It tool me multiple approaches to secure tickets to this one, including a psychotic exchange with a scalper on craigslist, who after I offered him $110 for a pair of tickets (which is just over the face value) he told me that he wouldn't even sell me one ticket for that price, and then I had a full blown rage attack on him-told him it was people like him that ruined the festival for true movie lovers, he should get a real job, stop ripping people off etc. to which he countered that he would sell me the tickets for the price I offered even though he had offers for more. (Needless to say, I declined to buy them as I was pretty sure he might murder me in real life, and also, fuck scalpers).
So, I had to rush it, and my Rush line experience was excellent! Thankfully my brother took the first shift (as I was at a screening of Jonás Cuarón's Desierto making eyes at Gael Garcia Bernal-more on that in another post). I waited the final 2 hours in line with a really nice 40-something Mom, who had never rushed a movie before (and maybe never even been to TIFF before). We talked for quite some time, and eventually she revealed that her husband was an actor who was in the movie! It turns out that Spotlight filmed all the interiors in Toronto, and so all of the reporters/newspaper employees in the movie are Toronto actors. I asked her why on earth was she in the rush line if her husband was in the god damned movie?!? We never really did figure that one out... Eventually her husband joined us in line and he told me about his experiences on set. He was so humble about it all and kept saying, "who knows if I'll even end up in the movie. they probably cut my scenes which happens all the time when you work as an extra." Well not only were his scenes in the movie, they were pretty crucial to the plot! I think he's the only newspaper employee other than the main cast who has any lines! Just a regular humble Canadian Dad actor! When you see the movie, his character's name is Peter, and Peter is told to "get out" of the room. What a cool guy (and an entertainment lawyer to boot!). If only I could be an entertainment lawyer/Toronto actor...
The movie is based on the real events surrounding the investigative reporters who worked at the Boston Globe and broke open the Catholic church molestation/child abuse scandal in 2001. For a movie based on something we all already know about, it is a compelling film. This is why I think it's so excellent and really has a shot at Oscar. To be able to take a subject that is very hard to think/talk about (child abuse) and place it in a setting that can be slow, painstaking, and uneventful (long term investigative journalism) and get an incredibly tight, well paced, gripping and weighty film is really quite the feat. I think that movies are normally good for 1 of 2 reasons: they either entertain, or have something important to say. When a movie is able to do both is when it is great.
The movie is a true ensemble cast and the acting is superb. I recently read that all of the actors--Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber etc--are going to be submitted in the Best Supporting categories for the Oscars. It will be interesting to see who is able to get the nomination, and if multiple are nominated for best Supporting Actor, if they'll split votes and not win (this is what often happens when more than one person from the same movie is nominated in the same category).
Also, let's look at Rachel's outfit.
The Q&A after the film was a huge love fest. All the actors were there, and the nice thing is that they brought out the real journalists who they portrayed in the film. The actors couldn't have had nicer things to say about the journalists, and vice versa. (I also love how the actors were the ones taking pics on their phones while on stage with the journalists)
Take a listen to the Q&A with the director, actors, and journalists below.
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