Bridge of Spies

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by TommyTunes, Oct 16, 2015.

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  1. TommyTunes

    TommyTunes Senior Member Thread Starter

    Another home run Spielberg/Hanks movie. Of course some artistic license was taken but the movie stays fairly true to the events and gives the favor of the times.
     
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  2. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    The reviewer here says Rylance almost steals the movie. It's a rent for sure. Rylance was amazing in Wolf Hall
     
  3. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    I like how you say Rylance like everyone knows who he is. :)

    The actor's full name is Mark Rylance and I don't think I've seen any of the movies or TV shows he's appeared in. But yes, he's getting great notices for this picture, which I hope to see before too long.
     
  4. townsend

    townsend Senior Member

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Excellent movie. To a large extent, it is a return to form for Spielberg (I know I may be in the minority, but Lincoln was coma inducing and corny, and War Horse was too melodramatic for me).

    Totally agree that Mark Rylance is terrific, and I actually enjoyed Hanks in this role as well. There were a few missteps, but let's not nitpick . . . yet; considering the overall product, there is no bad aftertaste.
     
  5. Uncle Meat

    Uncle Meat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Tx, US
    I loved it and I would see it in the theater.
    What really caught my eye is that the photography is just so beautiful, worth watching on this basis alone.
    I won't give away the scene, but there is about 10 minutes in the middle where it is a bit heavy handed (it isn't hard to figure out where, sticks out like a sore thumb to me), but it is well acted, and told a story that I was only slightly aware of.
    This is a link if you are interested in the movie vs the true story. The movie seems to be very close to the truth, but there are some inaccuracies.

    http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/bridge-of-spies/
     
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  6. pjc1

    pjc1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    A big thumbs up from me despite some very minor eye-rolling moments. Mark Rylance is awesome; I've been lucky enough to see him on stage four times and he never disappoints -- just a tremendous actor. But Hanks is very good in the main role as well.

    I'm interested in what public perception was at the time for some of the characters in the movie (beyond what was shown towards the Hanks character); I'll have to read up on it.

    - Paul
     
  7. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Not much else to add. Saw it tonight with my pal Larry and thought it was fantastically entertaining.
     
  8. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Didnt care for it. Seems like every other Spielburg movie and Tome Hanks. Did nothing for me. Propaganda mostly.
     
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  9. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Saw it today. Hanks and Rylance were indeed very good. I mostly liked it, but wouldn't call it a home run. As noted it had some heavy-handed moments and some eye roll inducing moments. Particularly toward the end it succumbed to typical Hollywood hokeyness. But considering how long the movie was and how little action there was, it was well paced and engaging.
     
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  10. mrjinks

    mrjinks Optimistically Challenged

    Location:
    Boise, ID.
    Like most here, I thought it was solid if unexceptional. My biggest gripe was the oft-used device of making the Eastern Europeans more sinister and evil than they needed to be. The trial of Gary Powers in the CCCP was particularly eye-rolling for me, with harsh-looking individuals speaking Russian in an extremely fast style, and the East Germans didn't fare much better. As I watched it, it occurred to me how much better a film it would have been if it would've tried to portray those "on the other side" in a less cartoonish style - look how well it worked for Mark Rylance's character. If the writers/director could've done that, they might have had something much more remarkable. Was surprised to see the Coen Brothers as 2/3 of the scriptwriters - thought they might have brought a more unexpected twist to the film...
     
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  11. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Yeah, I was surprised to see the Coen brothers show up in the credits too. Weird to see them associated with something so by-the-numbers.
     
  12. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    I watched Cpt Phillips again last night. Much better movie imo. Great acting also.
     
  13. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    I thought it was excellent!
     
  14. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I saw it tonight and I'll chime in alongside most of the previous reviews - a solid film that could have been outstanding if some of the more overt material was toned down or presented more realistically. I thought Hanks was terrific but Mark Rylance just steals the movie. Hanks made me think of Jimmy Stewart - this is precisely the kind of role Stewart would have played in the late 50s. I was really impressed with the photographic tone of the film - it screamed late 1950s, but in a good way. So the film was not only set in the late 50s/early 60s, it also looked a lot like it was filmed then as well.

    I had planned to see the new Bill Murray movie and I religiously avoid reviews before I see films - but a single digit score on Rotten Tomatoes was just an overwhelming hint to choose something else. The change worked out.
     
  15. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I went to catch this last night at a 10pm showing and walked out about halfway through the movie. Perhaps it was partly the lateness of the hour, but, despite having an interesting story, I felt this film was so ploddingly paced that I said to myself "I'll finish this when it shows up on tv" and left. There's certainly no reason to see this film in a theater. It's devoid of any images that call for a big screen. It's a good story, if not a particularly thrilling basis for a movie. The real problem is Spielberg's "historical" works (except Schindler's, of course) are given this dull reverential treatment that makes them feel like something I'd be forced to sit through in high school civics class. Even his cross cutting between Gary Power's training and Hank's appeal to the Supreme Court didn't provide a shred of momentum (besides being uninspired filmmaking and an obvious attempt to give this tortoise race some life ). Did I really need the inclusion of stock "duck-and-cover" footage to hammer home "the times" and plummet the feel of the film to a $20-thousand dollar homemade documentary? Honestly, I think Spielberg has lost it. He's either grown lazy or sloppy but he's not one tenth the filmmaker he used to be. The film has a flag-waving message but at the same time shows our government agencies are willing to tread all over it to get the results they want. It portrays Russia as being the one to recognize Hanks as a man of honor on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court voting down his attempt to uphold the constitution. So what's the message here? America looks great on paper? Yikes. Spielberg needs to move out of his hokey red, white and blue period and get back to making cinematic films instead of his "this country been berry, berry good to me" malarky. I guess if I had a $400M yacht and a crew of 20 servants to row me around the Statue of Liberty like a jaded mandarin, I'd be singing the praises of how wonderful life in America is, too.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2015
  16. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    You left to early.
     
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  17. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I didn't leave soon enough!
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2015
  18. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    I've seen the whole movie, have you. No!:agree:
     
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  19. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Zingo! But I have my standards! Watch to see how I infuriate people with my next post about "The Tree of Life!"
     
  20. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    On pins and needles.:laugh:
     
  21. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    Watched it yesterday. May I throw my 2 kopeeks as a russian? The movie is pretty good, Hanks and Rylance outstanding. But God when will Hollywood EVER learn to portray russians in a realistic manner, not like cartoonish, one dimensional cheesy villains? It's not like we have a Cold War and zero russian experts in the studio to work as BS detectors. Even the latest season of Homeland blew it big time. As for historical truth - well, how come Spielberg fails to mention that Powers publicly apologized to the soviet people live on TV? Also Abel (who was an outstanding spy during WW2) was not only decorated and recognized as soviet agent once he got back but 6 years later he also took part in creating 1968's Dead Season, an all time soviet spy classic (about him) which was so popular that it inspired thousands of soviet kids to join KGB, including a certain current russian president, who always mentions it as his favorite movie of all time. Dare I say a much better film than Bridge of Spies. The final bridge exchange scene in Dead Season, simple and powerful became a true classic. No added Hollywood drama whatsoever.

     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2016
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  22. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    I love the end part of that clip, where the, I'm guessing Russians, do a perfectly choreographed triple car 3 point turn, highlighting the Western forces failures at precision driving.
     
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  23. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Just as an update, I finished the movie on dvd and it enjoyed more the second time. It's a well make movie, a little staid, but a well made movie.
     
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  24. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Seen it in a small theatre.
    A interesting story. I think a better director would have made it more believeable. Too much moms apple pie, not enough realism.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2016
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  25. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Thanks for posting.
     
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