It’s the Life of THE FABELMANS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Thanksgiving from writer/director Steven Spielberg, Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures comes the tender story of THE FABELMANS.

Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) and his wife Mitizi (Michelle Williams) are about to introduce their son Sam (Mateo Francis-DeFord) to his first movie, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Watching in a crowded theatre, his attention is captivated during the circus train crash. Now, the young boy is wanting only one thing – a train set.

Wishing for a train set for Hannukah, Sam takes it one step further when mom Mitzi puts an 8 mm camera into his hands. What comes from all of this is a young boy’s dream coming true. He can not stop himself from creating more and more stories on film with his sisters Reggie (Birdie Borria), Natalie (Alina Brace) and Lisa (Sophia Kopera) as his actors.

The family gets together with family friend Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen) and it is movie night. That is until the family moves to Phoenix, Arizona as dad Burt moves up in the technology world. Growing up, Sam (Gabriel LaBelle) never stops making films and while in Boy Scouts uses the opportunity to make his own film to get a badge.

When a family tragedy happens, Burt asks his son to put together something lovely for mom to bring her some joy. Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch) comes to visit and tells Sam that he comes from a family of artists and what that can do to a person but it also those words leave a lasting impression. So much so, that Sam discovers something about his mom that he cannot deal with in the right way.

Once again, the family moves to norther California and Sam has lost the urge to create and puts his camera down. Focusing on school, a new challenge happens as antisemitism reaches into his life. Through harassment and bullying, Sam learns that he must take a stand in some way and with the help of girlfriend Monica (Chloe East) and a 16mm camera, he takes on a high school event to present at prom.

Now ready for college, the family dynamic has changed and Sam must face his father with what he wants for life. After years of dad calling his filmmaking a ‘hobby’, the young man finally says the words to make his father understand that everything has led up to that moment.

These are the Fabelmans!

Williams as Mitzi is a complex, complicated and very supportive wife which keep the family moving forward. That comes with the flaws of being a woman in 1952 and the stereotypes of keeping a perfect house with perfect kids and a perfect marriage. All of that comes with a price and William’s portrayal for Mitzi shows us that the cost is so personally destructive. Once again, this actress gives a performance that will make the list of awards but more importantly, leaves an impression for the viewer that is shaken and stirred.

Dano as Burt is a father trying to get ahead in the business world creating, supporting a family and making everyone happy. He is also set in the 50s stereotype that he does not realize affects his son. Dad wants a studious kid who will one day follow in his footsteps and although supportive, in a way, of his son, he continues to consider it only a ‘hobby’. Dano gives Burt that struggle of a man who has one idea of family in his head while the reality of family is passing him by. Dano is stunning!

LaBelle as Sam is nothing short of fantastic. He also lives in this world created by the times he lives but does not quite fit into the mold everything thinks he should. While excited about the prospect of making film and supported by his mother, he runs into those who can not embrace the prospect of filmmaking as a career. There are such beautiful moments that LaBelle provides in his role of Sam that are touching and heartbreaking all at the same time. We follow his life of creativity and growing pains willingly because the viewer also wants him to succeed. That is acting at its finest and well-done LaBelle!

Rogen as Bennie is Burt’s best friend and basically an uncle to the kids. They share everything together and it is all beautiful, until it isn’t. Rogen is equally into his work as Burt and also shares his total support of Sam and his filmmaking showing up for every showing. Rogen keeps his character a bit on the back burner of the Fabelman family. The scene between Bennie and Sam at the camera store is so heartbreaking to watch, trust me on this.

Shout out to Mateo Francis-DeFord as the young Sam because here is a young actor who just melted my heart. I know that feeling of being in a theatre for the first time and worrying about everything being so big when you are so little. My first film was BAMBI, and my ‘train scene’ was the death of Bambi’s mother and while everyone else around me was crushed and crying, I was riveted. Francis-DeFord took me there once again and that, for me, is priceless so thank you young man and extremely well done.

Other cast include Robin Bartlett as Tina Schildkraut, Sam Rechner as Logan Hall, Oakes Fegley as Chad Thomas, Isabelle Kusman as Claudia Denning, Jan Hoag as Nona, Nicolas Cantu as Hark, Cooper Dodson as Turkey, Gabriel Bateman as Roger, Lane Factor as Dean, Chandler Lovelle as Renee, Keeley Karsten as the older Natalie Fabelman, Julia Butters as the older Reggie Fabelman, Jeannie Berlin as Hadassah Fabelman and David Lynch as John Ford.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

THE FABELMANS is written by Steven Spielberg with co-writer Tony Kushner who has written with the Oscar winner on the 2005 film MUNICH, the 2012 film LINCOLN and the 2021 WEST SIDE STORY.

On the recreating of his early works, Spielberg says, “It was joyful being able to recreate those films. I shot a lot of films when I was a kid on 8mm. It was unique in those days. Not a lot of people were going out and shooting in 8mm. It was physical; it was a craft. You had to sit there with a splicer, and then you had to scrape the emulsion off the film in order to get a seal so when you put glue on it, you literally glued the film together. I must say, I miss it.”

Being semi-autobiographical, it really is not something I concentrated on watching the film. Instead, I let the story tell me what it wanted to tell me in any way it wanted to present itself. Fact or fiction did not mean anything because THE FABELMANS swept me up in a story of family, love, secrets, perceptions, realities, sadness, fun and possibilities. These are all things that are relatable no matter who you are.

The cast is one of the best I have seen in a long time and with even the short stint for Hirsch, he was just so lovely to watch as a man who knows the pain of creativity! He sees what Sam is reaching for and although supports it, slaps on a warning label as well. Each character is memorable and unique to the journey we are all invited on.

For some it will be a look into the past of how the world perceived the role over mother, father, husband, wife and expectations of kids. Spielberg is doing what he does the best taking us from point A to Z with a box of tissue in-between, the dude is beautifully exhausting.

In the end – capture every moment!

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres this week from visionary writer/director Quentin Tarantino and Columbia Pictures is a film that can only be called ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.

It is 1969 Los Angeles and Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is having an identity crisis. Once the lead in his own television series, he also makes time to do roles in other television shows. Living in the Hollywood hills on the secluded Cielo Drive, he is driven around town by his stunt double and friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

Also living on Cielo Drive next door is actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and husband director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha). She is living and loving life taking time to enjoy her career.

While working out life and where his career is going, Dalton has to take each phase like a scene with decisions that constantly plague him. Cliff is a little more free spirited and enjoys stunt work when he gets it and being a friend to Dalton. It is difficult for Cliff with a rumor that surrounds an incident in his life.

On several occasions he sees the young girl Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) hitchhiking through L.A. After dropping Dalton off on the set, he sees Pussycat again and offers her a ride. Strangely enough she is staying at the Spahn Movie Ranch where Cliff once shot scenes and she invites him to meet Charlie. Eager to see owner George Spahn (Bruce Dern), he is met with hostility by Squeaky (Dakota Fanning) and Tex (Austin Butler).

Dalton decides to go to Italy and do spaghetti westerns and returns home after six months with a wife and a need to simplify his life which includes having to let Cliff go as a driver. That doesn’t stop these old friends from whooping it up one last time. That same night, Dalton’s very pregnant neighbor Sharon and friends Jay (Emile Hirsch), Abigail (Samantha Robinson) and Voytek (Costa Ronin) are out celebrating as well.

What none of them could know was what would happen on Cielo Drive that hot night in 1969!

DiCaprio as Dalton is absolutely stunning in this role. He is a paranoid, dysfunctional, insecure chain smoking alcoholic who believes the worst about himself as an actor. That is what makes his performance brilliant in that he is not only able to pull all of that off, but kept me convinces for two hours and forty-five minutes. DiCaprio’s acting within acting scenes is intense at times but so damn well done I forgot it was a scene within a scene of the movie itself. I will be thinking about this performance for a very long time.

Pitt as Cliff is laid back and happy with his life of being in the background of Dalton’s career. This character that has a past that gets in his way yet not enough to bother him. His true love is pittie Brandy who is just as adorable as she wants to be and very protective of her human. Pitt gives the audience charm, rooftop abs (oh sorry, should I not have mentioned that?), that insanely memorable grin and a threshold of no-nonsense that is amazing up to the point where it isn’t. I am crazy about every aspect of this character until the absolute…very…end and then I just fell head over heels once again for Pitt. There couldn’t have been a better pairing than these two actors and honestly I never would have thought of it which is why I’m not a director.

Robbie as Tate gives a performance of a sweet and simple woman who loved music, friends, and sitting in a movie theatre watching herself not out of narcissm, but to experience the audience reaction. Her character portrayal of the actress was beautiful.

Olyphant as Stacey gets a chance to don western gear and I loved watching him dual it out, so to speak, with DiCaprio. Fanning as Squeaky portrayed someone I wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley…ever. Butler, Madison and Beatty as the terrifying Manson trio are as frightening as they need to be and I’m leaving it right there.

A shout out to young Julia Butters as Trudi is epic in her two scenes with DiCaprio. My reaction to her was immediate and filled with smiles. Her character is smart, witty, and perceptive all trapped inside the body of an 8 year old. I want to be her when I grow up!

Other cast include Sydney Sweeney as Snake, Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy, Harley Quinn Smith as Froggie, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Mike Moh as Bruce Lee, Lorenza Izzo as Francesca Capucci, Rumer Willis as Joanna Pettet, Scoot McNairy as Bob Gilbert, Clifton Collins Jr. as Ernesto, Michael Madsen, and Kurt Russell as Randy.

Also, Rebecca Gayheart as Billie, Lena Dunham as Gypsy, Nicholas Hammond as Sam Wanamaker, Mikey Madison as Sadie, Madisen Beaty as Katie, Julia Butters as Trudi, Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder, and Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarzs.

This is as brief of a review as I could possible do for this film because I really don’t want to spoil any of it for anyone. I can say that I think I’ve seen a strong contender for an Academy Award nomination and many actors that could easily fill all the slots for Best Actor and Best Supporting nods.

What I love best about this film, and perhaps it shows my age, is that I remember all of it. The clothing, magazines, music, cars, the scenery, the places and the events of the era turned a light back on inside my head. All of it provided an emotional rollercoaster of staying in the story and trying not to let the eye candy distract.

The story, and oh what a story it is, came from the mind of Tarantino absolutely. Every scene was a wonder of where it was going and what would happen when we (meaning everyone in the theatre with me) got there. Dalton and Booth took us on the ride and I didn’t fight on second of it. We wanted to know more about their personal issues and the six degrees of separation between every character we were introduced to. Trust me when I say this was definitely a theatrical experience.

Were there a few giggles? Of course! Tarantino has a twisted sense of that and he lets us in on it. Of course I caught myself giggling a few times to myself but that’s my own personal twisted sense of humor.

The audience walked out on a high of immediately talking about what they had seen and wondering if the people they were with shared in their thought process. No one left right away but instead mingled outside of theatre 5 to continue sharing the experience. Here I sit and I’m still thinking about it all.

Yes the film is 161 minutes long yet it is one of the best times I’ve had at the movies in a long time. Being in the desert of wanting-thirst for something amazing on screen, Tarantino has just given me a huge whiskey sour and I certainly wouldn’t mind another.

In the end – it is a story of Hollywood Tarantino style!

The World Records Everything and Sometimes it Leads to THE BIG TAKE

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD from writer/director Justin Daly and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is one video and THE BIG TAKE.

Douglas Brown (James McCaffrey) is a huge Hollywood actor who has a night that he wants to forget. Vic (Slate Holmgren) has cameras running at the Universe Club and Brown has no idea what’s about to happen. Vic confiscates the incriminating video and has a serious plan.

Working on getting financing for their film The Night of the Fire, Vic hits up Max (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with the good news that Brown will be a silent partner financing their film. The one condition, says Vic, is that Brown wants to remain anonymous. What Max doesn’t know is that Vic is blackmailing Brown for $200,000.

Brown turns to his agent who in turn hires Frank Manascalpo (Dan Hedaya) who has seen worse in his day. Bea (Tara Westwood) works with Frank and knows the works at the Universal Club and discovers the missing hard drive from the security camera. She also discovers that underneath the ransom note is a clue leading to Max.

Frank talks to Max about what he knows and that’s where the confusion comes in. Frank wants to know what Max knows and Max doesn’t understand why the actor is going back on his anonymity. That’s about the time Max’s hot wife Oxana (Oksana Lada) comes to the rescue.

Now Frank has to call in a specialist, Edie (Zoe Bell) has the look of someone you never want to deal with and she charges accordingly. Soon after Frank receives a call from Detective Aborn (Robert Forster) saying that Max and Oxana want to discuss a film project. Frank is seriously confused by it all and tries to call off Edie but she has plans of her own.

Gathering up the players, Edie wants to know what is happening, Max wants to know where Oxana is, Vic is wrapped up tight and Brown can’t explain why his money is in Panama. Confused yet? So is everyone else but sometimes confusion comes with the movie making territory!

Moss-Bachrach as Max is an easy going writer who just wants to get a movie made. Little does he know that he’s about to mentally go around in circles thanks to his buddy.

Thinking he has been set up by Brown in some way, he tries to get answers that only make things a little worse. Moss-Bachrach is endearing and confused which is a good combination when you can pull it off which he does.

McCaffrey as Brown starts out the film with something that will shock him the next morning. Of course the film isn’t specific but I’m sure by the look on the faces of everyone who sees the blackmail DVD, it’s epic cause for disaster. McCaffrey is funny and plays this character as a man who has double worries – money in Panama and a nasty DVD. Forster as Det. Aborn is more confused than anyone else in the film and rightly so.

Hedaya as Frank is smart but not quick or else he wouldn’t have gotten a smack down. His call for back up brings Bell as Edie who is a tad curious of a character and totally psycho. Well done Bell!

Lada as Oxana is happy with her music and being skimpy for her husband but has no problem what so ever wielding a gun or loaded fire extinguisher. Holmgren as Vic is that friend you have to keep an eye out on – all the time! He wants to get the film made and will do pretty much anything to make it happen.

Other cast include John Enose III as Rick, Joslyn Jensen as Laura, Taylor Black as Brigitte, Nick Daly as Wade and Matthew Kehoe as Matt.

THE BIG TAKE is a cheeky movie within a movie that has a lot going on for it. First of all, a hilarious cast of characters that truly have no idea what is going on. The one person who does ends up knocked out in the hospital and can’t straight anything out.

That being said, it’s also a film about the misunderstandings of people who are doing shady stuff! The only innocent people in all this are Max and Oxana and I give them props for not letting anything or anyone get the better of them.

The film made me chuckle a lot and found myself talking to the screen and I have to admit I actually enjoy doing that. Director Justin Daly comes from a film making legacy as his grandmother is screen legend Ingrid Bergman. He is currently working on his next feature film.

In the end – sometimes you gotta do a little killing to make a living!