Spotlight_360P

"Spotlight" is one of the best realistic and serious movies of recent years. I don't want to tell the story, as you will watch it soon or later, but I want to admire the movie and the content itself. Instead of falling into the stereotypical hero and anti-hero type of movies, the movie narrates the story with realistic characters, sensual REALISTIC emotions and incredibly depicts the integrity and handwork of the Boston Globe investigation team. The acting of Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton are great. Finally, the movie does not fall into the category of twisty blockbusters but a realistic movie about an important subject that anyone will admire.

In the past 5+ years, I've read articles about the decline of cinema and the great successes of Television. There's no denying that there have been some wonderful TV/web series in recent years, but I think a film like Spotlight is the refresh button that moviegoers have been looking for. The story is compelling, the acting is unnoticeable, and the script seems to flow the way a real conversation would. The writers and director of this film are the "Spotlight" of filmmaking, opening up a sensitive story that people acknowledged but probably couldn't imagine on screen, and they brought it to us in a way where I felt all the emotions of someone finding out the truth for the first time. I watched Spotlight at the Zürich Film Festival and after 2 hours, thought it ended too soon. The only negative thing I could think of was that those French & German subtitles were really getting in the way. Maybe next time, the director could remove those ;)

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It won best film, deservedly so. This is a film that resonated with me long after I watched it. The complicated tale of the investigation of paedophile priests in Boston and the publication of it is told in riveting fashion by Tom Macarthy who does not waste a frame or a scene to anything less than the plot or character development. I never felt the running time or in any way disbelieved any of the actors in their portrayals. Keaton seems to be on a total roll at the moment and he is excellent as the head of Spotlight but the whole ensemble seemed to put in a real shift. This felt like a documentary at times and I could feel the audience around me leaning forward as each new revelation is uttered. Just brilliant.

Yet another film I've watched because it's a contender for the award ceremonies next year and you can see why . The Oscars have taken onboard movies with an indie feel over the last few years and with SPOTLIGHT we have a double whammy of a film based on true life events this time featuring The Boston Globe investigation in to child sex abuse and the resulting cover over decades in Boston , Get these prizes out now Or on second thoughts put them away for the time being because SPOTLIGHT is something of a disappointment . Not so much a disappointment a film that doesn't really do anything radical in its sub-genre. Investigative journalism movies all suffer from the same structural problems along these lines: Journalist A gets hold of a possible lead , gets pulled in to the editors office and is told "We can't run this" Journalist B gets another lead on the same story , gets pulled into the editors office and is told by the editor "We can't run this" Journalist A and B work behind the editors back on the story and cut through every red tape obstacle in their path Journalist c gets another lead on the same story ... you can see where this is heading can't you ? One thing the film does do well is explain to a secular audience the type of metaphysical power a Catholic priest has over a congregation but apart from that the rest of the film is curiously uninvolving and distant and one wonders if the acclaim it is receiving might be down to the subject matter rather than its cinematic credentials As it stands SPOTLIGHT is yet another slightly unsatisfying film expected to win prestigious prizes . There's no doubt in my mind that the 2016 Oscars will be dominated by THE REVENANT . As with every year there's always a film at the ceremony that ends up close but no cigar where it gets several noms but no Oscar in any category . I think SPOTLIGHT or STEVE JOBS might have that dubious distinction next year Update March 2016 . The academy got it wrong again

The film Spotlight plays like an average Joe type of movie. There is no inspiring cinematography or unique dialogue floating off the screen. It's a clean cut film about a team of reporters who decide to expose Priests molesting children in Boston- and later, we learn, all over the world. It takes place in 2001, right when the internet was just starting to replace print journalism as the new way people read their news. As the story opens, we learn that a section of the Boston Globe- the movie's title- is suffering from low ratings and no readers. The new boss that is hired to direct the team asks the Editor of Spotlight, Michael Keaton, how long it will take for the next story to unfold. "A few months, maybe more." Keaton says casually. This does not make his boss very enthused. The rest of the team, which includes Mark Ruffalo as an eager reporter, and Rachel McAdams as a bland one - begin digging for clues and interviewing victims of the Priests around town. Other people in town refuse to address the topic. Stanley Tucci, who is very good, eventually lets Ruffalo interview a victim who goes into deep detail on how his molestation took place. It's rather uncomfortable to hear, but necessary. McAdams also has interviews like this, and soon everybody wants the story to release. But then September 11th hits and they decide to wait. And wait longer. While the subject matter of the movie is very interesting, I found the movie to be an uninspiring showcase of events save some strong performances- Ruffalo and Tucci are the best in show. Keaton is okay but nothing to write home about. And Rachel McAdams has NEVER been so dull. Why she's the only one in Oscar consideration is beyond me; her character lacks any personality other then to speak like a dial tone and be the sole female on the team. She can do better than this. But because the script is dominated by male personalities (and screenwriters), what more do you expect? Is this the Best Picture of 2015? According to many sources, yes. It's the default, safe choice because allegedly voters aren't going to want to crown far more intriguing movies like The Martian, Mad Max, Brooklyn or Room- to name a few titles I found far more exhilarating. It's an okay attempt to tell this important story about a corrupt justice system and of course the Catholic Church in general. But it's stale when it comes to the artistry. FINAL GRADE: C

Throughout the year I watched many movies and by the middle of the year I was finding it hard to watch a movie. I really had to force my self. I thought my love for movies is dying and I'm more of a TV person now. I was wrong. This movie (and the big short) proved to me that it wasn't me, it was actually the movies I've seen this year. This movie has it's flaws for sure. But the acting, script, direction, design and pace of the movie adds a lot to an already strong and heart breaking story. I was on the edge of my seat and even after the movie ended I couldn't move for a while. A well made film that I recommend to any drama fan. It certainly helped me find my love for movies again. Even with it's flaws I give it a 9.5

Going into 'Spotlight' I was aware that it was the front runner to win Best PIcture at the Academy Awards. After having seen it I can't really understand why. That's not to say it wasn't a good film, it simply didn't blow me away at all. It told a story, an admittedly fascinating and true story, in an informative way but it didn't do anything that great films do like inspire me, move me or leave me stunned with the powerful nature it was told with. Best Picture winners of the past, like 'Schindler's List', told true stories but also encompassed all three of those traits and plenty more. That was a film I will never forget, 'Spotlight' will probably be completely out of my mind by this time next week. Frankly, I was a little underwhelmed with the lack of emotion such a serious subject brought out in me. The film just didn't really seem to try to do that. It felt more like a documentary reenactment, simply with very fine actors, than anything else. My disagreement with it likely winning Best Picture aside, there are some very fine filmmaking skills on show here in all departments. Director Tom McCarthy, in only his fifth turn at directing, has been nominated for a Best Directing award. While I don't like the lack of emotion his storytelling brought out in me, he clearly had a vision to tell a story in a certain way, and he got it done. He tells it in a punchy fashion that never allows the audience to drift off. The Best Directing race this year is a tight one with four of the five all being widely in contention. I don't think McCarthy will get the win however, as his film doesn't have the "X-Factor" going for it that a lot of the others do. Having said that, any film that wins Best Picture has to get some real credit for its director, so don't completely rule him out if it does indeed win that. Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams have also been nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards. I have trouble understanding how, to again be frank. Roles based on real life characters always get more attention than others but these two had absolutely nothing to work with in the script. They were almost never given a chance to shine in any scene. Because of this I don't believe either has a chance of winning their respective award. It wasn't a film designed to make actors look good. Having said that, the stand out performance for me was Michael Keaton. He almost won the Best Actor award last year and this year can't even get a nomination. Had his been considered a Supporting Role I'm sure he would have but it was probably considered in that "in between" state, which may have hurt him. There are a lot of true stories at this year's Acadmey Awards and I think 'Spotlight' is benefiting from being the most interesting story of them all. 'The Big Short' is another case of an interesting true story, however that was told in a very unique and clever way. Interestingly, that is the biggest competition 'Spotlight' will have when the winner is read out on the night. My fingers might just be crossed on the seeing the upset.

Spotlight is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer. The film follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative unit in the United States, and its investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. It is based on a series of stories by the real Spotlight Team that earned The Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, and Billy Crudup. Spotlight was shown in the Out of Competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It was also shown at the Telluride Film Festival and the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on November 6, 2015, by Open Road Films. It won numerous guilds and critics' association awards, and was named one of the finest films of 2015 by various publications. It is nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, Best Supporting Actress: Rachel McAdams, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. In 2001, The Boston Globe hires a new editor, Marty Baron. Baron meets Walter "Robby" Robinson, the editor of the Spotlight team, a small group of journalists writing investigative articles that take months to research and publish. After Baron reads a Globe column about a lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, who says that Cardinal Law (the Archbishop of Boston) knew that the priest John Geoghan was sexually abusing children and did nothing to stop him, he urges the Spotlight team to investigate. Journalist Michael Rezendes contacts Garabedian, who initially declines interview. Though he is told not to, Rezendes reveals that he is on the Spotlight team, persuading Garabedian to talk. Initially believing that they are following the story of one priest who was moved around several times, the Spotlight team begin to uncover a pattern of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in Massachusetts, and an ongoing cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese. Through a man who heads a victim's rights organization, they widen their search to thirteen priests. They learn through an ex-priest who worked trying to rehabilitate pedophile priests that there should be approximately ninety abusive priests in Boston. Through their research, they develop a list of eighty-seven names, and begin to find their victims to back up their suspicions. When the September 11 attacks occur, the team is forced to deprioritize the story. They regain momentum when Rezendes learns from Garabedian that there are publicly available documents that confirm Cardinal Law was aware of the problem and ignored it. After The Boston Globe wins a case to have even more legal documents unsealed, the Spotlight Team finally begins to write the story, and plan to publish their findings in early 2002. As they are about to go to print, Robinson confesses to the team that he was sent a list of twenty pedophile priests in 1993 in a story he never followed up on. Baron, nevertheless, tells Robinson and the team that the work they are doing is important. The story goes to print with a link leading to the documents that expose Cardinal Law, and a phone number requesting victims of pedophile priests to come forward. The following morning, the Spotlight team is inundated with phone calls from victims coming forward to tell their stories. The film closes with a list of places in the United States and around the world where the Catholic Church has been involved in concealing abuse by priests.