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I'm just going to lay it on the table upfront: I am an unabashed fan of Steven Spielberg.

The reason I value Spielberg so highly is I believe that he is alive in a filmic sense. Spielberg truly understands the language of film, and his creations are pure expressions of the possibility of cinema. I think he's been a vital force in expanding the vernacular of movies for over thirty years. When he's spot on, he literally creates new film techniques and looks that are only later copied and expounded upon.

It's too easy to say that Spielberg simply rode the wave of a new zeitgeist, such as his role in the rise of the "blockbuster." Spielberg has been a big name since the '70s, and he has taken chances with many films that have since gone on to influence the rest of cinema for decades. Saving Private Ryan is a natural choice to look at as far as a style goes, but look at Schindler's List. That movie came out at a time when high-gloss and explosions were at a premium (an era Spielberg helped usher in).

Don't get me wrong, I do not wholeheartedly endorse all of Spielberg's movies or choices. If nothing else, Spielberg is a populist. Every part of every movie Spielberg makes (with the exception of Schindler's List and Munich) is designed to appeal to the broadest number of people possible. Often this makes specific Spielberg films more insipid and vapid than they should be. On a visual level War of the Worlds was a phenomenal movie. On a story level, it was very near to pathetic.

But here's the important point, as a filmmaker, somebody who puts images up on a screen, Spielberg is as vital a creator as they come. The only other person of his generation who matched his output as far as recreating the language of cinema was Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick, who created cerebral meditations on serious topics, will always get the critical accolades. Spielberg, in the meantime, made movies about aliens and Nazi-punching pulp heroes. He won't be lauded like Kubrick, and I think that's a shame.

I can certainly agree with you on nearly all those points Mofo. I wouldn't say I'm a fan of all Mr. Spielberg's movies, but just for the fact that he created such all time greats like Duel, Jaws and Saving Private Ryan, I will always have much respect for the man. He seems to have a good vision and a genuine passion for storytelling that seems to get conveyed extremely well in each piece of work.

Spielberg I have a ton of respect for.   Pretty much every film fan out there in a right state of mind should even if they may not like his films.  Jaws is my favorite film of all time and for me its timeless.  And of course he made the 80s magical with his many releases. I should point out to if someone does history films the right way direction wise its him.  Sure he's had some flops along the way (A.I. comes to mind) but he is a great filmmaker.

Good thread!!!  I have always liked Spielberg's stuff, and AMISTAD, although rarely mentioned, is a true gem among historical films.

People may criticize Spielberg for feeding the public a lot of "feel good", commercialized stuff.  But I can't remember too many Spielberg movies that didn't entertain me to some degree.  My favorites are probably (in no particular order):

* JAWS
* SCHINDLER'S LIST
* DUEL

I gotta agree with the scary clown on this one-my favs are the same as his...but I would add CLOSE ENCOUNTERS...just because I'm a UFO geek...

What do they mean by "feel good" commercialized stuff?  The Terminal (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362227/)?  I actually liked that movie. :bluesad:

Looking at his body of work, nobody can deny that the man is an institution. I highly respect the man and it is clear that he has a deep respect for film. Oddly enough, I think one of his finest framings was the opening scene to Close Encounters. I watched that recently for the first time in a long time and found myself marvelling over how well that scene sets up the entire film. So impressive is this man's body of work that I can even forgive Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, although just barely. As much as I respect Spielberg, I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone were complete badasses for their disturbing but appropriate "rape" committed by Spielberg and Lucas.

I just wanted to point out (since I was just watching it on HBO), the initial T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park is one of the most awe inspiring moments in movie history.  EVERYTHING is perfect and its one of those moments in cinema history that sticks out as timeless to me.  It still sends chills up my spine watching it until this day.

I agree with you all, I just want to know one thing:

where the hell is our dvd release of AMAZING STORIES SEASON 2 ?!!!

It's available on Netflix to watch instantly.