By Susan Granger
James Vanderbilt’s “Truth” examines the scandal that erupted after “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather ran a “60 Minutes” segment asserting that President George W. Bush used family connections to avoid combat in Vietnam and never fulfilled his tenure in the Texas Air National Guard.
If this report had not been subsequently discredited, it might have tipped the 2004 Presidential election to Democrat John Kerry.
When I studied journalism at Mills College under Pierre Salinger, working at the “San Francisco Chronicle,” he insisted that the veracity of controversial stories be corroborated by two independent sources. But what if those sources lie?
That’s what happened to Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett), Rather’s (Robert Redford) longtime producer. Responsible for finding and scrutinizing on-air pieces, Mapes is curious about the Bush allegations. Encouraged by CBS News president Andrew Heyward (Bruce Greenwood), she begins to investigate.
Assembling her team (Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, Topher Grace), Mapes embarks on exhaustive research.
Hurried to an early air-date, their reporting – which may have been accurate – nevertheless, contains basic journalistic flaws involving document analysis and an erratic source, Bill Burkett (Stacy Keach).
Yet – as of now – basic questions still have not been answered: how did George W. Bush, who was not a pilot, get into the Guard and why was he excused from duty on the base to which he was assigned?
Based on Mary Mapes’ “Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, and the Privilege of Power” (2005), screenwriter James Vanderbilt (“White House Down,” “Zodiac”) makes an auspicious directing debut with this layered, detailed condemnation of how Internet obsession with minutia/gossip has obliterated the big picture – and responsible reporting cannot be rushed.
Despite its inherent complexity, it’s constructed with clarity and superbly cast. Robert Redford doesn’t resemble Dan Rather, yet he adroitly captures his distinctive gestures and vocal inflections, while Cate Blanchett deserves an Oscar as Best Actress for her impeccably vulnerable, compelling performance.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Truth” is an intense, tantalizing 10, delving into the deplorable decline of modern journalism.
Attention: Foodies! While the culinary redemption tale “Burnt” features delectable dishes, the chef should have added a bit more spice.
After scruffy, rebellious Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) shucks a million oysters as penance, he leaves New Orleans and moves to London, determined to regain the fame he once enjoyed as a celebrated, two-Michelin-starred chef in Paris – before addiction to drugs and alcohol ruined his reputation.
Hired as head chef by his old frenemy/maître d’ Tony (Daniel Bruhl), Adam is obsessed with winning the coveted third Michelin star, the highest possible rating from the French restaurant guide.
To that end, he convinces miraculously forgiving Michel (Omar Sy) to work for him and assembles a crew that includes along Helene (Sienna Miller), a talented, yet insecure sous chef and spunky single mother.
Working from Michael Kalesniko’s story, it’s clumsily scripted by Steven Knight (“The Hundred-Foot Journey”) and directed as a character study by John Wells (“August: Osage County”). Adam’s comeback is predictable from the get-go, including his relationship with Reese (Matthew Rhys), his longtime rival.
The most memorable scenes take place in chaos of the kitchen, particularly when Adam and his staff are preparing a meal for people they assume to be Michelin judges. John Wells consulted with celebrity chef Mario Batali, and the authentic prep-and-plate sequences were supervised by Britain’s Marcus Warein.
Unfortunately, the strong supporting cast (Uma Thurman, Alicia Vikander, Emma Thompson) is given too little to do. And there are far too many subplots that reek with melodrama.
On the Granger Gauge, “Burnt” is a bland, formulaic 5, recalling far better foodie flicks, like “Big Night,” “Ratatouille,” “Chef” and “Babette’s Feast.”
Michael Almereyda’s “Experimenter” is a cinematic portrait of social scientist Stanley Milgram, delineating the methodology of his notorious psychology experiment.
As assistant professor at Yale in 1961, Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) decided to explore the concept of “blind obedience to malevolent authority.”
Colleagues and volunteers were recruited and divided into two groups: the teacher – a.k.a. Experimenter – and the learner. The teacher was given a list of questions to ask, and when the learner’s answer was incorrect, the teacher was to deliver a series of painful electric shocks.
What the teachers didn’t know was that the learners were an integral part of the experiment, that the levers they pushed were phony, the screams faked. While some participants objected, refused and left, a majority of the teachers continued the experiment despite the learners’ agony.
Milgram explains how this turns ordinary people into compliant instruments of the state, as in Nazi Germany, asking: “Could it be that SS official (Adolf) Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders?”
In the detached way he delineates Milgram’s character, writer/director Michael Almereyda (“Nadja,” “Hamlet”) demonstrates the ethical dilemma between humanism and clinical objectivity. But the metaphoric scenes in which an elephant follows Milgram carry the concept to the extreme.
There’s strong support from Winona Ryder, as Milgram’s wife, along with John Leguizamo, Anthony Edwards, Jim Gaffigan, Dennis Haysbert, Kellan Lutz, Josh Hamilton and Anton Yelchin.
On the Granger Gauge, “Experimenter” is a provocative, stylized 6, concluding that, while people can be turned into puppets, we still have free will.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
