Film: The Fabelmans

 

GENRE: Drama
RATING: PG-13 for some language and brief violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 31 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Michelle Williams (Greatest Showman, Dawson’s Creek)
Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood); Gabriel LaBelle (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg (newcomer – just kidding, Jaws, E.T., etc.)
WRITERS: Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Poltergeist)
Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Munich, Lincoln, West Side Story)
PLOT: Sammy Fabelman wants to be a filmmaker but is sidetracked by a big family secret.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love Spielberg films.        

STORY STUFF: This story grabbed me. I smile from ear to ear seeing a young ‘Spielberg’ fall in love with film and use his creativity and imagination to make his dreams come alive. I knew this film was ‘loosely based’ on Spielberg’s childhood but after doing a bit of research, it’s pretty accurate. Spielberg didn’t want to call it autobiographical as it could be seen as narcissistic. I was enthralled watching Sammy develop his passion for film and maneuver around his big family secret. It does go on a bit too long though. Once he gets to senior year of high school, I was surprised it was still going on. During this time, he is bullied for being Jewish. I don’t recall seeing this treatment in film before outside of WWII movies. It shocked me, which I’m guessing was the point. All in all, it’s a stirring family drama for those who love the arts.  

ACTING STUFF: Both LaBelle and Mateo Zoryan play Sammy so well; I believed I was watching a young Spielberg on screen. There is a passion and innocence and maturity that they convey so beautifully. I love Paul Dano as the father, he plays it so naturally. Seth Rogen also does a great job as Uncle Bennie. Unfortunately, I find Michelle Williams miscast once again. I just don’t like what she brings to the role. I think my Dawson’s Creek watching has ruined her (although I did like her Manchester by the Sea). Her face seems fake and I just don’t buy her free spirit personality. I do find it funny that she fell for Dawson who was a huge Spielberg fan and now she’s playing Spielberg’s mom.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The stand out for me is the recreations of Spielberg’s 8mm films he made as a child. They are so inventive and pure. Apparently, they are close to the originals with the exception of better camera equipment now. It’s the ultimate do-over. It’s also fun seeing little connections to future Spielberg films like E.T. and Last Crusade.  

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You love filmmaking and/or Spielberg
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Don’t Worry Darling

Film: Blonde

 

GENRE: Biography Drama
RATING: NC-17 for nudity and graphic sexual content
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 47 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Ana de Armas (Knives Out, No Time to Die, The Gray Man)
Adrien Brody (The Pianist); Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire)
DIRECTOR: Andrew Dominik (Chopper, Mindhunter, Killing Them Softly)
WRITER: Dominik (Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward…)
PLOT: A fictionalized biography of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I like de Armas and she looks good as Monroe.       

STORY STUFF: I’ll be honest that I was not aware of much of Monroe’s life except for a couple films and some of the men she was with. While there are iconic moments, this film is filled with fictionalized conversations and inner turmoil. I think there are parts that can be trimmed. I understand there is a certain sexuality that is connected to Marilyn Monroe, but there is a lot of lingering shots that are too voyeuristic and made me roll my eyes. There are some straight forward narratives but most of this film feels like watching a fever dream and that gets tiresome for me for some reason.  

ACTING STUFF: De Armas is fantastic as Monroe. She has the sex appeal but also the sadness, the exuberance and the prima donnishness. With the exception of her crazy mother played scarily by Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Eastown), Monroe is mostly surrounded by men. Lots of great performances including Brody and Cannavale. At one point, I wasn’t sure if Whitey, played by Toby Huss (Weird), was a figment of her imagination but found out he was a make-up artist that was always around her. I enjoyed Huss’ caring role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Dominik is extremely experimental. There are strange cuts, bizarre angles, blurs and lighting flashes. It all works for his vision and I enjoy a lot of the visuals but some of them are a little too weird for my taste. I was not a fan of the music. You’ll notice that the aspect ratio and color changes to black and white constantly in the film. I was looking for some deeper meaning but found out it that was used more to just show dual natures and highlight specific iconography associated with Marilyn Monroe. It worked for me.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You are old enough and can stand a star’s breakdown
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Don’t Worry Darling

Film: Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever

 

GENRE: Adventure Drama
RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 41 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Letitia Wright (Black Panther, Ready Player One)
Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave); Danai Guira (The Walking Dead)
DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station, Black Panther)
WRITERS: Coogler(Creed II) & Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther)
PLOT: Wakanda mourns the death of King T’Challa and needs to protect their home from outside forces.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My expectations were low.      

STORY STUFF: I was pretty bored. I think the film was very respectful to the late Chadwick Boseman but that’s about it for me. The problem with mourning is that it takes a long time. This film’s runtime is excruciating. I was also annoyed early on. A group of people want to kill a scientist for inventing something. Could they not just tell the scientist to stop – is murder the only option? Also, you can’t claim vibranium if the world doesn’t know who you are. Just say, “Hey, that’s mine.” Maybe that could reduce the bloodshed. Just a lot of extremes in this film that didn’t work for me in any way.  

ACTING STUFF: Letitia Wright is the saving grace of this film. She is captivating to watch, though she’s sad for a long time. I also liked Winston Duke taking on a bigger role this time around. And, not to sound racist, but I enjoyed the three white American government power players.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I was impressed with the set and costume design like I did last time. The rest seemed copied from other films. Blue water people – looks like Avatar. Fighting under the sea – looks like Aquaman. Blue people’s greeting – looks like Pokemon. A new power suit – looks like Iron Man. I wonder if this film will get charged with plagiarism. Oh, and there is only one post-credit sequence; no need to sit through all the names after being in the theatre for three hours.    

VERDICT: One star out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to say goodbye to Chadwick Boseman on film.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Blonde, Don’t Worry Darling

Film: Weird - The Al Yankovic Story

 

GENRE: Comedy ‘Biography’
RATING: 14+ for violence and mild sexuality
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes
PLATFORM: Roku (good luck trying to get this though)
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter; Swiss Army Man; Horns)
Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld); Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire)
DIRECTOR: Eric Appel (Die Hart; Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
WRITERS: Appel (Pretend Time) & Weird Al Yankovic (UHF, parodies)
PLOT: An incredibly fabricated biography of the most well-known lyrical parody-ist of all time.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I absolutely love Weird Al Yankovic.      

STORY STUFF: If you are looking for an accurate biography of Yankovic’s life, you won’t find it here. There are true moments but most of the movie is played for laughs with ridiculous detours. I love how they try and make this film into an Oscar bait drama but then have an outrageous scene of Yankovic’s dad dealing with an accordion salesman. I really enjoyed the childhood and teenage segments. There’s a party that Al sneaks into that is so well done. I did wish there was more story dedicated to his inspiration for songs. There’s too much of Madonna in this film and the detour to the jungle seems unnecessary.  

ACTING STUFF: Radcliffe was chosen because he can do comedy and drama and is willing to do weird stuff like being a flatulent corpse in Swiss Army Man. He does an admirable job as Yankovic and is fun to watch. I also enjoyed the younger versions of Al. There’s a great party scene where a bunch of actors cameo playing odd celebrities like Pee-Wee Herman and Salvador Dali. Huss and Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Eastown) do a great job as Al’s disapproving parents. Also really enjoyed his incredibly supportive friends/bandmates.

ARTISTIC STUFF: You can tell that they are not playing with a very large budget. It looks a little TV movie-ish at time. I am very fine with the film using Weird Al’s original vocals instead of having Radcliffe sing himself. Also, listen to the lyrics over the credits. Fun stuff.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Weird Al Yankovic and want some laughs
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Black Panther 2, Blonde

October TV Checklist

 

Here’s what I was watching this October. Lots of shows ending and starting. Here are the shows:

ANDOR (DISNEY+)
Someone described Andor as a Star Wars series for adults. There’s no kid-friendly characters and more of a slow-burn intrigue. I’m still half and half about it. The heist episode was pretty awesome and I like a lot of their ideas. Hope they can end the season strong.

AMAZING RACE (CBS)
Loving the race so far. Love that every leg is an elimination. Actually glad that they didn’t let the ones who got co-vid back in, as I think it’s unfair to the other contestants. Love that they went to Jordan and saw Petra. Really enjoying the changes and locations. Don’t know who I’m rooting for to win, but glad some of the teams I didn’t like have been eliminated.

GOOD DOCTOR (ABC)
This show is just not grabbing me like it used to. Glad the aftermath of last year’s finale is playing out longer with no quick wrap-up. The new interns are okay and I still like Richard Schiff, so I’ll keep watching.

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC)
I like what this show is trying to do and shed a light on the education system. Some good laughs but could go a bit bigger in that department.

WELCOME TO FLATCH (FOX)
Not sure the addition of Jamie Pressly is working for me, though I like that Kelly has someone to look up to. They have really changed Cheryl from the first season – she’s a lot crazier now with her chickens. Father Joe is boring to me. I still like Shrub but getting tired of the thruple he’s in.

LEGO MASTERS (FOX)
Lots of Canadians this year. Didn’t like that they brought in some young whippersnappers a few episodes in. Seems unfair. Like that they upped people’s game though by making brick people instead of just using the regular ones. Some of the early creations seemed more sparse and not as complex as last year. The dog show one was impressive.

THE SIMPSONS (FOX)
The series is still cranking out great episodes. Liked the It parody and the anime short for the recent “Treehouse of Horror” episode. They still got it.

YOUNG SHELDON (CBS)
Loving Missy and Georgie on this show. Missy gets great commentary lines. Georgie is so sweet as a soon to be father trying to be a responsible adult. Even Meemaw is killing it this season. Unfortunately, Sheldon is too annoying.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)
Lots of hit and miss. Loved the return of David S Pumpkins and Drunk Uncle last week. Also the AA meeting turned into a Pixar pitch meeting. Hoping for more quality like that this season.

JEOPARDY (ABC)
Eager for the Tournament of Champions. I’m a nerd. Not a huge fan of the celebrity version though. Those ‘celebrities’ are too animated.

HANDMAID’S TALE (HULU/CTV DRAMA)
Still watching. Still annoyed at character decisions. Don’t know what else to say.

ATLANTA (FX)
Some strange episodes like usual. Some fun commentary. It’s almost done.  

REBOOT (DISNEY+)
It was an enjoyable first season of eight episodes. Some fun writing but not much story development going on. Not sure if there’s a second season. I’ll keep watching if they keep making them.  

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO)|
I was pretty impressed with this season. I am very intrigued as to where the story is going and think the performances are pretty incredible. The one darkly lit episode got my eyes rolling but I like how the season ended and look forward to season two. The graphic childbirth scenes have got to stop though.

RINGS OF POWER (PRIME)
It was a pretty good ending with some nice twists. I keep thinking it could be better though. Maybe there’s too many stories to keep track of. I like the production value except the elf rings look too gaudy. Wonder how long we’ll have to wait for season two.

SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW (DISNEY+)
It didn’t quite stick the landing as the meta-ness got out of control in the finale. I loved the Daredevil cameos and can’t wait for his series to surface. I had fun watching this series but think the fan backlash may prevent more from being made. People, stop taking this Marvel Universe so seriously.

What are you watching?