Film Review: THE MASTER (2012)

Writer/Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Running time: 131 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama
UK Release date: 16^th November 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 7^th September 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film that the critics really liked; however, it’s one that failed to impress the public to a large extent. Of course critics, being the kind of animals they are, can sometimes be a little off the mark when it comes to what will work in theatres. This is precisely why this one ended up on my list; well, to be fair, I loved Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Magnolia’ and many of his works prior to this as well. So, to ‘The Master’, well, without wishing to be unkind (I’ll save that for later), it didn’t quite hit the mark for me either. I will tell you why right after this very brief summary.

At the end of World War II a troubled seaman, Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is released into society. He seems to have little purpose and stumbles around from job to job but his drinking always brings him trouble. One night in 1950 he stumbles aboard a yacht and stows away. The man hosting a party on the yacht is the charismatic Lancaster Dodd (The Master) (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who has some pretty strange ideas, and he takes Freddie under his wing. The Master’s wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), accepts him at first but this will change over time. We follow The Master and his group around various parts of the USA and witness as some of his theories are put into practice. We also see how he tries to rehabilitate Freddie, not always with great success. I guess that’s about all I can say without giving too much away.

The film is beautifully shot, making full use of the various surroundings they find themselves in. The use of music from the period was quite effective also, not always to my taste, but it seemed to fit pretty well. As to performances, well, all the major parts were excellently portrayed with Philip Seymour Hoffman standing out. I found I really paid attention to every scene he was in; without him, meaning no disrespect to the other actors involved, it kind of fell flat. I though Amy Adams was excellent too, although I felt she was underused. There appeared to be an awful lot of improvisation, particularly from Joaquin Phoenix and I found these scenes very hit and miss. I sometimes felt like I was watching an acting class. As far as the narrative goes, well I found it meandering; it was very slow (not that this is always a bad thing) and when we did get to a point it would then go off in a totally different direction. Over all, it didn’t stand out as the particularly outstanding work the critics seem to think it is; but then again, I don’t have to watch all the dross they have to on a day to day basis. Maybe I have to watch a lot of really bad films and then watch this one again, but for now it’s ‘Recommended’, but only just.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.1/10.

IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 55,365 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560747/

MetaScore: 86/100: (Based on 43 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 85/100: (based on 233 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 60/100: (based on 43,007 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_master_2011/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.themasterfilm.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMasterMovie
Trailer:

Film Review: PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002)

Writer/Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Running time: 95 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 7^th February 2003

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 2^nd December 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I must admit I really enjoyed Paul Thomas Anderson’s film ‘Magnolia’ and ever since I’ve been on the look-out for more of his work. At the recommendation of one of the finest film critics in the UK, Mark Kermode, I decided to take a look at Punch-Drunk Love. A very interesting film with all the quirks you’d expect from Paul Thomas Anderson plus the added spice that you get with Adam Sandler. Now I can’t say I’m an ardent fan of Sandler’s work; he’s had the odd moment here and there; but I thought he surpassed himself in this… More of my words later, here’s a very brief summary first.

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a quite shy man who runs a company supplying novelty bathroom plungers. He has seven sisters and they all pick on him which doesn’t exactly do much for his self esteem. Consequently he has anger issues which tend to reveal themselves in outbursts of extreme violence. He tries to keep this side of him hidden and has a scheme to collect as many ‘Frequent Flyer Miles’ as he can from a food promotion. Feeling lonely one evening he rings a telephone sex line and ends up with more than he bargained for when the girl he spoke to, who calls herself Georgia, tries to blackmail him. Meanwhile, one of his sisters, Elizabeth (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is trying to fix him up with one of her co-workers, Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). Will this be the making of Barry, or will his anger issues and the problem with the sex line people come back to bite him? As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not going to tell you here.

Without doubt the best performance I’ve seen from Adam Sandler; he suits the role perfectly and plays it with just the right amount of craziness. Also worthy of note; Emily Watson who becomes a kind of kindred spirit to Sandler’s slightly off-kilter character. A small role for Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays the boss of the sex line company, Dean Trubmbell, he is great on screen as ever. It’s all beautifully shot with several surprise moments along the way that give the film the kind of edginess it needs. A very quirky musical score by Jon Brion plays along in the background giving an interesting meter to the on-screen action. Over all, I did enjoy it, but maybe not quite as much as I expected to. Having said that, it is a film I’d like to see again some day because I feel there is a lot more to it than first appears.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 68,476 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0272338/

MetaScore: 78/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 181 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 72/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 125,093 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punchdrunk_love/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Barry: Yes, I'm still on hold.
Phone Rep: And what was this?
Barry: I'm looking at your advertisement for the airline promotion and giveaway.
Phone Rep: Ah, the 10 for 1 mile plan...
Barry: Yeah, it's hard to understand, because it says "in addition to". But I can't exactly understand in addition to what? Because there's actually nothing to add to.
Phone Rep: I think that's a typo then.
Barry: Okay, so just to clarify - I'm sorry - 10 purchases of any of your healthy choice products equals 500 miles, and with the coupon, the same purchase would value 1000 miles?
Phone Rep: That's it.
Barry: Well, do you realize that the monetary value of this promotion and the prizes is potentially worth more than the purchases?
Phone Rep: I don't know.

[Barry looks around... ]
Barry: Healthy Choice and American Airlines got together and put this promotion: If you buy any 10 Healthy Choice products, they will reward you with 500 frequent flier miles; with this special coupon, they'll up it to 1,000 miles. So, I think they are trying to push their teriyaki chicken which is $1.79, but I went to the supermarket and I looked around and I saw that they had pudding... for 25¢ a cup... comes in packages of four. But insanely... the barcodes... are on the individual cups! So, quarter a cup, say you bought $2.50 worth. That's worth 500... with the coupon it's 1,000 miles. It's a marketing mistake but I'm taking advantage of it. If you were to spend $3,000, that would get you a million frequent flier miles. You would never have to pay for a ticket the rest of your life.
Lena: You... you bought all that pudding so that you could get frequent flier miles?

Barry: It really looks like Hawaii here.

Dean Trumbell: Now get the fuck out of here, pervert!
Barry: Didn't I warn you?
Dean Trumbell: Th... That's that!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: MONEYBALL (2011)

Director: Bennett Miller
Writers: Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Stan Chervin (story), Michael Lewis (book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game”)
Running time: 128 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport
UK Release date: 25^th November 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I was intrigued to see this film when it came out not because I’m a fan of baseball, it’s not big here in the UK, but because I heard Aaron Sorkin was one of the screenwriters. I have been a bit of a fan of his work ever since ‘The West Wing’ and I always make a point of seeing it whenever I can. Sadly this one didn’t make it to my local cinema and so I waited for it to make it to the small screen. I was pleasantly surprised; not the long emotional speeches you would normally associate with Sorkin, slightly more muted, but his mark is unmistakably there. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

This film plots the rise of a struggling baseball team, the Oakland A’s, and how they achieved this remarkable goal. We concentrate on the general manager, Billy Beane, a former player who never quite made it but found a niche for himself in management. Having lost his star players at the end of the previous season he has to rebuild the team. He comes across a Yale Economics graduate, Peter Brand, who has some interesting theories. Taking Brand’s advice, Beane begins to recruit new players much to the dismay of the scouting and coaching staff. The season of 2002 doesn’t start well; they have many of the right players, according to Brand, but the coach, Art Howe, won’t play them to their strengths. He can’t see what the statistics are telling Brand and so does what he feels is best. Eventually Beane has had enough and makes some changes to the playing staff that forces Howe to play the team as intended. The change in fortunes is remarkable and they go on a record-breaking run of wins… But will they win the ultimate prize? Well, if you’re a fan of baseball you’ll already know the answer to that, but I’ll leave it there for those that don’t follow the sport.

Very well made with some nice visuals, I particularly liked the use of actual sports coverage and news reports, it gave the story a sense of realism. All the performances were very good; Brad Pitt, who also produced, did a great job as Billy Beane. Jonah Hill was also excellent as Peter Brand; he added some nice comic touches too. The coach, Art Howe was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I felt was a little underused. I will give honourable mentions to; Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg and Stephen Bishop as David Justice.

Quite a slow pace to this one gives the audience time to get to know the major players and figure out just what Beane and Brand are doing. To me, the fact they didn’t include the coach in their plans was a major flaw; he’s the first one you have to convince! Putting that aside, I did find myself rooting for the team as the season came to its conclusion and that’s testament to the writers and the filmmakers. If you can get a foreigner who knows very little about the sport to become emotionally involved then you’re doing a good job in my book. Over all though, despite its flaws I did enjoy this one and I’m happy to give it my seal of approval.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.1/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 117,253 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/

MetaScore: 87/100: (Based on 42 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 95/100 (based on 221 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 86/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 71,889 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moneyball/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Peter Brand: There is an epidemic failure within the game to understand what is really happening. And this leads people who run Major League Baseball teams to misjudge their players and mismanage their teams. I apologize.
Billy Beane: Go on.
Peter Brand: Okay. People who run ball clubs, they think in terms of buying players. Your goal shouldn't be to buy players; your goal should be to buy wins. And in order to buy wins, you need to buy runs. You're trying to replace Johnny Damon. The Boston Red Sox see Johnny Damon and they see a star who's worth seven and half million dollars a year. When I see Johnny Damon, what I see is... is... an imperfect understanding of where runs come from. The guy's got a great glove. He's a decent leadoff hitter. He can steal bases. But is he worth the seven and half million dollars a year that the Boston Red Sox are paying him? No. No. Baseball thinking is medieval. They are asking all the wrong questions. And if I say it to anybody, I'm-I'm ostracized. I'm-I'm-I'm a leper. So that's why I'm-I'm cagey about this with you. That's why I... I respect you, Mr. Beane, and if you want full disclosure, I think it's a good thing that you got Damon off your payroll. I think it opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities.

Billy Beane: Would you rather get one shot in the head or five in the chest and bleed to death?
Peter Brand: Are those my only two options?

Scott Hatteberg: [Responding to being asked to play first base for the Oakland A's] I've only ever played catcher.
Billy Beane: It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash.
Ron Washington: It's incredibly hard.

Peter Brand: Billy, this is Chad Bradford. He's a relief pitcher. He is one of the most undervalued players in baseball. His defect is that he throws funny. Nobody in the big leagues cares about him because he looks funny. This guy could be not just the best pitcher in our bullpen, but one of the most effective relief pitchers in all of baseball. This guy should cost $3 million a year. We can get him for $237,000.

Billy Beane: It's hard not to be romantic about baseball. This kind of thing, it's fun for the fans. It sells tickets and hot dogs. Doesn't mean anything.
Peter Brand: Billy, we just won twenty games in a row.
Billy Beane: And what's the point?
Peter Brand: We just got the record.
Billy Beane: Man, I've been doing this for... listen, man. I've been in this game a long time. I'm not in it for a record, I'll tell you that. I'm not in it for a ring. That's when people get hurt. If we don't win the last game of the Series, they'll dismiss us.
Peter Brand: Billy...
Billy Beane: I know these guys. I know the way they think, and they will erase us. And everything we've done here, none of it'll matter. Any other team wins the World Series, good for them. They're drinking champagne, they get a ring. But if we win, on our budget, with this team... we'll have changed the game. And that's what I want. I want it to mean something.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/moneyball/
Trailer:

Film Review: MARY AND MAX (2009)

Writer/Director: Adam Elliot
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Drama
Australia Release date: 9^th April 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11^th December 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I knew very little about this film before seeing it; I knew it was animated and that it was an Australian film. Someone had mentioned it online, stating it was pretty good and so I added it to ‘The List’ and waited for it to appear. It finally did and I duly recorded it expecting some strange Aussie humour. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to see when I hit the play button. Imagine my surprise when I found a wonderful, funny and deeply touching story, beautifully animated with such great characters. I would even go so far as to say I loved it! (And I don’t say that often!). Rather than give a summary, I’ll give you a very brief outline of what the film is about.

Mary is a lonely eight year old girl who lives in the suburbs of Melbourne (Australia). One day she randomly picks a name from an American phone book she finds in the local post office. She writes to one Max Horovitz, a forty four year old man who lives in New York (USA… that’s just for balance). The unlikely pair strike up a friendship and write to each other on and off over the next twenty years. I really don’t want to say too much more, but the film covers issues like loneliness, mental health, love and hate, it’s all quite grown up, so not really one for the kids. I think I stopped just before the Spoiler Police wrapped me up and sent me to their pen pal… in Alaska.

The two main characters are fully rounded and you get a great sense of what they are feeling due to an excellent script and also to the voice talents of the actors playing their parts. So I must give praise to the voice talents of both Toni Collette as Mary Daisy Dinkle and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max Jerry Horovitz. Also, the narrator, voiced by Barry Humphries had a great part to play, so a big chunk of praise going his way too.

Made in the ‘claymation’ style favoured by the Ardman studio here in the UK (responsible for the likes of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ amongst others), I thought it was really well done. Lots of little visual gags in amongst the rather serious story that unfolds. It’s witty, intelligent, charming, but there are also some serious messages in there. I found it quite touching at the end, but I can’t really talk about the ending here. Over all… HIGHLY Recommended.

My score: 9.2/10.

IMDb Score: 8.2/10 (based on 31,658 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 94/100 (based on 54 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 90/100 (based on 17,282 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1209767-mary_and_max/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Max Jerry Horovitz: Do you have a favourite-sounding word? My top-five are "ointment," "bumblebee," "Vladivostok," "banana," and "testicle."

Young Mary: [about Len Hislop] He's scared of outside, which is a disease called homophobia.

Narrator: Max knew nothing about love. It was as foreign to him as scuba diving.

Max Jerry Horovitz: [to Mary] You are my best friend. You are my only friend.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.maryandmax.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)

Writer/Director: Charlie Kaufman
Running time: 124 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 24^th October 2008 (Limited)

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th October 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I watched this film on a recommendation, one I picked up online somewhere. After the first few minutes I was wondering just what this crazy film was all about and just why was I bothering with it? I persevered though and it got better, I began to understand the characters and it got better still, if a bit weirder. I’ll tell you what I thought about it by the end after this brief summary.

Caden Cotard is a playwright and theatre director, he is married to artist, Adele Lack, and they have a daughter, Olive. They live in Synecdoche, upstate New York (hence the title) where Caden is worried about his health. When Adele doesn’t come to the opening night of his new play, Caden also begins to suspect things are not quite as stable at home as he thought. Soon after, Adele announces that she is going on a trip to Berlin and she will be taking Olive with her. Caden is somewhat dumbstruck, but continues living in New York. He is awarded a substantial prize for his work and decides to produce a play about his life and the people around him. As time passes he has relationships with several women, Claire Keen, with whom he had another daughter, Arial, and Hazel, who was to play a big part in his future. As he finds premises to put the play on and actors to play the many parts he has in mind the world outside moves on. I really don’t want to say too much more, it’s quite difficult to put down in words anyway and so I’ll leave it here… Don’t want those Spoiler Police playing the part of the Spoiler Police and chasing me down now.

I found this quite a strange film to watch, it has the scale of something like ‘Brazil’ by Terry Gilliam but also the snappy dialogue and soul searching of something by Woody Allen. All the performances were excellent, in particular Philip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard, he played the role brilliantly. Also worthy of note were; Catherine Keener as Adele Lack, Tom Noonan as Sammy Barnathan, Michelle Williams as Claire Keen, Samantha Morton as Hazel and Dianne Wiest as Ellen Bascomb / Millicent Weems.

As I’ve already said, this is quite a strange film to watch, it blurs the lines between Caden’s real life and the life he is trying to portray on the stage. I found it quite refreshing, although it did drag on a bit towards the end. The scope of the film is quite magnificent, it spans several decades, or appears to, and yet Caden never seems to get any closer to finally opening the doors and letting an audience in. I found it quite touching in places but also found it hard to have much sympathy for Caden because all of he woes he brought down upon himself. At the end of the day though, it’s well worth a look; it will make you think if nothing else!... Recommended.

My Score: 7.1/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 22,876 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68/100 (based on 175 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/synecdoche_new_york/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
(It’s a long one I’m afraid… but a good one!)

Minister: Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but it doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is I feel so angry, and the truth is I feel so fucking sad, and the truth is I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long I've been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen.

LINKS:
Trailer:

Film Review: THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (2009) [aka PIRATE RADIO]

Director: Richard Curtis
Running time: 130 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 1st April 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

From right back in the early days of Blackadder on TV I have been a fan of the work of Richard Curtis. Unfortunately, of late, he seems to have lost the plot somewhat and this, sadly, is an example. Don’t get me wrong, it has its moments, but, with a very few exceptions, I really didn’t much care for any of the characters, and when that happens, you’re not on a winner I’m afraid.

The setting is a ship in the North Sea off the East coast of England in 1966. We are told that the national broadcaster, the BBC, only plays popular, or rock ‘n’ roll, music for only 45 minutes a day. This means that pirate radio stations, like the fictitious ‘Radio Rock’ plays all the rock and pop they want twenty four seven. And, because they are broadcasting from offshore, they are not breaking any laws. The government are not happy about this and one minister in particular, Sir Alistair Dormandy is charged with shutting them down. Our story beings with the arrival Carl, of the godson of Quentin, the station’s owner, on the boat. He’s introduced to all of the DJ’s, The Count, News John, Thick Kevin, Angus Nutsford, Doctor Dave, Simple Simon, Midnight Mark, Harold (the engineer) and Felicity (the cook). And later he meets Bob Silver. After the government makes it illegal to sell advertising to these stations, Quentin announces the return of an iconic DJ from the past, Gavin Canavagh, much to the dismay of The Count, who is currently rated the best DJ. I won’t say too much more about the plot, don’t want to give too much away to those that want to see it.

It’s quite a well made film, but there are several plot holes and inconsistencies that kind of spoilt it for me. There was a whole section of the film that just didn’t work for me and that’s the middle, where everyone’s jumping into bed with everyone else. If I wanted to see that kind of stuff I’d have got a Benny Hill DVD. The best performances came from Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Count, Bill Nighy as Quentin and Kenneth Branagh as Sir Alistair Dormandy. Nobody else really stretched themselves, but honourable mentions go to Tom Sturridge as Carl, Will Adamsdale as News John, Tom Brooke as Thick Kevin, Rhys Darby as Angus Nutsford, Nick Frost as Doctor Dave (hated this character), Katherine Parkinson as Felicity, Chris O'Dowd as Simple Simon, Tom Wisdom as midnight Mark and Rhys Ifans as Gavin Canavagh.

There is a great soundtrack, although given the period its set I am gob smacked that the Beatles do not have one track! Decent performances from the three I mentioned, but the script left a lot to be desired and I’m sure Mr Curtis can do so much better. So this does not come highly recommended from me, the soundtrack’s pretty good and there’s not a lot else to say about it really.

My score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1131729/
Official Site: http://focusfeatures.com/film/pirate_radio
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1266090521/

Film Review: DOUBT (2008)

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Running time: 104 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 31st January 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, I am not a Catholic and so I never went to a Catholic school. My only knowledge of such institutions has been gleaned from films, TV and news reports. I mention this so you know that I’m looking at this film with the eyes of an outsider. The film is based on a play written by the director and is set in a Catholic school run by nuns in The Bronx in 1964.

The priest, Father Brendan Flynn is a forward thinking man who wants to update the teaching practices at the school. Sister Aloysius Beauvier is the principal and is somewhat resistant to his proposals. Another teacher, Sister James, likes Father Flynn’s ideas, but is subordinate to Sister Aloysius. Things come to a head when the only black child in the school is singled out for special attention by Father Flynn. One day the boy is called to the Father’s office from Sister James’s class and when he returns the acts a little strangely. Sister Aloysius takes this as a sign that there has been something inappropriate between the two. She accuses Father Flynn and he explains that the boy had been caught drinking communion wine. The Sister is not satisfied with this explanation and goes out of her way to prove otherwise. I’ll leave it there as I’ve given enough away already!

First of all, great performances from all of the leading cast. Special mentions must, without doubt, go to, Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the charismatic Father Brendan Flynn and Amy Adams as Sister James, all put in tremendous performances. A really well made film that kept me engaged all the way through, although I felt it did get a little bit bogged down towards the end.

I’ll admit to having been a bit of a fan of the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman since I first saw him in Magnolia way back in 1999. The combination with Meryl Streep worked perfectly in this context. Over all, a well directed and very enthralling drama with some truly excellent performances, recommended.

My score: 8.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0918927/
Official Site: http://www.doubt-themovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2652373017/