News of the World movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: NEWS OF THE WORLD

Available now in select theaters and available on Video On Demand January 17, 2021

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

There were soooo many movies that came out around Christmas that I just recently found time to watch the newest Tom Hanks film. In case you missed it too, here’s the scoop!

Universal Pictures bought rights to this melancholy western movie after its original screenplay owner, 20th Century Fox, was closed by the Walt Disney Company. It utilizes the two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks to tell the story of Civil War veteran Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, based on the novel by Paulette Jiles’ 2016 novel. She actually received the National Book Award nomination for fiction the same year. Before TV news anchors, traveling newsreaders would relay the day’s headlines across the country “for anyone with 10 cents and the time to hear it.”

The touching movie is directed by Paul Greengrass who also co-wrote the film with Luke Davies.

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TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see a dead, black man hang from a tree.
Some unnecessary profanity that would have made the movie more family-friendly without
You see a field with a bunch of dead animals.
Violence with guns
Some German and Kiowa Indian are spoken with subtitles a few times.

THEMES:

Family
Home
The power of healing relationships
Choice
Letting go of the past and moving forward
Loneliness
Secrets

THINGS I LIKED:

Tom Hanks is an American icon in the film industry. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t recognize his brilliance. He’s such a talented and versatile actor. What’s amazing is that this is his very first Western film! Well, that’s if you don’t count the Sherrif he voices in the Toy Story franchise. He’s a master at playing flawed, yet honorable characters.
It’s a Western movie, but a much different take on one.
Director Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks worked together in the powerful movie Captain Phillips.
This is the English language debut film for Helena Zengel. She became the youngest to ever win the “Best Performance by an Actress In a Leading Role” at the German Film Awards in 2019 for her role in System Crasher. She was born and raised in Berlin and began her career at the ripe old age of five in a music video. movies She has that unique spark of a true star and we’re sure to see a lot more of her after this performance. After one look at her audition, director Greengrass said it was the easiest decision he made in the film. It’s the first time he has made a movie with a child actor at the heart of it. She plays an orphaned girl who was raised by the Kiowa Indians. When she was interviewed, she said she had never heard of Tom Hanks before. That’s surprising because she has great father/daughter chemistry with her older acting buddy.
Compelling cinematography by Dariusz Wolski.
James Newton Howard’s score is a perfect fit for this Western yarn.
Believable special effects and scenarios.
The silence is even more powerful than the spoken words.
The film features dangers both by humans and nature.
There is an intriguing social commentary on how we get our news today, the importance of how it’s presented, and how eager we are for it.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s definitely a slow burn. I didn’t feel truly engaged until about an hour into the movie.
I’ve talked with several people who were bored while watching the movie. I definitely enjoyed it more than they did.
It has less action and tension we’ve ever seen from a Paul Greengrass movie. We’re used to having our hearts beat out of our chest with his movies like the Jason Bourne franchise, Green Zone, United 93, etc. so this film felt very restrained.
Not much humor to balance out the drama.
There are some odd CGI moments.
It’s very predictable, but the journey was still enjoyable.

INTERESTING LINES:

“We’re all hurting. All of us. I’m thinking we’ve got a part to play.” Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks)
“The war’s over, Mr. Farley. We have to stop fighting some time.” – Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks)
“She needs new memories.” – Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks)