12/9 Movie Trip

Paul McGuire Grimes, creator of Paul’s Trip to the Movies gives us his feedback on The Fabelman, Strange World, and She Said – all in theaters right now.

THE FABELMAN (in theaters)

Steven Spielberg has frequently used his family and childhood as themes in his films like E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Now, he faces his past head on in The Fabelmans. Together Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner have written The Fabelmans as a meditation and collective healing over some Spielberg’s personal childhood traumas stemming being Jewish and having divorced parents. In the movie, he’s named Sammy and is introduced to the movies by his parents Mitzi and Burt. That movie is The Greatest Show on Earth and from there a love for the cinema was born. Immediately, he wanted a train set for Hannukah so he could recreate a famous scene in the film. For the rest of his life, a camera would always be attached to him capturing precious family moments, family moves to different cities, and home movies he made with friends. 

-Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Willimas, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, David Lynch

-Like many Spielberg movies, we are seeing the world through the eyes of a child. They shoot the film capturing that wonder and awe through Sammy’s eye and perspective.

-The film is a collection of family memories in how they all inspire, challenge, and shape each other. There’s a surface level joy in the family, you know they all love each other but you can feel the hardship escalating as Sammy grows up.

-A surprise visit from Uncle Boris leaves an impact on Sammy and the audience thanks to Judd Hirsch’s incredibly moving performance. He’s one of many fine performances including Michelle Williams soulful performance as Mitzi Fabelman. She’s divine in the heart and self-reflection she brings to Mitzi and is the glue that holds the film together.

-There may be hardships and sorrow, but Spielberg and Kushner add in humorous dialogue with Sammy’s witty comebacks to awkward moments with a Jesus-obsessed teen trying to convert Sammy to Christianity.

-Spielberg fans will notice little touches along the way like nods to his other films like the light seeping in through the door frame akin to Close Encounters and many more I won’t spoil.

-This is not the loud, eye-opening blockbuster we’re used to from Spielberg, but the power and the impact of this film comes with the quiet, sometimes soundless, moments where life is uninterrupted. He gives everything he has to The Fabelmans with raw joy, passion, and soul. He reminds his audience there’s no hiding what’s on film. It illuminates the truth about the lives we lead and the power of imagination. It may not hit you right away, but hopefully it will sit with you like it did for me.

RATING: 5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

STRANGE WORLD (in theaters)

Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Gabrielle Union lend their voices to the newest animated Disney film, Strange World. This is a fathers and sons story spanning three generations. Jaeger Clade is a renowned explorer who took his young son, Searcher, out for a dangerous mission. Searcher discovers a glowing energy source within the plant species called Pando. The purpose of this trip is halted when Jaeger turns on his son and disappears after this discovery. 25 years later, Searcher now has a wife and son of his own living in the land of Avalonia. He’s left the world of exploring and has become a farmer. His son, Ethan, is growing up and figuring out his own path in life. Avalonia’s leader Calisto seeks Searcher’s help to head up an expedition when the Pando crop appears to be in danger. Searcher abides and finds his family, including son Ethan, have jumped aboard his vessel despite his warning against the danger. Their adventure takes a few strange turns when they find themselves in a subterranean labyrinth.

-Featuring the voices of: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu

-The story of Strange World is set up as one found in an old adventure book being cracked open and read. It should draw kids in pretty early as it opens with an adventurous mission full of peril.  This is one of many action sequences and chases that fill the film’s short runtime of 90 minutes.

-Inspired by films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Avatar, and Pixar’s Up and have shied away from making it a musical like Frozen or Encanto.

-Some of the plot points and themes may look familiar, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the majestic work the animation team has put into this film. They’ve pulled out all the stops, and the concept of these new worlds opens the animation to endless creativity in the creature designs, textures, and colors. You could get lost in watching and examining the animation.

-Disney has explored parental themes dating back to the early days of Bambi and Pinocchio. They’ve come a long way and it’s refreshing to see the grandfather, father, grandson dynamic in Strange World. It’s not a happy go lucky one, but one that felt a little more grounded in today’s culture with resentment, generational divide, and dad jokes along the way.

-Disney has progressed to having Strange World be an accepting and inclusive world where Ethan’s sexuality is openly discussed and has him getting romantic advice from a family member. Giving kids this type of accessibility is vital.

-Jake Gyllenhaal lends his voice to animation so well. As the young Searcher, he has that plucky, go get ‘em attitude and then he leans into the protective but pure goofball stage later on as Ethan’s dad. He nails that embarrassing dad vibe. Dennis Quaid finds the gruff and scratchy “crazy grandpa” persona to Jaeger.

-Strange World sees three generations of differing personalities and values coming together to make a difference. Disney sets out to remind its audience that the world continues to change and evolve around us. It’s up to us to acknowledge that and determine the legacy we want to leave for future generations.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

SHE SAID (In theaters, OnDemand)

The takedown of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was something that rocked the industry and felt like a long time coming. The new film, She Said, takes an investigative eye into how that happened. It’s based on the book of the same name written by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who led the charge in reporting this story. Jodi Kantor decides to explore systemic sexism in Hollywood after Rose McGowan’s bombshell allegations against Weinstein. Only after Bill O’Reilly was fired at Fox News for similar allegations, did Kantor believe something could happen to Weinstein. She partners with Twohey to interview actresses and former employees at Weinstein’s company Miramax to learn the truth of what happened with their former boss.

-Starring: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Ehle.

-follows in the line of great films about journalism like All the President’s Men, Spotlight, and The Post. Films like this are rare, so it’s hard not to think of these while watching She Said.

– Director Maria Schrader distills this down into two paths, one being how hard it is for women to tell their story, two the meticulous nature a newspaper takes at publishing a story like this.

-Unlike the other films I mentioned earlier, what’s missing here is the drive and the urgency in the pacing that I know the two women had at getting this published. I didn’t quite feel that ticking clock to a deadline like this story needed. It seems like Schrader wanted to allow time for the victims’ stories to be told and for them to land than rushing to the next scene.

– She Said uses a mix of actresses like Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle playing victims to Ashley Judd appearing as herself to voiceover actors playing Rose McGowan and Donald Trump.

-Samantha Morton is simply incredible at playing the exhaustion and the feeling of being partly worn down but now out of the ring yet feeling.  It felt like a turning point in the film, but the rest of the film couldn’t quite reach the weight Morton gave to that one scene.

–She Said may feel a bit stagnant in the middle, but these stories are worth hearing and are given the attention they deserve thanks to director Maria Schrader and her dedicated ensemble. There’s a real sense of bravery and determination the victims and journalists have in situations like this, and we need to hear these stories over and over when there’s outcry over Fake News or the #MeToo movement.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS