What are your 4 favorite Spielberg directed films and why?
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Raiders Of The Lost Ark - Best adventure movie ever.
Jaws - In spite of Spielberg, actually. The things Spielberg couldn't do, but wanted to, is what made the film great. Even he admits so, at this point.
Schindler's List - It's just a work of art.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - Great science fiction.
Jaws - In spite of Spielberg, actually. The things Spielberg couldn't do, but wanted to, is what made the film great. Even he admits so, at this point.
Schindler's List - It's just a work of art.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - Great science fiction.
CE3K - Just captures the weirdness and wonder of what was really the height of UFOs being *new* to the working Joe.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark - seminal updating of the Pulp adventure era, that really sets the defaults for the genre as we know it
Empire Of The Sun - very underrated period piece with an amazing cast and a much more personal (the novel it was based on is pretty much autobiographical) feel than the better-known Schindler's List. Hard to believe the kid in it is now the Dark Knight!
Saving Private Ryan - not as revolutionary as it thinks it is (A Bridge Too Far got there first), but manages to be a great movie in spite of having a miscast Tom Hanks as the lead, so that's quite an achievement...
Raiders Of The Lost Ark - seminal updating of the Pulp adventure era, that really sets the defaults for the genre as we know it
Empire Of The Sun - very underrated period piece with an amazing cast and a much more personal (the novel it was based on is pretty much autobiographical) feel than the better-known Schindler's List. Hard to believe the kid in it is now the Dark Knight!
Saving Private Ryan - not as revolutionary as it thinks it is (A Bridge Too Far got there first), but manages to be a great movie in spite of having a miscast Tom Hanks as the lead, so that's quite an achievement...
DUEL (predator and prey on wheels) direction, the script,
acting, cinematography
.
JAWS (what you can't see below the water can kill you) direction, the script, acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (action and adventure) direction, the script, acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
.
JURASSIC PARK (dinosaurs) direction, the script,
acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
acting, cinematography
.
JAWS (what you can't see below the water can kill you) direction, the script, acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (action and adventure) direction, the script, acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
.
JURASSIC PARK (dinosaurs) direction, the script,
acting, cinematography, music[John Williams]
So, what are yours?
Mine:
CE3K, the sense of wonder, the effects.
Jaws, the little touches, the acting in the Indianapolis scene.
Raiders of the lost Ark, the pulp action feel, the score
hmmm, a 4th one, tough to come up with. Having a mental block I think.
Raiders: probably one of my favorite movies of all time. It solidified my love of movies---and Harrison Ford. Perhaps the great adventure film to date.
Jaws: not just one hell of a monster movie, but one of the great suspense films of all time. The pacing, the characters, the build-up, etc make it far more than just a monster-flick.
Schindler's List: a horrifically beautiful and moving piece of art. Filming it in black and white was the perfect choice, not to mention the top-notch cast.
Close Encounters: a great piece of science fiction, but also a great character piece. One of the first mainstream "intelligent" sci-fi films that was also a hell of a lot of fun.
Honorable Mention: Saving Private Ryan. One of the best WW2 movies I've ever seen. Absolutely gut-wrenching.
Jaws: not just one hell of a monster movie, but one of the great suspense films of all time. The pacing, the characters, the build-up, etc make it far more than just a monster-flick.
Schindler's List: a horrifically beautiful and moving piece of art. Filming it in black and white was the perfect choice, not to mention the top-notch cast.
Close Encounters: a great piece of science fiction, but also a great character piece. One of the first mainstream "intelligent" sci-fi films that was also a hell of a lot of fun.
Honorable Mention: Saving Private Ryan. One of the best WW2 movies I've ever seen. Absolutely gut-wrenching.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, by far, as it's simply a perfect movie.
Jaws: Just a great character movie. Perfectly cast with excellent suspense.
Jurassic Park: Infinitely re-watchable. Not quite on the level of Raiders, but it's still on my "near-perfect movies" list.
Catch Me If You Can: It's not his best, but this is a list of "favorites," and I'm a sucker for a solid cat-chasing-mouse caper.
Jaws: Just a great character movie. Perfectly cast with excellent suspense.
Jurassic Park: Infinitely re-watchable. Not quite on the level of Raiders, but it's still on my "near-perfect movies" list.
Catch Me If You Can: It's not his best, but this is a list of "favorites," and I'm a sucker for a solid cat-chasing-mouse caper.
This is the part where I can't resist mentioning that the script was written by Richard Matheson, based on his short story.
ET
My first movie ever i saw as a kid back then when it was originally released and i am still amazed and touched by it today as i was as a kid.. my "movie life" couldn't have started better
Schindler's List
It goes beyond mere film making and entertainment.. this movie is important and so well done it deserves its spot in the hall of fame. To this day i can't see the film without crying at some point and i can't buy the DVD because i can't watch it.
Jaws
Quint's Indianapolis monologue.. the simple yet very effective music by John Williams.. the hunt.. "We're gonna need a bigger boat!" (a line which has entered the public mind as a synonym for when something has gotten too big to handle the usual way)
Jurassic Park
At the time simply mindblowing special effects and Spielberg at his best just telling an adventure story
AI would have been in this list too if it weren't for those godawful last 10 minutes or so.
My first movie ever i saw as a kid back then when it was originally released and i am still amazed and touched by it today as i was as a kid.. my "movie life" couldn't have started better
Schindler's List
It goes beyond mere film making and entertainment.. this movie is important and so well done it deserves its spot in the hall of fame. To this day i can't see the film without crying at some point and i can't buy the DVD because i can't watch it.
Jaws
Quint's Indianapolis monologue.. the simple yet very effective music by John Williams.. the hunt.. "We're gonna need a bigger boat!" (a line which has entered the public mind as a synonym for when something has gotten too big to handle the usual way)
Jurassic Park
At the time simply mindblowing special effects and Spielberg at his best just telling an adventure story
AI would have been in this list too if it weren't for those godawful last 10 minutes or so.
Jaws - amazing chemistry between the three leads and a thrilling movie from start to finish. Quint is a great character.
Close Encounters - Dreyfuss carries the entire movie, and the first time I saw this I was moved to tears by the end. Also interesting because it's maybe the only time Spielberg portrayed the family as a negative force.
E.T. - I think this and Raiders are Spielberg's best movies. E.T. puts every cgi creature of recent decades to shame in terms of effectiveness and emotion. It's a near perfect film.
Raiders - Yep, best adventure film ever.
honorable mentions - Jurrassic Park and Saving Private Ryan. A.I. was also a wonderful film.
Close Encounters - Dreyfuss carries the entire movie, and the first time I saw this I was moved to tears by the end. Also interesting because it's maybe the only time Spielberg portrayed the family as a negative force.
E.T. - I think this and Raiders are Spielberg's best movies. E.T. puts every cgi creature of recent decades to shame in terms of effectiveness and emotion. It's a near perfect film.
Raiders - Yep, best adventure film ever.
honorable mentions - Jurrassic Park and Saving Private Ryan. A.I. was also a wonderful film.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. The humour, the father-son dynamic and the fact that it seems like the most polished of the trilogy.
Jaws. No elucidation required, I think.
Minority Report. Much underrated. A damn good thriller in a cool sci-fi environment with lots of Spielbergian touches.
Munich. Just a wonderfuil mood piece, regardless of politics. Stellar cast. I consider this to be, next perhaps to Schindler's List, his masterpiece. I haven't included the latter because, although it's probably his most worthy movie, appreciating something is not the same as liking it.
Jaws. No elucidation required, I think.
Minority Report. Much underrated. A damn good thriller in a cool sci-fi environment with lots of Spielbergian touches.
Munich. Just a wonderfuil mood piece, regardless of politics. Stellar cast. I consider this to be, next perhaps to Schindler's List, his masterpiece. I haven't included the latter because, although it's probably his most worthy movie, appreciating something is not the same as liking it.
You know, had it not gone off the rails in the last hour, I might have picked The Terminal. It's a quirky, wonderful look at America through the eyes of a foreigner who gets an incomplete look at our culture - a culture in a bottle. But Spielberg allowed schmaltzy sentiment to get in the way of good story telling, and the romance really brought the film down, and what began as a pleasant misunderstanding to annoyance for Stanley Tucci had to turn into a "bitter rivalry" and people don't notice that this change was actually for the worse because Tucci's performance is good despite the fact that the script had lost its way.
So I'll vote for Raiders, Close Encounters, Jaws, and Schindler's List. Honorable mention goes to Catch me if you can
So I'll vote for Raiders, Close Encounters, Jaws, and Schindler's List. Honorable mention goes to Catch me if you can
Interestingly enough. Speilberg has said in interviews, if he had made it today, Dreyfuss's character would have stayed in the end.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - Everything about this movie is pitch-perfect. Neck & neck with The Adventures of Robin Hood as the best adventure movie of all time.
Jaws - Terrific performances & great suspense.
Duel - Simple, suspenseful story told with amazing technique.
Indiana Jones and Last Crusade - Not in Raiders' league, but a fun sequel. Great chemistry with Connery & Ford.
I'm tempted to include E.T., but I haven't seen it since I was 10. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen Close Entcounters of the Third Kind.
Jaws - Terrific performances & great suspense.
Duel - Simple, suspenseful story told with amazing technique.
Indiana Jones and Last Crusade - Not in Raiders' league, but a fun sequel. Great chemistry with Connery & Ford.
I'm tempted to include E.T., but I haven't seen it since I was 10. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen Close Entcounters of the Third Kind.
I've heard that before, and I'm not suprised. Like many directors, Spielberg has changed over time. I for one appreciated the view the film offered. Who can't relate with a guy who feels isolated from those around him and craves an escape? Perhaps it may be irresponsible, but there is something very powerful in Roy breaking free of his earthly constraints and becoming complete (or a "real boy" if you will, as the multiple Pinocchio references point towards).
Also, Is the Alien at the end supposed to be Roy? The S.E. version seems to imply that he was at least transformed. I typically watch the CE cut, but always found that bit interesting to ponder. It blew my mind after years of seeing the regular version.
Nothing Earth-shattering with my choices.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- Spielberg's masterpiece; it does a great job managing characters and spectacle and is far less sentimental than later Spielberg.
Jaws -- Spielberg takes a rather silly idea that should be the domain of low-rent exploitation and turns it into a terrific thriller.
Raiders of the Lost Ark -- In terms of action-adventure, has a better movie ever been made? In the very least, has a better one been made during Spielberg's lifetime?
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial -- Spielberg's other great work of science fiction, this one a film for children (but also one smart enough to appeal to adults). It still makes me cry at the end; Spielberg is nothing but a master manipulator of emotions.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- Spielberg's masterpiece; it does a great job managing characters and spectacle and is far less sentimental than later Spielberg.
Jaws -- Spielberg takes a rather silly idea that should be the domain of low-rent exploitation and turns it into a terrific thriller.
Raiders of the Lost Ark -- In terms of action-adventure, has a better movie ever been made? In the very least, has a better one been made during Spielberg's lifetime?
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial -- Spielberg's other great work of science fiction, this one a film for children (but also one smart enough to appeal to adults). It still makes me cry at the end; Spielberg is nothing but a master manipulator of emotions.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - as has been said, it's one of the quintessential action movies ever (it's only competition is Die Hard as far as I'm concerned).
Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom - there probably won't be many who pick this one, but I absolutely LOVE it. It was darker, gritter and generally more satisfying than any of the other Indy sequels. It has the best villain of the franchise hands down as well.
Jurassic Park - a great, fun adventure story with wonderful acting all around and special effects that stand the test of time.
Schindler's List - not just a movie, but a masterpiece of art. No other movie can make me want to cry at so many points in the film. Every time I watch it, I always try to hold back the tears, but the scene that gets me every single time is at the end when Schindler breaks down crying. That scene is extremely moving.
Spielberg himself obviously thinks of Schindler's List as an untoppable masterpiece, since he hasn't made anything truly great since then.
Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom - there probably won't be many who pick this one, but I absolutely LOVE it. It was darker, gritter and generally more satisfying than any of the other Indy sequels. It has the best villain of the franchise hands down as well.
Jurassic Park - a great, fun adventure story with wonderful acting all around and special effects that stand the test of time.
Schindler's List - not just a movie, but a masterpiece of art. No other movie can make me want to cry at so many points in the film. Every time I watch it, I always try to hold back the tears, but the scene that gets me every single time is at the end when Schindler breaks down crying. That scene is extremely moving.
Spielberg himself obviously thinks of Schindler's List as an untoppable masterpiece, since he hasn't made anything truly great since then.
No, I've never heard that suggestion - it's just a closer character view of the friendly alien...
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