Spotlight & Room

Spotlight

            Here's a controversial topic: let's go off the deep end and dive into a case that lowers Catholic priests down to the lowest scum of the Earth. As difficult a task as that seems, it happened and it was covered up. Over and over again. Of course, this should not cast a shadow over every priest but to those who have been found guilty, there's hell to pay thanks to the Spotlight investigative team at The Boston Globe in 2001. Four journalists make up this elite team that resides in the lower level offices of the renowned newspaper in Boston, MA and they pride themselves on working slow but extremely effectively, sometimes taking more than a year researching a story. The head of the quartet is Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), but call him Robby. He may have his own office but there really isn't much separation from the other three: Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James). Together, they are brought to the attention of a sexual abuse case that was buried from the 1970s involving a priest and a young boy. Trying to keep things as hush-hush as possible, the Catholic Church removed him from the parish but it turns out he's not the only one that's been covered up and slapped on the wrist for this crime. Possibly 70+, no wait, more like 100+...in the Boston area alone. There's no action here, just solid facts coming from a dynamite Oscar-worthy script right there in courier-new. From the press room, to the office, to the churches, to the courts, hold onto the person next you and try to keep up with this team along with the new editor in town (Liev Schrieber) who watches over them stone-coldly but realizes the kind of leeway this sort of investigating calls for. This ensemble of actors leaves me short of words. Each player just bouncing off the next in a cut-throat journalistic style that punches harder with every interview they track down. I would say Mr. Mark Ruffalo has his scene-stealing moments that earned him the Supporting Actor Oscar nom but we can't leave out the most impressive and fellow nominee Rachel McAdams who prods and prods in rare form as Sacha Pfeiffer. Do not forget that even though Mr. Keaton did not get nominated this year, it was the real life Walter "Robby" Robinson who was astounded by the physical and vocal accuracy that Keaton had mastered before they had even met. The truth hurts sometimes and this subject matter leaves some people still in disbelief but the facts don't lie. It may not win Best Picture at the Academy Awards but I'm sure it has caught the eye of a few aspiring journalists out there looking to shine their own spotlight. GRADE: 9/10

Room

            I don't know about you but I will always be drawn to a kind of minimalist style of filmmaking. You know, the ones that can count the actors on one hand and only take place on one or two sets. The ones like Room. Always go with what works and, in this case, the simpler the better. Room is based of Emma Donaghue's novel of the same name before she adapted her book into the entrancing script immortalized on the silver screen. If you don't know much about this movie with an ambiguous one-word title, allow me to give you a quick rundown. Ma and Jack live in a room. Ma has been there for 7 years now and the movie opens on Jack's 5th birthday so you do the math on that one. A man stops by once a week with the bare (very bare) essentials. There's a sink, toilet, tub, rug, wardrobe and bed. That's all they get. One way in and no way out for 7 years (or Jack's whole life for the matter). I'm going not so far out on a limb by saying Brie Larson will snag the Best Actress Oscar as Ma. That's not a hard decision at all given her complete devotion as a mother raising her child in the most unbearable of conditions. Now Jacob Tremblay, an 8 year old playing a 5 year old and no Oscar nomination? Are you serious? The emotion this young man pulled off working in such close quarters is mesmerizing. He even provides a considerable amount of voice over narration that creates such an innocent environment dropped in a dark tunnel. Brie Larson will get the gold but it's Jacob who deserves the standing ovation here. Unbelievable talent that is nowhere near its peak. Room almost watches like a headline on the nightly news but proves that a scary and paranoid subject matter has another side of the wall as everything in life does. Trust me, this will make you want a deep breath of fresh air as soon as you leave the theater. Thank you for the simple things and thank you for keeping us grounded in a world full of distractions. GRADE: 9/10