Movie Reviews

Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film

The Fabelmans plays as a sort of Rosetta Stone for the legendary director’s filmography. Attending his first motion picture with his parents, a young Sam Fabelman obsesses over a sequence in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth. Instead ofor in spite of - a traumatic effect, the scene’s impact leads to its recreation in Sam’s first 8mm film. His growing interest in filmmaking is encouraged by his mother, a frustrated musician (Michelle Williams, carefully balancing the character’s whimsical and anxious nature). His father, an electronics genius (Paul Dano, whose straight-laced performance may not register as acting), encourages his son’s new passion only as a hobby. Sam’s response to this push-pull dynamic is intensified by a visit from an estranged family member (a tour-de-force turn from Judd Hirsch), who makes it clear that “art will tear” the budding creator’s “heart out”. As his father’s increasingly lucrative job offers uproot the family every few years, Sam (Gabriel LaBelle, perfectly capturing the pangs of adolescence) hones his craft. Family scandal and school rivalries deepen the emotional core of his works, presaging the spirit of the real director’s big-screen masterpieces. Subtle callbacks to earlier films, loving close-ups of mid-20th century film equipment, and a surprise cameo during an all-time great closing sequence make The Fabelmans one of Spielberg’s most compelling movies, its raw honesty and love of life producing a touchstone of an already fabled career. –

Submitted by Karl Knack

The Menu

Skewering the obscenely wealthy in the name of sociallyminded satire is a tale as old as time, but recently, we’ve had something of an embarrassment of riches in that regard. From big screen entrees such as Ruben Östland’s Triangle of Sadness to HBO’s delicious The White Lotus and even Rian Johnson’s lukewarm Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, it does seem so be some-

Mylod’s The Menu. Given the title and subject matter, it would be tempting to assume this eat-the-rich tale might take that call to action literally, but Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) is not the type to make his point by serving up human protein at his ultra-elite island restaurant, Hawthorne. As the evening progresses course by ostentatious course, the true meaning behind Slowik’s carefully crafted menu is gradually revealed to his hand-picked clientele. Slowik’s meticulous planning is upset, however, by Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) who arrives as a last-minute substitute date on the arm of a particularly obnoxious quasi-intellectual foodie, much to the consternation of the Hawthorne staff. As a satire, The Menu takes careful aim at the artist/patron relationship and the thematic disconnect that often exists therein, and while the tale that unfolds is certainly a harrowing one, those with a stronger stomach will find plenty to laugh at. – Submitted by Patrick Jouppi

Tar

Actress Cate Blanchett gives an electric, tour de force performance in Todd Field’s Tar (2022). Blanchett plays the imperious Lydia Tar, an exceedingly accomplished symphony conductor who has seemingly done it all. At the beginning of the film, we see the imposing Tar preparing to conduct and record Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. As Field’s, precise, skillful study of Tar’s complicated character unfolds, some audiences will see a calculating, master-manipulator who wields her power over those within her orbit in unscrupulous ways. Others may see Lydia as a victim of one-sided, internet-driven character assassination based upon rumor and unsubstantiated hearsay. Some audiences will embrace Field’s intentionally vague storytelling, seeing a mixing of the two threads moving back and forth between Tar’s enigmatic, multi-layered persona. Yet, as the story of Tar’s fall proceeds, Field’s impeccable film resists lazy binaries and clear-cut answers, instead it amplifies ambiguity, even going so far as to playfully raise questions about the trustworthiness of the narrative itself. – Submitted by Ryan Gage

Reviews submitted by Ryan Gage. These great titles and others are available at the Kalamazoo Public Library.