Spotlight (2016) Film Review

When news broke out about Catholics priests abusing their power with sexual interactions with children in early 2002, it caused shockwaves across the globe that not only were men of faith doing such a disgraceful and criminal act but also that the Church were doing barely anything about it other than relocating the priests involved. But thanks to the research done by journalist team Spotlight in Boston, allegations have broken out across the world with a hard look at Catholicism taken by the press and the public. So naturally, the quest made by the team of The Boston Globe's research division would get a feature film portraying the hardships of researching such a horrific notion and discovering that the affair was a whole lot bigger than originally envisioned, and with an all-star cast of award nominees and writer/director Tom McCarthy (who wrote both the critical darling Up and critical flop The Cobbler) it has Oscar glory in its sights. But  as far as standard journalist investigations go, can it make as interesting a movie as it sounds? 

Upon taking over The Boston Globe in a company shake-up, new editor Marty Baron (Liev Schrieber) places the paper's Spotlight team – a group of journalists who investigate stories for larger scale publishing but take their time in doing so, with an average yearly publication rate – to research a fairly recent news report about a case of paedophile priest John Geoghan being known by the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Law and not doing anything to stop his actions. Despite not thinking there was much to the story to start with, the team go ahead with their commission and begin to discover that Geoghan may not be the only case in Boston, with the assistance of both an attorney who has been involved with settlements (Stanley Tucci) and a support group of those abused when they were younger and strong/willing enough to open up about what they went through. Of course, with such hardships as being a very strong Catholic community and the Church desperately trying not to publicise documents which wouldn't help them, the team are under a lot of heavy fire in order to put a spotlight on the allegations.

A reported shoo-in for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards (with its closest competition being Inside Out), the story at hand here is one that's portrayed superbly and to the best possible manner considering the subject matter at hand. While a few people involved with the real story behind the picture declaring areas to be fictionalised for the sake of painting the Church in a certain light, what we see on screen is nothing but pure quality writing, with even small details such as one member of the team discovering they live nearby one of the alleged child-abusing priests bringing heavy weight to the events. Of course, there are such sequences and revelations which could have done with additional focus as opposed to a slight moment, but with a story like this one it's best to focus on the bigger story than elements which are much smaller in importance by comparison. And that main story is one which goes by at a continuous pace and rarely falters in plot contrivances nor moments of boredom, with a final 5-10 minutes and epilogue which is just so harrowing to believe.

As the leader of the Spotlight team, Micheal Keaton brings about much gravitas to his performance and proving that Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) wasn't a one-trick pony in his attempts of dramatic performances. If anything, this only proves how far his acting range can go with his character's personal ties to the investigation leading to a credit that will likely be synonymous to himself for years to come.  Likewise, Mark Ruffalo furthers proves his own acting range in a performance which has lead to his third Academy Award nomination. His persistence in getting the facts no matter the costs is certainly admirable, and his chemistry with his ally Tucci does make for some entrancing viewing. Rachel McAdams as the sole female member of the research division brings an interesting viewpoint of resistance to the whole thing because of how her character occasionally attends her church service, but the effects of her research make an interesting toll on her and it does lead to perhaps McAdams' best roles in a very long time. Brian d'Arcy James rounds up the main team in an underrated performance out of the ensemble and, while isn't given as much to do, adds a bit of humanity to the proceedings and in the safety of his family amidst all the research he carries out. On the side lines, both Liev Schreiber and John Slattery both give off good if not underdeveloped performances, with Slattery used solely for discussions between the Spotlight crew's individual members or for catching up on what has been discovered thus far and Schreiber practically disappearing in the second half of the film in favour of full focus of the research – a bit of a pity when considering how much he could have been used due to his outsider status. 

Outside the newspaper team, you have Stanley Tucci as a recurring helper, and ever he's a marvel to watch as the often helpful lawyer with plenty of answers, and his transitional change from revealing little to trusting Ruffalo with the necessary details being a tad standard but watchable nonetheless; Doug Murray as the leader of the child abuse support group who adds much from that side of the spectrum alongside the set of volunteers willing to talk about what happened to them; and Billy Crudup as lawyer Eric Macleish who's constant appearances may start off looking like they were shot at the same time but thankfully adds up to something more by the time the film begins to wrap up.

Tom McCarthy does a fine role in the director's chair, but likewise to fellow nominee Adam McKay seems like an intriguing choice for a Best Director nominee. While nothing terrible or even close to bad, and certainly not suffering the same faults as McKay, there isn't an awful lot special about it either, with probably only succeeding in having some form of strong correlation in writing and directing this picture to a degree where it doesn't falter by having him take on dual roles. He's a fine director but not a Best Director.

Spotlight is something of a distressing and likely off-putting look into one of the biggest news stories of this century, and one that's still relevant nearly 15 years later. It has an all-star cast who are strong and have excellent chemistry, direction which is good but not quite as superb as one may expect, but succeeds in the screenplay department. As a frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar, it really isn't all that surprising as it's a great viewing with only a few faults. 9/10.

Goosebumps (2016) Film Review

Since the early 1990s, the classic monster book series Goosebumps has amounted a massive 62 entries on a regular publishing schedule which concluded its original run in 1997. As a staple of school libraries for its scary-for-kids content and its later TV productions (which lasted four seasons) it seems like a natural fit to bring the iconic book series to the silver screen which could at least do their best at bringing such classics as Slappy the Ventriloquist Doll and the Abominable Snowman to life. Unfortunately, it took quite some time, considering that Tim Burton was originally meant to produce a version back in the late 90s, but too so long in development that the rights instead went to Columbia Pictures in 2008 to create a film that seems eerily similar to Pixels...and we all know how that turned out. 

Upon moving to Madison, Delaware from New York following the passing of his father a year prior, Zach (Dylan Minnette) is instantly enamoured by the house next door and the mysterious girl (Odeya Rush) who resides there. Almost as instant as her equally-mysterious father (Jack Black) informs him to stay away from her and their house. But while Zach and Hannah do end up growing some form of bond, her actions do lead to a squabble between her father, which Zach quickly tries to act upon when he hears her screams from through their window. But with the police of the town incompetent at their jobs Zach and his new-found high school chum Champ (Ryan Lee) go about saving Hannah themselves, only to discover two things: that the grumpy man next door is in actuality R.L. Stine, and that they really shouldn't unlock a book for it will only bring about a live version of that book's villain. And when the infamous Slappy (voiced by Black) makes his way out and ensures he can't go back in, Stine must reluctantly join forces with the three teenagers in stopping all of his creations from destroying Madison and getting them back into the book. 

While it's a smart move to try and place all of Stine's creations into a single movie rather than set up numerous films and franchises beforehand as per the current approach by competitors, it does oddly enough falter in its structure and basic story compared to the ridiculous Pixels. Whilst its execution is far better than the aforementioned disaster, it does feel like it's in a rush to get to the action so skips out on character development and an ending which feels right in favour for action sequence after action sequence after action sequence. Granted, it keeps the target demographic entertained throughout with each creature encounter adding a new environment and challenges to it, but older audiences may find it lacking enough heart due to the constant rush to get to the bombastic finale. 

Jack Black does a fine job as the Goosebumps creator who likely only takes the name more than the personality (unless the real R.L. Stine is a grumpy hermit who denies any form of interaction). His character is likeable enough and his character development – whilst not revolutionary nor overly exciting – is done well enough to believe. His dual role as the voice of Stine's porcelain replica is where a lot more applause can be given, as the recreation is a superbly puppeteered object whose vocal tones are elevated greatly by having them be an angrier spookier version of Stine. Granted, he's more of a leader in terms of spearheading the whole attack and not getting any form of grand finale or even pay-off, but he's creepy enough for the younger audience. As far as teen actors in kids movies go, our three young leads in the form of Minnette, Rush and to a lesser extent Lee do fine jobs in their basic stereotypical roles; Minnette of course getting the main bulk of it as an applicable lead but very one-dimensional in goal and character (perhaps not helped by his vice-principal Mom in the form of Meg Ryan or his wacky aunt Jillian Bell), Rush being the magic pixie girl that Minnette pines for at an alarming pace with a hidden secret that only begins to pop up in the second act, and Lee being your typical loser dork who is shoe-horned into the action following a very sudden and forced introductory scene. He does have his own very minor story arc in the form of being less of a loser, but it's very inconsequential and there solely for the generic 'loser gets the girl' story that hundreds of films before it have followed.

Meanwhile, mother Meg Ryan gets a small bit of screen time and does fine in the form of the slightly embarrassing mother, including yet another incredibly mild running gag involving a surprisingly weak-looking gym teacher pining for her (not leading anywhere, might I add); Jillian Bell as the bedazzle-fanatic aunt gets possibly the most laughs through her constant pining for affection from men on and off screen; Halston Sage gets maybe three-four scenes before being the necessary love interest for Lee; and the duo of police officers give perhaps the biggest laughs in a single scene as portrayed by Timothy Simons and Amanda Lund.

With passable direction from Shark Tale helmer Rob Letterman, the biggest comment left to really be made about Goosebumps is its visual effects. And while the small-ish budget of $58m likely cut into a lot of it, the recreations of the likes of the Abominable Snowman, werewolf and even giant praying mantis do look like a few more hours of rendering and detailing could have been made on them or left plenty of room for the practical creatures that only turn up for the finale to have some of the limelight. And while Slappy has already been discussed, it's gratifying that he is a live model and not a standard CG creation like his minions. That being said though, they do at least get involved in some of the more exciting action sequences such as a garden gnome attack – perhaps the best realised creations of the film.

Goosebumps isn't anything new - it's like a child-friendly Pixels which doesn’t insult your intelligence or make you ask for your money back. Performances are fine, with the stand-out of course being from big name talent Black while the concept of the creator being attacked by his creations being a nicely-made piece which focuses more on spectacle than heart or actual story. It's passable work from Sony, but if anyone else ever gets a chance to have a go at the source material, it would be interesting to see them go in the reverse route of going from individual adaptations to full-blown spectacle piece a la The Avengers. 5/10.