Synopsis:

This film is about Henry who is a tabloid editor for a paper that doesn’t really scream prestige called The Sentinel where they always seem to be behind in the headlines by about a day or not getting the scoop quick enough. Henry also has a very pregnant wife at home and a job interview with a more prestigious paper this afternoon. However, the night before a brutal double homicide happened in Williamsburg. The question is can he get the scoop in time and save his marriage?

My Pitch To You:

I love films about newspapers and scandals it just fills me with anticipation and joy which just means I am a drama queen at heart really. However, this particular film really surprised me with its constant fast pacing that meant that the 1hr 52mins that it was, flew by. I was amazed and enthralled throughout. There is something about discussing the progression of a headline from a whisper to a rumour to its explosion of the truth and the parts in the grey area that may be true. There is this excitement and thrill that you can’t stop your bones from feeling with films like this and others like The Post and Spotlight plus many more. So I hope I have convinced you enough to watch it, if not let me tell you a little more about it.

The characters in this film have great comedy and passion that is really what you need I think to keep a paper going. Henry is fantastically played by Michael Keaton as this frantic and fast paced thinker that has that fever story which I can understand in terms of when I get idea for an article and I just can’t stop thinking about it. He also has this endearing look that you can’t help but fall in love with. His wife; Marisa Tomei is hilarious and such a strong independent woman I love her and his dynamic with them helping each other with the story. The editor Glenn Close WOW she is a force of nature character in this film fighting for her right to be part of this world and every time she got a win I wanted to applaud her. Also that scene in the bar was hilarious and so intense but showed a great development in her character that switched my opinion of her. The editor in chief guy; Robert Duvall it was like having Robert De Niro as your boss because he has that comedy then completely switches to a serious face which I love. I enjoyed that he had his own complete story arc that he went right through to the end. These three characters played by Robert Duvall, Glenn Close and Michael Keaton started off as separate character but then as the film progressed they become one main character all for the paper which represented that spirit and comradery of a newspaper perfectly.

The plot for this film was so thrilling jumping from one slight change in the story to switch the direction of how the newspaper portrays the story which I think is quite a realistic depiction of how a story develops in a newspaper. I thought the shock and anger you got from that very first scene was a great tactic to keep the audience engaged throughout the film as you made a connection with those two boys instantly and had to know what happened to them plus with such a relevant story line with those boys you are just hooked. A huge part of the plot line is getting it right in terms of the story which is another relevant issue that we are still debating in the way we do journalism today.

Overall, this is a film that will grip you throughout with not only Henry’s work situation, his personal situation and the story, the three combined make for compelling drama that by the end will make you think so much about the way we perceive a situation put in front of us and so many factors influence are opinion that we don’t even think about. If you are looking for a good thinker that is thrilling and has a relevance to society today you will like this one. A great performance by Michael Keaton and Glenn Close.

As always keep geeking!

 

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