The Fabelmans

The Fabelmans (2022)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Stars: Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, Mateo Zoryan, Keeley Karsten, Alina Brace, Julia Butters, and Birdie Borria

Movie pundits were saying that this movie is on track on winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards next year. I understand that this movie was very personal for Spielberg. The movie is not the best movie of the year.

The movie follows Sammy Fabelman (LaBelle), a young boy that wants to make movies ever since he saw Around the World in 80 Days with his parents, Burt and Mitzi (Dano, Williams). His mother encouraged his passion for movies. His father wants him to be realistic about his job prospects. Sammy's passion for the movie grows, even though his life is less than ideal.

Can I say that the first half of the movie where Sammy wanted to make movies was the best part of the movie? The home movies that hinted at Spielberg's movies like ET, Saving Private Ryan and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Great. Love that for him.

The second half of the movie was where the movie fell apart for me. It became a movie that descended into chaos with the family yelling, the antisemitic bullying, and a weird subplot with Sammy's girlfriend. It did not keep my attention.

I'm sure the movie is going to get at least eight nominations. Dano was adequate. Williams was doing the most. I didn't know what she was doing in the movie. 

I thought the best parts of the movie where Judd Hirsch as Mitzi's uncle that had three scenes. He did better most of the actors in the movie. There is a cameo in the end of the movie that floored me when I learned who they were.

Rating: 8/10

West Side Story

 West Side Story (2021)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Tony Kushner

Based on the original 1961 screenplay by Arthur Laurents

Stars: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Rita Moreno

It feels so good to be back reviewing films again. I have always had a passion for cinema. No matter how much is waned over the years that flicker was still there.

Recently watching the original 1961 version, I prefer Spielberg's version than the Robbins/Wise one.

Now that is out of the way, this re-imagining tweaked some problems I had with the original movie. The speedy love story between Tony and Maria had more weight to it. The timeline is over two days and a lot happens in those days. The pacing was air tight. Even though the movie is two and half hours long, it doesn't feel like it was long. The orchestrations were lush. The choreography felt more realistic. I was not seeing gangs dance fighting. It would take me out of the experience. The costumes were bright and vibrant.

The two standouts of the movie are Rachel Zegler as Maria and Ariana DeBose as Anita. They are the lifeblood of this movie. I'm surprised that movie flopped at the box office. Maybe it was the Elgort in the room. I don't know. 

 I want everybody to see this movie. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and it deserves it. 

Rating: 8/10

Lincoln

Lincoln (2012)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Tony Kushner

Based on the book, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Jackie Earl Haley, Tim Blake Nelson, Lee Pace and Joseph Cross

There was trepidation in watching Steven Spielberg's latest movie. Another year, another biopic for gimmee gimmee lotsa Oscars. It is played out and stale. The movie was nomianted for 12 Oscars, which is eight too much in my opinion. You can possibly tell there was not love out for this movie.

It seems that Spielberg and company wanted to take an atypical biopic like Capote (hated it) or Milk (meh). Make it a one word title, specifically the last name and try to focus on one specific time in the insert historical person here's life and spit it out to the American public. Here, the film focuses on the last four months of Lincoln's (Day-Lewis) life as he tireously tries to get the thirteenth amendment passed and signed into law. That's it. That the whole movie in a nutshell.

The movie is like watching long drawn out version of The West Wing with a bunch of filler to over-stuff it. The boring back and forth about a piece of legislation. The movie did not focus on Lincoln that much. It was all about the damn amendment. It should have been called The Thirteenth Amendment. This is no way downgrading what the piece of legislation has done to my ancestors and many others, but nobody wants to hear a bunch of stuffy men talk about legislation for over two hours. It grows tiresome after ten minutes.

A movie having a 86 Metacrtic would have been at least enjoyable. There was some dozing moments on my end. Everybody is touting that DDL will be the first actor ever to win three Best Actor Oscars. What's so special about this performance? It was laid flat. No nuisance. No gravitas. It was a dead fish. His performance in There Will Be Blood was leaps and bounds better than his Lincoln lite he put on.

The only person worth mention is the brilliant performance of Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, the Pennsylvanian Representative that fought for most of his life to get slavery abolished in the country. Whenever he was onscreen, nobody was in the room. He has an intensity that few could master. Bravo, TLJ.

Sally Field on the other hand was cartoonish in her portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln. It felt like she was in a different movie. Like she was in a soap opera the way she was speaking. It was reminiscent of Soapdish (which she was in) and not in a good way.

My expectations were very low of this movie and it did not exceed them in the slight bit. There is something that bothered me, when the credit were rolling, did anybody catch the obvious lens flare? Really, Mr. Spielberg? you wanted to do this movie for the last decade when Liam Neeson was attached to play Lincoln. This is what you came up with. Back to drawing board, sir.

My Rating