By Lynn Venhaus

Dear Mr. Spielberg,
Your movies have given my family and I so much joy over the years. I was away at college the summer of 1975 when one warm July night, my roommates and I went to see “Jaws” at the local movie theater. You invented the summer blockbuster, and ever since, all your movies have been an event.

I introduced my children to “E.T.” first, and I still tear up every time I watch it. “Jurassic Park,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Lincoln” — you’ve made some of the best films of all-time.

“Bridge of Spies,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and “The Post” are personal favorites, and your adaptation of “West Side Story” was at the top of my Ten Best List last year.

So, I had very high expectations for “The Fabelmans,” especially after viewing the “Spielberg” documentary on HBO. I know it’s “loosely based on your childhood, from age 7 to 18, and it explores the power of how movies help us see the truth about each other and ourselves.

Maybe that adage, “Never meet your heroes” applies here.

Because, while I find the performances exceptional and the production elements superb, your retelling of your ‘semi-autobiographical’ coming-of-age story isn’t as magical as your other films.

THE FABELMANS, from left: Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, 2022. ph: Merie Weismiller Wallace / © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Yes, you followed your dream, but turns out your childhood isn’t all that extraordinary. Except for the reason your parents’ marriage broke up, your early life was like many other kids – divorced parents, dad moving because of work, an artistic kid being bullied and for Jews, antisemitism.

Basically, you had a rather “Leave It to Beaver” childhood, not as vanilla as many a WASP, but fairly typical — your parents loved you and your sisters, attempted to give you a wonderful life, and your dad was a genius engineer.

As a filmmaker, you were too close to the subject matter, and needed to get out of your own way.

When you concentrate on discovering your passion for filmmaking and finding ways to tell a story, now that’s fascinating.

But all that high school drama with the mean jocks, yawn. Except for the Ditch Day film, which really highlighted your gifts and how people are revealed upon observation.

But — two and a half hours? And the best scene is at the end! You stuck the landing beautifully – and that little nod to Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp before the credits roll, chef’s kiss.

That final encounter on the studio lot gives the film the zest that was missing – and it was the spark that propelled your drive to be in the business.

It’s the best cameo of the year, no spoiler from me!

Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman

Your life as a golden boy of cinema has introduced you – and us — to worlds of wonder, and we feel like we know you.

The film is heartfelt and shows how much love you have for your family and the movie-making process. Artists must create and you have been able to make an impact on a global scale. Truly remarkable.

You will be remembered as one of the greatest directors of all time, and we see the effort.

I will wait for the sequel that discloses your early career milestones, breaking through in Hollywood, and the people that shaped you along the way. Now, that story may be the extraordinary one that I was expecting here.

Sincerely, an unabashed fan whose favorite thing is discussing entertainment, and thinks that all of life’s riddles are answered in the movies.

Back to the nuts and bolts for review purposes — Gabriel LaBelle makes quite an introduction as gawky young Sammy Fabelman, who makes movies using his Boy Scout troop as cast and crew.

Paul Dano and Michelle Williams are well-suited to play parents Burt and Mitzi, who bring up four children born during the post-World War II Baby Boom and moved the family from New Jersey to Arizona to Southern California before finally divorcing.

Williams has flashes of brilliance as the mercurial mom, a classically trained pianist whose concert days are past, but the longing isn’t. She’s in love with Bennie (Seth Rogen), Burt’s best friend, and they are eventually together.

When Sammy’s keen eye discovers a little too intimate interaction between the pair during a family camping trip, he’s devastated, resulting in viewing his mother differently. It’s a powerful scene when he shows, not tells, her what he saw.

That conflict is a major focus of the original screenplay co-penned by Spielberg and collaborator Tony Kushner.

A smaller one is his computer whiz dad thinking filmmaking is a hobby and that Sammy needs a more stable career pursuit, but that is a standard trope between artists and scientists. Dano’s quiet demeanor effectively contrasts with Williams’ more flamboyant personality.

Appearing briefly in a slight but showy role that screams supporting actor nomination, Judd Hirsch is an eccentric uncle who used to be in the circus and recognizes a kindred spirit in Sammy.

Young Sammy, who must react to his first film, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” in 1952, is played by standout Mateo Zoryan.

Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography is splendid, so is Rick Carter’s production design, and John Williams has produced a fine score.

But, there is just something nagging about a film that I wanted to be great, but is just good.

“The Fabelmans” is a 2022 drama directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch and Seth Rogen. Rated PG-13 for some strong language, thematic elements, brief violence, and drug use, and run time is 2 hours, 31 minutes. In theaters Nov. 23. Lynn’s Grade: B

By Lynn Venhaus
An American remake that is as tense and gripping as the 2018 Danish original, “The Guilty” will surprise with its carefully crafted twists in a story you think you have figured out – but assumptions are a dangerous tool.

“The Guilty” takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries to save an emergency caller in grave danger, but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.

Gyllenhaal bought the rights to the acclaimed foreign language film, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and was Denmark’s entry for the Oscars (not nominated; “Roma” won) three years ago. (The original is currently streaming on Hulu.)

As a producer, he cast himself as the lead, a demoted police officer working as a 911 dispatcher, and assembled a crackerjack team.

The creative crew – including screenwriter Nic Pizzolatto, of HBO’s “True Detective,” has not changed much, but moved the location from Copenhagen to Los Angeles, where the public safety personnel are involved in quelling wildfires. The call center displays horrific scenes of fire ravaging the landscape on its multi-screens.

Original screenwriters Gustav Moeller, who also directed the 2018 film, and Emile Nygaard Albertsen, had written such a compelling script that it really didn’t need much embellishment. It’s a brilliant example of building tension in a contained area in a race against time.

Above all, the source material illustrated that a rush to judgment is often counterproductive. The takeaway is that one should not jump to conclusions before all the details are available.

One change is the temperament of Baylor. Whereas in the original, Swedish actor Jakob Cedergren played the conflicted police officer with a more stoic demeanor, they both are frustrated by the petty calls clogging up the system and show little patience.

Gyllenhaal is a more intense actor, so he plays Joe with pent-up rage. While he answers routine calls, he seems a little more on edge, his inhaler present. Turns out he has a trial set for the next day, but the charges are not revealed right away. Through his conversations with others, we piece it together.

Emily, a mother of two who is in the process of getting a divorce, calls 911, whispers for help, and Joe soon gets involved in a complicated case. She is frantically voiced by Riley Keough.

Gyllenhaal’s ferocity will sometimes get in the way of cool, calm decision making under pressure. He will say and do things that further heighten a dangerous scenario.

Clearly, his conscience is wrestling with some other issues. As a beat cop, he’s trying to be a hero – is this a means of redemption?

Director Antoine Fuqua knows a thing or two about shooting action films – his collaborations with Denzel Washington include the Equalizer reboot and its sequel, the “Magnificent Seven” remake and Washington’s Oscar winner “Training Day.” He directed Gyllenhaal in “Southpaw.”

Fuqua makes a fairly stagnant situation bristle with adrenaline and anxiety. What kind of peril is Emily in? As the film unfolds, we will be able to see the bigger picture.

The voice work is stellar, as one would expect from the supporting players. Besides Keough being the distraught victim on the other end of the phone, Peter Sarsgaard (Gyllenhaal’s brother-in-law in real life) plays her husband Henry, who is living separately from their family.

Ethan Hawke, an Oscar nominee for “Training Day,” is a police sergeant whose work banter with Joe indicates familiarity. Paul Dano, who directed Gyllenhaal in the underrated “Wildlife,” plays a VIP who is mugged while visiting the City of Angels.

The editing by Jason Ballantine is impressive, and the music score by Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos conveys an urgency that increases the helpless feelings coming through the phones.

At a 90-minute runtime, Fuqua keeps it taut, and Gyllenhaal displays the effects of compromised morality that’s a necessary ingredient. While this may not be better than the original – they did this tale first after all, so there is a lack of surprise if you have seen it – but for American audiences experiencing it as new material, this puts the thrill in thriller.

“The Guilty” is a thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Jake Gyllenhaal. Voice work is by Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard, Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano. It is Rated R for language throughout and is 90 minutes. In theatres Sept. 24 and streaming on Netflix Oct. 1.
Lynn’s Grade: B+