Cinema Society

DOUBT

Average
Rating

3.6

Monday, December 01, 2008, AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1st

OUR HOLIDAY PROGRAM!

5:00: Cinema Society Holiday Store opens in AMC La Jolla Lobby

6:30PM: Holiday Movie Trailer Show (Auditoriums 4&5)

7:00PM: Screening of DOUBT, Auditoriums 4&5

AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

OUR HOLIDAY PROGRAM

DOUBT

John Patrick Shanley brings his play DOUBT to the screen, in a story about the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the devastating consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction.

It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the school’s strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the country, and, indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius is galvanized to begin a crusade to both unearth the truth and expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shred of proof or evidence except her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn, a battle that threatens to tear apart the Church and school with devastating consequences.

DOUBT was written for the screen and directed by screenwriter John Patrick Shanley (MOONSTRUCK). The film stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

DOUBT, a Miramax Release, opens commercially in San Diego on December 19th.

Rated PG-13 for thematic material / Running Time 100 Minutes

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning at 5:00pm a collection of Cinema Society memorabilia will be sold in the lobby of the AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres—great for holiday gifts!

ALSO PLEASE NOTE: Our annual Holiday Trailer Movie Show begins at 6:30PM, followed by DOUBT.

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16-Dec-08: Jerry McLaughlin - Rating: 5

Fabulous acting by all and a thought provoking movie.

Having spent 18 years (1st grade through graduate school) in Catholic schools This took me right back. Just like a song, a color or a smell can take you right back, this took me right back to being 12 years old.

The movie got you to think about righteousness and certitude even when it is your own.

7-Dec-08: EBee - Rating: 3

Thought the movie did not live up to the hype. Viola Davis stole the scene from Meryl and we'll see if Oscar thinks so as well. I did not like the final scene, but it did lend itself for great discussion. P.S.Hoffman..excellent!

3-Dec-08: M.Roe - Rating: 4

Though I missed seeing Santa's venture to obtain some cookies (no "Ornaments" short this year), I enjoyed the many previews and of course the feature film for the evening.

The film did have a "stage/play" feel to it (similar to The History Boys), though this was a better film. They were able to capsulate the "stage"/location with scenes really only taking place in the Principals office, the courtyard, one classroom and just off school grounds (and a couple inside the dining areas of the sisters and priests) and the depiction of the weather, always so "cold/chilling" and "stormy"....and speaking of the scene just off the school, that the mother of Donald was so fearful and desperate that she was willing to let her son be taken advantage of (allegedly) till June just to avoid the wrath of the her husband...that scene spoke volumes (the mother suspected her son was gay and revealed her husband is abusive and violent), it wouldn't be surprising that the boy would look to anyone for attention that was kind and loving therefore Donald might not think of it as wrong or inappropriate. I do think there was a boy that was or had received Father Flynn's special attention (William?), he was the boy that pulled away when Father tried to hold his hand/arm, the boy gave other disapproving looks throughout the film and smiled when Father was giving his final mass....maybe that is why he acted out and tried to get out of going to school....come to think of it Sister Aloysius suspected the same thing but she did not pursue it.....why?

Of course the acting was brilliant and just so cutting and exacting.

I believe that the "doubt" that Sister Aloysius had was not about the wrong doing of Father Flynn but rather it was in her faith and church....knowing that Father Flynn had been transferred a few times from other parishes and with the knowledge that she brought to the upper clergymen, the monsignors and/or other powers that be did nothing to reprimand him (that is why she said that she "spoke" to a sister at his previous parish instead of a priest) but rather they promoted him.....it makes one wonder just how many other nuns have stood by in silence.

3-Dec-08: Wally - Rating: 4

Great acting and a riveting story. The little nuances of expressions were really interesting. Personally I go for fun and entertainment so it was not my high on my list of movies to see. On my own satisfation scale it's a 3.Taking that out of the equation I should give it a 4.

3-Dec-08: pb - Rating: 4

Having seen the stage play in New York I knew what was coming....Meryl Streep is such a superb actor that the transition to the screen was not too much of a distraction. The story works better live (and with the children spoken about but not seen), however, I did find the movie to be riveting and extremely well acted. Excellent choice for the cinema society.

2-Dec-08: barry - Rating: 2

Sister Aloysius was a nasty, intolerant, pompous, self righteous, troubled person who caused plenty of misery for others and stuck in "old school" thinking. She revealed herself in the end, however, the deed was done.

Father Flynn unfortunately has some skeletons in his closet,limiting his ability to protect himself. Perhaps a fling with a Nun, but, not with a male.

The acting by all was excellent.

Exploring human emotion, strength and weakness makes a good story, unfortunately for me the whole thing did not work well.

2-Dec-08: jh - Rating: 3

"Doubt" was hard to watch. It's hard to watch films about molestation. It's hard to watch filmed stage plays. It's hard to watch people screaming at each other. But that's the beauty of the Cinema Society; it opens your eyes when it's hard for us to do so. P.S. I agree with Lori that it's a strange ending. Sister Aloysius Beauvier is the type to have absolute certainty, and if she had doubts, she wouldn't admit it.

2-Dec-08: Lori - Rating: 4

Streep can do absolutely anything, proven here once again, this time in a NY Irish accent. It's stunning to watch her. Compelling story, wonderful acting all around, but strange ending. For me, there was nothing to lead up to her sudden doubt in the final scene. One of the strongest aspects of the film was her spot-on intuition, compassionate certainty (for the children), and moral strength to act. She believed it and so did we. So the switch at the end undermined this, without any character or plot evidence to suggest the reason. (In The Usual Suspects, for example, we are surprised, astounded, but ultimately can see what happened, and understand...not here.)

2-Dec-08: JimY - Rating: 4

Wow, talk about four very strong performances. I'm glad that I didn't hear as much hype for this film as some recent others, this one deserves it, especially for Hoffman and Streep but to a lesser extent for Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The two long confrontational scenes between Streep and Hoffman are so intense and really make this film, what a great film is all about.