#thepostman

[impermanent-art]

Tribute to Stephen Levey by The Postman pasted up in the Fame Yard during their recent visit.

[impermanent-art]

Series of smaller pasteups by The Postman on Melrose.

[impermanent-art]

New work by The Postman on Melrose.

[eastvillagetripster]

Los Tres Grandes

Reappropriated street sign by The Postman https://thepostmanart.com , East Village, New York City.

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Postman (1997)

The Postman offers an interesting premise. You can picture an alternate future in which it was a success but we're living in the grim universe, so we've got to make do with what this really is: a film that would've been better if it had been worse. What a shame that it doesn't reveal itself as terrible from the get-go. Then you wouldn’t feel compelled to take anything seriously and you’d laugh it right off the screen.

In a post-apocalyptic 2013 (?!) a drifter (Kevin Costner) comes across old letters and the uniform of a deceased United States Postal Service mail carrier. Pretending that the government has been restored so he can get a quick meal and shelter for the night, he unwittingly inspires hope in a future where a raving gang of military-minded fascists sow fear.

I love the concept. Some random joe accidentally changes the world through a simple lie. It’s not about some great leader rallying forces around him to take down the bad guys. Even calling The Postman (as we’ll refer to him, he’s not named in the movie) a hero is a stretch. It’s a revolution born without the progenitor’s intent, a testament to the power of faith, and the rejection of anarchy. You have a flawed protagonist so you never really know how he will react to this sudden respect thrust upon him. Or you would in theory anyway. In practice… not so much.

The first issue is the casting of Kevin Costner as the hero. His performance is fine but look at him. Someone who steals a uniform off of a corpse and accidentally brings hope to desperate people should not radiate manliness as he does. As soon as Costner shows up, the uncertainty disappears like reason after a nuclear war. You automatically know not only that The Postman will inspire a revolution, but that at some point he’ll also be leading an army of rebels against the villainous George Bethlehem (Will Patton). It’s like casting Kristen Bell as a secretary who can’t get a date. You don’t buy it.

And yet, Costner might've worked if the rest of the picture fell in line perfectly. Too bad the villain is so disappointing. He’s a one-dimensional evil thug. How evil? He’s a cruel, racist, sexist, murdering, flag-burning rapist. To make him extra wicked, the picture shows him raging at trivial things and his multiple self-portraits prove he's conceded. Oh, and he loves to fight mano-y-mano. What I’m saying is that we have a hero that’s flawed and reluctant to join the fight. You don’t know if The Postman is going to save the day, until you recognize Bethlehem as the antagonist. He’s so evil his life won't be snuffed out by the time the end credits roll.

At 177 minutes, this movie is interminably long. You're intrigued by the world. You want to see the world change once it starts to believe the U.S. Postal service and (by association) government has returned. Not intrigued enough to sit there for nearly three hours, however. The Postman's “love interest” (Olivia Williams as Abby) could've easily been eliminated but this film wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants the villain to be really dark by having him be a rapist, but let’s not offend the audience by making it clear that he’s impotent. Let’s make the hero a wandering drifter that wants nothing to do with this world until he falls in love. These cheap shots are accompanied by forced attempts to milk the audience's patriotism in the form of tattered flags burning and numerous needlessly dramatic moments throughout. The best of these (and I mean best as in wow was it unintentionally funny) comes from a slow-motion scene repeated at the very end of the picture, an ending that will make your eyes roll.

If you’re a die-hard Kevin Costner fan, you'll eat him up no matter what he does, and think it's terrific. I know at least one person who will love The Postman despite its post-apocalyptic setting filled with greenery, the abundance of horses (the cover of the DVD tells us technology has gone away, but the movie doesn’t!), and boring characters. That person isn’t you. It’s isn't aw-ful, but The Postman fails consistently and at so many things that anyone interested should just pick up the book instead. (On DVD, April 22, 2016)

[impermanent-art]

New The Postman x MegZany collab on Melrose.

[detournementsmineurs]

Street Art de l'artiste The Postman dans les rues de la Butte aux Cailles, Paris, février 2021.

[txema-magic]

🎭Hoy hemos valorado el trabajo del fin de semana. 🙌 Ha sido brutal ver que los teatros se llenan! Gracias Rubí y Badalona por seguir apostando por la cultura! 😘✨🌹#thePostman #culturasegura #culturanecesaria #magia #mimo #humor #physicalcomedy @memoriallichang @xarxarubi https://www.instagram.com/p/CLm26rVH4ey/?igshid=1dg3wm2p0zqo1