New Spielberg movie: The Fabelmans (2022)

[LSH 901]

3 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

And we're off!!

 

 

 

I've stayed quiet on this thus far... but, I have to admit, I cannot wait to hear this!

[Jay 33,668]

Big new THR article

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/steven-spielberg-paul-dano-michelle-williams-interview-the-fabelmans-1235253097/

[Edmilson 5,663]

I used CTRL+F and the only reference to John Williams I could find in this article was this:

 

Quote

Production on The Fabelmans took 59 days beginning in summer 2021, primarily in California. Spielberg’s longtime collaborators came aboard, including Kaminski, who has worked with him since 1993’s Schindler’s List; production designer Rick Carter, with him since the 1980s NBC series Amazing Stories; film editor Michael Kahn, who first joined him to make Close Encounters; and composer John Williams, who has been with Spielberg since his 1974 feature debut, The Sugarland Express. “We all felt protective of him,” says Macosko Krieger, who started as Spielberg’s assistant in the ’90s. “We knew that he was putting his heart out there for people to see for the first time.”

 

[Once 556]

Most interesting part of the article for me;

 

Quote

Though Spielberg recently handed off Indiana Jones to director James Mangold, he in no way considers The Fabelmans valedictory. One thing he’d still like to make, for instance, is a Western. “He’s not done,” says Macosko Krieger. “Oh, no, no, no. They’re going to pry a movie camera out of his hands. He was put on earth to make films. He’ll continue to tell great stories for the rest of his life.”

 

I'd love a Spielberg/Williams western!

[Brando 1,365]

23 minutes ago, Once said:

Most interesting part of the article for me;

 

 

I'd love a Spielberg/Williams western!

Before this article came out, I've been thinking this exact same thing. Plus, Williams said it was hard to say no to Spielberg, so if he gets his mind to it, it could happen.

[michael_grig 450]

I am very exasperated that the film will not be shown in Germany until 26 January 2023. A cheek!

[Once 556]

5 minutes ago, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

I am very exasperated that the film will not be shown in Germany until 26 January 2023. A cheek!

That sucks, but it's even worse in Denmark - here the release date is the 23rd of March!?!

[filmmusic 1,587]

24th of November here in Greece, but I don't think I will go to see it at the cinema.

I haven't gone for years...

I'm more looking forward to the score than the film itself.

[Edmilson 5,663]

1 hour ago, filmmusic said:

I'm more looking forward to the score than the film itself.

So am I.

[crocodile 7,540]

On 02/11/2022 at 6:31 PM, Once said:

Most interesting part of the article for me;

 

 

I'd love a Spielberg/Williams western!

That would be awesome.

 

Karol

[Brundlefly 2,346]

16 hours ago, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

I am very exasperated that the film will not be shown in Germany until 26 January 2023. A cheek!

Until then, you can go watch Im Westen nichts Neues and Crimes of the Future to pass the time.

[karelm 2,733]

Just returned from the movie and it was very lovely.  Truly amazing how much Sammy embodied the young Spielberg.   Really good film but might not be everyone's cup of tea.  For me, I found it very personal and moving but there is no spectacle.  It's just a family story and a letter to one's younger self (and a love note to their parents).  

[filmmusic 1,587]

11 hours ago, karelm said:

Just returned from the movie and it was very lovely.  Truly amazing how much Sammy embodied the young Spielberg.   Really good film but might not be everyone's cup of tea.  For me, I found it very personal and moving but there is no spectacle.  It's just a family story and a letter to one's younger self (and a love note to their parents).  

I just saw the movie is 2,5 hours. Did the duration tire you?

I find these days that I struggle to watch a movie more than 1,5 hours. I don't know why...I fall asleep. 

[karelm 2,733]

2 hours ago, filmmusic said:

I just saw the movie is 2,5 hours. Did the duration tire you?

I find these days that I struggle to watch a movie more than 1,5 hours. I don't know why...I fall asleep. 

 

The first act was maybe stretched out a bit long for me, but the film became better as it went.  By the end of the film, which is what really matters, it was a very satisfying emotional experience but yes, could have been tighten down at the first 30 minutes.  Maybe 10 minutes too long.  Again, don't expect the gravitas of a Spielberg great - it's a simple and poignant film.  Very mature and respectful.  Some will consider that boring because there isn't some great Speilbergian payoff.  

 

Spoiler

It's not so much about film making as it is about pursuing your true path.  The beauty of the film is that it takes the entirety of the film to show, it can cause a lot of pain to yourself and those you love in the pursuit of your dream and living your true self, and that doesn't make you a bad person.  For Spielberg's (err Fadelman's) mom, that's to leave her husband.  For Sammy, that's to leave the boring career path his dull/safe father wished for him and pursue film - his true passion.  This makes the film quite different from Scorsese's Hugo, which was a love letter to film, this is not that.  That's why Act 2 and Act 3 are better and the film by its end is very satisfying emotionally - it took a tough path with lots of bumps for them to set off to be who they were meant to be, and we know that will work out very, very well.  On a deeper level, there are many people who it doesn't work out well for - the film handles this well by the crazy uncle who himself briefly appears as sort of a broken version of a dreamer who spent his life living his true self but never made it.  That makes this film very rich, complex, yet never bombastic or smashing on your head with emotions.  It's simple, poignant, and very satisfying.

 

[AC1 4,067]

Don't know if this was posted already ...

 

[Tom 3,997]

Well, there is no way I'll have time to read that.  

[Jay 33,668]

 

[Brando 1,365]

Almost time!!!!

[JohnnyD 1,167]

I just got back from seeing The Fabelmans. This was definitely Steven Spielberg’s most personal film, and certainly one of his best films, though I expected nothing less from Mr. Spielberg. I have to say that this was the best film to come out this year. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves; it was very heartfelt, moving, with plenty of funny moments and a lot of depth and drama. I can’t wait to see it again; heck, I can’t wait until I get it on 4K Blu-Ray, as I also want to know about the making of the film.

[Tallguy 2,160]

Does anyone think this is going to connect with anyone in a general audience? (Serious question. I have no idea.)

[Not Mr. Big 4,474]

1 minute ago, Tallguy said:

Does anyone think this is going to connect with anyone in a general audience? (Serious question. I have no idea.)

They're only showing it in 600 theaters nationwide so probably not.  

[Tallguy 2,160]

6 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

They're only showing it in 600 theaters nationwide so probably not.  

 

Oh! I was going to try and see it this weekend. I suppose I should try to make more specific plans.

[Molly Weasley 100]

4 hours ago, Tallguy said:

Does anyone think this is going to connect with anyone in a general audience? (Serious question. I have no idea.)

I went with my brother, who enjoys probably all the Spielberg movies he's seen, but is by no means a "film person." He loved it. He was raving about the exact things that I wanted to compliment before I even said anything. 

 

I think there are a lot of layers to appreciate in this movie. It hit us both as intensely personal but in the best sense, like a well-crafted life's work project. And at the same time, it hit on raw, relatable themes of growing up and pursuing dreams and navigating family. Very real and authentic. This all sounds fairly pretentious- but like I said, it impacted my aggressively un-pretentious brother in the same way. 

[artus_grayboot 75]

Got to see it last weekend in LA with friends and it was just amazing. We’re all 20-somethings trying to make it in the entertainment biz, having all moved away from home to pursue our passions. The film really spoke to us.

 

I agree with @Molly Weasley that there’s a universality to the movie. It’s actually really incredible that something so personal and specific could be so relatable - Spielberg is so good at that.

[Brando 1,365]

I thought it was cool that the entire orchestra is credited in the credits. Plus John Williams name shows up twice.

[mrbellamy 5,892]

Yeah loved the hell out of this. I was most into it pre-California but then again the Jesus girl scene is one of the funniest things he's ever done, I kind of can't believe that's in a Spielberg movie lmao, or ostensibly is something that more or less must have happened to him. That moment when he looks up at Jesus when she's on top of him, I was dying. And Lynch's scene with that very last camera adjustment, it's too good. 

 

It's an interesting thing watching this because on one hand I still feel that just about everything he's saying here was being communicated obliquely in his other movies, which in some ways is more interesting. But on the other hand, he's never REALLY made just a straight hangout/coming of age film and this is a surprisingly breezy watch. More than any other movie since Schindler's List, I can tell he had to get this out of his system for the Judd Hirsch scene ("you love your parents and your sisters, but you love THIS a little more" hits so close to home, what a line), the discovery in the camping footage, and those couple brilliant seconds with Sammy's vision of himself in the mirror during the family breakup. One of the most honest visual ideas I've seen in an autobiographical movie, somebody's had a lot of therapy. 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

The kids are with their grandparents, I'm seeing this movie (finally!) with my wife at an 11am showing today 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

It was very good, a rich and multi-faceted experience.  All of the actors were extraordinary.  Anyone who says “Oh Hollywood just loves movies about the power of movies” has clearly not actually seen this movie as that would be a willfully shallow takeaway from this story.

[Bayesian 1,165]

Just got out of the theater and I echo all the praise for this film. I tear easily at movies and this one jerked all the tears out of me, especially as the child of divorced parents.
 

The latter half of the movie, once they move to Santa Clara county, was spellbinding. Some of the vibes, such as in the scenes with the bullying or the prom breakup, were much like what I experienced, even if the details were completely different. But also the breezy feel of high school, with its cliques and  girls you crushed on and the general optimism at that age in your life—Spielberg is almost 80 and he captured that mood so fucking brilliantly; better than directors half his age could.

 

The David lynch cameo was pricelessly terrific and leads into the funniest and cleverest meta moment (one of at least two in the film) I’ve seen in a movie maybe ever. 
 

Also, everyone can quit bitching about the amount of original score in this movie. It’s perfectly spotted and JW’s score is pitch perfect when seen in context. 

 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

What really sucks about this movie under-performing in the theaters is that it's exactly the kind of movie that could find its audience when it hits streaming..... except its Universal so it'll go to Peacock....a streaming graveyard...

 

I'm really ready for Peacock, Paramount+, or both to fold already, it's inevitable that one of them will.

[Not Mr. Big 4,474]

33 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

What really sucks about this movie under-performing in the theaters is that it's exactly the kind of movie that could find its audience when it hits streaming..... except its Universal so it'll go to Peacock....a streaming graveyard...

 

I'm really ready for Peacock, Paramount+, or both to fold already, it's inevitable that one of them will.

Fuck Peacock.  They took Parks and Rec from me

[JNHFan2000 2,042]

58 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

What really sucks about this movie under-performing in the theaters is that it's exactly the kind of movie that could find its audience when it hits streaming..... except its Universal so it'll go to Peacock....a streaming graveyard...

 

I'm really ready for Peacock, Paramount+, or both to fold already, it's inevitable that one of them will.

 

All of Universal's films always go to streaming to rent/buy first when they don't do well in theatres. All they're films of the past few years have done that.

 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

Yeah it's a terrible strategy

[Toillion 126]

I was planning on seeing the movie this week but just realized it’s only showing at one theatre in my state 150 miles away! 😭

I don’t live in the largest of cities but it’s still the state capital and fairly large so I’m surprised there isn’t a single showing. 

[Molly Weasley 100]

Just saw it again. It feels much quicker the second time, in a good way. This should win for editing honestly. 

 

But I did have to drive half an hour outside of the major city I live in! 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

I did like the new Universal -> Amblin logo that premiered with The Fabelmans.  If nothing else just for the humor of having Goldsmith score over the ET Amblin emblem .

 

Despite my problems with Universal's strategy these days, it does feel good and right for Spielberg to be back "home" after so many years.  I just hope they continue to work together despite the failure of this one.

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

Spielberg has had a not great track record with casting young men over the last 20 years.  They've mostly ranged from bad (Justin Chatwin in WOTW) to the just ok, not actively hurting the movie but not good either (Jeremy Irvine in War Horse, Tye Sheridan in RP1).  Well, he finally struck gold with The Fabelmans.   I was so impressed with Gabriel LaBelle in this movie, he really knocked it out of the park in every way.  That scene with the jock bully in the hallway after showing the beach movie.... wow, the absolute highlight of the movie for me and LaBelle was truly great in it.

[Brundlefly 2,346]

3 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I did like the new Universal -> Amblin logo that premiered with The Fabelmans.  If nothing else just for the humor of having Goldsmith score over the ET Amblin emblem .

 

Despite my problems with Universal's strategy these days, it does feel good and right for Spielberg to be back "home" after so many years.  I just hope they continue to work together despite the failure of this one.

 

I hate the "modernized" Universal fanfare so much! They should just have left the 1997 version untouched...

[Tallguy 2,160]

I saw it last night. It was good. It was a lot. This movie is so personal that he would have made it exactly like this even if he was just going to screen it at home.

 

I have to admit that the much lauded Lynch scene felt more like a deleted scene. It was awesome and it felt like the story that Spielberg always told being brought to life. But it didn't feel like it belonged in this movie. It did, however, set up that last shot which was hilarious.

 

It was weird that he made Monica Catholic. Nothing about her (other than her JFK poster) feels specifically or even generally Catholic. Especially not 1964 still having Mass in Latin. Maybe this was based on a specific experience in which case, what can I say? But she was very stereotypically evangelical.

 

I had no idea that Spielberg lived just north of the Phoenix Zoo. I've driven past the road he lived on hundreds of times.

 

And I was in a crowd far too small to have exclaimed as loudly as I did when I saw the Kachina movie theater. It's in the last scene with Sammy and Benny when he buys him the camera. That's where I saw Batman and Star Trek V. My cousin got to see Return of the Jedi there. Sadly I never did get to see anything Cinerama in it. It was town down in 1989.

 

I was wondering if the theater where he saw Liberty Valance was supposed to be a specific theater.

 

On 26/11/2022 at 5:44 PM, Bayesian said:

But also the breezy feel of high school, with its cliques and  girls you crushed on and the general optimism at that age in your life—Spielberg is almost 80 and he captured that mood so fucking brilliantly; better than directors half his age could.

 

This. And it wasn't the specifics. It was a very general feeling and he nailed it.

 

Williams' moments were powerful but few and far between. And good for him.

 

EDIT: OMG - The psycho kid was Pete from Pete's Dragon and the scary computer kid from Person of Interest!

[JohnnyD 1,167]

1 hour ago, Tallguy said:

It was weird that he made Monica Catholic. Nothing about her (other than her JFK poster) feels specifically or even generally Catholic. Especially not 1964 still having Mass in Latin Catholic. Maybe this was based on a specific experience in which case, what can I say? But she was very stereotypically evangelical.

As a Catholic, I laughed so hard at that scene. I thought it was one of the funniest scenes in a film I’ve ever seen in a while. Especially the moment Sammy looked up at the Crucifix as Monica was kissing him.

Yeah, she definitely had that evangelical Catholic going for her. 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

Love this article on what also stood out to me as the most interesting scene in the movie (the one in the hallway after showing the Ditch Day movie)

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/12/steven-spielberg-the-fabelmans-blockbuster-legacy/672456/

 

The key:

Quote

Or, as Sammy tells Logan, “I wanted you to be nice to me for five minutes! Or I did it to make my movie better. I don’t know.” In The Fabelmans, Spielberg is working through troubled memories of the collapse of his parents’ marriage, but he’s also interrogating his own desire as an artist to entertain, whatever the cost. Sammy turns Logan into a star to try to make him happy, but also because he can’t help but make the crowd-pleasing choice.

 

I even liked reading the article's spirited defense of Ready Player One being an exercise in self-critique

Quote

The stream of callbacks feels cheap, but it’s supposed to; Wade and his friends live in an echo of an echo, a headache-inducing blockbuster arena that’s transformed a world of art into loud wallpaper to play pretend in front of. Spielberg seems a little disgusted with this imagined state of affairs, but there’s genuine pity on display too.

 

But ultimately I disagree.  I think it's a valid read on the film, but I don't personally sense that intent on the part of Spielberg.  I think in his mind he was just making a crowd-pleaser where he got to experiment with new technology (which is of course another theme of The Fabelmans, his interest in the engineering of film). Obviously I think he failed with that movie, but I enjoyed this alternative take.

[JNHFan2000 2,042]

Just watched the film. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I didn't know what I was going to see so there were quite some surprises. I was a bit worried that it would be a film just about Spielberg and it becoming a sort of 'here, look how good I am' film. So to my delight it wasn't that at all. It was a beautiful film about a family, a young boy's dreams and those dreams being influenced by the events in his life.

 

The performances were all outstanding. Standouts were Williams, Dano, LaBelle, Hirsch & Lynch in a great cameo.

 

Williams score was sparingly but when it was there it instanty reminded me of why Williams is the best film composer of all time. Wonderful work.

Besides the acting and music the directing by Spielberg, as always, was outstanding. I can't describe it but this is a Spielberg film through and through, from the first shot to the last.

 

I had to scene that I thought were instantly iconic in his filmography. The scene in the hallway after the showing of his Ditch Day video and the scene with Lynch as Ford. Incredible!!!

[Jay 33,668]

I just checked and this is still playing in theaters near me, so I'll be able to go see it at the cinema.  Yay!

 

I see its already on VOD for $20, too

[Bayesian 1,165]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:39 AM, Disco Stu said:

I did like the new Universal -> Amblin logo that premiered with The Fabelmans.  If nothing else just for the humor of having Goldsmith score over the ET Amblin emblem .

 

Despite my problems with Universal's strategy these days, it does feel good and right for Spielberg to be back "home" after so many years.  I just hope they continue to work together despite the failure of this one.

 

 

I only just noticed the cleverness of the way the Amblin moon is introduced after the Universal earth as though the two actually belonged to each other in real life.

 

(Yeah, yeah, duh.)

[DangerMotif 877]

 

[Jay 33,668]

Here's the same video on youtube, might be better quality than twitter

 

 

[Bayesian 1,165]

26 minutes ago, Jay said:

I just checked and this is still playing in theaters near me, so I'll be able to go see it at the cinema.  Yay!

Definitely do the theater. It's the last time you'll see "Music by John Williams" on a new Spielberg picture on the big screen. Unless, of course, it's not.

[Holko 8,615]

I liked it a lot! Some really good acting and direction, it knows its scale, highly personal but overall humble enough, more of a love letter to the parents with all their quirks and faults than a self-glorifying biopic. Many standout scenes I loved.

[Bespin 7,566]

I'm currently watching the movie.

 

The beginning is VERY ordinary.

 

Before the grand uncle appears, nothing really happens.

 

John William's music take a long time to appears too...

[Disco Stu 15,483]

I love the opening.  A very well-observed portrait of a family.

 

For me, the movie benefited a lot from being seen in a theater.  But I guess I'm glad people have a way to watch it now, even if they're typing on their phone while it's on....