Movie of the week – Spotlight
Another Oscar front runner arrives on Dublin screens this week, but this one is actually worthwhile. Spotlight tells the true life tale of The Boston Globe investigation that exposed the extent of sexual abuse covered up by the Catholic Church. Unlike most movies released during ‘awards season’, this one never gets preachy, simply detailing the investigation in forensic fashion, and features some great performances from the likes of Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo.
The 33
Another true story comes in the form of The 33, a dramatisation of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster that gripped the world. This movie won’t be gripping anyone; it’s a bland recreation of the event that tries to cover too much ground in its two hour running time. In the worst casting decision in a long time, Gabriel Byrne delivers an attempt at a Chilean accent that sounds like a Scarface impersonation.
Youth
Paolo Sorrentino is an Italian filmmaker who specialises in stories of rich old blokes bemoaning their lots in life. In Youth, the rich old bloke is played by Michael Caine as an aging composer; he manages to save the film from the usual self-indulgences of Sorrentino. This is Caine’s best work in some time.
Reservoir Dogs
If The Hateful Eight put you in the mood for more Tarantino, you can catch his 1992 debut, Reservoir Dogs, on Sunday afternoon at the Irish Film Institute. It’s a fine film, but it does feel terribly dated now.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
