Spotlight

11 Thursday Feb 2016

Tags

2010's, Based on a true story, Brian d'Arcy James, Drama, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Spotlight, Stanley Tucci, Tom McCarthy

Film Title

Spotlight

Director

Tom McCarthy

Starring

Michael Keaton as Walter “Robby” Robinson
Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes
Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer
Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron
John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr.
Brian d’Arcy James as Matt Carroll
Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian

Gripping, intelligent and thought-provoking, Spotlight is based on the Boston Globe’s team of investigative journalists(known as Spotlight) in 2001 and their exposing through a year-long investigation of widespread child molestation and cover ups within the Catholic Church. Unshowy yet hard-hitting due to its attention to detail and refusal to exploit the source material, Spotlight is a film that really provokes your thoughts and shows the work of those bringing these horrifying events into the open.

The year is 2001 and the Boston Globe has a new editor in the form of Marty Baron. Something of an outsider in the predominately Catholic Boston area, the Jewish Marty is softly spoken yet very decisive. It is upon arriving that he enlists the expertise of the Spotlight team, who specialises in cases that require long and in-depth investigations. The team comprises of main boss Walter “Robby” Robinson, Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, Matt Carroll and overseeing managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr. After reading an article about lawyer Mitchell Garabedian who is representing a client in a case that says that the highest reaches of the Church in Boston knew of child abuse and did nothing, instead moving the priest to another parish, Marty has the team take a look at the potential story. The team is initially reluctant to investigate due to the readership being mainly Catholic, but go about the investigation nonetheless. The team in the beginning thinks that the case is just about one priest, but through their diligence and digging, they begin to uncover darker territory. Continuing to dig, through help from Garabedian, the attempts to unseal classified documents and testimonies of those who were the victims of molestation, they discover that over 80 priests molested children throughout the decades and the Church covered up their crimes by turning the other way. Shocked by their findings, the team becomes more determined to break the story and continue their search for the truth. Fighting political opposition and the Church trying it’s best to stop any story getting out to the public, it’s up to Robby and his team to break the silence on decades worth of systemic abuse and cover ups and bring the story into the light so that nothing like it ever happens again.

Now the first thing to commend Spotlight on is its treatment of the difficult subject matter. Rather than just over-embellish the story and become histrionic, it presents the events uncovered by the eponymous team with a documentary like precision. Tom McCarthy succeeds in making the film as authentic as possible and not making the horrifying findings that the team unearthed in any way sensationalized. There is a degree of respect that he keeps with Spotlight that does the subject matter justice and reveals the whole extent of the cover ups and abuse that happened throughout the decades. McCarthy wisely doesn’t use any stylistic flourishes as this is a story were the facts take precedence over that and to have overdone visuals would be wholly out-of-place and just wrong. Instead, Spotlight presents things in a gripping and powerful way that illuminates the fight for justice and the desire to bring forth the truth so it is never forgotten. The main characters in the film aren’t presented as fame-hungry opportunists trying to climb the ladder, but genuine, soulful people who cared about the story, telling it right and bringing it out in the open to expose the horror within the trusted organisation of the Church. It’s quite refreshing, due to the setting of the movie, to not see a lot of technology. Too often in movies now, there is a huge overuse of technology that often mars movies. There is the odd computer in Spotlight(yet it is not on par with today’s ones and neither should it be), but the focus is all on the note-taking, digging and legwork that went into the investigation and the impact it has it presenting the facts is deeply felt. A score that quietly builds and doesn’t overly intrude is well used throughout Spotlight as the investigation gains momentum and it is reflected in the gathering pace of the music.

The cast of Spotlight is an excellently assembled ensemble who burrow into their parts and create performances of naturalism and authenticity. Michael Keaton excels in his portrayal of the head of Spotlight Robby. He brings out a steel and drive to this man with little subtle things he does. Yet we can also sense an inner struggle that you can’t quite put your finger on that is effectively shown by Keaton. Mark Ruffalo brought a whole lot of emotion to the role of Michael with his determination growing as the horror of events opens up and his heart on his sleeve personality. His cry about how shocked he is about what the scale of abuse and the cover ups is a genuinely moving bit of acting that really makes an impact. I can see why he is up for a Best Supporting Actor award because his performance is really phenomenal. The same goes for Rachel McAdams, who is also up for an Oscar for her work as the compassionate Sacha. Her performance is one of nuance and sympathy as she talks to the victims and with her humility and warmth, helps them open up about their traumatic experiences. Liev Schreiber is authoritative and deeply intelligent as the new editor Marty, who is the person who puts the Spotlight team onto the story as he believes it needs to be told. John Slattery as the managing editor and Brian d’Arcy James as one of the group are equally as impressive as the rest of the cast. Stanley Tucci is marvellous as the lawyer who is representing many of the abuse victims and who prefers to work alone. Tucci just exudes the dogged desire to do right by these people and eventually he works with the eponymous team to help with the story.

Well-paced, superbly acted and mightily powerful in the true story it tells, Spotlight is one movie that triumphs, not due to sensationalism or distortion, but by the seriousness, authenticity and commitment with which it is told.

Desperate Housewives Season 4

03 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by vinnieh in Television Reviews

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

2000's, Andrea Bowen, Brenda Strong, Dana Delany, Desperate Housewives, Desperate Housewives Season 4, Doug Savant, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, James Denton, John Slattery, Kyle MacLachlan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Marcia Cross, Nathan Fillion, Nicollette Sheridan, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Teri Hatcher

It may be shorter than past seasons, mainly due to the Writer’s Strike at the time, but Season 4 of Desperate Housewives is a treat of wit, drama and underlying mystery that is delicious from the get go. Spoilers will be following in this review.

Following on from the Season 3 finale, we’re back in full swing with the dramas and dilemmas of Wisteria Lane as narrated by Mary Alice(Brenda Strong). Edie(Nicollette Sheridan), having been dumped by Carlos(Ricardo Antonio Chavira), faked a suicide attempt to keep him with her. Sinking her claws into him, she blackmails him into staying with her because if he doesn’t she will inform the authorities of his off shore bank account. Carlos on the other hand is conducting an affair with ex-wife Gabrielle(Eva Longoria), who realised that she still loved him and that her new husband Mayor Victor Lang (John Slattery) is just using her to make his image look good. Although they are planning to run away together to rekindle their relationship, manipulative Edie has thrown a spanner in the works with her scheming plan to keep Carlos all for herself. There’s also the fact that the very influential Victor hints that if he ever caught Gabrielle cheating, the person who she conducted the affair with would ominously disappear. Lynette(Felicity Huffman) is having treatment for her cancer, but has kept it secret from her friends for fear of pity and is managing to reconnect with husband Tom(Doug Savant) again. Yet seeing that there is only so much longer she can lie, she reveals it to them and they rally to support her in this difficult time. Thankfully, Lynette manages to beat her cancer, but still has to deal with her troublesome mother and adopted daughter Kayla creating animosity with her twisted little ways. Bree(Marcia Cross) is faking a pregnancy so that the neighbours won’t be suspicious, as her teenage daughter Danielle is at a convent having discovered her pregnancy. Bree, along with her husband Orson(Kyle MacLachlan) begins to find it harder and harder to lie about the pregnancy and keep it a secret. When the baby is born, there are complications for Bree as she starts to consider whether pretending to carry the baby was really a good idea or not/ Bree must also contend with her marriage to Orson beginning to crumble, especially after she finds out it was him who ran Mike over at the end of Season 2. Susan(Teri Hatcher) and Mike(James Denton) are finally married after a tumultuous relationship and discover that they have a baby on the way. But Mike has developed an addiction to prescription drugs that started with his back being injured and has now grown into something more desperate. And providing the dark mystery this season is the icy new neighbour Katherine Mayfair(Dana Delany) along with her husband Adam(Nathan Fillion) and daughter Dylan(Lyndsy Fonseca). Katherine had previously lived on Wisteria Lane years before, but mysteriously left. A cold woman who rubs people up the wrong way and challenges those around her, she is guarding many secrets regarding her past that she plans on keeping under wraps. Her daughter Dylan, despite having lived on Wisteria Lane as a child, doesn’t remember anything at all about it, which arouses the suspicions of former best friend Julie(Andrea Bowen), whose convinced that there is something sinister behind it. Add to that a devastating tornado that changes everyone’s lives, and its high drama and high stakes viewing.

While Season 4 is short in terms of what we usually expect, it actually gives more immediacy to the story lines present. The acerbic wit and subversive tone are here and captured splendidly during the course of Season 4. And while the humour is still here and as great as ever, there is a lot more drama this season. we have Lynette bravely battling her cancer, Bree attempting to protect her family through her lies and the affair between Carlos and Gabrielle. Lynette’s battle with cancer is the most moving to watch as she fights through the pain. The moment when she finds out she has beaten it and a whole host of emotions pass across her face is such a beautifully acted moment that is excellently done. And when it comes to the mystery, this season is a high point of creeping suspense over what Katherine’s secret is. Little by little, her past comes sneaking back and we get to see the true Katherine Mayfair.This is why I love Desperate Housewives; it can balance all of these genres so well and bring something new to the table. That is one thing about this show that keeps me so riveted to it, it just has this ability to be so effortlessly and consistently entertaining.

The major disaster of the tornado and what it spells for the characters was an ambitious move but it produces some of the most wrenching and dramatic scenes so far in the show. From the changing relationships that occur as the storm rages, to Victor’s death by impaling and Carlos losing his sight, its high drama that is entertaining and nail-biting. We are left on the edge of our seats as the residents of Wisteria Lane attempt to survive the tragedy. And then we watch as they try to literally and metaphorically rebuild their lives once more through their friendships and acquaintances. As I said earlier, Desperate Housewives really knows how to pull it out the bag when it comes to tragedy and drama. And I can’t forget to mention the teasing ending to the season that has me super excited for Season 5.

The excellent cast is once more on hand to flesh out their characters through the comedy, drama and mystery of Season 4. I continue to be super impressed with the work of Felicity Huffman as Lynette, who has more than one battle to contend with here. Huffman has this great ability to convey so much emotion in her face that you can see everything she is feeling. From her determination to survive for her children, to her horror at discovering that Kayla has launched a vendetta, Huffman just owns every minute of it with class and grace. I was impressed with Teri Hatcher’s work as Susan this season. She may have been mainly used for the cute comedy in the past, but here we get a maturation in her story lines. Hatcher manages to sell this with humanity and dignity as she goes through her pregnancy, while attempting to support Mike with his drug problem. I liked this maturation and found it quite refreshing in the scheme of things as we got to see another test for them both that they slowly overcame because of their love for one another. Marcia Cross provides humour and pathos for Bree, undergoing a tense time with Orson and bringing up a baby in the hopes that she can have a second chance as a mother. On the funny side, it’s great to see her clash with Katherine, who attempts to be the queen bee of the circle much to the chagrin of Bree, who eventually warms to her. Watching Bree try to be respectful while secretly feeling challenged is a hoot, though I was glad the writers decided to have the two women become friends because of their similarities. Eva Longoria is still as flamboyant as ever as Gabrielle, but there is that added love and care to her this time around. I was glad to see her get back with Carlos again, and despite the fact that money is tight and Carlos has been blinded, Gabrielle doesn’t resort to her selfish ways. Rather, she slowly but surely gets to grips with things and sees that having Carlos is much more important than finery. Eva Longoria is a dab hand at showing these sides to Gabrielle and still provides that sassy edge we all know and love. Nicollette Sheridan is on spectacular form once again as queen bitch and husband stealer Edie Britt. She may have softened a little last season, but it is great to see her back at her bitchy and scheming best as she makes it so delightful. Yet Edie goes one step too far this time and though the other ladies have tried to put up with her, they now disown her as she has crossed the line for the last time.

As the newest housewife Katherine, Dana Delany fits the role like a glove. Seeming to be organised and standoffish, Delany lets us venture deeper into the confines of the character as we sense the terrified woman beneath, hidden by an ice maiden facade that slowly thaws as her past comes back to haunt her. Lyndsy Fonseca has the right amount of curiosity and naivety as Dylan, who senses that something is really wrong and that her mother is not being honest about the past. But by searching for the truth, she soon uncovers something very sinister. Unfortunately, I found that Nathan Fillion was underused as Katherine’s husband Adam, who has a roving eye. Kyle MacLachlan continued to flesh Orson out, showing us that while he is attempting to be good he can’t escape the bad things he has done in the past. Ricardo Antonio Chavira is immensely convincing as Carlos, who must adjust to being blind which becomes harder as he doesn’t want to feel like a burden. Doug Savant is also very good as Tom, having to see that his daughter Kayla is indeed trying to split the family apart. James Denton was very convincing showing Mike descend into addiction but having the strength and support to fight back and be a good father to his baby son. And while not used as much as she has been, Andrea Bowen still plays Julie well with her maturity and charm. John Slattery is given a hell of a send off as the corrupt Victor, who gets impaled during the tornado after fighting Carlos for Gabrielle’s affections. And Brenda Strong’s beautiful voice is still really effective in its observations of the comings and goings of Wisteria Lane.

Now You Know – A
Smiles of a Summer Night – A
The Game – B
If There’s Anything I Can’t Stand – B+
Art Isn’t Easy – B
Now I Know, Don’t Be Scared – A+
You Can’t Judge a Book By Its Cover – C
Distant Past – B+
Something’s Coming – A+
Welcome to Kanagawa – A
Sunday – B+
In Buddy’s Eyes – C+
Hello, Little Girl – B
Opening Doors – B+
Mother Said – B
The Gun Song – A
Free – A

So although it’s short in length, Season 4 of Desperate Housewives provides us with another very strong bunch of episodes to be entertained by.

Desperate Housewives Season 3

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by vinnieh in Television Reviews

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

2000's, Andrea Bowen, Brenda Strong, Desperate Housewives, Desperate Housewives Season 3, Doug Savant, Dougray Scott, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, James Denton, John Slattery, Josh Henderson, Kyle MacLachlan, Laurie Metcalf, Marcia Cross, Nicollette Sheridan, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Teri Hatcher

With Season 2 being a bit flawed and slightly stumbling in comparison to the fabulous first season, Season 3 had a lot riding on it. Thankfully it is a splendid return to form with razor-sharp wit, emotional drama and mystery that made us love Desperate Housewives in the first place. Trust me, Season 3 brings the show back with a bang. Spoilers will follow in this review.

The deceased Mary Alice Young(Brenda Strong) continues to narrate the daily events of the women on Wisteria Lane. Six months have passed since the events of the Season 2 finale. Mike(James Denton), after being run over by the mysterious Orson Hodge(Kyle MacLachlan), is in a coma and is showing no responsive signs. Girlfriend Susan(Teri Hatcher) is by his bedside most days and trying to keep faith that he will come out of it. Susan though finds herself tempted by charming Ian(Dougray Scott), a man whose wife is also in a coma. Yet despite her passion for Ian, Susan can’t help but feel guilty as if she’s cheating on Mike with a stranger. But when Mike does wake up, he is suffering from amnesia. Edie(Nicollette Sheridan), who has always been Susan’s rival, uses this opportunity to make her move and poison Mike away from Susan. It is then down to Susan to choose between Mike and Ian, but her heart tells her it’s Mike that is the one for her despite caring for Ian deeply. She must then attempt to get through to Mike in the hope he remembers that they were in a relationship before his accident. Yet while Mike slowly regains his memory, he begins to remember other things from his past that tie in with Orson. Add to this Edie’s bad boy nephew Austin(Josh Henderson) turning up and catching the eye of Julie(Andrea Bowen) and thinks are going to get interesting for Susan. Gabrielle(Eva Longoria) is filing for divorce from Carlos(Ricardo Antonio Chavira) after discovering his affair with their maid, who is also carrying a surrogate baby. Yet because of a mix up during the surrogacy, the baby born is not theirs which further puts a wall up between them. Gabrielle then endures loneliness and does in fact misses Carlos, yet finds company and later nuptials in the form of campaigning politician and secretly slimy Victor Lang(John Slattery) after discovering that Carlos has unexpectedly begun dating the saucy Edie. Meanwhile, the charming but sinister Orson has charmed Bree(Marcia Cross) off her feet and the two marry. But all is not well, as Orson has a few incidents in his past(primarily the disappearance of his ex-wife Alma, running over Mike and a woman named Monique) that are very dark and form the backbone of the mystery this season. As much as Bree loves Orson, there is something about him that worries her and with what is slowly shown and revealed to us, she has every right to be worried. And rounding out the women is Lynette(Felicity Huffman), trying to adjust to the fact that her husband Tom(Doug Savant) had a child with another woman and the other woman Nora constantly being around causing rifts in marriage. Yet all that changes after a tragic hostage situation that results in Nora’s death and Lynette promising to raise her daughter as her own. Lynette also quits her advertising job to open a pizza place with Tom so they can pursue their dream and provide for five children, but as always, trouble awaits. All in all, it’s another eventful trip through the lives of the interesting ladies of Wisteria Lane.

I was so happy that the mystery angle was better than ever this season. The whole circumstances surrounding Orson are enthralling as we slowly see the danger that this man may be to those around him. The dark edge to Desperate Housewives always intrigues me so the return to the superior mystery was a major plus for me. Once more the deliciously wicked wit is on hand for laughs and many enjoyable moments. There is an excellent balance held between comedy and drama, which was somewhat lacking in Season 2. And speaking of drama, I can’t discuss Season 3 without mentioning “Bang” which has to be one of the best episodes so far in the show. In it, Carolyn Bigsby(played amazingly by a scene-stealing Laurie Metcalf) discovers her husband’s infidelity and completely snaps by holding up the supermarket. The tension drips from the episode as we wonder who will survive and emotions are stunningly observed. And Felicity Huffman is a powerhouse in the episode, evolving from fear, pain to anger as she witnesses Nora’s unexpected death and confronts the unstable Carolyn with a speech about how everyone carries pain, but acts about it behind closed doors. In short, it is an outstanding episode that shows Desperate Housewives at its most effective and dramatic.

If Season 3 had a nickname, it would probably be the love, divorce and wedding season because of the marital events and tribulations on show. From Bree’s marriage to O Bree and Orson Wedding rson which raises many questions to Gabrielle trying to get a divorce while finding company with Victor that doesn’t go to plan, marriage and union are integral and lead to many fantastic moments in this splendid season. Relationships of a romantic nature have been featured throughout the show, but this is the season when they are most prominent. The most enjoyable part of the these is Gabrielle and Carlos, whose bickering and resorting to extreme measures to make the other jealous are comedic highlights. There is an obvious passion between them that often leads to destructiveness and heartbreak. And it’s fun to watch the usually respectable and mindful Julie fall for bad boy Austin( who is cheating on her with Bree’s daughter Danielle), especially considering the tense situation between members of each of their families. It’s safe to say Season 3 has a lot going on in it, but none of it feel rushed or half-baked due to spectacular writing and performances.

The main cast is engaging as always. The two main stand outs this season are Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman. Longoria has such excellent comic timing but also knows when to rein it in and shows off considerable dramatic chops as Gabrielle. We get to see that she is gregarious and never really wants to be alone, and although she loves Carlos, their relationship is extremely complicated. Gabrielle could easily have been a character that was hard to like, but because of the writing and performance from Eva Longoria, we do feel sympathy for her. Felicity Huffman once again shines as Lynette, bringing a whole load of emotion to the role. This is the season so far that Lynette goes through the most in terms of emotional baggage, marital problems and personal drama and Huffman just shows all of this with her stunning work. No matter if it’s the comedy or the drama, Huffman brings her A game to both with equal aplomb. Marcia Cross is as always wonderful as Bree, having made the character her own. Bree must go through many more struggles this season and stay afloat in an ocean of uncertainty, mainly courtesy of the mystery provided by her new husband. Cross is excellent at displaying Bree’s concern and confusion while trying to stop her bubble of being a perfect neighbour from bursting. While humour has always been the main selling point of Susan, Teri Hatcher manages to also project poignant emotion to the part and the writing thankfully doesn’t make her slip into ridiculousness. Yes Susan is as romantic as ever by being caught between her loyalty and passion, but Hatcher exudes a relatability and warmth that captures your attention. You can’t help but root for Susan to get Mike back, as it is very obvious the two are meant to be together. Nicollette Sheridan is delightfully scheming and sultry as Edie, who may poison Mike against Susan but drops him when he is arrested for murder. This leads her unexpectedly into the arms of Carlos, which may jeopardize friendship with Gabrielle. Sheridan brings some more emotion to Edie than before as we see that she does have a heart underneath the trashy exterior. It’s nice to see the writer’s attempt something different with Edie this season that actually pays off and shows another side to her.

The rest of the cast, old and new, continue to explore their characters and bring them to life. Mike Denton brings out the confused state of Mike’s mind well, as he recalls some events that he really doesn’t want to remember. As the cause of this season’s mystery, Kyle MacLachlan is strangely charming yet full of hidden danger as the enigmatic Orson. MacLachlan has this ability to set your nerves on edge which he uses a lot during this season to menacing effect that also leaves you questioning whether or not he’s as bad as some of the hints make him out to be. Series stalwarts Doug Savant and Ricardo Antonio Chavira provide a considerable amount of laughs as Tom and Carlos, two of the husbands on the lane. Chavira in particular raises many laughs as Carlos, who still deeply loves Gabrielle and amusingly teases her about the string of dates she’s been on, hoping that she will see that the two of them are meant to be. I’m not the biggest fan of the character of Ian, who falls for Susan but sees that her heart belongs to Mike. None of this is to do with Dougray Scott, but as Susan is meant to be with Mike, the character of Ian feels a bit needless. Josh Henderson has the right look and swagger as Edie’s nephew Austin, who is always up to something troublesome. Plus, he provides eye candy for all the ladies watching as he’s almost constantly shirtless. Andrea Bowen charts Julie’s occasional rebellious streak after being the model daughter for so long very well. John Slattery oozes oily and smarmy charm as mayor candidate Victor Lang, who soon becomes engaged to Gabrielle, but is really using her to make his image look good. Brenda Strong lends her mellifluous voice once again to narration as Mary Alice with a mix of adroit humour, grave warnings and otherworldly warmth.