There’s a pivotal moment in Steven Spielberg’s beautiful new film THE FABELMANS that takes place in the Scottsdale of my youth. The long demolished Kachina Theatre looms in the background for over a minute. Sure, Camelback Mountain may be in the east instead of the west where it belongs in the scene, but the giant “Home of Cinerama” sign on the side of the building is right where it belongs, as is the Kachina logo. My love of film was born in that theatre with its tiny lobby loaded with coming attraction posters, stills and doors to one of the biggest movie palaces I’ve ever sat it. My family saw “Airport” 8 times in six months at the Kachina in 1970 and I remember it vividly. Yes kids, movies really did used to play for that long in one theatre! The care with which Spielberg places it in his memories as a budding filmmaker is just one of the personal connections that he lays bare in this stirring, revealing look at his family. The Fabelmans are indeed the Spielbergs. The film opens with young Sammy, the film’s obvious Steven, seeing his first movie, DeMille’s “Greatest Show on Earth”. The major train accident at the conclusion of that film rivets Sammy, who immediately recreates it with his toy train set. When his mom suggests he film the toy train crash once and then relive it on film, a future genius is born. Mom Mitzi (Michelle Williams) is a free spirit, a talented concert pianist and a dreamer, inspiring young Sammy from his earliest youth to embrace his dreams. Dad Burt (Paul Dano) is a brilliant engineer, looking at life in exact numbers, black & white. Mitzi and Burt are opposites but care deeply for each other and their family. Sammy and his sisters find balance in the ying and yang of their parents. Burt’s best friend Bennie (Seth Rogan in a terrific dramatic performance) seems to practically live with the Fabelmans and even makes the move with Burt when the family relocates to Phoenix for Burt’s work. Teenage Sammy is now played by Gabriel Labelle in one of the most compelling and understated performances of the year. He stands toe-to-toe with Williams and Dano, who both deliver world class performances. I expect Oscar nominations all around come February, along with a best supporting actor nod for Judd Hirsch as Mitzi’s Uncle Boris, who arrives at the family’s doorstep spouting Yiddish and wisdom in equal measure. Boris had a life in show business and sees the same spark in Sammy. His speech about the conflict between family and a career in the movies is brilliant, just one of many moments crafted by Tony Kushner (Lincoln, Munich) and Spielberg with his first writing credit since “AI” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. Sammy’s love of film continues, and we watch as he assembles 40 fellow boy scouts to film a war movie. Hints of future Spielberg are everywhere and it’s obvious that he had a lot of fun recreating these pivotal moments from his teen years. The film takes another turn as the Fabelmans relocate to northern California to follow Burt’s work. Relocating in a WASP town that Sammy calls “the land of the giants”, he’s a short Jewish kid facing bullying, violence and anti-semitism every day in the hallways. Spielberg has said that the treatment he received over his religion turned his away from his faith for many years until his wife Kate Capshaw converted and he went on to make “Schindler’s List” and create the Shoah Foundation. Over the course of two and a half hours that feels much shorter, Spielberg weaves together the story of his journey and desire as an artist with a deeply personal look at his family. Williams and Labelle have some heart wrenching moments as a mother and son with secrets too heavy to bear. Dano has the more difficult role as the clenched, tightly wound Burt, but his silent moments around a campfire as Mitzi dances in the headlights of the family car are powerful, revealing every bit of what he feels but can’t express. Longtime collaborator, director of photography Janusz Kaminski delivers a beautiful look, capturing the Arizona desert and California towns of the 50’s and 60’s, while composer John Williams provides one of his most quietly compelling scores. The film closes with a legendary meeting between college dropout Sammy and one of his film director idols. Spielberg has said that every moment of the encounter was exactly as it appears in the film. The fact that he cast one of modern film’s most visionary directors in the role of that film legend is a bonus. Spielberg saves one of his best directorial flashes for the film’s very last seconds, with a sly and hilarious reference to what that director taught him. He’s clearly taken that advice to heart, building one of the greatest film legacies of all-time. In those last seconds, Williams’ music score suddenly grows happy, echoing the soaring music he’d create for Spielberg’s blockbusters. The music and that visual gag combine for the perfect moment that Sammy becomes Spielberg. With THE FABELMANS he delivers his most personal work. Quiet, dramatic, funny, and sometimes painful, it’s a moving tribute to what forged him, all the while delivering another Spielbergian experience at the movies. If that’s not a word, it ought to be. THE FABELMANS gets an A+.

One of James Cameron's lesser known films, but in my opinion one of his best, THE ABYSS is a terrific action/sci-fi hybrid that takes place beneath the ocean's surface. As the film opens, the crew of an oil rig is commissioned by the Navy to assist in the rescue of a downed nuclear submarine that has sunk to the ocean's floor nearby. Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) and his estranged wife Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are at the end of their marriage and on opposite sides of the Navy takeover. When a Seal Team boards the deep dive rig with a mission of their own, tension grows and suspicions rise. The rig crew is filled with great actors who delivery laughs and realistic friendship in the face of danger. Writer/Director James Cameron is swinging for the fences here, following up "Terminator" and "Aliens" with another non-stop action piece. Like Aliens, once he sets the story up, hurricanes, disasters, violence and suspense kick in and never let up. Michael Biehn is scary as the Seal commander who doesn't react well to the pressures of the deep and Harris & Mastrantonio have some great scenes together as their relationship comes full cycle in the face of crisis and death. There are more than nukes at the bottom of the sea and the special effects throughout were state-of-the-art in 1989 and hold up very well today. Alan Silverstri's music score is excellent and is always present. It's odd to note that Cameron has written Lindsey as a shrew for the first half of the film, setting her up with rudely misogynistic comments from other characters. Cameron is responsible for some of the bravest, boldest female action heroes in film history (Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Aliens, Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in Terminator 2) and Lindsey is an odd fit in that screenplay canon. Look for Letterman regular Chris Elliott as a member of the crew, he does a great job. The Abyss dives deep and comes up a winner with a tense and exciting A.

In 1997, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in a terrific adaption of David Baldacci's bestseller, ABSOLUTE POWER. It was the start of another great run for Eastwood at the box office, proving he had his best work ahead of him at the age of 67. Eastwood is career jewel thief, Luther Whitney. On the surface, he's retired and living the straight life after a stint in prison, but as the film opens, he's in the middle of his last big heist at the palatial home of political operative Walter Sullivan (a superb EG Marshall in his last film). Mid-robbery, Luther finds himself hiding in a huge closet with a one-way mirror as a man and woman engage in drunken passion that soon turns violent and deadly. The man is President of the United States Richmond, played with a killer blend of power and entitlement by a great Gene Hackman. Luther escapes, but the Secret Service is hot on his trail. The highest reaches of government, the FBI and Luther are soon in a complicated and enjoyable game of cat and mouse as a truth too damaging in the halls of power must be silenced at all costs. Eastwood is terrific, especially in his scenes with clever FBI agent Seth Frank, played to perfection by Ed Harris (The Right Stuff, The Abyss). Eastwood also shines in his interaction with estranged daughter Kate (Laura Linney) who only knows one version of her father, with his real persona being revealed alongside the facts of the mysterious death and burglary. Eastwood pulls off every scene in front of and behind the camera and keeps the suspense moving, supported by a great adaption of Baldacci's novel by one of our best screenwriters, William Goldman (All The President's Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride, Heat). Scott Glenn is great as a Secret Service man with morals, Judy Davis is menacing as the President's Chief of Staff and Dennis Haysbert is strong as another Secret Service man, years before he played the President himself on TV's "24". Eastwood crafts great movies and he's at his best in this taut, fun thriller. He didnt make a lot of spy/espionage thrillers in his career, but this along with "In The Line of Fire", "The Eiger Sanction" are standouts. Clint Eastwood is in ABSOLUTE POWER throughout and steals a solid B

An interesting early 80's take on the responsibility of the press and the truth vs. character assault, ABSENCE OF MALICE weaves an interesting tale that will keep you guessing. Sally Field (never one of my faves, but downplaying her usual overacting in one of her better roles here, one that Diane Keaton turned down) plays reporter Megan Carter, who is leaked a story by a prosecutor desperate for leads. The attorney general's office is sure that Liquor Wholesaler Mike Gallagher (Paul Newman) is involved in a mob hit on a union boss, because Gallagher's father was a mob boss. Gallagher, by all accounts, has never been involved in his father's business. As Megan writes a story implicating him, the ramifications begin to take apart Gallagher's life. Newman is terrific as a good man scorned. When he decides to turn the tables on Megan and the Attorney General's office by beating them at their own game, am intelligent chess match of truth versus a good story emerges. When Megan and Gallagher get to know each other better and a romance begins to spark, she's torn between the man she's getting to know and the man in her story. Wilford Brimley (Cocoon, The Thing) all but steals the show as a no-nonsense judge who arrives near the end of the film to unravel the many pieces of half truths and just who's pulling the strings. Director Sydney Pollack (The Firm, Three Days of the Condor) does his usual fine job behind the camera, bringing in a taut legal drama with more than its share of smarts. It plays like the counter argument to "The Post" and "All the President's Men". How would you react if you were falsely accused on the front page? Newman gives a master class on how an imperfect man pushes back. Malice gets a B.

Critics savaged this mash-up of history and horror, but I vote for ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER as an interesting, fun winner. Adapting his own hit novel, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith takes the true history of Abraham Lincoln and turns everything slightly askew, starting with young Abe's witnessing of his mother's death at the hands of a vampire. The Gettysburg Address, Abe's rise from shopkeeper to President, the Emancipation Proclaimation and slavery are all addressed with historical accuracy, but through a clever prism just askew enough to merge the facts with exciting fiction and Abe's night job as a slayer of the undead. It's fun, exciting, action packed and well written.Benjamin Walker is very good as Lincoln, Dominic Cooper is his vampire guide Henry and Rufus Sewell is very good as the vampire villain of the story. The conclusion aboard the railroad on the way to battle at Gettysburg is a fantastic action sequence, well crafted by director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and Producer Tim Burton. Set aside your knee jerk reaction to the title and the concept and let this one take you on a wild ride. The critics assassinated this one and audiences stayed away in droves, but honestly, I give Abe 4 hatchets. A solid, fun B!

Clever, interesting and funny, 2002's ABOUT A BOY is a perfect Hugh Grant vehicle. Grant stars as Will Freeman, a spoiled young man who has never had to work a day in his life thanks to song royalties from his father. He lives a perfect life, surrounded by every comfort, gadget and trend he can find. He's arrogant, closed off and blessedly shallow. When Will meets single mom Fiona (Toni Collette) and her 12 year old son Marcus (the excellent Nicholas Hoult), he is at first annoyed, then challenged, then unexpectedly, something more. Fiona suffers from depression and Marcus is an independent, quirky and intelligent boy, filled with all the confidence that Fiona lacks. As Will gets to know them better and becomes more involved in their lives, he begins to question the purpose of his own days. It's a credit to the directors Chris and Paul Weitz, carving out their best film here, that the story never seems forced. Will's growing awareness of who he is seems natural, gradual and real. So many films show people that change overnight into new people, but all our characters here show arcs that feel like real life. This is arguably also Grant's best performance, showing nuance and depth that goes beyond his usual winning screen presence. Funny and touching, ABOUT A BOY is about perfect and gets an A.

If you're in the mood for a quirky, campy, goofy mashup of Hammer Horror flicks and English comedy, look no further than 1971's The Abominable Dr. Phibes. In one of his last performances for legendary sixties independent studio American International, Vincent Price stars as Dr. Phibes, a walking corpse filled with revenge. Phibes is executing all the members of the medical team that lost his wife on the operating table after a horrible accident. The film cleverly sets up each of these murders as a replication of the biblical plagues of boils, frogs, death of the firstborn, etc and Price has a lot of fun setting up each of the murders. Peter Jeffrey is hilarious as Inspector Trout, the hapless detective always a step behind Phibes and his beautiful assistant. Joseph Cotton and Terry Thomas are great as well and the movie benefits from a superb sense of sixties style courtesy of director Robert Fuest, the man behind the classic series The Avengers. From the clever poster (a takeoff on the huge hit "Love Story" from the previous year) to every set and costume, Fuest infuses the flick with so much style and fun that it's easy to ignore the low budget and silly premise. An early seventies camp classic that murders a solid, silly B. (007 fans look for Caroline Munro (The Spy Who Loved Me) as the black and white images of Phibes' late wife.)

I went into BLACK ADAM with low expectations. With two exceptions, I find the DC movies to be ponderous, boring, and repetitive. The first 5 minutes of this one? Oh-oh, dull, pretentious narration over an overly complicated introduction to the mythology we’re supposed to care about……snoooooooze. But then, slowly, things start to recover, building to the best mid-end credits scene in any DC/Marvel movie. NO SPOILERS here. 5,000 years after being locked up in his tomb, Teth Adam is released by the intrepid, Indy-like Adriana (Sarah Shahi) and her comic relief brother Karim (Mohammed Amer). Not your typical superhero, Adam doesn’t feel any obligation to fight for the good guys. His patience is thin, his anger explosive. Luckily for us, his powers are god-like as well and the scenes of his reaction to the rogue military forces trying to destroy him after he’s first released are pretty great. Dwayne Johnson has been trying to bring the character to the screen for decades and I thought he was a great fit for the role. It’s a more serious take, but as Teth Adam continues to thaw out of his 5000-year rest and acclimate to modern society, his attempts at sarcasm are a lot of fun. They conjure up some of the great catch phrases of Stallone and Schwarzenegger in their 80’s blockbusters. Rather jarringly, after Adam’s release and explosive face-off, we are introduced to the Justice Force or Do-Gooder League or some such nonsense, honestly I didn’t really care and was rolling my eyes at another X-men like estate with hidden, behemoth underground airplane hanger blah blah blah. Atom Smasher (a very bland Noah Centineo) gets very big like Antman and wears a costume so close to Deadpool I kept thinking he was showing up out of the blue. Quintessa Swidell has some presence in her role as Cyclone, basically a rip-off of Storm in X-Men. (This is the part where some comic book geek yells at me that “Cyclone came first” Storm ripped HER off!” or some such mythology nonsense….who cares) But just when I was ready to lump the do-gooders into the trash bin, Aldis Hodge shows up as Hawkman/Carter Hall, with enough screen presence and charisma to raise an eyebrow “Rock” style. And then Pierce Brosnan comes on screen as Dr. Fate and steals the whole damn movie with an engaging, killer performance and the most interesting character in the story. They all head off to save the world from BLACK ADAM, setting up a very solid second half loaded with strong action sequences and a terrific turn by young Bodhi Sabongui as Adriana’s teenage son Amon. Everything nearly falls off a cliff with another villain twist and the gates of hell opening up. How many times can a DC film survive a weak villain? But all’s well that ends well and they save the best for last. Marvel films have made mid and end credit scenes a thing of legend, but they all pale compared to the major surprise served up mid-credits here. The scene gave me goosebumps and elicited loud cheers and claps from the theatre audience. It elevates the whole film with the promise of a very intriguing next chapter. Those two minutes are flawless. With a solid music score by Lorne Balfe (Top Gun: Maverick) and fun references to “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, BLACK ADAM isn’t great, but it didn’t have to be to rise near the top of the DC movies. It’s enjoyable, fast-paced and in Dolby Cinema, rocks your seat for a solid two hours. Brosnan gets an A+. BLACK ADAM gets a B-.