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Here's my review of Spotlight, definitely a must-see!
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Spotlight
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Spotlight was one of the films I was most looking forward to this Oscar season. A great cast telling the story of a true and very serious event. Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars alongside Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams being nominated for their supporting roles. But would the film be worthy of being in the spotlight as it is right now?
Spotlight stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci. It is the telling of a Boston newspaper team investigating allegations about priest John Geoghan who had been accused of molesting more than 80 children. The investigation leads them to discover more stories to this and unveil a truly horrific story. They soon discover that there is decades worth of hidden crimes all similar to Geoghans as they work to expose the abusers and the Catholic church. To do so they face many obstacles such as lawyers, getting the stories from victims and also hidden documents showing proof of the disgusting acts done by these members of the Catholic church.
This film is 100% worth seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Being from Scotland, I had small knowledge of these events but never to these extents. People need to see this film to know the full extent of what happened by these horrible people. Although it takes place in one city it gives a massive impact on what happened. A very serious subject matter and the film does an absolutely fantastic job at showing this. But not to the extent that it becomes tedious, the film keeps you very interested at all moments. This film deserves all the praise that it is getting and it's Best Picture nomination is so well deserved. In fact it is my pick to scoop up the award, I feel it is that good. It is a very well put together film and is definitely worth seeing as soon as possible.
The performances in Spotlight are great. Mark Ruffalo has won my pick for Best Supporting Actor in the Oscars due to the performance. He was truly magnificent in this role and I'm not just talking about his great talent of holding a phone between his shoulder and ear. He produced a fantastic performance which I feel is Oscar worthy. The scene when it has all been discovered and he loses his cool is just amazing. Rachel McAdams was the only other performance nominated for an Oscar which was also well deserved. Her character was much more comforting and focussed on the victims to get them to open up about these attacks. She played her role fantastically and in my book, was worthy of the nomination she received.
Michael Keaton once again was very good. It looks as if we're going to get fantastic movies from him each year now which is great following up from Birdman. Liev Schrieber also produced a solid performance although he didn't appear in the film as much as the other characters did or as much as I hoped he would. Performances from the likes of Stanley Tucci, Brian D'Arcy and John Slattery were also very good. I also feel a credit to Neal Huff who played Phil Saviano who did a great job at playing a victim who seemed slightly unhinged and unsure whether to be trusted as a legitimate source. Overall the performances in Spotlight work incredibly well and are very good all around.
This movie is indeed quite frightening due to the subject matter. Over 80 accounts of molestation happening in one city is so incredibly scaring. You might think that it's only just the one city but the film then goes to prove that it is a worldwide thing and not just specifically Boston. I don't think I've ever felt a film hit me harder than at the end of the film where a list of all of the cities affected by these crimes were put on screen. Once I seen the city that I was watching the film in, it really hit me and set me back. As Mark Ruffalo's character says it in the film, it could've been anyone. That to me is terrifying as it really could of happened to anyone in dozens of countries. There is also a very haunting part in this film where we see the complete innocence of children in a church singing Christmas carols unaware to the danger that they may of possibly been in whilst being overlooked by these priests.
I do feel that at the start of the film it was a bit slow, it did seem to take a bit of time for it to finally kick in and get rolling. I also feel that Liev Schreiber was missing for quite a bit of the film considering it was his character who pushed for this case to be put forward. I found this strange as I thought he'd have taken more of an interest and given a bit more help in this case. Overall I don't have many complaints!
Final verdict: Spotlight =
A phenomenal film telling a very scary, true event, I highly recommend seeing this film as it is spectacular. I really hope this film does well at the Oscars as it thoroughly deserves to do so.
A must see!
So have you seen Spotlight? If so what did you think of it? If you haven't I hope this review has encouraged you to now go and see it. Once again thank you very much for reading, it is much appreciated!
By Angus McGregor
Spotlight stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci. It is the telling of a Boston newspaper team investigating allegations about priest John Geoghan who had been accused of molesting more than 80 children. The investigation leads them to discover more stories to this and unveil a truly horrific story. They soon discover that there is decades worth of hidden crimes all similar to Geoghans as they work to expose the abusers and the Catholic church. To do so they face many obstacles such as lawyers, getting the stories from victims and also hidden documents showing proof of the disgusting acts done by these members of the Catholic church.
This film is 100% worth seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Being from Scotland, I had small knowledge of these events but never to these extents. People need to see this film to know the full extent of what happened by these horrible people. Although it takes place in one city it gives a massive impact on what happened. A very serious subject matter and the film does an absolutely fantastic job at showing this. But not to the extent that it becomes tedious, the film keeps you very interested at all moments. This film deserves all the praise that it is getting and it's Best Picture nomination is so well deserved. In fact it is my pick to scoop up the award, I feel it is that good. It is a very well put together film and is definitely worth seeing as soon as possible.
The performances in Spotlight are great. Mark Ruffalo has won my pick for Best Supporting Actor in the Oscars due to the performance. He was truly magnificent in this role and I'm not just talking about his great talent of holding a phone between his shoulder and ear. He produced a fantastic performance which I feel is Oscar worthy. The scene when it has all been discovered and he loses his cool is just amazing. Rachel McAdams was the only other performance nominated for an Oscar which was also well deserved. Her character was much more comforting and focussed on the victims to get them to open up about these attacks. She played her role fantastically and in my book, was worthy of the nomination she received.
Michael Keaton once again was very good. It looks as if we're going to get fantastic movies from him each year now which is great following up from Birdman. Liev Schrieber also produced a solid performance although he didn't appear in the film as much as the other characters did or as much as I hoped he would. Performances from the likes of Stanley Tucci, Brian D'Arcy and John Slattery were also very good. I also feel a credit to Neal Huff who played Phil Saviano who did a great job at playing a victim who seemed slightly unhinged and unsure whether to be trusted as a legitimate source. Overall the performances in Spotlight work incredibly well and are very good all around.
This movie is indeed quite frightening due to the subject matter. Over 80 accounts of molestation happening in one city is so incredibly scaring. You might think that it's only just the one city but the film then goes to prove that it is a worldwide thing and not just specifically Boston. I don't think I've ever felt a film hit me harder than at the end of the film where a list of all of the cities affected by these crimes were put on screen. Once I seen the city that I was watching the film in, it really hit me and set me back. As Mark Ruffalo's character says it in the film, it could've been anyone. That to me is terrifying as it really could of happened to anyone in dozens of countries. There is also a very haunting part in this film where we see the complete innocence of children in a church singing Christmas carols unaware to the danger that they may of possibly been in whilst being overlooked by these priests.
I do feel that at the start of the film it was a bit slow, it did seem to take a bit of time for it to finally kick in and get rolling. I also feel that Liev Schreiber was missing for quite a bit of the film considering it was his character who pushed for this case to be put forward. I found this strange as I thought he'd have taken more of an interest and given a bit more help in this case. Overall I don't have many complaints!
Final verdict: Spotlight =
A phenomenal film telling a very scary, true event, I highly recommend seeing this film as it is spectacular. I really hope this film does well at the Oscars as it thoroughly deserves to do so.
A must see!
So have you seen Spotlight? If so what did you think of it? If you haven't I hope this review has encouraged you to now go and see it. Once again thank you very much for reading, it is much appreciated!
By Angus McGregor
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First comment here!
Really looking forward to FINALLY seeing this film. We don't get a lot of indie movies where I live, and when we do, it is short lived and often gone within a couple weeks. This looks great and I've been looking forward to it as soon as I heard that it's one of the frontrunners for Best Picture.
Really looking forward to FINALLY seeing this film. We don't get a lot of indie movies where I live, and when we do, it is short lived and often gone within a couple weeks. This looks great and I've been looking forward to it as soon as I heard that it's one of the frontrunners for Best Picture.
Spotlight Review
Spotlight, an American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy, focuses on the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative unit in the United States, based at The Boston Globe headquarters. The end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 has seen the release of a numerous amount of wonderful movies, each outstanding in their own way. However, in polls conducted by leading magazines such as The Guardian and Variety, Spotlight is a big hit and is expected to do fantastically well at all major award ceremonies. With big names to contend against such as The Revenant, Carol and The Big Short, I decided to watch the film myself and to see why this motion picture has all the critics raving. The question that remains to be answered is why Spotlight stood apart from all the rest.
The film is based on the true story in which high members of the Catholic Church are sexually abusing children. The subject, a grave and serious one, is dealt with maturity and consideration for all involved as the events steadily unravel throughout the film. It also steers away from pointing an accusing finger at the Catholic Church, being very aware that religion is a big part of society today and that any bias towards or against it will not appear in this film, it will just be based on the facts.
For a film to have a chance of being even slightly successful, the script on which it is based has to be the true main character. The entire weight of the movie is resting on the script as it is what it revolves around. Saying this, a good script cannot outshine and be bigger than the actors, they need to be on the same level so that they compliment each other. A great script can be made even greater with the high class acting that accompanies it. Acting is an art. It is also an individual action, a character can only be as good as the performance given. However, a great performance can be made even greater if met and equalled by another actors performance skills, therefore increasing the quality of the film itself. All characters in this film bounced off one another magically, creating smooth flowing scenes so as not to deter the audiences attention from the subject at hand. A degree of honesty was apparent in each performance and the responsibility each one held to be accurate and correct in their individual efforts. The main pivot of the film is on the whole Spotlight team and the actors have truly emerged together.
The editing style of the film begins at a slow pace, as though the Spotlight team and The Boston Globe itself is in a great slumber, just waiting for something to come along and bring it back to life, in this case it is the story against the Catholic Church. Like a beast awakening from this slumber, the team begin to come alive and the pace quickens, the cuts become more frequent. The film takes the audience with it on the journey to finding the truth and are refused to be let loose of its claws until it is found. Tom McArdle, the editor of Spotlight, is an artist with his skill to allow one scene to slide easily into the next without once breaking the spell between audience and screen. Howard Shore's background score adds to this fluidity and creates emotion subtlety from within the audience. The score in no way overpowers the film, rather compliments it.
Overall, the entire film would have been a major project with an extensive amount of research having been conducted. As the story was already a Pulitzer Prize winning investigation, sticking to the facts was crucial. Any deviation from the facts would be untruthful and would put the whole production in jeopardy. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, extreme caution would have to have been taken because of the risk of making mistakes and patronizing the heroes of the film. The original Spotlight investigative team spent time with the director and the actors in order for them to learn the facts first hand and also so the actors could shadow the team member they were portraying in the movie to pick up minor mannerisms. According to inside stories, Mark Ruffalo, who played the role of head strong Michael Rezendes and played it brilliantly, as well as picking up slight mannerisms also mocked Michael's smile to perfection, shocking the entire team.
After reviewing different aspects of the film, the question at the end of it that needs to be answered is why this certain film is so special and has been the most recognised amongst a vast stay of spectacular films that have been made so far this year. The key to a great film is exceptional acting, high class editing, great direction and a good background score, to name a few, and only a handful of the films made this year adhere to these, Spotlight included. The film has an almost urgent need to tell the story that it is based on, especially in a time where religion is a main factor in today's society. It shows how the Catholic Church affected not just the Boston area, but the whole world in places where Christianity is followed. It expresses genuine concern for the victims in the film and never compromises their dignity, rather praises them for having the courage to share what happened to them and which they have to live with forever. The balance between belief and going against it, along with all the other factors which have been reviewed, is what makes this film stand out from the rest and be considered a masterpiece.
Spotlight, an American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy, focuses on the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative unit in the United States, based at The Boston Globe headquarters. The end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 has seen the release of a numerous amount of wonderful movies, each outstanding in their own way. However, in polls conducted by leading magazines such as The Guardian and Variety, Spotlight is a big hit and is expected to do fantastically well at all major award ceremonies. With big names to contend against such as The Revenant, Carol and The Big Short, I decided to watch the film myself and to see why this motion picture has all the critics raving. The question that remains to be answered is why Spotlight stood apart from all the rest.
The film is based on the true story in which high members of the Catholic Church are sexually abusing children. The subject, a grave and serious one, is dealt with maturity and consideration for all involved as the events steadily unravel throughout the film. It also steers away from pointing an accusing finger at the Catholic Church, being very aware that religion is a big part of society today and that any bias towards or against it will not appear in this film, it will just be based on the facts.
For a film to have a chance of being even slightly successful, the script on which it is based has to be the true main character. The entire weight of the movie is resting on the script as it is what it revolves around. Saying this, a good script cannot outshine and be bigger than the actors, they need to be on the same level so that they compliment each other. A great script can be made even greater with the high class acting that accompanies it. Acting is an art. It is also an individual action, a character can only be as good as the performance given. However, a great performance can be made even greater if met and equalled by another actors performance skills, therefore increasing the quality of the film itself. All characters in this film bounced off one another magically, creating smooth flowing scenes so as not to deter the audiences attention from the subject at hand. A degree of honesty was apparent in each performance and the responsibility each one held to be accurate and correct in their individual efforts. The main pivot of the film is on the whole Spotlight team and the actors have truly emerged together.
The editing style of the film begins at a slow pace, as though the Spotlight team and The Boston Globe itself is in a great slumber, just waiting for something to come along and bring it back to life, in this case it is the story against the Catholic Church. Like a beast awakening from this slumber, the team begin to come alive and the pace quickens, the cuts become more frequent. The film takes the audience with it on the journey to finding the truth and are refused to be let loose of its claws until it is found. Tom McArdle, the editor of Spotlight, is an artist with his skill to allow one scene to slide easily into the next without once breaking the spell between audience and screen. Howard Shore's background score adds to this fluidity and creates emotion subtlety from within the audience. The score in no way overpowers the film, rather compliments it.
Overall, the entire film would have been a major project with an extensive amount of research having been conducted. As the story was already a Pulitzer Prize winning investigation, sticking to the facts was crucial. Any deviation from the facts would be untruthful and would put the whole production in jeopardy. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, extreme caution would have to have been taken because of the risk of making mistakes and patronizing the heroes of the film. The original Spotlight investigative team spent time with the director and the actors in order for them to learn the facts first hand and also so the actors could shadow the team member they were portraying in the movie to pick up minor mannerisms. According to inside stories, Mark Ruffalo, who played the role of head strong Michael Rezendes and played it brilliantly, as well as picking up slight mannerisms also mocked Michael's smile to perfection, shocking the entire team.
After reviewing different aspects of the film, the question at the end of it that needs to be answered is why this certain film is so special and has been the most recognised amongst a vast stay of spectacular films that have been made so far this year. The key to a great film is exceptional acting, high class editing, great direction and a good background score, to name a few, and only a handful of the films made this year adhere to these, Spotlight included. The film has an almost urgent need to tell the story that it is based on, especially in a time where religion is a main factor in today's society. It shows how the Catholic Church affected not just the Boston area, but the whole world in places where Christianity is followed. It expresses genuine concern for the victims in the film and never compromises their dignity, rather praises them for having the courage to share what happened to them and which they have to live with forever. The balance between belief and going against it, along with all the other factors which have been reviewed, is what makes this film stand out from the rest and be considered a masterpiece.
I have seen that movie before the Oscars. I have to say that after that, I went back home and write a review (in Greek though, since my blog is Greek). I can say that it was much better than The Presidents Men, and at the same time more influential of the various political thrillers we can see in Netflix and other platforms.
I definitely agree that this film has "exceptional acting, high class editing, great direction and a good background score". That are the main ingredients for a successful movie!
Good review by the way!
I definitely agree that this film has "exceptional acting, high class editing, great direction and a good background score". That are the main ingredients for a successful movie!
Good review by the way!
Last edited by Rebelos21; 03-10-16 at 09:10 AM.
Reason: Forget the link of my review, for the Greek speaking visitors.
I saw Spotlight, I gave it a 6/10, but I don't think it's close to "All The President's Men" though I think it's a good comparison. I can imagine it being difficult to make a movie gathering information.
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