Spotlight
A throwback to journalistic-thrillers of yesteryear Spotlight is a knock-out from filmmaker Tom McCarthy. He’s never directed with as much deftness and purpose as he does in this smart, absorbing procedural-drama about a special investigative unit at The Boston Globe who in the early 2000s broke the story about the Catholic Church’s cover up of rampant sexual abuse by their clergy. The cast is one of the most stellar ensembles of the year (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Stanely Tucci, John Slattery, and in the single best performance, Liev Schrieber as the new editor with the guts to stay on the case). The closing credits with the complete list of every major city around the world where rape and molestation of children was concealed is chilling and stomach-churning. It’s a great movie.