"Disclosure Day" - I want to believe.

The idea has been around for decades that the government has been hiding proof of the existence of aliens. Specifically, that aliens have visited Earth. Just recently, the Pentagon released a bunch of declassified files about UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon) investigations that proved exactly as much as every other information release regarding UAP (renamed from UFO some years ago). In a word - nothing. Personally, I do not believe that aliens have ever visited Earth. Definitely not since human beings invented civilization. I'm definitely open to the possibility, on the condition that any evidence presented is clear and irrefutable. But the biggest reason I don't think aliens have been here is because it requires me believing that they crash their spacecraft. Crash them a lot.

Disclosure Day is what all the alien conspiracy theorists dream of. It's the day we find out that aliens have been zipping around the skies of Earth for years. It's the day we find out the government knew about the aliens, even captured some of the aliens. It's the day we see the "real" video of UFO/UAP encounters; clear and detailed images of extraterrestrial craft and biologics rather than grainy videos of glowing orbs or flocks of seagulls. It's the day we confirm that despite wildly advanced technology allowing aliens to travel vast distances and defy the laws of physics, they crash more often than a drunk, fully self-driving Tesla.

Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) is a cybersecurity specialist working for the Wardex corporation. Daniel has stolen copies of all of their files related to the existence of aliens, as well as a piece of alien technology. Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) is the head of Wardex and wants his stuff back. Daniel is working in league with another Wardex employee named Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) to release all of the information to the public. After a botched attempt to trade Daniel his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) for the alien stuff, Daniel and Jane go on the run from Noah while Hugo finishes setting something up in preparation for the information release. It's a story and plot we've seen in countless other films, but director Steven Spielberg (also wrote the story) and writer David Koepp aren't content with just that.

Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is a meteorologist in Kansas City who wants more out of life than TV weather girl. When a cardinal flies into her apartment and looks at her, she gets what she asked for. She starts reading minds and speaking different languages, including an alien language while on air doing the local forecast. When that video goes viral, Noah and friends see it and immediately set out to capture Margaret. So too does Hugo, once he's clued into the video. Once all of these people are in motion, we find ourselves engrossed in a classic Spielberg film.

You know what I’m talking about. Clear goals and motivations for the characters. Steady pacing to build drama all the way to the climax. A well-defined plot that’s easy to follow. Actors delivering good performances, if not great performances. On that note, shout out to Hewson for some excellent work in the second act of the film. She’s asked to shapeshift (I won’t say how) and she does a remarkably good job going back and forth.

And of course, the special effects and musical score are top shelf. Close your eyes for a second and you immediately recognize music that can only come from John Williams. Then, open your eyes and soak in the beautiful visuals and long takes, including a four-minute take where Blunt vocalizes the alien language...with no SFX or AI assistance. Things like this are why we always show up for Spielberg films.

A friend that came with me was really interested in seeing the film. What I didn’t know prior to inviting him was that he hadn’t been to a movie theater in over a decade. When we sat down, he was surprised to find reclining chairs and plenty of legroom. The look on his face was one of joy. When the credits rolled, I asked him if this movie was worth returning to theaters for and that look was still there as he emphatically said it was well worth it. I may not believe aliens have visited Earth, but I believe in the power of Spielberg.

Rating: Worth every penny, conspiracy theory or not.

“The Fabelmans” - It’s not Fabelman. It’s Fabel-Man. He’s a fable...man.

After watching The Fabelmans, I wondered what certain directors’ childhoods might look like. I imagine Martin Scorsese had a nanny who was also a hitman. Baz Luhrmann rarely ate food that wasn’t laced with LSD. George Romero constantly buried his friends on the beach. Quentin Tarantino definitely tortured animals. Stanley Kubrick was the kid in The Shining. And Steven Spielberg? For sure a kid with a video camera at all times, maybe even a clapboard tucked into his belt. The Fabelmans shows that video camera and more.

Similar to James Gray’s Armageddon Time, The Fabelmans is a fictionalized depiction of parts of Spielberg’s childhood. Unlike Armageddon Time, The Fabelmans has a plot and also a point. It’s right there in the title - Spielberg is going to tell us a story with a moral.

Spielberg’s analogue is Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle). We first meet young Sammy as he is being coerced into a movie theater by his parents, Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) to see The Greatest Show on Earth. Sammy is scared of seeing giant people on screen and parents assure him that they aren’t really that big. Once inside, Sammy is transfixed by what he sees on screen, instantly falling in love with moving pictures. This could be the end of the story, one quick anecdote to explain Spielberg’s love of film, but Spielberg is a better storyteller than that.

Back home, Sammy tries to recreate the train wreck scene from the movie. While Burt scolds Sammy for not taking care of his trains, Mitzi encourages Sammy, lending Sammy Burt’s 8MM camera. After a successful recreation, Sammy starts making films with his three sisters, gradually working out how to do different kinds of effects and clearly having fun. Sammy has clearly found his calling, much to the chagrin of his computer-building father and delight of his pianist mother. Then, his father gets a job offer in Phoenix, Arizona and the family moves there, taking with them Burt’s best friend and business partner Bennie (Seth Rogen).

It’s in Phoenix that the film really gets into the meat of Spielberg’s childhood story. After several years of honing his craft, now-teenage Sammy is making complex, elaborate films. As a Boy Scout, Sammy figures he can earn his photography badges through making films and enlists his entire troop in his projects. He also captures on film a family camping trip, one that inexplicably includes Bennie. It is through all these films that Sammy discovers how powerful film can be. More than just showing the things that are happening, Sammy realizes he can manipulate how audiences perceive what they are seeing and also that film can also capture things that weren’t intended to be seen. This is all classic Spielberg and, yes, we are being manipulated by him.

One more promotion for Burt, and the family is once again on the move, this time to Northern California…this time without third-wheel best-friend Bennie. Here, we get a couple more fables in the form of Sammy dealing with being bullied at school for being a Jew, Sammy navigating his first romantic relationship with a devout Christian, and Sammy grappling with his parent’s relationship falling apart. That’s a lot of crap for a seventeen-year old to deal with and he finds his way through it all with film.

All of these small stories (and a couple others) add up to a solid narrative explaining why Spielberg is the way he is. At no point does the film ever feel trite or that Spielberg is indulging himself, rather that Spielberg keeps the perspective that he’s trying to entertain an audience. The story flows quite nicely, there are heroes and villains, and we feel for Sammy throughout his childhood. I also quite enjoyed LaBelle’s performance, who really sells us on every emotion Sammy experiences. Plus, there are a couple of scene stealing moments from supporting roles in Judd Hirsch (Sammy’s uncle) and the Christian girlfriend (Chloe East).

If I was going to pick one director who could pull off making a movie about them self, I’d pick Spielberg. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t skeptical going into The Fabelmans because how could I not be? It’s blatant narcissism. But nobody is better than Spielberg at crafting a story and he proved it again with The Fabelmans. I even would have been okay if he showed young Sammy with that video camera tucked into a holster on his belt.

Rating: Don’t ask for any money back, which is what we expect from Spielberg.