Jane Heller

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Movie Day: “Spotlight”

November 15, 2015

spotlight poster

I so wanted to be a journalist by the end of this movie. As the credits rolled, I kept thinking what a noble profession journalism is when it’s not about sensationalism and how maligned it’s become, especially during this presidential campaign season. Which is another way of saying I loved “Spotlight.” Finally, a film that more than deserves all the accolades and prizes it’s garnered. The acting, the writing, the direction – all first rate.

Based on true events, it’s the story of the investigative unit of the Boston Globe that, in 2001, spent many months getting to the truth of the sex abuses by Catholic priests and exposing not only the guilty priests but the monumental cover-up at the highest levels of the church. The so-called spotlight team won a Pulitzer for their work, and in this movie we see why.

Michael Keaton leads the team, and as good as he was in “Birdman,” he’s even better here because the part is less showy. He and his reporters, played by Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, among others, are as committed to their jobs as they are to the Catholic church having been raised in it, so their conflicts abound. Their investigation is boots-on-the-ground hard work, overseen by their new editor, played by the always good Liev Schreiber, and by “Mad Men” star John Slattery as Ben Bradlee, Jr. There’s no romanticizing of the investigation, no glamorizing and, best of all, no speechifying. These journalists speak like real people, not characters from a screenwriter’s imagination. And the result is surprisingly suspenseful – a thriller without the car chases and snarling villains. It’s a straightforward exercise in filmmaking, and it’s all the more engrossing for it.

And yes, I’m putting “Spotlight” on my Best Picture list for Oscar time – a no-brainer.

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies, News stories Tagged With: John Slattery, Liev Shreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Movie Night: "Foxcatcher"

December 10, 2014

foxcatcher__span

Wow. What a great film. I’ve been a fan of Bennett Miller’s other directorial efforts (“Capote,” “Moneyball”) as well as of the trio of actors starring in this one. And true crime movies about crazy billionaires intrigue me, so I was eager to see “Foxcatcher.” It didn’t disappoint.

I’d read about Steve Carell’s prosthetic nose over and over, so I went into the theater determined not to let it distract me from his performance. It didn’t. It faded into the character of John DuPont, as did Carell in a giant departure from his comic roles. Here, he’s the socially inept heir to the DuPont fortune, living on the grand Pennsylvania estate with his withholding mother played by Vanessa Redgrave. He fancies himself as a leader of men, a patriot, a warrior and, tragically, a wrestling coach.

The story begins (at a glacial pace – my only complaint) when DuPont plucks Olympic Gold medalist Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) out of his sad, lonely life in the shadow of his more gregarious older brother, Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), also an Olympic Gold medalist in wrestling, and flies him by helicopter to the estate. He tells Mark he wants to be his mentor, that he’s going to give him financial support and build a championship team around him, that he will live there and train there and make America proud. Mark buys into the whole setup – he’s such a ripe target for DuPont’s abuse – until DuPont double crosses him and brings Dave to the estate and lavishes all his attention on him instead.

Miller gives the audience an intense character study of the three men, but what I found especially fascinating was the look inside the sport of wrestling. And not professional wrestling, where the participants are clowns faking their moves and wearing stupid costumes. This is the Olympic sport of wrestling and it’s beautiful and intimate and graceful. When Mark and Dave wrestle early in the film, it’s like watching two ballet dancers. Miller isn’t afraid to show men in a way that’s authentic – a rarity in this age of Judd Apatow arrested development bromance comedies. I wish there had been more of Redgrave and, as previously noted, the film does take its time getting going, but you can’t have everything. Oscar caliber performances by all in my opinion.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies Tagged With: Bennett Miller, Channing Tatum, Foxcatcher, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell, Vanessa Redgrave

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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