There's been a lot of Oscar buzz for director Tom McCarthy's dramatic true story film, Spotlight, saying that we could even be looking at this year's Best Picture winner. And I'm here to tell you to believe the hype.

The story takes place in 2001, following the newspaper staff of the Boston Globe as they attempt to cover a massive and dangerous story from multiple angles: uncovering an unprecedented molestation scandal within the Catholic church, in a town where interviewing a priest on the subject is practically the same thing as suing the church.

Right away, the most noticeable thing about Spotlight is its impressive cast. The reporters working the story are played by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Liev Schreiber (I'd see a movie with any one of them in it), and they all bring their A game. Although these are A-list actors, you hardly see the performers as much as you see the characters they play, becuase they slip into their roles and play off of each other so naturally. This is an ensemble picture, and no one performer outshines the others.

A reason for this is because, though they are expertly acted, the characters are already written so well. The script effectively captures the commeradery that develops between a publication staff, and while it is interesting to see the staff cover the same story from four different angles, it's just as rewarding to see them shooting the breeze in the newsroom. They really do feel like characters who would hang out together outside of work, which makes their work all the more effective.

Another interesting feature that film buffs are sure to take notice of is the cinematography. Now, I'm not talking about the use of fancy camera angles, but rather where the actors are placed within the frame. A good example is when the director places a character who is talking in the center of the frame, and the character who is listening is in the foreground (in the audience's perspective). It may sound like a small detail, but it makes a big difference in visual storytelling, particularly in a film that's practically driven by dialogue.

Whenever a journalism film comes out, the first instinct of the viewer is to compare it to the 1976 drama All the President's Men, and Spotlight is the first film to come out in a good while that lives up to that standard. The story is briskly-paced and is anything but one-sided, the acting is spot-on, and the cinematography is expertly framed. The result makes for a journalistic story that joins the ranks of All the President's Men and Zodiac, and a film that I surely won't soon be forgetting. I'm giving Spotlight four out of four stars.