Ingrid Goes West (2017), Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza
In Ingrid Goes West, which stars Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ingrid is a mentally disturbed young woman who’s obsessed with a social media star with ‘the perfect life’.
Unsettling and increasingly dangerous is the turn Ingrid’s behaviour takes when she decides to move west to befriend the subject of her obsession.
I’m very much looking forward to watching Plaza, an actress I’ve only ever seen in comedy roles, play a part that seems to be a lot more dramatic.
In new historical thriller Bridge Of Spies, Tom Hanks is American Lawyer James B. Donovan; a man whose job it is to defend an arrested Soviet spy played by Mark Rylance.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, before watching Bridge Of Spies, I had anticipated fighting legal dialogue and courtroom dramatics. In truth, there’s a touch of that but not in the traditional sense. Some of my favourite moments of dialogue happened during the negotiation scenes, plus in the conversations between Donovan and his CIA contact.
In terms of the film’s look and feel, at first it took me a few minutes to get used to the noticeable reduction in colour in reference to the cinematography, however, considering the Cold War setting of Spielberg’s story, I soon understood.
Hanks’s Donovan is very much a hero; one that I adored because he’s determined and focused on what he believes to be the right and reasonable thing to do; a man of conscience, if you will. What’s not to love about that?
Forrest Gump (1993), one of my favourite Tom Hanks movies came to mind upon reflection, because though the characters are quite different, Donovan’s gentle disposition and caring nature took me back to what I loved most about Hanks’s portrayal of Gump.
From the lead actors’ well measured performances to the dialogue and story, I enjoyed Bridge Of Spies. One more key highlight for me is the beautiful ending and all it said so perfectly without words.
It’s hard not to pay attention when there’s a new trailer for a Tom Hanks movie. Particularly when said movie is directed by Steven Spielberg.
Should the mention of Hanks and Spielberg not be enough, the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel Coen make up two-thirds of the writing team. Of course, this can only mean good things for this ‘based on a true story’ film. I can’t wait to hear Hanks deliver the fighting dialogue as Lawyer, James Donovan. Because you know he will, and it will be memorable.
