The Fabelmans (2022)

 The Fabelmans could've /should've been called The Spielbergs :)

A very personal account of Steven Spielberg childhood, from the age of seven to age 18, his family and his passion for cinema developing. More interesting than many of the new films (it's a cycle ,a series) that famous directors do recently about their childhood/coming-of-age (Branagh's Belfast, PTA's Licorice Pizza, Cuaron'sRoma, Linklater'sAppolo, James Gray's ArmageddonTime). 

Overlong sure (2h31)  and over-sentimental (Spielberg ?!, his own memories...) but a real treat for cinema lovers. One of the year's best films and what we expected from SS in aloong time...

To be seen in the movie theatre, especially for the visual qualities.

Variety called it `the Rare Great Movie About the Ecstasy of Making Movies`. 

Agreed!

TBC...

Gabriel LaBelle personifies a very motivated and ambitous SS (Sammy Fabelman). 

Also you gotta see who John Ford is;)

Ruben Östlund talks about his favorite films

 Ruben Östlund talks here (or direct link below) about his favorite films, etc. With the occasion of French release of Triangle of Sadness (my review here), named en francais 'Sans filtre'.

He also names as one of his favorite films Godard's Sympathy for the Devil (One+One), of which I recently wrote on the Godard tribute here. Intersting to see he apreciates Annette (on my top of 2021 here),as well as Parasite and Roy Andersson, and that made ski films before he went to film school.

This is a great programme that takes directors into a video (DVD) shop in Paris. Konbini Video club.

You can also check other episodes, Cronenberg, Argento or Brad Pitt )

The English (2022)

Best thing on TV streaming right now. Not Yellowstone, nor Tulsa King, but The English. 

And with a lot of resemblances with 1883, the Yellowstone prequel from earlier this year on Paramount+.

It's a 6 episodes mini-series, like 5 hours movie, BBC with Amazon Prime but in Romania on HBO Max. 

Created and directed by Hugo Blick with a superb Emily Blunt and a majestic Chaske Spencer. A gritty revenge western, with one of the best bad guys in recent memory, Rafe Spall. A terrific supporting performances by Cieran Hinds. And a surprisingly low-key Stephen Rea. Shot in Spain, in Castilla-La Mancha and Almeria, where the legends were made...

As a good and old friend of mine wrote me: It's like Sergio Leone would make The Last of the Mohicans :)

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

'I command you- enjoy the moment!'

Triangle of Sadness (2022) is one of the year's best films, an amoral fable and a statement of our times (or any times?). An unapologetic great satire, a comedy as dark as they come (or go :).

Lots to say/write/think, I got what I expected and more, was entertained (is this the word?) and it fits my world viewpoint somehow (und more:) In den Wolken ). I think it's Ruben Östlund's best, a mix of Marco Ferreri's La grande bouffe (1973-that is something the French might have loved t in Cannes) with shades of Monty Python (The Meaning of Life dinner sketch and beyond ;) and Bunuel's Le Charme discret de la burgeoisie (1972, and lots more of Bunuel into it),  three chapters of exuberating nihilism and cinematic anarchism with a great ambiguous ending,  A young couple, two fashion models, beautiful but crude in life (brit Harris Dickinson -watch out for this guy (cos he's on his way to the Top!!!) and a special nod for Southern African actress Charlbi Dean as Yaya, who sadly died recently at the crudest age of 32...) find themselves on a yacht in an exclusive cruise for the very very rich and powerful (?). Trouble ensures. Galore. A lot of puking included. No more spoilers here. I would say the 1st act is somehow slower and tricky, it gets you into a very different direction than the other two chapters that follow. The film duration of 2h27 is well justified though and I personally would've liked act 3 to be even longer...

Woody Harrelson as the aloof captain is a blast, and Croatian Zlatko Burik (recurrent Nicolas Winding Refn actor: Pusher trilogy,Bleeder and now Copenhagen Cowboy) as 'I sell Shit' Dimitri is the highlight of an impeccable eclectic cast. Filipino Dolly De Leon as Abigail deserves an award alone! No score composed but brilliant sound design and sarcastic choice of songs :)

I would've picked this one tho (from the aptly titled Human Menagerie;) Great widescreen cinematography by fellow Swede Fredrik Wenzel, Östlund's DOP also for The Square and Force Majeure. To be seen on the big screen! (it runs in selected theaters in Romania NOW). 

It is a worthy Palme d'Or, second for  Östlund, entering now a very select circle of filmmakers (number 9 after Coppola, the Dardennes, Kusturica, Imamura, Haneke, Alf Sjoberg !  Bille August !, Ken Loach !, all overrated IMO except the Coppola wins -his second Palme for Apocalypse Now though it was a tie-in with Schlondorff, also Kusturica and Haneke). I thought  Östlund's first Palme was way overrated, The Square didn't convince me in its last act, leaving the satire and irony for some sort of cheesy human redemption. Here's not the case, ToS being closer to Parasite than to Östlund's own Force Majeure or Play. A sort of 'eat the rich' and the best use of the word 'shit' on the big screen. Oh, also think Pret-a-Porter as a Disney Pocahontas film compared to the modelling /fashion insight of ToS. Also The Square and Parasite were films I saw on their world premiere in Cannes, in 2017 and 2019, I wished I was there to see this one as well. I really don't think this will make much fuss at the Oscars next year, as it's way too dark and cynical for the AMPAS to enjoy it as it should. The redeeming values of human race are very low here and it's very actual and morbid fun. But I guess in an European way, we'll see about that soon enough. As written above, one of the year's best films and a statement of the times that will grow surely into an unapologetic great cult film. 

4 1/2 out of 5/ 9 out of 10!

The Title meaning:

 "Triangle of Sadness," as defined by filmmaker Ruben Östlund, is a term appropriated from the beauty industry, referring to the space between one's eyebrows where the struggles of life manifest as wrinkles. That is, if you don't have the money, power and privilege to smooth them out with a quick procedure.

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check out also my post about talking about his favorite films. Here or

https://aldmovieland.blogspot.com/2022/11/ruben-ostlund-talks-about-his-favorite_23.html

*****

Update: Dec.11th. Triangle just won big at EFA 2022 (European Film Awards), the big four;)-best film, director, screenplay and actor-Zlatko Burik !!!

https://variety.com/2022/film/awards/european-film-awards-2022-winners-1235456466/