Grade: B
Even though the story broke in January 2002, somehow, the first I heard about the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church was in May of that year, when I attended a taping of Dennis Miller Live in Burbank. Spotlight, the new film about this, shows us the story of how the Boston Globe began covering it in July 2001 and ultimately published their headlines in January of the following year. What struck me most was the cinematography and the acting. Director Tom McCarthy and his crew have brought us a taut, absorbing thriller, and while a bit talky, does a tremendous job of bringing us into the world where cubicle dwellers, as far as the eye can see, sit at their desks with headsets on and field numerous phone calls, while seemingly endless rows of fluorescent lights cast a dull white on everything. It is a thriller, but there is no violence. Newspaper headlines grinding on the presses have never been more ominous. Early buzz suggests this will be one of the top Oscar contenders, but it is such an ensemble piece, that it feels weird to single out any one performance. We have Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Billy Crudup, and a host of others. With his glasses, small beard, and soft, deep, nasal delivery, Liev Shreiber reminds me of a younger Dustin Hoffman. Stanley Tucci has always given me a condescending “I know more than you” vibe, and here is no different. I have loved to hate him and hated to love him for almost 20 years. There is an astonishing shot which begins with a close-up on a telephone while he is on speaker, and the camera slowly tracks backwards revealing the four people in the room who are on the call. It stops at the most perfect moment. Spotlight still resonates with me even a couple hours after its conclusion. This is a movie with an aftertaste. Grade: B
Film Reviews by Mark 
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