Arriving as part of a week that’s included new additions to Netflix such as The Kissing Booth 2 and Ip Man 4: The Finale, the Mark Ruffalo-starring Spotlight is more than worth your time. Directed by Tom McCarthy, Spotlight won Oscars in 2016 for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, and also includes turns from Michael Keaton, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams and other notable actors.
For those that haven’t had a chance to see it, Spotlight follows an investigation into the history of child abuse by the Roman Catholic church in Boston. Focused on the “Spotlight” investigative journalists at The Boston Globe, the film’s award-winning screenplay by McCarthy and Josh Singer is based on journalism from the paper that won the Pulitzer Prize in the early 2000s.
Ruffalo plays Michael Rezendes, one of the journalists working the story, who helps gradually uncover a long and systemic network of abuse and cover-ups within the Boston area. Released in the United States in November 2015, Spotlight went on to be a critical and commercial hit, garnering nearly $100 million at the box office as well as picking up the previously mentioned Oscars.
For his role as Rezendes, Ruffalo snagged multiple group awards with his fellow cast, as well as being nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Spotlight was released during a time when Ruffalo was deep into his work in the MCU, with Avengers: Age of Ultron out that year as well. His excellent performance is just one of the many reasons, then, to check out the movie, which tells a timely story in a detailed but accessible way, echoing classics like All the President’s Men.
However, if Spotlight isn’t to your taste, Netflix have also recently added perennial favorite The Notebook, the breakout original The Old Guard and a surprising new Sylvester Stallone picture. In addition, they’re already gearing up for a busy August, too, as they look to compete with their streaming rivals with a large collection of new content offerings.