Best Picture Nominee Movie Catch Up: Spotlight

Spotlight (2015)

Directed by Tom McCarthy

Screenplay by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy

Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup,  Jamey Sheridan, and Neal Huff

I remember when the scandal broke with the sexual abuse, and the Catholic Church trying to cover it up. I was disgusted. My views on organized religion were deteriorating at the time and I had good reason. This movie has to be seen.

During the summer of 2001, the Spotlight Team as part of The Boston Globe are urged to do a story about the child sexual abuse case by their new Editor-At-Large, Marty Baron (Schrieber). The team headed by Robby (Keaton) wants to keep the story hush until they are ready to publish the expose. Mike (Ruffalo) and Sacha (McAdams) dig deeper to find something bigger than they thought possible.

This movie is a slow burn. The beginning of the movie was a bit clunky with that opening scene in the 70s. I guess, it was establishing the Church's complicity to the abuse. Sure. We already know what happened. That scene doesn't need to be there.

The actors were solid in the movie. In my opinion, I thought that Mark Ruffalo gave a great performance as Mike. I was confused when I learned that his character was Puerto Rican. Made me side eye the film. Or when Stanley Tucci, playing Mitchell Garabedian, said that he was Armenian. Right.

By the end of the movie, I wanted all the churches to burn. I know that big organizations will be corrupt or try to protect their own people. This movie was gripping.

Rating: 9/10

Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown (1997)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino

Based on the novel, "Rum Punch" by Elmore Leonard

Stars: Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Forster, Michael Keaton, Michael Bowen, Chris Tucker, Bridget Fonda, LisaGay Hamilton, Hattie Winston, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister and Robert De Niro

I have no idea why it took so long for me to finally see Jackie Brown. I love Tarantino and his movies. I don't know why I was so hesitant on watching this movie. Tarantino stepped out of the box with this movie. It was an adaptation and not his own work. The movie did not have the usual tropes of the pop culture references, the out of order sequences and the over the top bloody violence. I was surprised that the movie received a sole Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Robert Forster. It should have gotten a couple of more.

Like in any Leonard's novel, the plot will have multiple storylines and plot points. The titular character Jackie Brown (Grier) is a flight attendant working for a low rent airline that is busted with being a drug mule. ATF agents, Ray Nicolette and Mark Dargus (Keaton, Bowen) bust her and want to send her to jail. They want to play ball. They want Jackie to rat her close friend, Ordell (Jackson) to get a reduced sentence. Ordell wants to bail Jackie out of the jail with help of bail bondsman, Max Cherry (Forster). Unbeknownst to all the players, Jackie has a way to get out of her situation scot-free.

Reading the review of the movie, people were not keen on the film. I don't know why. I thought the movie was very tight. The movie was 2 1/2 hours long and I did not get bored with it. The last hour of the movie, I was tense to see the outcome play out. I thought that this movie was refreshing, because it not the typical Tarantino movie. It was linear with layered subplots. I enjoyed the movie breathed. It wasn't rushed. The double crossing and triple crossing was a joy to watch.

The movie is very slick. Robert Forster should not have been the only that should have got an Oscar nomination. I love Pam Grier in the movie. Hearkening back to her days in blaxploitation films it was nice to see her have a role that she could sink her teeth in. I thought maybe the screenplay could have gotten a nod as well. I enjoyed the movie very much. It's shame that it took me fifteen years to see.

My Rating