest season has left Maya and her hive worried about the future. They’re forced to travel to Buzztropolis where they’re invited to participate in the Honey Games. But there’s a catch: if they lose, they have to surrender all of their summer honey. Can Maya and Team Poppy win the competition and secure a future for the hive? On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.