Review by Dan Skip Allen

The Texas Killing Fields was a 2011 film based on a series of murders over several years in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. It had a great cast, including Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Jeffery Dean Morgan, and was directed by Ami Canaan Mann. The documentary series, Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, 11 years later from Netflix, is based on the same story as the film.

In the 1980s and '90s, a series of murders started happening in Texas around Calder Road Field, which is adjacent to the I45 corridors, which has become known as the Texas Killing Fields. When a fourth body is found, people become concerned that this is a deprived serial killer. Police in League City, Texas are baffled by this series of murders. This was preceded by a series of killings in the 1970s in the same area. How could all this be just a coincidence? 

It features various people involved in the murders. One of them is a parent of one of the dead girls, Tim Miller, and there are multiple other talking heads. It also features reenactments, archival footage, and narration over the film. It's the type of extensive docu-series for which Netflix has become known lately. Reporters and writers are also interviewed to give some substance to this story. 

Various suspects are brought up by people who live in the area and have studied the series of murders. The FBI profiled the case, and they came up with their own killer. Everybody started to get worried because their suspicions were wrong. Forensics at this time weren't at today's level, so things didn't go as well as they had hoped once the profile was sent down. ​

Review by Adam Donato

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Review by Tatiana Miranda

Most well-known for its controversial sexual content, D.H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover has received the Netflix treatment; its 1928 private publication has been updated for the 21st century via a feature-length film. Starring Emma Corrin as the titular Lady Chatterley, the film is clearly marketed toward fans of steamy period pieces, most notably Bridgerton. The plot centers around Lady Chatterley's husband's injury from the first World War, which causes his inability to fulfill her sexually. Due to her sexual frustration and his want for an heir, Lady Chatterley begins to have an affair with someone that everyone around her seems to disapprove of — her husband's gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors. ​

With its plot of secret romance and sexual liberation, Lady Chatterley's Lover appears to be a prime contender for a 21st-century adaption. Still, through a modern lens, the film's key subjects lose the nuance they had over a hundred years ago. Instead, its subtly shot sex scenes appear lackluster in comparison to other sex-positive period pieces being released today. Although Corrin and Jack O'Connell, who portrays Mellors, give it their all in terms of chemistry, the sex scenes end up feeling awkward and unfeeling. Between the lack of communication between Chatterley and Mellors and their hasty sexual encounters, the "love" between them that other characters allude to feels out of place. 

Beyond the romantic and sexual nature of the plot of the book, Lawrence also takes note of Mellors and Chatterley's class differences. The film adaptation hints at this, with the occasional commentary on local mining conditions and Mellors's profession. Still, this aspect takes a backseat to the more romantic tone of the source material. There are times when this feels like a solid choice, as the film already surpasses two hours, and other times where it feels that, by losing this commentary, Lady Chatterley's Lover becomes just another sex-filled period piece.

In the end, the sex scenes of Lady Chatterley's Lover outweigh the social commentary, yet they don't feel warranted enough to give the film romantic merit. The film ends up feeling like a jumbled yet aesthetically pleasing mess. The extremely talented cast doesn't help with the confusion, as their captivating character portrayals tend to distract from the disjointed nature of the film's intent. Does Lady Chatterley's Lover want to be a romance movie or erotica? Whichever it is, the film hardly achieves it and instead leaves the audience feeling disappointed in how they spent the last two hours.

Lady Chatterley's Lover premiers in select theaters on November 23 and on Netflix on December 2.​

Rating: 2/5

Review by Cole Groth

“Directed by Steven Spielberg” automatically elevates any film’s prestige. It’s a statement that anyone who enjoys movies will recognize and hold to a high standard. How does one of the greatest directors create a film about his life? The Fabelmans is the answer. Spielberg’s latest is the (literal) story of a lifetime. It’s a film that celebrates the art of movie-making and will move audiences of all kinds when it releases.

The opening introduces us to the Fabelmans, a beautifully dysfunctional family loosely based on Spielberg’s childhood. A young Samuel “Sammy” Fabelman (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) is taken to see his first-ever movie, which ignites a spark in his life that, unbeknownst to him, he will follow forever. Burt (Paul Dano) is his strict yet endearing father, and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) is his artistic and emotional mother. After receiving a train model for Hanukkah and subsequently crashing it, he gets a camera and records the crash with it. An older Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) finds happiness in making short films with his family, including sisters Reggie (Julia Butters), Natalie (Keeley Karsten), and Lisa (Sophia Kopera).
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The Fabelmans are perfectly written by Spielberg and Tony Kushner as a family unit to replicate many people’s experiences with their families. Each argument and emotional moment shared between the family feels realistic, which makes the audience feel more involved in the story that follows. Standing at an extraordinary 151 minutes long, we’re given ample time to learn how every character works. This long runtime allows for great scenes, such as when Boris (Judd Hirsch), Sammy’s great uncle, arrives for a night and explains how Sammy will have to balance his life as an artist and a family member. The script’s most potent moments lie in the relationship between Sammy and Mitzi. This mother-son duo has to continually reconcile their differences as they grow through life, just like typical families do. It’s hard not to get emotional at least once throughout this because of how relatable it can be. Whether you’re somebody who’s yearned to be a filmmaker, a person with a strained familial relationship, or if you’ve always dreamed of something bigger than yourself, you’ll find something that resonates with you.

Spielberg’s story is not quite as grand of a scale as the trailers would have you believe, with the family drama being one of the most dominating elements of the movie. Fortunately, the drama is incredible. Once Sammy moves to a new high school, he has to confront the effect of his Jewishness on how the world views him. Many of his classmates are grossly antisemitic, a theme that proves to be remarkably prescient. In contrast to the religious drama, as far as Spielberg’s movies go, this is one of his funniest films yet. After getting beat up one day, Sammy meets Monica (Chloe East), his love interest with whom he has his first kiss in an unbelievably funny scene. Since the film occasionally gets depressing, Spielberg and Kushner smartly work in little quips to keep the tone feeling fresh.

The performances from many of the cast members are standouts and will undoubtedly fall onto the radar of voters for this year’s Oscars. Michelle Williams is a clear frontrunner for Best Actress, which makes sense after her breathless performance as Mitzi. Her tenderness shines through each scene, and she is one of the most complex characters in Spielberg’s filmography. Gabriel LaBelle is perfect as Sammy. He’s a caring presence who effortlessly portrays the complexities of growing up and what it’s like to have a passion. Paul Dano is incredible as a stern, tough-loving father who represents the core values of an older America. Seth Rogen gives his most outstanding performance yet as Bennie, a family friend who’s more complicated than he appears. Julia Butters is excellent as Sammy’s little sister, and I hope to see her in more stuff soon. The rest of the cast is directed to deliver their best performances thanks to the excellent script and director.

Technically, The Fabelmans is excellent. Janusz Kamiński’s cinematography emphasizes the magic of movie-making and moves us through multiple modes of film to achieve the emotional goals of Spielberg’s story. While the runtime is just over two and a half hours, it’s hard to notice that it’s that long. However, there are moments where the pacing is slightly off as if there was just one more cut that needed to be made to make this perfect. John Williams’s score is impressive, but it’s simply not in enough of the film to be thoroughly impactful. These minor issues don’t distract from the experience as a whole but keep the movie from being perfect.
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2022 has been a great year for film, and while The Fabelmans might not be the definitive best of the year, it’s hard to argue that this is anything less than a masterpiece. It’s a primarily personal movie that works on every level. It’s an emotionally moving and technically stellar work of art that could have been director than none other than one of the greatest directors ever. Make no doubt about Steven Spielberg: he’s still able to make an enormously entertaining epic about anything. You can look forward to this receiving many nominations at this year’s Oscars, and it undeniably deserves most of them.

The Fabelmans releases exclusively in theaters on November 23rd.

Rating: 4.5/5