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We're almost at the end with Looking Back folks, but until then, let's review today's movies.
Why Didn't I See The Fabelmans?
Now I wanted to see this film, mainly because Steven Spielberg was making it. So I did have plans to see this. However, like almost every other movie I wanted to see, there wasn't a showing.
What is The Fabelmans?
The Fabelmans is a coming-of-age drama film. It was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The Fabelmans was written by Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner and directed by Steven Spielberg.
The story is a young boy named Sammy Fabelman along with his parents go to the theater to the movie, The Greatest Show on Earth. After being dazzled by it, he realizes what he wants to be, and he starts his path to become a filmmaker.
My Thoughts
The Good: I'll keep my first positive thought brief. This movie's cinematography is beautiful. Probably the least surprising thing, given this is a Steven Spielberg movie. Now even though there is a coming-of-age drama, we do get some nice bits of humor. There's this nice bit of dialogue between Sammy and a bully at the school prom and it was just hilarious. Hell, even Seth Rogen has some good bits and he wasn't been funny in years. Since I brought up an actor, this would be a good time to praise the performances. All I gotta say is this cast was tremendous. It got to the point where I felt like the cast just disappears in these roles. By the way, after rewatching The Batman not too long ago, it's kinda funny seeing Paul Dano go from playing a psycho serial killer in that film, to seeing him play a loving husband/caring father. Truly a talented man (😆). The final praise I'll give is The Fabelmans has a truly great message about pursuing your dreams of becoming a filmmaker. Actually, I think the proper thing to say is dreams in general. Because whether you're a filmmaker, an artist, a musician, writer, or etc. you can connect to how something mesmerized you and you decided that's what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. Even if you have people thinking it's just some sort of phase your going through, or how some will think you've just taken up a hobby. But, while that's good, the movie also tells you how while it's good to pursue that dream, you also shouldn't let it consume you. There were quite a few scenes where Sammy is called out for putting his filmmaking before his family. Which again is very relatable. You've probably know someone who was just fully focused on their work, that they just put everything else aside including their friends and family. Who knows, maybe you were that exact person at some point in your life. So yes, while the movie is using the trope of "it's okay to chase after a dream, don't forget what's important", that doesn't mean it's a message to ignore.
The Bad: No negative statements here.
The Okay: Nope, got nothing for this section.
Final Verdict: A Must Watch.
Why Didn't I See The Menu?
Simple, there wasn't a showing at my theater.
What is The Menu?
The Menu is a dark comedy movie. It was produced by Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions, and TSG Entertainment and distributed by Searchlight Pictures. The Menu was written by Will Tracy and Seth Reiss and directed by Mark Mylod.
The story is a foodie, his date, and many wealthy people have been invited to an exclusive restaurant on a private island by big time celebrity chef, Julian Slowik. At first, it seems like it's going to be a fun time, but after a series of increasingly disturbing monologues and then uncomfortable truths being revealed, the guest quickly realize there's something far more sinister going on.
My Thoughts
The Good: One thing I liked about the movie was the dark comedy. Not only was it truly funny, but it actually has a great satire of how crushing the food industry is and how a chef can lose a passion for cooking, because someone like say a food critic can just take the fun out of cooking. It was some great stuff. Then there's the cast. Everyone from Ralph Fiennes to Nicolas Hoult to Anya Taylor-Joy and etc. were truly amazing, and they had good chemistry throughout the movie. The last thing I'll praise is I didn't know what to expect. I'm serious, this movie actually kept me guessing. It's not everyday that happens.
The Bad: I've got nothing.
The Okay: My only slight issue with The Menu was the ending. It's not a bad ending, it's just I didn't buy that the characters were at the point where they just gave up and accepted their fates.
Final Verdict: Great.
Why Didn't I See Strange World?
Believe or it not, I completely forgot this movie even came out. Disney provided such little marketing, I didn't know it was released until the end of the 2022.
What is Strange World?
Strange World is a animated sci-fi adventure movie. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Strange World was Qui Nguyen and directed by Don Hall.
The story is during a mission, Searcher and his father Jaeger had a falling out that lead to Jaeger continuing his the mission all alone. 25 years later, Searcher has made a name for himself and has a loving family. One day he's called upon by some former teammates who need his help. After crossing over to another world, they set out for a huge adventure. But when this isn't happening, Searcher and his father must find a way to mend old wounds.
My Thoughts
The Good: Really the only good thing about this movie is the animation. It's great.
The Bad: Let's start off with the fact that despite being labeled as an adventure movie, there's not much of an adventurous feel. What I mean by that is, if you're going to make an adventure movie, you gotta have peril, danger, whatever you call it in your adventure movie. Here, there's not much of that. Most of the time our characters are in an environment where they can quite literally bounce off of and be perfectly fine. So even when they get cornered, who cares. They can jump off a cliff, and no harm will come to them. And even when they are in danger, it doesn't matter cause they don't get so much as a paper cut. It almost felt like the filmmakers were too scared to put these characters in danger, even though the fun part of an adventure film is the danger. Then there's the comedy, or lack there of. I'll admit I chuckled maybe twice. But for the most part, I sat on counch in silence. The jokes are two categories, A) Complete Failure or B) Predictable. Now for the art. Sure it's well drawn, the issue is the characters are not in the same style. Just look at these two right here.
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| Searcher (top) and Callisto (bottom) |
If I told you these two are from the same movie and you didn't believe me, I wouldn't blame you. Searcher is drawn in a far more cartoonish style than Callisto. And it's not just those two, the whole movie is like this. Which begs the question, why did they have two different styles? Was it really hard for them to choose one or the other? Since I'm speaking of characters, let me tell you about their personalities...or again lack there of. I haven't seen every single recent or old Disney animated movie, but so far, as of right now, these have got to be the most bland and shallow characters in a Disney movie. There's just no depth to them. But when the writers try giving them depth, it's just generic. And now when I look back at whatever marketing I can remember, it's no wonder Disney made such a big deal out of Searcher's son [Ethan] being gay. Cause everything else about him is so uninteresting, that his sexuality is really the only thing he's got going for him. Which brings me to the story. Oh boy. Much like our characters the story just isn't interesting. Most of the time it's just being clichéd like Searcher and his daddy issues, or it's being predictable. Like for instance, there's this whole big twist, but once you see Searcher and Ethan out in the open, with seemingly nothing around them, you can easily put two and two together and immediately know what the twist is. And when generics and predictability aren't happening, an out of nowhere change will just happen for no reason. An example of this is, when Ethan snaps at his dad and says how he wants him to be a farmer just like him. Which makes no sense, because not once did Searcher ever say that. Sure, he got into a debate with his dad [Jaeger] about farming vs. exploring, and did say something to the extent of "Ethan thinks farming is better", but he wasn't actually talking about Ethan. Searcher was just using Ethan as a metaphor for himself, just like his dad was using Ethan as a metaphor for himself and why exploring is better.
The Okay: Got nothing for this part.
Final Verdict: Bad.
That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Nov 27th, for my review of Ridley Scott's newest film, Napoleon. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
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