Boston Reporters Chase a Story That Needs to be Told

From left: Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Brian d'Arcy James,
Michael Keaton, and John Slattery in "Spotlight"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com 

Seeing the news industry depicted in cinema is a fascinating thing to watch in the movies.  We’ve had films like “State of Play,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” and this year’s “Truth.”  And, of course, we can never forget one of the most significant film’s about journalism, which is Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 breaking-news classic, “All the President’s Men.”  While watching these films, we are given a thorough view of the work newsmakers go through to bring the latest stories to the world, and it’s nothing short of stimulating.

In Tom McCarthy’s newsroom drama, “Spotlight,” he focuses on the Pulitzer Prize-winning team of journalists who uncovered one of the biggest stories of the early 2000s.  With an impressive cast and a narrative that pulls you right in, McCarthy weaves an intricate film that plants you right in the middle of a significant piece of journalistic history.

In 2001, “The Boston Globe” investigative unit, “Spotlight,” includes Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Ben Bradlee, Jr. (John Slattery), and Matt Carroll (Brain d’Arcy James).  When “The Globe” receives a new editor, Martin Baron (Liev Schreiber), he suggests to the “Spotlight” team that they look into the accusations of child molestations by Catholic priests in Massachusetts and the Boston Archdiocese’s attempts to cover it up.  As the team begins to conduct their research, the reporters will realize there is more to the scandal than they expected.

The film provides a cast that is one of the best you’ll see this year.  What is so superb about the ensemble is how there isn’t really a main character because they are all given near-equal amounts of screen time.  This achievement within the makeup of the cast helps in showing how the “Spotlight” reporting is a group effort, with each reporter doing their own part to bring the story to their readers.  Although each performer manages to breakthrough when it’s time for their character to bring something to the film, it’s seeing the cast work together that is a major highlight of the film.

The screenplay by McCarthy and Josh Singer offers a deep look into this intriguing and tragic true story.  The amount of depth the two writers put into the narrative provides us with a full view of how much this scandal impacted Boston.  By having us follow the news team through their investigation, including scenes of the victims revealing what they endured, meetings with lawyers, and courthouse visits, we get an extensive idea of the work that these reporters were committed to when trying to bring this story to the world’s attention.  Every scene pulls back a layer of the cover-up, with not a single minute of the film being wasted.

McCarthy directs the film with a considerable amount of quiet tenseness.  When he has us accompany the characters as they conduct their investigation, he’s able to get us heavily invested in their research process as they travel around Boston in search of the truth.  As the reporters make one startling discovery after another, McCarthy causes our pulses to quicken by creating race-against-the-clock scenarios for the reporters to get what they need, when they need it.  McCarthy understands this is an important chapter in American journalism and does what he can to make sure audiences get as much out of this story as possible.

“Spotlight” isn’t just one of 2015’s best films, but is also a powerful tribute to journalism helping victims come forward to reveal injustices, making this film some of the most essential viewing of the year.

Final grade: A

Even After 65 Years, the Peanuts Still Continue to Entertain

From left: Franklin, Lucy van Pelt, Snoopy, Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown,
Peppermint Patty, and Sally Brown in "The Peanuts Movie"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

For decades, Charles Schulz’s beloved cartoon creation, “Peanuts,” has entertained and charmed the world ever since the comic strip’s first appearance in 1950.  Since then, generations have fallen in with the characters, both in the newspapers and their adored television specials.  It speaks to the appeal that the young Charlie Brown, his loyal dog Snoopy, and the rest of their gang have had throughout more than half a century.

Schulz’s characters have now transitioned into stars on the big screen with director Steve Martino’s “The Peanuts Movie.”  Capturing the wit and heart of the classic Peanuts stories we have come to love, Martino delivers a film that is tremendous fun for audiences of all ages.

Charlie Brown is a kid who’s trying to find success in his childhood, and while he seems to encounter one mishap after the next, he takes it all in stride.  When the Little Red-Haired Girl moves into the neighborhood and becomes Charlie Brown’s new classmate, he decides he’s going to work extra hard to impress her.  With the help of his friends and Snoopy, Charlie Brown will set out to become the winner he always strived to be.

The filmmakers do a wonderful job in providing a voice cast that sounds strikingly similar to that of the classic television specials.  This gives the feeling of watching one of the many “Peanuts” shows that graced countless childhoods.

While the screenplay by Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano uses bits from other Charlie Brown stories we have come to know over the years, you still can’t help but get swept up in the fun provided by the Peanuts gang.  The screenwriters deliver a Peanuts story that’s a worthy addition to everything that has come before it.

Besides Charlie Brown’s storyline, there is also a subplot of Snoopy immersing himself in his imagination as his alter ego, the Flying Ace, a World War I pilot who takes to the skies in a high-flying adventure to face-off with the Red Baron.  By giving a plot thread each to Charlie Brown and Snoopy, the two main characters have about the same amount of screen time, allowing us to be endlessly charmed by their adventures.

Director Steve Martino retains the delightfulness of the Peanuts with every scene of the film, and he doesn’t feel the need to throw in any crude humor, which seems to be a part of many children’s films these days, sadly.  The Peanuts he presents to us are within the essence of the ones we grew up with, which lets adult audiences enjoy the nostalgia, while also providing a chance for younger audiences to become familiar with and experience these classic cartoon characters on the big screen.  In a film about Charlie Brown trying to become a winner, this movie will certainly win you over.

Final grade: A-

A Look at the Man Behind Many Innovations

Michael Fassbender in "Steve Jobs"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Given his significant steps towards technological advancement, it was inevitable that a film based on the late Steve Jobs would get made.  First, their was 2013’s “Jobs,” starring Ashton Kutcher, which, I’ll just say right now, I chose to skip because it didn’t look like a quality film that an important figure like Steve Jobs deserved.

Two years later, we have it.  In Danny Boyle’s drama, “Steve Jobs,” he follows the icon as he works backstage during three product launches.  If you don’t think that story structure sounds interesting, trust me, you’ll be missing out if you choose not to see it.  In a film that overflows with scorching dialogue and blazing performances, Boyle gives us one of the best and most exhilarating films of the year.

During his time working with Apple, co-founder Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) is facing difficulty in working amiably with his colleagues, while also being in the middle of a strained relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston), with whom Jobs fathered a daughter.  As Jobs traverses these challenges, the story shows him working behind the scenes of three big product launches: the Apple Mackintosh in 1984, the NeXT Computer in 1988, and the iMac in 1998.

Michael Fassbender brings to life the spirit of high-tech breakthroughs Steve Jobs was known for.  But, one of the best parts about his character is that the movie allows us to see Jobs not only as a successful businessman, but also as a flawed individual.  Throughout the film, we see Jobs’ hard-to-tolerate personality, and its easy for us to feel the annoyance towards him the other characters feel, and that’s one of several great aspects about Fassbender’s performance.  In his portrayal of Jobs, Fassbender continues to prove he is an actor who can dominate a film with ease.

Seth Rogen turns in a performance that is refreshingly against type as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.  Although Rogen rarely does dramatic roles, he doesn’t show any hint of a struggle in pulling it off for this film.  In his climactic confrontation with Jobs in the film’s third act, I knew that this is a side to Rogen’s acting I would love to see more often.

The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, which is based on Walter Isaacson’s biography, “Steve Jobs,” is similar to his screenwriting work for “The Social Network,” seeing as both films focus on tension between individuals within a company and how business can sometimes damage relationships.  There is one scene in particular that relates to this, and it’s the scene in the second act where Jobs and Sculley discuss the reasoning behind the former being let go from Apple.  The conversation is a fast-paced fight with words, and it’s one of the best sequences in the film.

With the narrative being broken up into three acts dealing with preparations for three different product launches, the story acts as a sort of “Wizard of Oz” peak behind the curtain that provides us with a glimpse of the kind of person Steve Jobs was.  In each of these chapters we see from Jobs’ life, we get a look at how success and failure shaped him into the notable tech guru he became.

Director Danny Boyle brings much power to “Steve Jobs,” and just like David Fincher achieved with “The Social Network,” Boyle is able to construct scenes that brim with the intensity of Sorkin’s first-rate dialogue.  In a movie that thrives on its script and talented cast, Boyle combines the strengths of both to craft a film that makes a superb contribution to Steve Jobs’ memory.

Final grade: A