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Huntington, NY— Freshman NYU film student, Michael
Abromowitz, expressed frustration Sunday when, during a weekend
visit with family, his grandparents continued to refer to
him as the next Steven Spielberg.
Speaking from his Long Island home, Abromowitz was puzzled
by the comparison. “I showed them my first film, "Razor
Dogg" and the first thing they said was, ‘Who’s
gonna be the next Spielberg, huh? You are, you’re the
next Spielberg.’ Then they’d pat my head or pinch
me. Hard.”
Abromowitz tried unsuccessfully during dinner to explain
his frenetic style was not "Spiebergian" but credits
the Asian New Wave as well as the old-fashioned storytelling
of Kurasawa’s‘Rashoman’ and Polanski’s‘Chinatown.’
Mel Abromowitz, 81, didn't agree. "Nope, Spielberg's
got nothing on my grandson."
When the younger Abromowitz insisted the similar thematic
elements and mise-en-scene style between himself and the critically
acclaimed director was merely a coincidence, his grandfather
laughed, saying, "who are you kidding, Spielberg!"
Abromowitz then appealed to grandmother, Judy, admitting
they may have confused his use of cinematography to capture
the universal truths of the fantastic to the mundane as reminiscent
of‘Schindler’s List’and‘Empire of the
Son.’ His arguments, however, seemed to fall on deaf
ears.
“Michael is very, very talented," Judy said. "And
I think if he just wrote Mr. Spielberg a letter and told him
about his little Snow Dogs movie, I don’t see why he
wouldn’t want to help him become a real director. Everyone
knows Jews are really good about helping other Jews."
Michael, his head buried in his hands, tried to explain Spielberg
is the only Jewish filmmaker his grandparents know, "I
have nothing in common with Spielberg. In fact I can't stand
the guy. Why can't they just understand this?"
Coincidentally, Michael's little brother was just elected
to the junior high student council and is now referred to
as "their little Joe Lieberman."
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