This week, in cinemas: investigative journalists expose a scandal in Spotlight; Michael Bay exposes a military disaster in 13 Hours; and Robert De Niro exposes himself – and the state of his career – in Dirty Grandpa.
Spotlight
★★★★
What it’s about: This true story of a team of investigative journalists at the Boston Globe, who uncovered a massive scandal at the Catholic Church, has hoovered up awards, and is now an Oscar frontrunner. Director Tom McCarthy has had an odd career - he directed the Game of Thrones pilot, co-wrote Up, starred in The Wire, helmed the universally disliked Adam Sandler “comedy” The Cobbler, and now this. Go figure.
What we thought: “more thrilling than most action movies.”
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi
★★★
What it’s about: Michael Bay briefly puts down his Transformers toyset to try his hand at recent history, with this account of the 2012 terrorist attack in Libya. You won’t find any of Bay’s leery trademark shots on a woman’s derriere here – according to his producer, “[Bay] was like, 'No, we're not gonna do it.’ That showed me how serious he was about this movie." Serious, booty-free business.
What we thought: “a gruesome display of war porn.”
Dirty Grandpa
★★
What it’s about: Robert De Niro’s “I’m Basically Just It It For The Money Now” tour continues with this sex comedy that one reviewer described as his ‘nadir-o’. Even the official poster for the film boasts the despairing tagline: “One of our generation’s most respected and legendary actors – and now this.”
What we thought: “there’s something dated about the script, graspingly keen to be edgy but often wearyingly outmoded.”
The 33
★★
What it’s about: Another movie based on a true story, this tells the story of the Chilean miners who, in 2010, found themselves trapped in a mine shaft, and gripped the international media. If they were locked out, they should have just looked for the miner key! [You’re fired – Ed.]
What we thought: “the astonishing true life story of the 33 deserves a better movie than this.”
Youth
★★★
What it’s about: Paolo Sorrentino follows up his critically-lauded, Oscar-winning, old-person-on-a-night-out arthouse hit The Great Beauty with another contemplative look at age, music, and life. Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel – True Detective Season 3?
What we thought: “as fresh and bracing as the mountain air, although occasionally just as chilly.”