Movies Watched -- Spotlight

Added on by C. Maoxian.

129 minutes but nine minutes of credits so a two hour run time means a half an hour too long. Dramatic reenactment of how the Boston Globe put together and finally ran their stories exposing the systemic cover-up by the Catholic Church of pedophile priests in the Boston archdiocese (and by extension, everywhere). Lots of heavy piano music throughout. A reminiscence of when newspapers had power (because people read them). 

Ray Donovan grows a beard and puts on wire-rimmed glasses to play a grumbling newspaper editor-in-chief. The pretty girl detective from that wretched season two of True Detective is also in it, but her main role here is saying hmmm and mmmm. Tom Buffalo Ruffalo plays a manic, squinting reporter with cocked head and pursed mouth. Michael Keaton looks good as an ageing bald man -- helps that he's fit.

There have been several documentaries made on the issue of pedophile priests and the systematic cover-up / payoffs carried out by the Catholic Church -- I haven't seen any of them because they're too depressing.   "It takes a village to abuse a child," as Stanley Tucci Garabedian said. 

The movie is well made, though overly long. I'm not sure how to rate it yet. Tentatively a yellow but I may upgrade it if I can't come up with ten good movies from 2015. (Rex loved it.)

The original Boston Globe story.

Let me know how I can help, Marty! Loads of leather upholstery and wood paneling convey ... gravitas.

Let me know how I can help, Marty! Loads of leather upholstery and wood paneling convey ... gravitas.