10. Spotlight
There is something so intangibly perfect about Spotlight. Every cog runs so smoothly it is almost disarming how well it operates. It makes sense, though, considering this is a story about journalists who must find the perfectly fit all the pieces together to expose the disgusting coverups within the Catholic church of child raping priests. Cowriter/director Tom McCarthy has always had a workmanlike approach to his directing style, and this is the perfect outlet for that to enhance the storytelling. The starry cast, including Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams, and Stanley Tucci, strips all of the showiness of acting to cut to the heart and head of these people. Even Mark Ruffalo, who is giving the biggest, most mannered performance, inhabits this person so effectively that the affectations only bring you into the world more rather than alienate you. It is a credit to how good this year is that a film like this merely ends up at number ten.
Categories: Top Ten Lists
Reel Projection 