9 posts categorized "Filmmaking"

January 01, 2023

THE FABELMANS

COLE SMITHEY

Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.

Welcome!

This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.

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Thanks a lot acorns!

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ColeSmithey.comNo one does populist pap like Steven Spielberg.

I say that in a good way.

"The Fabelmans" carries such rich generational, emotionally driven, '50s era touchstones to entertain and touch us.

Damn, this is a good movie.

Tearjerker.

This may well be Steven Spielberg's best film.

You couldn't ask for a finer swan song if that turns out to be the case.

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Michelle Williams is remarkable in her role as Mitzi Fabelman, a complex mother, wife, artist, musician, dancer, and free thinker.

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Seth Rogan has matured nicely, as displayed in his commanding performance in a thankless role that Rogan elevates to something important, inspiring, and real.

Cool man. Nice work.

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Which brings us to Gabriel LaBelle, the hotshot rookie actor showing off his stuff with serious feeling, timing, and physicality.

Impressive.ColeSmithey.com

Gabriel LaBelle is the new Dustin Hoffman.

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Gabriel LaBelle is Spielberg's not-so-secret asset to this very satisfying movie about movie-making toward different motivations and skills.

I would be remiss to leave out the always wonderful Paul Dano, handling a difficult role with perfect mastery.

Beautifully understated and profound is Dano's rendering.

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Steven Spielberg and his ensemble had a lot of fun making this exquisite movie, and it shows in every frame.

"The Fabelmans" is a memoir imagined. It is an important artistic achievement that wears its heart on its cotton sleeve.

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At least someone still knows how to tell a story on film.

Cheers to Steven Spielberg for this full-on masterpiece of the seventh art.

Rated PG-13. 151 mins.

5 Stars“ColeSmithey.com“

Cozy Cole

Cole Smithey on Patreon

December 27, 2022

IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU ?!?

COLE SMITHEY

Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.

This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.

Get cool rewards when you click on the button to pledge your support through Patreon.

Thanks a lot acorns!

Your kind generosity keeps the reviews coming!

Cole Smithey on Patreon



ColeSmithey.comThorough as it is lean, Elvis Mitchell's telling of Black American Cinema is an essential documentary.

Straight up cinematic text book.

Mitchell's pitch-perfect narration takes the viewer on a heartfelt journey of Black film that volleys between personal interviews with Black Cinema artists, and neatly subtle editorializing.

You have to read between Mitchell's lines, and if you do, you'll find more treasure there.

ColeSmithey.com

This ex-film critic for the New York Times, knows his stuff inside out.

Elvis Mitchell's kind vocal delivery is silky smooth, a delight to hear.

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It's great that this amazing film is released on Netflix, because it means that so many audiences have access to it.

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You might want to keep a notepad handy to jot down a list of Black films you want to track down when this one's over.

Superbly written and edited, "Is That Black Enough For You ?!?" is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

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Thanks to its cool funk heavy soundtrack, you can feel the funk long after the movie ends.

Cheers baby, cheers.

Rated R. 135 mins.

5 Stars“ColeSmithey.com“

Cozy Cole

Cole Smithey on Patreon

February 16, 2022

DJANGO & DJANGO

ColeSmithey.comDocumentarian Luca Rea provides a fine format for Quentin Tarantino's loving telling of Sergio Corbucci's Spaghetti Westerns.

"Django & Django" is a must for cinephiles, and anyone curious about the inspiration behind Tarantino's masterpiece "Django."

Requisite rare clips from Corbucci classics such as, "Django," "The Specialists" and "The Mercenary" help tell the story.

Screen Shot 2022-02-16 at 5.15.45 PM

Cool.

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Quentin talks anecdotes, opinion, historic backstory, themes, text, and subtext.

Meaty.

Screen Shot 2022-02-16 at 5.11.45 PM

You won't have this much fun at film school.

You might as well learn from the Master.

5 Stars

COLE SMITHEY

Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.

This website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.

Get cool rewards when you click on the button to pledge your support through Patreon. Thanks a lot pal!

Cole Smithey on Patreon

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