Director: Spielberg

[Gemini Cricket]

Director: Steven Spielberg

List your top five Spielberg films.

I didn't include his television works. If you'd like to, go for it.

I was watching several of his films lately and noticed how much the varied in quality imho. I'm working on my list now.

Here is a list of his theatrical films:

Munich (2005)
War of the Worlds (2005)
The Terminal (2004)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Minority Report (2002)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Amistad (1997)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Hook (1991)
Always (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
The Color Purple (1985)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1941 (1979)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws (1975)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
Amblin' (1968)
Slipstream (1967) (unfinished)
Firelight (1964)
Escape to Nowhere (1961)
Fighter Squad (1961)
The Last Gun (1959)

I figured we could do other directors, writers, etc later.

If I missed any, please add it to the list.
:)

[Alex]

Some excluded are because I haven't seen them (most prominent being Schindler's List), in no order:

Minority Report (2002)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws (1975)


His mawkish stuff is bad. I'm actually not that big a fan of Spielberg but he did start out hot.

[innerSpaceman]

Easy.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Not the version you can find. The 1977 version (I'm still waiting for my phone call, G.C.) ;)

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Brilliant fun, not so easy to achieve (Exhibit "A" - the sequels)

3. Jaws. OMG, one of the best movies ever made. Likely better a film than my first two faves, this one's a close, bitting at your heels (or worse) third.

4. Schindler's List. I can't bear to even watch it, but it's easily among my faves. Genius.

5. A tie: War of the Worlds. Sacrelige or no, it's tons better than the campy George Pal version from the 50's. The oft-told story has never been better told.

-and-

Minority Report. A wonderful noir thriller. Less good as a whodunnit than as a stylish styler.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Hook (1991)

Yeah Hook, damnit!

Jaws would likely be on my list (probably knock Hook off), but I've never seen it all the way through, so I can't claim it. And, like Alex, I never saw Schindler's.

I will continue to be baffled as to how anyone could possibly like Minority Report. It's in strong contention in my mind as the worst piece of garbage ever recorded on film.

[blueerica]

Goddamn it, even after accounting for the few I haven't seen, this choice wasn't made easy. Why did I punish myself into thinking I could pick just five. I'd rather rank them in order. Or not. It would still be hard, but... gah.. I even had to knock off a childhood favorite: E.T.

Anyhow, in no particular order...

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Amistad (1997)
Schindler's List (1993)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - in all fairness, I know a lot of people didn't like the two subsequent sequels, but they're actually pretty good, IMO, and worth a re-watch before the next Indy comes out.
Jaws (1975)

[innerSpaceman]

I will continue to be baffled as to how anyone could possibly like Minority Report. It's in strong contention in my mind as the worst piece of garbage ever recorded on film.

Just as it will forever baffle me how anyone could not have seen Jaws all the thru, or especially how a jewboy like you could not have seen Schindler's List.


Please remedy! :D

[Strangler Lewis]

Schindler
Close Encounters
Jaws
Saving Private Ryan
Empire of the Sun (based on an old memory that it was pretty cool)

Never saw Minority Report or Amistad Just saw Hook for the first and second times recently. Dustin Hoffman had a deadpan one-liner that had me doing a spit take, but other than that I thought it was slack.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Empire of the Sun
The Color Purple
Catch Me If You Can

[Gemini Cricket]

Top 5:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - by far. Great story, cool characters, fun action, melting faces...

2. Schindler's List (1993) - This is a well made film. Editing, story, direction, acting, pace, cinematography... It's an important story to be told. And, heck, it even has a couple of jokes in it...

3. Jaws (1975) - One of the best horror films out there. Suspense, action, laughs and some of the best 70's hair ever caught on film.

4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - I've always liked this one. For the sci-fi stuff as well as showing a really cool but messed up family in action. One of his best because one of his characters was named Brad. Barry needed a leash, though...

5. Minority Report (2002) - I thought I was going to hate this one after seeing AI and because Tom Cruise was in it. But it ended up being a well thought out film with cool effects. The eye scene should be watched at dinnertime.

And, for fun, the bottom 5:

Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) - Snoreville. An android and his talking bear friend. WTF?

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) - Damn. This movie is a jurassic turd. Hmmm. I made the first one and it had one TRex... I know, the sequel should have two Trexes.... and a baby TRex.... Ugh. Nice visual effects but it lacked everything else. Hated the first one, too. It stays off of the worst list because of its ground-breaking effects.

Hook (1991) - Not even Maggie Smith could save this one. I found it a lame vehicle for Robin Williams and terrible casting for Tink. And what poor PA had to shave Williams for this one? Oy.

Always (1989) - Not even Audrey Hepburn could keep this one in the air. Boring! It was too long, too. It should have been called Forever.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - Overly gross, overly glossy and overgrown with lameness. It gets one star for the cool spike room scene. The future Mrs. Spielberg was stinky in this one.

1941 (1979) - One of his unfunny comedies. Boring and stupid.

[Gemini Cricket]

My idea for this thread came up when I watched JP this morning. It was such a bad film. I can't believe JP and Schindler's was made in the same year. There was rumors that Lucas finished JP after Spielberg went off to Europe to shoot Schindler's and, heck, it could be true. Yuck.

I also can not believe that the man who has done fantastic films also directed JP: The Lost World. Oy vey!

I respect the fact that Spielberg took over Kubrick's film AI. But, man, that movie made me want to shoot myself in the face.

[Strangler Lewis]

I'd agree with Hook and Always for the bottom. To me, the absolute bottom is The Color Purple I didn't like the book that much, but he totally drained it of all real vitality.

And if we can consider movies he produced, I'd put Poltergeist at the bottom. I never believed there was a second of genuine peril.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Just as it will forever baffle me how anyone could not have seen Jaws all the thru, or especially how a jewboy like you could not have seen Schindler's List.

Jaws will happen, though I've seen such a large percentage of it in various bits and pieces that I'm sure it's officially ruined for me (much like Citizen Kane was). As for Schindler's List, it's precisely BECAUSE I'm a jewboy that I haven't seen it. By the time it was made, I'd seen so...damn...much about the Holocaust, been to the museums, talked with survivors, etc. etc. that the thought of sitting through something else...no thanks.

[Gemini Cricket]

Re: Schindler's List

GD - I know we've debated this one before, but I still think it has many film making merits throughout. At the same time, I understand how you feel. I don't think I can stomach any more movies about gays dying from AIDS.

[innerSpaceman]

Wow. Just wow. Take a few years off, and then watch it when you're an old man. It's a great movie, regardless of the subject matter you've been overexposed to.


Too bad about Jaws.


Oh, and I won't pay much attention to a diss of Minority Report from someone who puts Hook in their list of Spielberg favorites. :p



G.C., I like Lost World better than Juraissic Park ... but they both suck.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Oh, and I won't pay much attention to a diss of Minority Report from someone who puts Hook in their list of Spielberg favorites. :p

I'd never argue that Hook's a good movie. I just like it.

[Gemini Cricket]

G.C., I like Lost World better...
I can't wait for part 4 to come out. It starts Sean Connery, Judi Dench, Peter O' Toole and the remains of Jessica Tandy. It's called Geriatric Park.


ba-dum-ching!
:D

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I scrolled past everyone's responses so as not to be affected.

1) Schindler's List
2) Jaws
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) Close Encounters
5) Temple of Doom

But the prize for Spielberg-film-I-sat-through-twice-in-consecutive-screenings goes to AI. Damn, that film is such a terrible, fascinating mess. I chose to see it twice because I was in film school at the time and immediately felt the need to write a paper about the two conflicting visions trapped in the one film; I could see Kubrick's very Kubrickian skeleton and the basic potential for goodness. And I could see all of the unnecessary meat that Spielberg super-glued to the bones. So I spent the whole second screening outlining whose bits were whose, based on what I understand of their tastes and tendencies.

Terrible, terrible, terrible. Fascinating, fascinating, fascinating.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Wow, people don't like Temple of Doom? Full disclosure: I wasn't allowed (or old enough in some cases) to see any of the Indy films in theaters, and I've never watched or even discussed them with others. I had no idea people didn't like Temple.

[Moonliner]

Director: Steven Spielberg



Don't do that!
I read the title of this thread and I thought he had died.



Too bad about Jaws.


I read that as "Too bad about Jews" and thought "Damn that's harsh." Apologies sent for the momentary bad karma I directed your way...

Wow, people don't like Temple of Doom?

All right thinking people tend to agree it was easily the weakest movie of the trilogy.

[Not Afraid]

List your top five Spielberg films. (I can only do 4)


Schindler's List (1993)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Jaws (1975)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

[innerSpaceman]

Looking over the list, i find Spielberg compelling for directing some of the best and worst movies ever made.

[tracilicious]

I really like ET.

[Kevy Baby]

Out of curiosity, I checked IMDB and found these two missing titles:

The Unfinished Journey (1999)
Twilight Zone the Movie (1983) (segment 2)

[Gemini Cricket]

Out of curiosity, I checked IMDB and found these two missing titles:

The Unfinished Journey (1999)
Twilight Zone the Movie (1983) (segment 2)
Yes, I knew you would. That's why I said in the OP to add it if you feel like it.
;)

And, I figured he didn't direct the whole Twilight Zone Movie so why add it? And TUJ is a documentary, which I thought should be categorized differently.
:shrug:

[Capt Jack]

Jaws for sure.

pretty well liked all the Indiana Jones although some were definitely better than others. if Im surfing channels and stumble across one, chances are good I'll watch unless I have somewhere to be/something else to do

another Hook fan here. just, dunno...liked it. I like a lot of films that tend to grate on other people as well as dislike many that are generally loved /shrug

Jurassic Park.

I think Im well over 5 now. so we'll stop there

[Gemini Cricket]

When I was younger, I loved E.T. Now it's too meh to watch.

[innerSpaceman]

His Twilight Zone episode was the weakest of the movie, imo.


OK, so my Spielberg worst list:

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Hook
Always
The Terminal
Artificial Intelligence

Those are all outright disasters. What I find more interesting are the near misses.

:cool: I admire that he tried to make Jurassic Park without it being a copy of the book. It's just that it was not a very good movie, made worse by being so much worse than the book in every way.

:babette: I never read the book The Color Purple, so I've no idea if Strangler Lewis's critcisms hold water. But the film was completely meh to me, and I never saw it again.

:( 1941 is so close to almost funny, I find it a fascinating near miss. I could really see why it seemed funny on paper, maybe even seemed funny in dailies. It's sooooo close to funny ... just, ugh, it's not. But I admire it's loving tribute in spirit to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and other zany movies of that ilk.

:confused: I think I'd like to see Amistad again. It was good, but never grabbed me.

:tiki: Empire of the Sun is very good, but suffers from Spielbergian mawkishness in making a Japanese PoW camp so loveably quirky. I kinda forgive that as maybe being seen from the PoV of the young PoW. And I love the bravura performance by a very, very young Christian Bale as that young PoW.

:gnome: Munich and Catch Me If You Can are two very good films that nonetheless never quite soar. But I can't find any particular fault in either of them.


:eek: E.T. is utterly charming. Not the fantastic world-rocker that nonetheless rocked the world in the early 80's, but a beautiful film that's completely delightful.

:decap: I think Saving Private Ryan is better than it's first half hour. I think it's a rollicking good WWII movie told in the style of WWII movies.

:coffee: The Sugarland Express is darned good, but it never really did anything for me. I think I've only seen it once.


:birdy: I like The Lost World for leaving out all the pretentiousness of Juraissic Park and just making it a dinosaur-attack film (and for putting back a lot of the set pieces Spielberg likely regretted changing from the book in the first film).


:cheers: Lastly, Jones and The Last Crusade was an ok actioner, but it's so pale in comparison to the genius of Raiders of the Lost Ark ... which was far more than a great action film, but one that was perfectly pitched in tone, perfectly constructed and paced, and perfectly executed in look, performances, sound, and wonderful direction by the incredibly hit and miss Steven Spielberg.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

[SIZE="4"]All right thinking people tend to agree it was easily the weakest movie of the trilogy.

Oh, that would explain it; I usually think along leftward lines. I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I thought it was great fun. (I think this of Return of the Jedi, too.) And despite what you may think of these two opinions, I (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=117889&postcount=1607) stand (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=166030&postcount=2508) by (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=172026&postcount=2550) my (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=178621&postcount=2681) excellent (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=183385&postcount=2808) taste (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=185139&postcount=2824).

And two (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=87515&postcount=1) more (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showpost.php?p=198431&postcount=3065) for good measure.

[innerSpaceman]

oooh, i loved re-reading your review of Persepolis. Wonder if I should mine posts from the movie thread. Hahaha.

[Tom]

For me, the top three are easy:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Schindler's List
3. Jaws

After that, there's a pretty steep drop off. The most striking thing I saw in his list of films is how many of his films (for me, all but the above three) are disappointments to one degree or another. So, given that I would go with:

4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

And there is another drop-off. More as a default than anything, I have:

5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

It was decent, and reasonably enjoyable. Though, in interest of full disclosure, I will say that I have never actually seen Close Encounters all the way through. Nor Empire of the Sun at all.

For me the worst of his films is definitely War of the Worlds. Though I disliked Saving Private Ryan pretty strongly as well.

[Gemini Cricket]

Saving Private Ryan - Only the first twenty minutes are good. The rest is quite boring.

War of the Worlds - for me it was like JP, cool to watch because of the special effects and not much else...

[Ghoulish Delight]

JP almost made my list. Actually, putting JP instead of Hook in would probably me more accurate, but the shock factor of Hook was too much fun to pass up.

But then, I was in Jr. High and hadn't read the book. It was also the first time I'd hung around after school and went to a movie instead of taking the bus home (with permission, it would still be quite a while before I'd make an, err, unplanned change of schedule.), so I'm a little biased.

[CoasterMatt]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Jaws (at times, I can switch either of the top two)
3. Schindlers List
4. E.T.
5. Saving Private Ryan

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

1- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
2- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
3- Jaws (1975)
4- Always (1989)
5- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

[innerSpaceman]

Though, in interest of full disclosure, I will say that I have never actually seen Close Encounters all the way through.

That's ok ... for the last 30 years, no one has.

[mousepod]

If I had to judge 'em by how many times I've gone back to 'em:

- Raiders
- Jaws
- 1941
- Temple of Doom
- CE3K

I really enjoyed Minority Report and A.I. (we'll have to discuss that one LSPE), and respected Schindler's List, Private Ryan, Munich and Empire of the Sun.... but none of those come close to my top 5 in replays.

You heard me right, 1941.

[Gemini Cricket]

That's ok ... for the last 30 years, no one has.
Oh no. Jeepers H. Crackers. Here comes the sermon!
:D

[cirquelover]

If were going by what was great at the time it came out then I would say

Close Encounters
Jaws
Raiders of the lost ark
ET
1941

I have to confess though I've never seen Schindlers List or Munich and am not sure if I've seen Empire.

[Strangler Lewis]

Saving Private Ryan - Only the first twenty minutes are good. The rest is quite boring.


Yes, that hand-to-hand fight to the death between the Jewish soldier and Steamboat Willie: wake me when it's over.

I never found Private Ryan boring, but it did meander from its theme. When they get their mission, it starts out as "Is it worth great cost to save one of your own?" (Maybe.) After they find Ryan, it morphs into "Is it worth great cost to spare one of your enemy?" (No. See, Munich.) In between, there was a bunch of generic battle stuff that didn't seem especially relevant to either theme, except perhaps to play up the difference between anonymous killing and personal killing.

And no self-respecting movie should end with a shot of the American flag waving.

[Strangler Lewis]

According to the Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia, Steamboat Willie only kills Captain Miller. He is not the soldier who kills Private Mellish. The two soldiers simply look alike. I'm not sure about that.

You can tell it's a sluggish morning.

[Strangler Lewis]

According to the Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia, Steamboat Willie only kills Captain Miller. He is not the soldier who kills Private Mellish. The two soldiers simply look alike. I'm not sure about that.

You can tell it's a sluggish morning.

Maybe I was wrong. (http://www.sproe.com/s/steamboat-comparison.html)

And the movie just got a little less interesting.

[Snowflake]

Good fun, GC!

Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler's List (1993)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Jaws (1975)

[Alex]

If you liked Catch Me If You Can, I strongly recommend reading the book. It is much more interesting.

[innerSpaceman]

Maybe I was wrong. (http://www.sproe.com/s/steamboat-comparison.html)

And the movie just got a little less interesting.

Yes, very convenient that the SS Officer is uncredited. Maybe it's a common mistake because it's no mistake at all. Perhaps everyone who's ever seen that movie has that impression because that's what's going on.

But ... I'll take a look at it again. The widow's peak is a potentially convincing difference.


If true, yeah, the movie just got a lot more boring.

[blueerica]

Wow, people don't like Temple of Doom? Full disclosure: I wasn't allowed (or old enough in some cases) to see any of the Indy films in theaters, and I've never watched or even discussed them with others. I had no idea people didn't like Temple.

Read my Raiders of the Lost Ark disclaimer above. While I feel Raiders was the best/classic example, perhaps only because it came 'first,' like many other well-loved films, few give their sequels an honest chance. The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly put it best, IMO:

Indy drinking blood? Kids forced into slavery? Why not? Doom is one of cinema's great sequels because it's so black and daring.I totally agree with that, especially as I get older. I was young when it came out, so I didn't hold any sort of expectation on the film or what any sequels should or should not be like. Same goes for Last Crusade, which I feel brings a lot of backstory. Sure, it kind of feels late in the game to suddenly put in so much, but the film was far more successful with it than a number of other series that tried to cram backstory into much later sequels.

[blueerica]

And I'm still a bit irked that I had to keep this at Top 5. I had a rather hard time editing that list down. :rolleyes:

[innerSpaceman]

The central section of Indy drinking blood and going over to the dark side of some voodoo cult is classic Serial Stuff that is the series raison d'etre.

But the rest of the movie is a theme park ride, and not a film. They simply go from room to room, place to place, and have a set-piece 'adventure' in each location before moving on linearly to the next. That's what passes for a plot and a story. Bah. The dialogue is leaden, not clever. The situations are random, not building. The characters are lame, not lively.

It's really one of the worst movies ever made, not only perhaps the worst sequel of all time.

[cirquelover]

That's why I put the disclaimer of when I watched the first time. Some don't hold up as well. I remember liking Catch Me but it didn't make my list.

[Kevy Baby]

Yes, I knew you would. That's why I said in the OP to add it if you feel like it.
;)

And, I figured he didn't direct the whole Twilight Zone Movie so why add it? And TUJ is a documentary, which I thought should be categorized differently.
:shrug:It was just me being anal retentive and bored. I am nowhere near as big of an overall movie fan as most who post in this thread and the Movie Musings thread.

I see very few movies in the theatre. When I do watch a movie (theatre or at home), I tend it enjoy them as I watch movies to be entertained. I can appreciate the art, but I don't tend to analyze them as much as others do. Either I like a movie or I don't.

I really don't care if the the Close Encounters I watch today is exactly as it was when it was released in the theatre in 1977 or other such details (I am onloy using this example because it has been mentioned on this thread - not meant to be directed at ISM [although he is the one who tends to discuss this kind of thing]). This is not meant to take away from those who do have strong opinions on things like that - they just tend to not make a difference to me.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

When looking at the list I feel like less of a film critic and more of a popcorn fan, so you get reviews such as these...

I'd have to put Jurassic Park on my list. I mean, come on, you snooty people. :p I know as an adult that it had crappy qualities, but come on! It's f'n Jurassic Park!

I can't say I like one Indy movie better than the others. I like all of them equally for their own reasons, though I've seen Raiders less than the rest. I almost think it's unfair to divvy them up. I'd agree with what was said above about Temple of Doom being dark and awesome yet fun (I'm an RotJ fan, remember).

Close Encounters and ET, hell yes.

Jaws I don't remember well. I remember being so young watching it that I thought there was too much talking. I hear it's good. ;)

Empire of the Sun was great. Very good example of how he could make anything seem heartwarming.

Has anyone seen Amblin'? I'd like to know about the movie he named his empire after.

[mousepod]

How I came to appreciate Temple Of Doom:

Years ago, when I first decided I wanted to be a writer, I read William Goldman's "Adventures In The Screen Trade" (Goldman wrote Butch Cassidy, The Princess Bride, and a ton of other movies). In that book, he says that his favorite all-time movie is Gunga Din.

So I watched Gunga Din. And loved it.

In many ways, Temple of Doom is a massive homage to Gunga Din.

I feel like I completely get what Spielberg was going for in this movie. He wasn't trying to recapture the swashbuckling style of the first Raiders movie, he was trying to evoke a mood that came from a different style of matinee fare - and I think he succeeded.

If anyone wants to have a double-feature screening of Gunga Din and Temple of Doom, just say the word. I'll supply the popcorn.

[Gemini Cricket]

It's really one of the worst movies ever made, not only perhaps the worst sequel of all time.
I dunno, I think Exorcist II was the worst sequel of all time.
Ugh.

blueerica - Ain't nothing wrong with an extended list. :)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Bird.

Or is grease the word today?

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, you're right, G.C. I have to assume Exorcist 2 was the worst sequel, but I walked out 3/4 thru, so it might have gotten somehow excellent in the last 20 minutes. ;)


mousepod, you're on. I think Temple of Doom is irredeemable. But if I watch Gunga Din first and then find it a fitting homage that makes it a decent film, I'll bow down to you and eat Indy's hat.

[blueerica]

Interesting tidbit from Entertainment Weekly on Temple of Doom: it's Spielberg's least-favorite of the three, and he reportedly said he made The Last Crusade as an apology for ToD.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Whatever. He's also disavowed Jaws and replaced guns with walkie talkies in E.T. Spielberg is too easily swayed by what other people think of his stuff, so I don't really take his hindsight opinions very seriously.

[Gemini Cricket]

I think it was right of him to disavow Jaws. White sharks are still being hunted today because some people were so affected by the film.

Yeah, walkie-talkies replace guns. So very lame of him.

See Gunga Din. It's fun! I also think Spielberg got some inspiration for TOD from The Perils of Nyoka.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

...I'll bow down to you and eat Indy's hat.

So that's what the kids are calling it these days...

[innerSpaceman]

When did he disavow Jaws? Oh pulease, I don't even believe it.

Of course, he was the a-hole who not only changed CE3K, he purposely put in a scene he hated at the time to make the stupid changes he really wanted (which were beyond lame in the first place).

So yeah, he blows like the wind. But if he made Last Crusade to apologize for Temple of Doom, I applaud that move.


* * * * *


Also ... he didn't exactly replace guns with walkies ... he offered an option where there are walkes instead of guns, and left available the option where guns are still guns.


Considering he permanently deleted scenes from other movies, I consider this compromise in E.T. acceptable. The change was not rammed down the world's throat.

[Ghoulish Delight]

When did he disavow Jaws? Oh pulease, I don't even believe it.I'm having difficulty finding it, but a couple years ago he said something to the effect of, "Given the chance, I woudln't make Jaws again. It was too terrifying for people."


Considering he permanently deleted scenes from other movies, I consider this compromise in E.T. acceptable. The change was not rammed down the world's throat.

It's one small step above permanent editing, but it's still a case of caving to the "Won't somebody please think of the children!" crowd and just proves he has no spine when it comes to defending his own work.

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, he proved that in 1980, while he was still a fairly young man. That he demonstrates it as a senior citizen comes as zero surprise.


BUT, and not to defend him ... rather human nature ... how many artists truly defend their own work in their later years? How many get the opportunity to defend it or not? Changes aren't asked of works that are not phenomenally successful, so we don't get too many tests of which artists will defend their art.

How many would pass that test?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Other than Lucas, I can't think of anyone else who has gone to as great lengths to actively bad-mouth their own prior work. It's one thing to never be satisfied with what you've done, it's another to devalue its importance.

I much prefer the likes of Kevin Smith who will go toe to toe and argue that Jersey Girl is a good movie (though to be fair I haven't seen it, but popular consensus is otherwise).

[blueerica]

I also appreciate Smith's generally unapologetic nature. Even when the whole thing went down with Joel Siegel, he didn't apologize, and I don't think he had to. But that's just me, and way off topic.

[innerSpaceman]

Perhaps if Hitchcock had the technology to digitally insert Doris Day in the film, he wouldn't have re-made The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Who can say?

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Now, I'm not a filmmaker. Well, I am but I'm not being paid by a studio. But when I go back to my earlier work - watching my student films or plays, reading my fiction or poetry or screenplays or plays - I'm almost always...

1) astonished that some of it came from me; I can't believe I once had the ideas I'd since forgotten - ideas I loved then and still love now, that have aged well and are truly interesting.

2) annoyed that some of it came from me; my perspective, wisdom, skill-set has matured over time. What once appealed to me may still not be as appealing. What once seemed well-done seems pitiful with the knowledge I've acquired in ensuing years.

Still, I hope that, given the opportunity to do this professionally, I will learn the lesson from watching Spielberg and Lucas' mistakes. Films age. We age. The way you appreciate your work now may not be the way you appreciate it later, but when considering "fixing" those things: hands off.

[innerSpaceman]

I think the temptation must be great for works that are, quite wrongly in my opinion, considered Kid-Stuff, like Star Wars and E.T., which thus never "age" but are perpetually brand-new to new generations of children (whom we must then "think of").



Oh, btw, Walt Disney stood by while things were ripped-out of Fantasia for subsequent releases.

[Snowflake]

If you liked Catch Me If You Can, I strongly recommend reading the book. It is much more interesting.

I'm sure you are correct. I will have to add it to the library list!

[Snowflake]

If anyone wants to have a double-feature screening of Gunga Din and Temple of Doom, just say the word. I'll supply the popcorn.

Please, a small request to the universe, let me be in LA when you do this fun night (and one of the lucky winners to fit in the screening room). I adore Gunga Din and I'd like to see Temple of Doom again.

[Ponine]

My personal top five? Ie: My favorites?


Wow... how to narrow that deep.
Let me say that I have a fondness for John Williams, and a great deal of my love for these films is his scores.

Schindler's List (1993)
No contest, it has to be on the list. I saw this Christmas Day in the theatre, and was amazed. Visually, stylisticaly, musically... I was wow'ed.

Jurassic Park (1993)
In my opinion a decent adaption of Chritons work to the screen. The casting worked for me, and I beleived the dinosaurs.
And I cried. Yes, every time.

Empire of the Sun (1987)
I watch this film at least once a month. Sad that it's not really Bale singing, but I can live with that.
For some reason that movie resonates with me.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
It's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Nothing else needs to be said.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
This was a hard choice. I pick this film because it was the turning point in my fandom. This was where I went from mere movie watcher to movie geek.
And for the record, the ORIGINAL version, thank you.

I do like Hook, but it didnt make the top five, for the record.

I detest:

Artificial Intelligence: AI
This film was all wrong in my book. Maybe it was the change in directors that made it horrible for me.
I almost walked out.
Horrible horrible film, that I figured out entirely too early to continue to enjoy.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Oh, btw, Walt Disney stood by while things were ripped-out of Fantasia for subsequent releases.And I'm not a fan of that decision. It still isn't a demonstration of the consistent second guessing and kowtowing that Spielberg has done, as you said, since the 80s. After a while, I might just start agreeing with him that all his work sucks.

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, GD, I completely agree. If I met Spielberg, I'd hug him then push a knife through his left testicle.


I'm just saying he's probably one of the few who've been successful enough to second-guess and change his earlier works so publically, and we can never know who else might succomb to that weakness.


This is a tangent, but, ya know, I never wanted the pressure of fame or political power. Some people handle it fine, and some are made egotistical, arrogant, jerkwad fvcktards. I don't claim to be among the most strong-willed humans, and so never wanted myself exposed to the tests which have made so many humans crumble.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I'm just saying he's probably one of the few who've been successful enough to second-guess and change his earlier works so publically, and we can never know who else might succomb to that weakness.


I don't think it's a weakness. I mean, yeah, the things he wanted to change are lame. But I don't think the desire to improve what you discover later is imperfect isn't a weakness, it's human nature. But since any such action would be met with harsh criticism from those who love the work you now see as imperfect, you're damned either way. I believe the best thing to do is to take your improved wisdom and skills and technology, and create something new with them, not diddle with the old.

Otherwise we'll never let up on the same old piece and our creative career will look like a snake feasting on its rump. And nobody wants that reptile-circle-jerk on their resume!

[Alex]

H (http://books.google.com/books?id=5E80Tv7F3zIC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=spieldberg+%22wouldn+t%22+make+jaws&source=web&ots=EBBpN4G-lH&sig=fuUhjqF_GPJc4cgb5GlXpMhdAV0&hl=en)ere's (http://books.google.com/books?id=5E80Tv7F3zIC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=spieldberg+%22wouldn+t%22+make+jaws&source=web&ots=EBBpN4G-lH&sig=fuUhjqF_GPJc4cgb5GlXpMhdAV0&hl=en) an old interview with him in 1979 where he talks about how who he is and his relation with the movies changes. It looks like he's always recognized his perception of the movies would change. But maybe while he didn't want to have the future too planned out he overreacted and spends too much time thinking about what he's already done.


Poster: So you'd really kind of like to play the field?
Spielberg: Yes...whatever strikes my fancy that year. The one thing I don't want to do is have a 10-year game plan, where I have my next five projects already lined up - one through five. I think that'd be an awful way to go through life - knowing what your next films are going to be over the next 10 years. It's not only boring, but you also change. Nobody stays the same for more than a couple years. Some people change every week. What I liked in 1971 I probably wouldn't have made now. I probably wouldn't make Duel now. Looking back I probably wouldn't make Jaws three years from now. So it's important not to plan too far ahead, because each project is a reflection of what you were that year.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I just see a difference between, "Had I known then what I know now" and "What I did then sucked/is detrimental." That's what really bugs me. Sure, your view of earlier work is always going to change, and you're never going to be 100% satisfied, but the fact that he's so easily swayed by the whims of political correctness, rather than actual change in taste and perspective, is what sours me on SS.

[flippyshark]

Jaws (of course)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Duel (it was released theatrically overseas - so there)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Schindler's List

Nearly on this list - Saving Private Ryan, Empire of the Sun, IJ and the Last Crusade

Spielberg films I really disliked - Hook, Always, IJ and the Temple of Doom, JP: The Lost World

I still haven't seen AI, but I suspect I will spend a lot of time analyzing it in the way LSPoorEeyorick describes.

My favorite Jurassic Park movie is the third one. Honestly, I think it's enormous fun. It wastes no time getting to the cool dino stuff, and its two-dimensional (at most) characters are well cast and likable. It's a lean, mean ninety minutes of matinee-style fun. The first two JPs are overlong and ponderous by comparison. (Those of you who enjoy Rifftrax - there's a new one for Jurassic Park featuring Mike Nelson and Weird Al Yankovic. It's very funny, and points up some of the ways in which the movie hasn't really held up - not least of which is that the first scary dino doesn't show up until more than an hour into the film!)

[Chernabog]

^^ Wow... there is only one movie I have actually walked out of, and it was Jurassic Park 3 (I wanted to walk out of Meet the Robinsons too, but I wasn't driving so I had to stay). Duel was AWESOME tho, did you ever read the original story by Richard Matheson? It's fantastic.

In any case, my favorites are:

1) Schindler's List -- I can't really watch it again (just like how I don't
understand how people buy annual passes to the Museum of Tolerance) but it was his most moving film.

2) Raiders of the Lost Ark -- my dad and I would watch this all the time. I love this movie and was so scared of the beginning with the skeletons :)

3) Poltergeist -- yes I know Tobe Hooper was listed in the credits as the director, but according to the cast, Spielberg was the director. So there. Clowns + evil trees + Zelda Rubenstein = Scared little Joey.

4) The Color Purple -- yes yes I know he cut out most of the Sapphic love stuff but this movie made me cry even without the snatch-on-snatch action.

5) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- I just love the interaction with Sean and Harrison with this one. And it had a scary ending. And I spent HOURS with the LucasArts game derived from this film, so it has a special place in my heart.

Honorable mentions: A.I. -- I am one of the few who actually liked this film (especially Jude Law, yum) but with one caveat -- the ending. There was a point in the film (you know it if you've seen it) where things go REALLY south, and if the film ended just before that point, it would have been fantastic.

Empire of the Sun -- just awesome, Xian Bale is great.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- I had a story book for this, complete with the bugs and the heart-ripping scene. Love it love it.

DIShonorable mentions:

Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- both of these movies bore the living sh*t out of me.

[Alex]

I was ok with AI but the end was the only thing that made it anything better than bland.

War of the Worlds likely would have made my top five if the son hadn't lived. Saving Private Ryan is similarly ruined by the bookends.

[innerSpaceman]

Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- both of these movies bore the living sh*t out of me.


:( You are dead to me.

[blueerica]

OK, Jude Law = yum. For sure.

I dunno, I had a hard time, because I did like different things about most of the movies on the list. I had fun, though, and this debate is awesome. We should do another director next week. Or some other category. Or something.

[Chernabog]

:( You are dead to me.

LOL well they had good PARTS... (like the beginning of Jaws was great)... just as a whole that and Close Encounters didn't jell for me. There was a lot of floating around in the ocean talk talk talkity talk talk talk talk and/or lots of LOOK! beepboopbeepboopbeeping to make it interesting.

[innerSpaceman]

Show me the way to go home ... I'm tired and I wanna go to bed.

[Kevy Baby]

If I met Spielberg, I'd hug him then push a knife through his left testicle.Why not the right one?

[Prudence]

I've never even seen Jaws or Close Encounters. Or many of the other movies on the list. I don't really like ET that much. Hook is neither really good nor really awful - and I want Hook's wardrobe. I like the third Indy better than the first, which I liked better than the second (although I didn't dislike the second).

[Alex]

Why not the right one?

'Cause Steve's right handed?


(I don't know if he is, but if he isn't the stabbing motion would be awkward)

[innerSpaceman]

No, it's common knowledge among Spielberg fans that he was right-ballin' when he directed Jaws, the original Close Encounters, Raiders, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

He used his left nut to gut Close Encounters, and burn some of the original negative, the two crappy Raiders sequels, the lame Juraissic Park adaptation and its sequel, Hook, Always, The Terminal, and the completion of Kubrick's A.I.



You have now been Spielbergianly educated.

[Tom]

If you liked Catch Me If You Can, I strongly recommend reading the book. It is much more interesting.

I second this.

[CoasterMatt]

I never realized Hook was a sequel to Jurassic Park :)

[Sohrshah]

I have spent much of my adult life waiting in dissappointment for Spielberg to make another "Speilberg movie". This is why I am so excited about the new Indy film. I have hope that perhaps it will be a much needed return to the old Spielbergian mastery of my childhood (and before).

My top 5:

1. Jaws
The first and best blockbuster.
2. Schindler's List
A heart wrenching masterpiece made by a Jew about a not-so-compassionate gentile who reaches out to help Jews to his own peril.
3.Empire of the Sun
Christian Bale's gorgeous boyhood singing voice has haunted me most all my life. It isn't a pefect film, but it did teach me lessons as a child on my own level.
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I was too young to see Raiders until many years later, thus the SPFX were lost on me. The 3rd one was the one I saw again and again.
5. E.T.
My life wouldn't not be what it is without that film. As an adult it impressed much less than it did when I was 3.

Amistad is close to the top of the list, too. It is not a fabulous film, but it is a touching, important, and even ironic story told from the point of view of a protagonist who never speaks english. Speilberg is, in some ways, a star-maker, and this movie highlighted the talents of its unknown protagonist - and that was the highlight of the film.

The first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan were amazing. So much so that Ridley Scott paid homage to it soon after in Gladiator.

AI was.. I think LSPE put is best- the skeleton of one film, fleshed with another.

I never saw 1941.

I thought the Terminal was "cute", but not up to standards of my hero.

It's weird, seeing his body of work. Speilberg is my hero. His editor, Michael Kahn is my hero. He has employed some of my favorite talents in filmmaking, and he has created some of the most talented stars. Yet, so many of his films are not what I remembered them to be. So many of his more recent works are not up to par with his older work. Still, he is a master for the quick quip, tenderly human moment, and grand vision.

[Ponine]

3.Empire of the Sun
Christian Bale's gorgeous boyhood singing voice has haunted me most all my life. It isn't a pefect film, but it did teach me lessons as a child on my own level.


I tell you this with the utmost respect as a devout Bale fan.
Bale didnt sing.
I was under the impression for years that he did, but it is not my understanding that in fact the solist was James Rainbird, and equally talented young man.

Which is why even though I included Empire of the Sun on my list, I had to have the caveat.

:coffee: