44 replies to this topic

[Ryan H.]

I don't think he's as beloved to the A&F community as the Coen brothers are, but in conversations about American cinema, you just can't get away from Spielberg. So what is he? Is he a master of the medium? A cancer on American cinema? Neither? Both?

And, while you're at it, you can pick your favorite Spielberg film in the snazzy poll above.

My pick goes to A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. It's not Spielberg's cleanest film, but I find it to be his most interesting work. Runners-up are CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, with nods to DUEL and JAWS.

Edited by Ryan H., 07 September 2011 - 09:47 AM.

[Josh Hurst]

Can't imagine picking anything other than Raiders-- though I do have a soft spot in my heart for Catch Me If You Can. Not his most ambitious, perhaps, but one of his more consistently entertaining, and one of the few that ends on the perfect note.

[Anders]

I voted for RAIDERS. No other possibility. On any given day I might say it's my favourite film of all time.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, A.I., and MINORITY REPORT are all fantastic science fiction visions. I have a soft spot for E.T., and JAWS and JURASSIC PARK are as good as escapist entertainments get in my book.

[Attica]

I've got to go with Raiders.

[M. Leary]

I went with AI, as that was my first gut instinct. But there is a lot to choose from here. Duel, Close Encounters and Raiders are all elbowing each other for attention here.

[Nick Alexander]

I voted for Raiders, but if the category was "best Spielberg that was underappreciated", or "Best Spielberg that wasn't a monster hit", it would go to _1941_.

[Overstreet]

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
  
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  
• Empire of the Sun

Edited by Overstreet, 07 September 2011 - 10:55 AM.

[Christian]

Great topic, Ryan. I've championed Spielberg for years, maybe because it became fashionable at some point among film lovers to dismiss his output. I used to say he was my favorite filmmaker, then that he was/is the most talented filmmaker working today. I don't think I'd say either of those things today, but I believe that the director himself, because he's so overexposed, is, like some of his films, underappreciated.

You know what would make for an interesting poll, if I knew how (or cared enough to learn how) to put such things together? To name the best films that Spielberg has produced but not directed. There's a wide range there -- from clunkers to great films. I'll have to go to IMDB and double-check that assessment, but I'm pretty sure it's accurate, just based on the Spielberg-produced films that come to mind as I write this.

EDIT: It's a long list. I was thinking of films Spielberg executive-produced. The list is still long.

Edited by Christian, 07 September 2011 - 11:44 AM.

[Ryan H.]

Christian, on 07 September 2011 - 11:39 AM, said:

You know what would make for an interesting poll, if I knew how (or cared enough to learn how) to put such things together? To name the best films that Spielberg has produced but not directed. There's a wide range there -- from clunkers to great films. I'll have to go to IMDB and double-check that assessment, but I'm pretty sure it's accurate, just based on the Spielberg-produced films that come to mind as I write this.

I'll add another poll question along those lines.

EDIT: Actually, if I do that, I think anyone who has already voted wouldn't be able to participate, so I won't. But my favorite Spielberg-produced-but-not-directed flick would be Kurosawa's DREAMS.

Edited by Ryan H., 07 September 2011 - 11:44 AM.

[Tyler]

Can we add a mechanism that kicks anyone off the site if they vote for Crystal Skull?

Edited by Tyler, 07 September 2011 - 11:41 AM.

[Lauren Wilford]

I voted for Catch Me If You Can-- it's just really stylish and solid, one of the first "grownup" movies I really liked as a kid. I'm sure it's not the best, but it was my instinct.

[morgan1098]

Raiders

[Overstreet]

Meanwhile... "Spielberg’s next film is so big, it needs two studios."

[Darrel Manson]

Close Encounters
Schindler
Pvt. Ryan

then I'm ready to give consideration to Raiders.

[Ryan H.]

I'm surprised SCHINDLER'S LIST actually hasn't received a vote.

Don't get me wrong; I have problems with SCHINDLER'S LIST (as explained in the Movies Everyone Except You Loves thread). That said, I'd expect at least a vote for it.

[Jason Panella]

Tyler, on 07 September 2011 - 11:41 AM, said:

Can we add a mechanism that kicks anyone off the site if they vote for Crystal Skull?

I was just about to vote for it to be ironic, but...hehehe...I just couldn't bring myself to it. Also, I didn't want Stef to murder me in my sleep.

[Overstreet]

There's a 20-something movie buff who follows the Through a Screen Darkly page on Facebook who argues that Raiders is "boring" and as ridiculous as any of the Indiana Jones series. (He also "hates" the score for Raiders... calls it "possibly the *worst* thing Williams has ever done." He then argues that Phantom Menace is the pinnacle of Williams' scores.)

I mention this only to say that I think plenty of young people who weren't around when Raiders was released don't understand why that movie remains significant to many of us here, or why we would treat it differently than "Episode 4."

Edited by Overstreet, 07 September 2011 - 02:25 PM.

[Ryan H.]

Overstreet, on 07 September 2011 - 01:59 PM, said:

(He also "hates" the score for Raiders... calls it "possibly the *worst* thing Williams has ever done." He then argues that Phantom Menace is the pinnacle of Williams' scores.)

[NBooth]

Overstreet, on 07 September 2011 - 01:59 PM, said:

There's a 20-something movie buff who follows the Through a Screen Darkly page on Facebook who argues that Raiders is "boring" and as ridiculous as any of the Indiana Jones series. (He also "hates" the score for Raiders... calls it "possibly the *worst* thing Williams has ever done." He then argues that Phantom Menace is the pinnacle of Williams' scores.)

I mention this only to say that I think plenty of young people who weren't around when Raiders was released don't understand why that movie remains significant to many of us here, or why we would treat it differently than "Episode 4."

Boring? Boring? What. The. Heck. Is this kid watching? I'll grant any of the other Indiana Jones movies (though I'll defend Crystal Skull against most comers)...but Raiders? I think my head just exploded. Sheesh.

I'll bet he thinks Last Crusade is the best of the lot.

FWIW, Raiders predates my arrival on this planet by about six years, so I probably don't "understand" in the sense of not experiencing the importance of the movie. But anyone who claims to be a "movie buff" should have some idea what's going on there, even without having lived through it.

Also, the comments on Williams' score are ridiculous. Clearly his best work was in Hook. Which, come to think of it, was also Spielberg's best movie.

[I joke, I joke]

[Overstreet]

(I added the link. Feel free to argue with him.)