Monthly Archives: December 2015

Favorite Films of 2015

27 Sunday Dec 2015

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Favorite Movies

Most of the end-of-the year lists of “Best” Films, “Best” Books, etc. come from critics who review films/books for a living.

I don’t claim any special film knowledge and just tend to write about how much I liked various films for whatever reasons. Here is a list of many (tho not all) of the films Ellen and I saw in 2015, largely ones that I rated four stars or higher (out of a system of 1-5 stars).

As I was posting this list, I thought of adjusting a few of the ratings (up or down) but decided to leave the ratings the way I made them a day or two after seeing each film.

Ellen’s ratings are in parentheses, some made at the time of seeing it, some as I’m constructing this post. Some she cannot remember. (I have the same memory problems on some of them, but I can refer to the mini-reviews I wrote.)

These starred categories are somewhat arbitrary, but generally the five and four and a half star films are pretty close, and I enjoyed those tremendously. The four star ones were all good, but I had some (minor) reservations. The three and half star ones were more problematical films but still may be worth checking out. Three starred ones were even more problematic.

If a film did not make it into one of these categories, I did not write a review.

A significant number, but certainly not all, of these films are either documentary, foreign, or small films, often only in the theaters for a few weeks, usually in one of the independent theaters in the DC area or in our DC Film Club. We did attend two film festivals in 2015 — one in Miami and one in Philly — where we saw a number of the films listed below. Note that some of the films mentioned are currently in the theaters.

If you click on any of the linked titles below, you will get to my mini-review of that film on MillersTime.

As always, I welcome your Comments about any of these or any others you saw this year which you particularly enjoyed.

Five Stars  *****

Four and Half Stars  ****1/2

Four Stars ****

Three and a Half Stars ***1/2

Three Stars ***

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“Spotlight” – ‘A Story Well Told Can Make a Difference’

02 Wednesday Dec 2015

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Spotlight *****

In 2002 the Boston Globe broke the story about the depth of sexual abuse by Catholic priests on young parishioners in Boston and about the Catholic Church’s cover up of that behavior. The Globe won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for that story and the follow up ones they wrote.

Now, more than a decade later, Spotlight, a film written by Director Tom McCarthy and writer Josh Singer, explores how that story came to be published. It is not a story about the abuse itself but rather about the cover up of that abuse — by police, by the Catholic Church, by the parents of victims, by the community itself, and by the media, including the Globe. And above all, it is the story of how and why the journalists were able to tell that story.

Put Spotlight on your ‘to see’ list. It’s one of the best films made in 2015 and certainly equal to All The President’s Men, the 1976 film about the Washington Post’s uncovering of the Watergate scandal.

Although there are accomplished, known actors in the film (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanly Tucci), it is not because of their performances that Spotight is so good.

Rather, it is because of the story itself, one that is tightly focused and well told. Spotlight, even when you know the outcome, will keep you enthralled throughout its two hours and eight minutes.

And it is also because there are lessons for all of us about power, about fear, about complicity, about the importance of outsiders, about leadership, and, above all, about the role the press can (and must) play.

What the Globe discovered and uncovered led to the opening of the flood gates about the abuses of the Catholic Church, not only in America but around the world. How and why the Globe was able to do that is a thrilling and instructive story.

That it is not just a story but a true story too is what makes Spotlight for me so wonderful.

Where to Invade Next ***

A new Michael Moore film that attempts to contrast the US with other countries around the world, largely ones in Europe, is being released this month.

As you can probably guess, the US doesn’t come out too well. Moore has much to say about the weaknesses of our country and the strengths of other countries, and while he tells his story with humor and insight, Where to Invade Next is too long and too preachy.

And that’s too bad because Moore has much to teach. Here he resorts to gimmicks and polemics.

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