Doctor Strange (2016), Benedict Cumberbatch, Marvel Studios
‘Fun’ and ‘good’ are the words forDoctor Strange; Marvel’s story of a brilliant neurosurgeon who’s drawn into the mystic arts while seeking physical and spiritual healing.
Starring the well-voiced Benedict Cumberbatch, director Scott Derrickson’s film is definitely a superhero movie. And as someone who was in the midst of superhero movie fatigue at the time of release, I’m happy to say that the film’s different class of weaponry/enemy really worked to make the experience that little bit different and certainly more interesting.
I don’t know how great a thing this is, but the impressive visual effects in Doctor Strange kind of kept my beloved Inception (2010)at front-of-mind, at least half the time. In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder about how much more amazing I’d find Marvel’s move if I hadn’t seen much of the style of effects first in Christopher Nolan’s Inception.
Arresting visuals aside, the execution of the growth of Strange’s character from beginning to end, particularly how satisfying it was to watch him grow because he needed to, is my favourite thing about Derrickson’s movie.
I absolutely took some time aside to fantasise about personally having Strange’s abilities, without the suffering that came before, of course.
The boundaries of faith and sexuality are explored in Disobedience, a new drama/romance that stars Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.
Directed and co-written by Sebastián Lelio, Weisz plays a woman who returns to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend.
I generally enjoy the previous work of the stars of this movie, and I can’t wait to see everything come together well creatively.
I also like that Disobedience is set in England. If I’m hearing correctly, Rachel MacAdams appears to be speaking in a British accent.
Anton Lesser, Nicholas Woodeson and Alexis Zegerman also star.
In Game Night, Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are part of a group of friends who meet regularly for game nights. This particular game night though, things are very different. Very different indeed.
First of all, I’m glad that McAdams is back. I haven’t seen her in a movie since Southpaw (2015). Second, I wish this film were out already, because it looks just like the kind of fun I need this weekend.
Billy Magnussen, Kylie Bunbury, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris and Camille Chen also star.
Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy; Spotlight simply and effectively tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s uncovering of a huge child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese.
McCarthy’s film is a moving story that deals with the abuse of societies most vulnerable and one that rightly shook the entire Catholic Church to its core.
The main focus of Spotlight is the work of the Globe’s Spotlight team and the people they encounter as a result of their investigations. It’s through their hard work that we get to learn about what happened once they dedicated themselves to the child molestation case. The obstacles they encountered and what it took to get the truth to print. All of this comes together well to create a good mix of tense, suspenseful dramatic and emotional moments.
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that Journalists as a group can be quite the irritant at the best of times. But then I encounter a bunch as passionate and dedicated to a worthy cause as the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team and I’m reminded afresh that the heart of the journalist is almost always in the right place.
Being a winner of Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards is one reason I had to watch Spotlight. The others include the important story and the excellent cast attached. There’s Stanley Tucci, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, John Slattery and of course, Mark Ruffalo, an actor who always seems to make great choices.
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