Superman is seventy-five years old and still going strong. The superhero has never aged, but has definitely overstayed his welcome in Hollywood. Superman freshened up for a new battle and gives hope to mankind in Man of Steel.

The planet Krypton faces destruction due to an unstable core. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara (Ayelet Zurer) give birth to Kal-El (Henry Cavill). It was the first natural birth in centuries, so his parents send him to Earth.

Martha and Jonathon Kent (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner) adopts the young baby and names him Clark Kent. Clark has magical powers, but he doesn’t know where they came from. Clark finds the truth when he’s an adult: born on Krypton, his parents wanted to protect him, and the S stands for “hope”.

Superman’s enemy is General Zod (Michael Shannon). Zod wants the Kryptonian race to flourish on Earth. On the other hand, Superman wants the humanity on Earth to survive. The Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams) helps Superman to defeat General Zod. Of course, Superman falls in love Lois.

Cavill delivered an astonishing and relatable performance. Superman is well-developed through his actions and words. Shannon stole the show as the villain. Lane and Costner did fine with portraying their distant two-dimensional characters. Crowe provided a first-rate performance when he felt like it, but not consistently.

The chemistry between Superman and Lois isn’t explored enough for you to care about their relationship.

The first act is very slow, but picks up in the second act. There’s no going back when the action starts. It’s loud, but that’s the best part of Man of Steel. The loudness is what makes this film born a superhero.

The third act is the most crucial to Man of Steel. It keeps you on the edge-of-your-seat and guessing. Overlong and repetitive action sequences took up most of this act. This may also remind you of 9/11 - buildings crash and people lose their lives. There’s almost too much chaos and mayhem.

Man of Steel lives up to its hype. This film doles out the right amount of epic spectacle, but it gets overwhelming in the third act.

Superman will continue to live on, but he should always come prepared. B

“The Master” is the latest film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has some directed some great films in the past like “Magnolia”, “Punch Drunk Love” and “There Will be Blood”. Still, I had doubts about this film giving the subject matter.

The film follows World War II veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), who is haunted by past memories that affects his life. One day, he would cross paths with a mysterious movement group known as “The Right”. The group is led by Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who is known to the group as The Master and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams). Quell soon becomes involved with this group. As he continues to do deeper in the group, he begins to question the group’s purpose and his own beliefs in this gripping drama.

Going into “The Master”, I didn’t know what to expect because the subject matter didn’t appeal to me. What appealed to me was the fact it’s directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars very talented actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. It was a good thing that I checked this film out, as I thought this was a very good film.
Most of it has to do with the great direction of Paul Thomas Anderson. He does a very good job with the way that he handles the scenes. The scenes had a very unique feel and tone to them, which is very much needed when your subject matter isn’t appealing. It keeps you glued to the screen and keeps you wondering where the story is going. The other thing that makes this very good was the acting. Anderson does a very good job making sure performances have a certain level of intensity to it. It makes the scenes feel important to overall context of the film.

Speaking of the performances, they were flat out great. Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams did a great job making their characters work and the way that they developed chemistry with each other. It made the dialogue and action work so well that it enhances Anderson’s screenplay. Each of them deserved their Oscar nominations that they received with this film, as this was one of the best acted film of 2012.

Anderson’s screenplay was also good. One of the things that I liked about this was the fact that everything was developed. He spends his time not rushing everything and carefully lays out his main character. From the main character’s troubles to his relationship to Lancaster Dodd, everything is developed in a way that makes the main character interesting. That’s what keeps you interested in the film. The other thing that this screenplay does well, it doesn’t go overboard with its rational thinking or beliefs. It doesn’t try to become one of those films that preaches something, which was a fear of mine when I first heard about this film. Instead, it focuses on its main characters and the effects on how a cause can either alter a person’s mind or not change the person at all. It made the story worth sitting through.

“The Master” is truly one of the best films that came out in 2012. With great performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams added with great direction from Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Master” should have no problem finding an audience on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Review Rating: Five Stars

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” is a movie I will be thinking about for a long time now that I have seen it. Like the writer/director’s previous films, it is mesmerizing in its visual powers and features some of the most emotionally raw acting you will see in any film this decade. I think it is also intentionally meant to leave a lot of questions unanswered as the movie follows the relationship of two men; one who knows who he is and what he can do, and the other being very disturbed and completely lost in the post-war world.

“The Master” takes us back to the 1950s when World War II was coming to a close. Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a Navy veteran who has returned to civilian life as damaged goods and is bereft of any goals for his future. He ends up drifting from job to job, be it as a mall photographer or working as a farmer, and all the time he is mixing up some alcoholic drinks that are filled with seriously volatile ingredients. Has anyone used paint thinner when making a cocktail before in a movie? If anyone has, then please tell me because this is the first time I have seen it done.

One fateful night, Freddie sneaks aboard a fancy yacht where a big party is taking place in the hopes of finding some work. He ends up making the acquaintance of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a highly charismatic individual who is also the leader of a faith-based organization called The Cause which seeks to rid its followers of past traumas that have stunted their emotional growth. Freddie quickly falls under Lancaster’s spell and becomes a follower of the movement himself as well as a brutal defender of it. But over time, Freddie begins to wonder if what Lancaster is teaching him is actually true or if he’s just making it all up as he goes along (as his son accuses him of doing).

Anderson has gone on record in saying that the character of Lancaster Dodd was inspired by L. Ron Hubbard who is of course known for creating Scientology, that movement which Tom Cruise is a die-hard fan of. It should be made clear however that “The Master” is NOT about Scientology, so those hoping for an expose of it would do better to read those articles in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker which are making headlines.

At its heart though, “The Master” is really about Freddie Quell and Joaquin Phoenix ends up giving one of his best performances ever as this emotionally unhinged war veteran. It’s been two years since Phoenix did that crazy mockumentary “I’m Still Here” which had him retiring from acting and becoming a pathetic hip-hop artist (thank goodness that was a hoax!). It’s great to see him back as he’s always been the gutsiest of actors, and this has him at his most unpredictable. He’s an unrestrained id whenever he’s onscreen, and you can never be sure where or when he’s going to strike next.

Phoenix’s performance is the kind you want to study closely as he has so many scenes which will burn into your memory. One in particular has him beating himself up his prison cell and destroying the toilet in it, and you have to wonder how he could push himself that far. He makes Adam Sandler’s character from “Punch Drunk Love” look like a peaceful man in comparison, and Sandler trashed a whole restaurant bathroom in that one!

Hoffman ends up giving one of his very best performances here as Lancaster Dodd and, considering how endlessly brilliantly he’s been as an actor all these years, that’s saying a lot. Throughout the movie’s two hour plus running time, the actor gives us a character that is an endless enigma. Part of us may quickly want to write off Dodd and his beliefs in record time, but Hoffman makes his character’s effect over people seem all the more enthralling to experience. Even as his beliefs fall off the tracks, Hoffman keeps us fascinated by Dodd’s thought process and how he plans to keep going in the face of endless criticism.

One scene between Phoenix and Hoffman stands out in particular when Hoffman decides to do some processing on Phoenix. The razor sharp focus between these two actors is just exhilarating (not to mention exhausting) to watch as breakthroughs are made and alliances are formed. Anderson ended up using two cameras to film this scene which is the same thing Michael Mann did when he filmed that famous coffee shop scene between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat.” Seeing Phoenix and Hoffman work off of one another makes for some of the most exciting scenes I’ve seen in any movie this year. It’s even more exciting than the best car chase in any action movie released this past summer.

There’s also no forgetting Amy Adams who is phenomenal as Dodd’s wife Peggy. Adams is truly an amazing actress as her words say one thing while her eyes say something else entirely. In retrospect, Adams’ character is the strongest one in “The Master” as she has more control over her actions than any of the male characters have over their own. Just watch her as she exercises a certain part of Hoffman’s anatomy in one scene.

“The Master” features many other masterful performances from actors like Kevin J. O'Connor, Rami Malek, Jesse Plemons who plays Lancaster’s son Val, Lena Endre, and Laura Dern of all people as true believer Helen. Hoffman’s response to one of Helen’s persistent questions will have your hair standing on end.

Paul Thomas Anderson continues to prove himself a defender of all things film as “The Master” is the first movie to be shot in 65/70mm since Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” which came out 16 years ago. Director of photography Mihai Malaimare Jr. comes up with a barrage of unforgettably beautiful images (especially of the ocean) throughout the movie’s running time, and they are accompanied by another daringly original film score by Jonny Greenwood. At a time when film is being rendered obsolete for thee advances in technology, this is proof of why we need to keep it around.

“The Master” does leave a lot of questions unanswered which will frustrate many filmgoers but fascinate so many others who are willing to weave through its unusual narrative. It’s never entirely clear where these characters will end up once the movie’s over or which one we should believe in more than the other. Some will have made up their minds about that perhaps even before they go into the movie theater to watch it, but the beauty of a film like this is the effect it leaves on you after you have seen it.

As much as I try to avoid saying the following, I have to say it: “The Master” is masterful filmmaking. I know I’m not the first to say it, but I also know I won’t be the last. Paul Thomas Anderson remains as brilliant a filmmaker as ever, but that’s no surprise considering he has yet to make a movie that’s just the least bit bad.

* * * * out of * * * * 

Watching Kermit the Frog sing “Rainbow Connection” in “The Muppets” brought back memories I cherish. “The Muppet Movie” was the first film I ever saw in a theater, and I consider myself fortunate that it was. I even brought along my own Kermit the Frog hand puppet which I still have, and I had him singing along with the real Kermit who was singing this same song onscreen back in his swamp all those years ago. These characters were a large part of my childhood, and I still find them endlessly entertaining as an adult.

“The Muppets” represents the kind of Muppet movie I have been yearning to see for years; one which appeals to the whole family and doesn’t just condescend to kids. Ever since Jim Henson passed away in 1990 everything Muppet has been geared towards children without much thought to us adults. The ironical humor vanished without a trace, and Disney took over the franchise without really knowing how to make an effective Muppet movie. This became abundantly clear when “Muppets From Space” collapsed both critically and commercially back in 1999 (perhaps because they weren’t partying like it was 1999).

But with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s” Jason Segel and “Flight of the Conchords’” co-creator James Bobbin directing and star Bret McKenzie supervising the music, “The Muppets” is a movie the whole family can enjoy together, and it will put a smile on even the most jaded fan’s face. Granted, a number of puppeteers from this infamous franchise (namely Frank Oz) refused to participate because they felt the script didn’t respect the characters. I beg to differ on that.

Segel stars as Gary whose brother Walter is a Muppet himself, and both are die hard fans of “The Muppet Show” in childhood and their love for it stays strong even through puberty. They finally get their chance to visit Muppet Studios when Gary invites Walter to come along with him and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to Los Angeles. But when they get there, they find that it is now in a dilapidated state as Kermit and company haven’t performed together or seen each other in years.

Even worse, Walter overhears the evil oil magnate Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) planning to buy the studios not to preserve it as a landmark, but to drill for oil underneath it. As a result, Walter, Gary and Mary join forces to reunite the Muppets in order to put on a telethon that will raise the money needed to save not just the studios but the Muppet theater where the magic all started.

My guess is that Oz and other puppeteers never saw the Muppets splitting up and going their separate ways, but having re-watched a lot of “Muppet Show” episodes recently, they didn’t always have the best time working together. Besides they did split up (if only temporarily) in “The Muppets Take Manhattan” when Kermit got all pissy about the gang constantly leaning on him to figure out what to do next. Heck, that Kermit didn’t ditch Miss Piggy sooner is amazing.

Starting off with the Muppets having gone their separate ways years ago gives “The Muppets” an interesting jumping off point. Like many, the Muppets wonder if they are still relevant in today’s popular culture. While they are a big favorite of my generation, whether they can translate to another is uncertain. Of course, there’s only one way to find that out.

Even though the voices of the original Muppet performers are not present, the characters have not changed nor have they gotten cynical (unlike Statler and Waldorf). Steve Whitmire performs Kermit the Frog and does great work in capturing his unforgettable mannerisms without ever simply going through the motions. The same goes with the rest of the puppeteers working here as they make each character from Miss Piggy to Animal their own.

It’s also interesting to see where everyone is at today. Kermit is living in a mansion that is not in the best condition, Miss Piggy is the editor in chief of Vogue Paris, Scooter works at Google, and Sam the Eagle is a Fox News-like personality which seems to be the perfect venue for his endless pomposity. But the one Muppet who practically steals this movie is Animal who we meet up with again at an anger management clinic where Jack Black is his sponsor.

As for the human actors, Segel is a hoot as Gary and his love for the Muppets shines through every contribution he has made to this film. Amy Adams remains infinitely adorable even after her ball busting turn in last year’s “The Fighter.” Her sweetness is no act, and she scores a huge musical highlight with “Party of One.” We even get to see Chris Cooper do a rap song, and it’s not as terrifying as it sounds. As for Jack Black, he becomes the most unwilling guest star “The Muppet Show” has ever seen.

The music is really good as well and never becomes cringe inducing thank goodness. “Life’s A Happy Song” starts off the proceedings with a happiness that feels genuine, and you can tell Segel is having the time of his life while singing it. The one song though which deserves a Best Original Song nomination is “Man or Muppet” where both Segel and Walter bring down the house in deciding who they really are (as if the answer wasn’t obvious).

It’s also great to see that ironic humor the Muppets were famous for back on display They push the bounds of their PG rating to where if the kids don’t get what’s being said, it’s probably just as well. I loved how they got away with the Muppet chickens singing Cee-Lo Green’s “Fuck You” without its explicit lyrics. Oh I’m sorry, I mean Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You” (right, whatever).

But what makes “The Muppets” so good is that everyone, be it Muppets or human actors and those making cameos, comes into this project without any cynicism. Making a movie with the best of intentions or one with a happy ending is greeted with our eyes rolling in the back of our heads as we come out feeling utterly and shamelessly manipulated. The filmmakers even bring back “The Muppet Show’s” opening theme song as it was performed in season three, and it looks almost exactly like it did years ago. Even “Mahna Mahna” is brought back, and being that was the very first sketch on “The Muppet Show,” that should show you how much these filmmakers value their childhood entertainment.

Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy will never feel or sound exactly as they did from years ago, but “The Muppets” proves that they still have their charms and hilarity long after their glory days. From start to finish, “The Muppets” was made with a lot of love for the imagination Jim Henson gave us so many years ago, and deep down we all would hate to see it die away without a trace.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

Starring: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode

Directed by: Anand Tucker

Written by: Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont

I’ll admit that I was biased against this movie from the first time that I saw the trailer. In theory, a movie that takes place entirely in Ireland is an ideal way to spend 90 minutes. This is especially true if it is a romantic comedy that is half road trip and half colorful locals. However, the old romantic comedy plot device of up tight New Yorker meets gruff and bitter small town guy has been done to death. And worse, a majority of those stories were poorly executed. So even before the movie began to play, I was a bit weary. In my favor though, I had a rough week and was cheerfully looking forward to a little cheesy comedic escape.

The story is simple: New Yorker Anna (Amy Adams) has been dating her cardiologist boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) for four years. When Jeremy plans a special anniversary dinner that does not include a proposal, a frustrated Anna decides to take matters into her own hands. Based on an Irish tradition employed by at least one woman in her family, Anna decides to meet up with Jeremy in Ireland while he is there for a conference and propose to him on leap day. As you can imagine, Anna's travel plans do not go smoothly. In the vein of of a light weight "Romancing the Stone," Anna meets up with a grumpy man in Ireland named Declan (Matthew Goode) who resents her but desperately needs her money. The two set off for Dublin so that Anna can propose to her boyfriend, and Anna and Declan begin to bicker from the time they first set eyes on one another.

Though a fan of both Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, there is only so much they can do to spruce up a romantic comedy. This is especially true when the direction is as awkward as the direction throughout this movie. There were extra tight close ups when the shot called for a less intense angle, and there were long shots in a scene that required more intimacy. The direction also bounced between a hand held reality feel and something more akin to a travelogue.

On top of the direction was the weak script. There were a few genuinely good moments, but few were because the writing was good. It seemed as if most of the jokes had been recycled from a cheesy cable movie as if no one would have had the intense feeling of déjà vu as they sat threw the viewing like I did. Adams and Goode seemed to be working overtime to do what they could, but there simply was only so far the cast can go to bail out the ship. Though Adams and Goode had chemistry, the writing does not give you much of an inkling as to why they would remotely care for one another. Sure the old romantic comedy adage is that opposites attract but in this instance, it just did not seem like a rational conclusion. The only reason the audience can buy into the story is because Goode and Adams did have chemistry. So my hats off to them for trying to make this thing work.

There is something to be said for the fact that the movie takes place 98% of the time in Ireland and 98% of the dialogue is said with an Irish accent and yet I still felt compelled throughout most of the movie to wonder how much longer I would have to sit through it. I can easily find something positive to say about almost any movie, but I was having great difficulties thinking of things as I sat in that theatre. Perhaps under a different director with another pass made on the script then there could have been something good here. The casting was good and the simple plot a nice one, but there just wasn’t any meat to the tale. The movie felt lifeless and unfinished, like a rough cut or quilt one started sewing in the 8th grade. You can hope it will turn out fine, but neither one of those things will improve unless you work on it.

Unless you are home sick with a broken heart or just need a cheesy little film after a bad week, then I would not give this movie a look. If you do, keep your expectations low and your blood sugar skyrocketing with the euphoria of a sugary treat high.

Sunshine Cleaning
Year: 2009
Director: Christine Jeffs
Stars: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Overtune Films
Running Time: 91 Mins






“Sunshine Cleaning” is a film that I’ve been looking forward to, since hearing about at Sundance, as it really looked like the dark comedy that yours truly might be interested in. Thankfully, this didn’t turn out be “Gigantic” all over again, and had everything that made sense.

The film is about a single mother (Amy Adams), who is trying to put her son into a private school after being expelled. If that wasn’t any worse, she also has to deal with a sister (Emily Blunt), who can’t hold a job, her eccentric father (Alan Arkin), who’s always coming up with these get rich quick schemes, and having an affair with a detective (Steven Zahn), who she dated in high school. Then one day, she along with her sister starts a bio-hazard crime scene cleaner business, to pay for her son’s tuition. Soon, they begin to have a lot of problems with the business and each other. In order to overcome this, the sisters must overcome their troubled past and their own differences with their lives and each other.

The film is quirky and heartwarming film that looks at the ups and down of life. Director, Christine Jeffs does a very good job giving this film a very akward and dark tone. One of the things that she manages to do is that she keeps the tone of the film the same throughout. Jeffs does that by not letting the tone of the film gets too dark or become overly humorous to the point that it becomes a straight comedy, which would hurt the message of the film. But the main thing that makes the direction very good, the way that she handles each of the film’s performances. There were some very good performances here, especially from Amy Adams, who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s leading ladies and Alan Arkin, who really steals the shows as the girl’s father.

But what makes this film very good is the screenplay from first-time screenwriter, Megan Holley. This screenplay really does a good job making everything in the film seem down to earth. It didn’t fell like the typical Hollywood story, as it doesn’t try to fake the fact that t. She achieves that, by giving depth to both of the main characters, as each of both of them are going through a rough situation, in their lives. One who’s having trouble with the fact that everyone in her class is successful and she feels like a total failure, while her son gets kicked out of school. The other is accident prone, as she can’t hold a job and lives with her eccentric father. They also have an interested backstory that connects to the main subject and tone of the film. It makes you feel for them and wants you to see them succeed. Holley also does a great job developing the relationship between the sisters, as you get moments that you that are both humorous and heartwarming. But the main thing that makes this very good was the fact this is not the kind of film, where everything is going to be fine, because it isn’t. The end of the film leaves you with a feeling that life is not perfect, as there are ups and downs in everything you do, you always know that you’ll have family with you.

“Sunshine Cleaning” is a dark comedy that is filled with good performances and an excellent screenplay.

Review Rating: Five Stars.

“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.”
-Opening dialogue from “Doubt”

“They say in this town, you’re innocent until you’re investigated.”
-Christopher Plummer in “Syriana”

“Doubt,” based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play written by John Patrick Shanley, is a story where the answers to a tense situation are nowhere as important as the questions it brings up. Like all great plays, it is a thought provoking exercise in what we believe versus what actually happens. Many may come out of it frustrated because it is not your typical Hollywood movie where everything is tidy and neat at its conclusion, but hopefully more will be enthralled by what they make of all that has gone on before them. It’s a story which forces you to consider how you would have acted under similar circumstances in this situation. I can see why the play won the Pulitzer Prize back in 2005, and now it has been made into a superb movie by the playwright himself.

“Doubt” follows the goings on at the St. Nicholas Catholic school in the Bronx back in 1964. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) becomes concerned that Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) may have developed an unhealthy relationship with the school’s sole black student, Donald Muller (Joseph Foster). This is brought to her attention when Sister James (Amy Adams) notices Donald acting strangely after he has been in the private company of Father Flynn, and she also mentions that she smelled alcohol on Donald’s breath. Sister Aloysius is convinced of Father Flynn’s guilt even though she has no real proof, but he denies any wrongdoing on his part. From thereon out, it becomes a battle between Aloysius and Flynn, and the battle involves not just the accusations, but the state of the school and its students as well.

The fascinating thing about “Doubt” is that the story itself is simple, but the characters and the situations they get caught up in are very complex. As the fight goes on between the characters played by Streep and Hoffman, you start to wonder if the conflict doesn’t involve any specific student as it does the direction things are going in, and the threat of change that frightens people into defending what they believe to be their domain. Sister Aloysius represents the old guard and of the way things have always been. Father Flynn, on the other hand, represents the big shakeup of change that many resist. When he suggests to Sister Aloysius that they need to be nicer to the students, she takes it as some kind of insult. You can’t help but wonder if the fight between these two is motivated more by a power struggle then by what actually happened between the priest and the altar boy.

To watch Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman face off with each other is to watch a master class in acting, let alone film acting. God only knows how hard these parts were to play for the both of them, but being that these are some of the very best actors working today; you come into this movie knowing that they are more than up to the challenge. It’s not just the delivery of Shanley’s dialogue that they have to work at; it’s also what they show in their eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, but we are never quite sure what to make of the state of these two people and their souls. I’m sure that these two actors have thought their roles out in this production through and through, and they do seem to have history for their characters that they do not fully reveal to the audience. This is not to say that they should, but it makes their journey all the more enthralling as we are not sure to make of who they really are.

Meryl Streep has given us an immense volume of great performances in which she has created characters so memorable that they forever themselves into your consciousness. Sister Aloysius Beauvier is another character she can rack up with the rest of her brilliant performances. Her character’s introduction in the movie is brilliant as we see her from the back of her head as she gets the young children to pay full attention to Father Flynn’s sermon. Without even seeing her face right away, she quickly makes an impact as a strong and frightening authority figure to both the students and the nuns who are under her tutelage. Meryl’s performance will quickly bring back memories of all those awful teachers you had and which you hate to this very day. She’s the kind of teacher where everything she says is right, and everything the students say is wrong. I hated teachers like that! Hated them!

Most people would never want to come across as serious or as cold as Sister Aloysius, but some do find a power in it. Sister Aloysius knows that she is feared more than she is loved, and she revels in that fact because it makes everyone heed to her when needs be. There are instances where she does not need to say a word in order to be heard or obeyed to. Just watch the scene where Sister James takes a piece of meat out of her that she can’t quite chew. Streep’s stern glare makes her rethink what she just did. As the movie goes on, it’s almost like she is furiously trying to maintain the fear mongering power she has more than anything else.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, as always, is brilliant here and every bit the match of Ms. Streep. We keep waiting to see if there will be a slip where all will be revealed, but Hoffman keeps his cards very close to his chest. His explanations for the private meeting between him and Donald are not implausible, but Sister Aloysius remains unconvinced. Hoffman is great at how just the simple feeling of doubt can easily destroy a person to where it doesn’t matter if he is innocent or guilty. His fight to prove his innocence threatens to bring the worst out of him, and it’s like he continues to sink deeper into a hole that he is desperately trying to climb out of. His character also represents a wave of change in that he feels that the priests and nuns need to be nicer to the children they teach, and to make their parents see them as part of their family.

Along for the morally complex ride is “Enchanted’s” Amy Adams who plays Sister James, and her character is essentially stuck in the middle between these two warring factions. I wonder if there is another actress today who can exude the amount of genuine kindness and sincerity than Amy Adams right now. She shows the love her character has for her job as a history teacher at the school ever so perfectly, and Adams also shows the desperation her character exudes in search of absolutely certainty. Her character is the first to suspect that Father Flynn is up to no good when she sees him put an undershirt worn by Donald in his locker, but she knows that it does not prove anything. At times, Sister James seems rather naïve when it comes to how people act around each other, but in many ways she is the most morally grounded of the three main characters. She never loses her sense of right and wrong, while Streep and Hoffman’s characters threaten to in pursuit of wrongdoing.

There is also a fantastic supporting performance from Viola Davis who plays Donald’s mother. She shares a tense scene with Meryl Streep as she walks Viola to her job and talks with her about her suspicions. Mrs. Miller likes the fact that Father Flynn has been so nice to her son because she reveals that his father beats him severely when he misbehaves. When Sister Aloysius confides her suspicions to Mrs. Miller, it doesn’t change the level of worry for her son’s welfare as it is already extremely high. She fears more about what Donald’s father will do to him if this proves to be true than she does of what Father Flynn might be doing if the allegations prove to be true. With only ten to twenty minutes of screen time, Viola does a brilliant job of making you feel her character’s heartbreaking dilemma, and of how she has been with left little choice over how to resolve this potentially unhealthy situation that she has just been made aware of even though no real proof is presented. It’s one thing for an actor to show what their character is going through, but it is quite another for them to make you feel what their character is going through.

It’s a surprise to see that this is the first movie John Patrick Shanley has directed since “Joe Versus The Volcano,” and that was made back in 1990. His direction is simplistic in that he does not get overly technical with the camera. He does throw in a few Dutch angles to show the imbalance of the situation and of where the power between the characters is shifting. Other than that, his direction is pretty basic, and that’s fine because this is a piece that needs someone who understands acting. This is a film where acting really needs to win out over everything else because with a great script like this, it won’t succeed if not given the attention it needs. Shanley, along with cinematographer Roger Deakins, does a great job of capturing the beauty of the Bronx as it approaches wintertime, and he expertly captures the time period in which the movie takes place.

I have not seen the play version of “Doubt,” but I feel pretty certain that is a very faithful adaptation of the play to the big screen. My parents have had the opportunity to see this on stage in New York, and they cannot stop raving about Cherry Jones who had Streep’s part in its Broadway run. Suffice to say, it is a compelling story in either format. Like David Mamet’s “Oleanna,” it provokes a lot of discussion and has thinking about it endlessly (granted, the discussions over “Oleanna” were a hell of a lot more heated). I like movies like this that really make you think and the fact that it makes a large portion of its audience uncomfortable. Many movies released today are like your typical fast food meal that goes in and out with little residue. They don’t stay in the mind for very long after you have watched them. How nice it is to see that “Doubt” is not one of those movies.

What makes the story of “Doubt” so compelling is the nature of doubt itself. The law that a man is innocent until proven guilty gets more and more meaningless with the passage of time. We make sport of presuming a person’s guilt or innocent as soon as we get word of what has transpired, and escaping that doubt seems to be all the more impossible. An accusation can be everlasting long after the case has long been closed, and the accused may end up living with that cloud of doubt over the heads for the rest of their existence. It can be a stigma that can change your life for the worst in an instant. But at the same time, what this all say about those who are doing the accusing? Surely they are not free of sin like anybody else.

With “Doubt,” Shanley brilliantly shows how the state of doubt affects everyone equally. No one comes out of this the same whether they stay or leave the church. There are no clear answers here, and what we are left with is an unsettling feeling of how unsure we are. Everyone is harmed deeply by doubt here, and it binds the main characters here as strongly as it tears them apart. You have to feel for those caught in its ugly wake because they end up having to live with something that they did not necessarily bring on themselves. It’s a brilliant play that has been made into a great movie filled with outstanding performances. There will be nominations for some of the performances here, and of that I have no doubt.

**** out of ****