Review: Brooklyn

Director John Crowley brings us BROOKLYN, the 1950s period piece adapted from Colm Tóibín's novel about an Irish immigrant settling into America.

Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) is making the move from Ireland to America. Her sister, Rose (Fiona Glascott) has put in a good word with a priest in Brooklyn, resigning herself to staying in Ireland while Eilis makes a life for herself. But while Eilis seems to have nothing of a future in Ireland -- working a miserable job, scraping by with her money, with no romance to speak of -- leaving her mother and sister behind is the most difficult thing she has ever done.

As Eilis takes the boat to America and begins to settle into her new environment, living in a boarding house and working at Bartocci's, she realizes just how much, in fact, she misses her old home -- "I wish that I could stop feeling like I want to be an Irish girl in Ireland," she states early on. But as luck would have it, Eilis meets a man; Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen), a young Italian man who professes he likes Irish girls, and whose earnest and humble nature charm Eilis instantly. Suddenly Brooklyn doesn't seem so bad. Their romance becomes the guiding light for Eilis, as she overcomes her homesickness... until a family emergency happens that calls Eilis back to Ireland, causing her to choose between her two places of identity.

Visually, the film is stunning, with its 50s period costume and the attention to detail that is given in the disparity between Eilis' two worlds. And while the cast deserves credit where credit is due -- Ronan carries the film with the emotion she brings to the scenes, and Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson (who plays a love interest in Ireland) make easy work of Eilis' contrasting lovers -- still, the story leaves much to be desired. For a near Mary Sue of a character, a little more motivation is needed for some of her decisions; otherwise, Eilis' actions only prove to be a necessary device to push the plot forward. This loss of character development spoils any true feeling of empathy for the events that occur, save for the family emergency that calls Eilis back to Ireland.

Nevertheless, the film's intent still comes through -- the idea of home, that sense of belonging that propels you through life, is still heard, crystal clear. For Eilis, at least, there is one strong dose of truth in that garnering this sense of belonging required a certain amount of growth and self discovery; and though it may not be 100% warranted on the screen, it is an idea to mull over after the credits are rolling, especially during this holiday season. BROOKLYN is now playing at the Midtown Cinema -- for all its pros and cons, give it a shot and see what you think!

Review: Room

Jack loves Room. Room is all he's ever known -- he was born there, he lives there with his Ma, and he's been there for his whole five years -- in fact, Jack is confident that there is nothing outside of Room. Room is life. But one day, Ma starts telling Jack that there is more to the world than just Room, and that they must escape.

Director Lenny Abrahamson's ROOM, based on Emma Donaghue's novel of the same name, tells the gripping story of a brave little boy (Jacob Tremblay) who follows his Ma (Brie Larson)'s coaching to escape the shed that they are being held captive in, and rescue them from a life with no hope. Though Jack doesn't understand the consequences of what their captor, Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), has done, he must give up all that is known to him and deal with a world he knows nothing about.

ROOM is a compelling work of art, to say the least. It carries plenty of emotion, though never forces it. It borders on heartbreaking with its realist attitude, portraying a vivid image of those affected by the situation -- right down to the depression that Ma deals with on the "outside" and the issues that her parents went through while she was gone. The majority of the film is seen from Jack's perspective: in voice-over narratives, we hear Jack cope with the new things that he experiences, and the things he learns about the real world.

Larson is phenomenal, continuing in her streak of powerhouse performances; and Tremblay charms your heart, drawing you into his perspective. With a pretty intense scene from William H. Macy playing Ma's father, the supporting roles bring this film to life. There are, no doubt, some serious Oscar nominations attached to this film. ROOM is now playing at the Midtown Cinema -- make sure not to miss it!

Review: Spotlight

"If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one."

So states Mitchell Garabedian (played by Stanley Tucci), a lawyer who takes on cases specifically involving sexual abuse. In the case of SPOTLIGHT, Tom McCarthy's hard-hitting film about the 2001 uncovering of the scandal of the Catholic Church by the Boston Globe's special project team, Spotlight, they are papal pedophilia cases. Sure to be in the running for a Best Picture come Oscars season, SPOTLIGHT slowly rises in intensity, culminating in a smart, provocative snapshot of a piece of Boston's history.

When the Globe is bought out by the Times, a new editor comes in (Liev Schrieber) -- Marty Baron, a Jewish man with an outsider's perspective -- who asks the Spotlight team to take on a project investigating claims that Cardinal Law, the Archbishop of Boston, is covering up sex abuse cases in the Church by relocating guilty priests instead of putting them out of commission. Leading the team is Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), with Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) filling in the rest of the ranks. But as they begin to chip away at the evidence, the number of cases grows larger and larger until the Spotlight team finds themselves trying to nail not just Cardinal Law, but the system.

The question arises: how has such a massive cover-up been in existence for so long, with no one making any moves to prevent it? The beginning of the film seems strictly journalistic -- right from the Spotlight team's introductory scene, eating cake and talking shop in the office, it is clear that they are serious about their job, dealing with the cold, hard facts to get a story that people will be interested in -- but as the plot continues, their opportunistic drive slowly transforms into a need for justice as they become emotionally invested in the story. Keaton and Ruffalo give striking performances in this regard, on opposite ends of the spectrum: Ruffalo plays the eager, nosy journalist whose thoughts and emotions are at the forefront, aiding him in his job and allowing him to process, while Keaton plays a man who keeps his emotions locked away, mulling over the consequences of the situation alone until he sorts them out. McAdams and James also give solid performances, as do Tucci and John Slattery, who plays Ben Bradlee Jr.

SPOTLIGHT is a riveting story that packs a punch; make sure you don't miss it. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!

Review: The Second Mother

Never has the presentation of class differences been so naturally laid out: writer/director Anna Muylaert presents THE SECOND MOTHER, a charming film that slowly unravels class structure.

The slow-paced Brazilian film opens with a static flashback shot of a large pool; Val (Regina Casé), a cheery, open woman full of love, convinces a young boy, Fabinho, to play in the pool, while refraining from the water herself. Instead, she talks on the phone with her daughter -- and at the end of the scene, we find that Fabinho is not her son, but the son of her employer.

It is revealed promptly after that Val is a live-in maid for a rich family who finds it too hard for themselves to even go to the fridge to get their own ice cream. Bárbara (Karine Teles) is the working mother, jealous of Val's relationship with her son, but Carlos (Lourenço Mutarelli) is the secret money bank, having inherited the family's money. Fabinho (Michel Joelsas) prepares for his university exams by lounging around the house with his friends. In terms of affording respect, Val doesn't seem to mind the way the family treats her, lavishing her attention on them, and especially towards Fabinho, like a second mother.

Meanwhile, Val's own daughter, Jessica (Camila Márdila), wants nothing to do with her... until one day, when she calls to tell her that she wants to move in with her in order to study at university. Val excitedly gets permission to invite Jessica into her home -- or her employer's home, that is. But Jessica has a sense of entitlement that Val would never dream of having, and the family issues a passive aggressive politeness that triggers a precariously balanced game of power distribution and tripped class boundary, with Val playing the role of the Servant and her daughter playing the role of the Guest.

The concept is fascinating, and tenderly executed, with characters that pop off the screen and an intricate conflict that is far too relatable. Casé is instantly lovable, speaking her actions in an endearing way and wearing her emotions on her sleeves; and Márdila commands attention in an unaware, youthful way.

THE SECOND MOTHER is now playing at the Midtown Cinema! This is definitely one you should check out.