1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Lincoln

#1152- Lincoln (2012)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by: Steven Spielberg


Plot summary: In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln hopes that the Civil War will come to an end soon, but is also concerned that when the war comes to an end that his recently passed Emancipation Proclamation will be discarded and slavery will still be allowed in the United States. Lincoln embarks on a mission to have the 13th Amendment passed by the end of the month, avoiding the possibility of already free slaves being re-slaved as a result. With not much support secured for the passing of the Amendment, it is up to Arnold and the members of the Republican Party to gather enough votes in favor of the 13th Amendment, including many Democratic Congressmen as well.


In this world of movie making that we have today, directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino (2 of my personal favorites) always seem to keep elevating their game with every film by making them grander in vision and longer in time length. Then you have a director like Steven Spielberg, who peaked so early in his career in the '70s, '80s, and even '90s, that by the time he got to the new millennium, he didn't have the strongest lineup of movies going for him. Most remember the ones that were bad (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, War of the Worlds, and of course Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), a lot are forgotten as even being directed by Spielberg (The Terminal, Minority Report, The Adventures of Tintin), and the ones that were good were not considered as good as his earlier films (Munich, War Horse, and Catch Me If You Can). So along comes a film like Lincoln that received worldwide critical acclaim, countless award nominations, and considered a film that has breathed new life in Spielberg's career. And what more would you expect when the movie's subject is a biopic about arguably one of the greatest Presidents in U.S. history? So let's see why Lincoln has been labelled by many as the film to reignite the spark that was missing in Spielberg's career during the 2000s.

Daniel Day-Lewis absolutely shines as Abraham Lincoln, which was recognized by the Academy Awards when he won the award for Best Actor. By this point in his career, Day-Lewis was considered one of the greatest actors of our generation, and this role cemented him as an all-time great. Not everyone in the world could walk into the role of Abraham Lincoln and knock it out of the park as well as he did. He peels back layer after layer and shows you many facets about Lincoln that make him the great speaker he is, but also a man with everyday emotions and conflicts that many might not be aware of. And come on...he LOOKS the part. Daniel Day-Lewis is definitely a chameleon of an actor, and his role in Lincoln may be his best work yet, since you don't see Daniel Day-Lewis...you see Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln's family life is scattered throughout the main narrative with three different family members. The easiest for him is his relationship with his younger son Tad, played by Gulliver McGrath. McGrath does a good job of making this child character not stick out like a sore thumb or overly ham it up for the sake of being an adorable child character, and his scenes with his father peel back another layer of Abraham Lincoln that most audiences probably aren't used to seeing. This relationship is parallel to his relationship with his oldest son Robert, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Here we see his son struggling to break out of his father's shadow while still contributing to something important. We see the father and son at odds with each other, but it doesn't feel out of place or non-believable. I mean, if your father was Abraham Lincoln wouldn't you feel the pressure to succeed? But perhaps the most interesting relationship is with his wife Mary, played by Sally Field. As someone who is getting married soon, I saw how these two could bicker every other scene and make up constantly out of their love for each other and say "it even happened to Abraham Lincoln." Diving into his various relationships with family really help characterize how this larger than life president had a lot of the same everyday problems as his citizens.

Like most Spielberg movies, Lincoln has a HUGE cast of characters, with so many to choose from, it was hard to choose some favorites (other than Lincoln of course). One of the best performances was from Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens is one of the film's strongest characters since he fights for the 13th Amendment so passionately and aggressively that you can't help but respect the man for his efforts (especially towards the end when you see one of his key motives). Not to mention the fact that it's FREAKING Tommy Lee Jones, of course he's gonna give a solid performance. I also really liked the three members of the Republican Party that were on an endless pursuit to gain supporters in passing the 13th Amendment. James Spader plays William N. Bilbo, Tim Blake Nelson plays Richard Schell, and John Hawkes plays Robert Latham. These three have great chemistry and really find a way to be entertaining throughout the movie (especially Spader as Bilbo). But the most surprising performance was Lee Pace as Congressman Fernando Wood, who is firmly against the 13th Amendment. Pace is known for a lot of his character work, particularly with makeup in blockbuster movies like The Hobbit Trilogy and Guardians of the Galaxy, so it's refreshing to see him in a "normal" role actually relying on his acting than the practical effects used to create something mystical.

By this point, I'm not surprised that Spielberg knows how to emerge the audience in the proper atmosphere. This entire film felt like a History Channel special on steroids. Any possible emotions and environment that you could imagine is turned all the way up to an 11 and all the costumes and set pieces feel authentic for this time period in American history. However...

The film's biggest negative aspect is in its inability to keep someone engaged for the entire film. I get that the discussions are really important for the passing of the 13th Amendment, but how on earth do you expect to tell a Civil War era film without even ONE Civil War battle? Would it really have taken the focus off Lincoln? I mean, half the film is spent away from him on the other characters anyways. If Lincoln would have put something between the endless amount of speeches and dialogue to give the causal moviegoer a little more excitement and a break from the serious discussions, then we could have had something EPIC. It would have crossed all the grit of Saving Private Ryan with the emotions of Schindler's List. Can you picture that? At this point, it sounds like a really missed opportunity doesn't it?


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I think it would be fair to call Lincoln brilliant but boring. Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis is phenomenal as Lincoln. Yes, the film has a great supporting cast. Yes, it is well written. And of course, Spielberg is a phenomenal director for this project. The big problem is that the plot is not as engaging for the casual moviegoer who wants some action spread throughout the 2 1/2 hours of talking. A rental at best for Spielberg fans, but if you're a historian with a soft spot for Abraham Lincoln, I'd suggest owning it in your collection.

Lincoln and movie images are copyrighted by Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Raiders of the Lost Ark

#696- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Directed by Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: Indiana Jones is an infamous treasure hunter, as well as a teacher at Marshall College. He is informed by two Army Intelligence agents that the Nazis are searching for Indiana's old mentor Abner Ravenwood, who is in possession of the headpiece of the Staff of Ra. Indiana deduces that the Nazis are looking for the Staff of Ra so they can find the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Jones is sent by the agents to find and protect the Ark before the Nazis can get to it. When Jones travels to Nepal to find Abner, he finds out that his mentor has died and the headpiece is in possession of Abner's daughter Marion, who has bitter feelings for Jones thanks to a previous romantic affair with him. She refuses to sell the headpiece to him, but when the Nazis show up on her doorstep in search of the item, Jones saves Marion and they escape with the headpiece. In an effort to repay him for saving her life, Marion agrees to accompany Indiana Jones on his quest to find the Ark.


It was only a matter of time before we got to our buddy Indiana Jones. As one of the most legendary figures in the history of film, Indiana Jones has been one of the premier names and faces of the adventure genre and his debut film Raiders of the Lost Ark is an absolute classic in the minds and hearts of moviegoers everywhere. With Steven Spielberg directing, and a story written by George Lucas, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not only a good movie, not only a fun movie, but is also one of the most important box office phenomenons of all-time. Even if you have never sat through an Indiana Jones film, you know the basic premise, the theme song, the whip, the fedora, the leather jacket, Harrison Ford, and arguably the greatest opening scene in film history. So let's embark on an epic journey and discuss why people still love Raiders of the Lost Ark even to this day.

Harrison Ford stars in one of his most iconic roles (tied with Han Solo...let the debate begin) as Indiana Jones. First off, considering that Ford was alternating between playing Han Solo and Indiana Jones around this time, it's impressive he was able to deliver as two completely different types of characters for two big blockbuster franchises. What makes Indy different from Han is that he isn't the shoot first and ask questions later kind of guy. Indy is like James Bond or MacGyver, who gets caught up in these strange and elaborate situations and must rely on his brain and his resources to get out of them. He's also not in it for the money or the glory like Han Solo is in Star Wars, but rather values historical value in the artifacts he is helping to preserve. Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in film history and is one of two main reasons Harrison Ford is the screen legend he is.

A hero is only as good as his sidekicks (I'm sure someone has said before...could be wrong...too lazy to check), and Indian Jones has some pretty good sidekicks in the form of Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen, and Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies. Both characters are not the most complex but they leave quite the impression. Marion is a no-nonsense, tough as nails character (with a soft spot for Indy), and Sallah is a loyal companion with a seemingly endless amount of resources to accompany Indy on his quest. Like I said, both characters aren't overly complex, but they are fan favorites and when they both show up again in later movies, they always get a smile out of me since they are familiar faces on Indy's journeys and are the most competent of allies he's had in these movies (not counting his father played by Sean Connery).

What better bad guys to have Indiana Jones battle but the Nazis? We have at least 3 main antagonists that ruffle Indy's feathers in the film (but more than surely get their comeuppance in gruesome fashion). The lesser of the three is Colonel Dietrich, played by Wolf Kahler, whose main role is to be a commander of the Nazis and be...well...a Nazi. Then we have the intimidating Major Arnold Toht, played by Ronald Lacey. Toht is this weaselly character with a memorable black trenchcoat, black hat, and round glasses. Something about the way he speaks is also captivating, getting under the characters' (particularly Marion's) skin by speaking mainly soft but stern. Finally, we have the brains behind the organization and one of Indy's biggest rivals, Dr. René Belloq, played by Paul Freeman. He has charm and wit, but is very greedy and arrogant. He is the antithesis of a character like Indiana Jones, focusing more on what the fame and glory than the history and knowledge that Indy values.

Like I said earlier, Raiders of the Lost Ark has arguably the greatest opening scene in film history. Even people who haven't seen the movie know this scene. Heck, it's the basis for the ride at Disneyland. With that epic John Williams score in the background, we see Indy hiding his face, shrouded in shadows. When someone tries to double cross him with a pistol, Indy snaps his whip to get rid of the gun, steps forward and we see Ford in all his glory as Indy. From then on, you can picture it all in your head: the temple, the golden idol, the poison darts, and the giant rolling rock. You've seen it, and it's been the source of parodies (my favorite being Weird Al's in UHF) and homages ever since. It's a great scene that sets the mood for the kind of character Indiana Jones will be. Now, of course it has NOTHING to do with the rest of the movie but I don't care because it's tons of fun and it keeps me entertained every time.

Everyone and their mother knows who Indiana Jones is and we have to thank Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford for that. I'm sure they thought it would be a good movie, but wouldn't become the iconic franchise that it is today. What started as their tribute to the adventure serials in the '30s and '40s became the resurgence of a genre. Granted, only Jones is able to pull it off since, but it definitely brought this kind of movie to the attention of a modern audience and they ate it up like crazy. If anything, Indiana Jones surpassed the genre it was based on and has become one of the most popular movies of the '80s and of Spielberg's career. In fact, of all the films I've seen from Spielberg these last two months, this would be the one that 50 years from now when we are looking back at Spielberg's career, this would be the one that moviegoers would remember the most.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Raiders of the Lost Ark will always be one of the most iconic movies in American history. It's an homage to the classic adventure stories told in serial format during the '30s and '40s and thanks to the collaborative efforts of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford, we have one of the greatest movie heroes ever created. Any moviegoer alive has heard of Indiana Jones, making this film a no brainer to recommend in everyone's DVD collection.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- A.I. Artificial Intelligence

#1037- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, William Hurt
Directed by: Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: In an age where mankind is trying to rebuild itself after a declining population from global warming, robots are created and despised by many humans who are afraid they will replace them as the dominant beings. Cybertronics of New Jersey has developed a prototype for a robotic child that is able to look, feel, think, and love like a real human child. The prototype's name is David, who is brought in to live with Henry and Monica Swinton amid family tragedy that has left their son Martin in a state of suspended animation due to disease. When Martin wakes, tension builds within the family since they have taken a liking to David. David dreams of being a real boy so Monica will love him, and when he proves to be dangerous for their family, Monica takes him to the woods and leaves him there to fend for himself. He embarks on a mission to find the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio to make him a real boy so his mother will truly love him.


After the great Stanley Kubrick died in 1999, the directorial duties on A.I. Artificial Intelligence was passed on to his friend Steven Spielberg. Now, Kubrick had been developing this film since the '70s, this was going to be his grand vision brought to life, and he wanted to collaborate with his good friend Spielberg, only for the project to be shelved time and again due to commitments to other movies. There were many times where Kubrick wanted Spielberg to direct, but Spielberg convinced Kubrick to stay on as the project's director and it wasn't until Kubrick's death that Spielberg opted to take the reigns as director and writer for A.I., so it's easy to recognize that this was not going to be an easy film for Spielberg to accomplish. Spielberg had the difficult task of keeping the original vision of Kubrick alive while also bringing his own iconic flavor to the film, in what should have been the ultimate blend of directing styles from two of the greatest filmmakers in history (talk about pressure). Not to mention the fact that Spielberg chose to direct this movie over the first Harry Potter film. I repeat...we had the opportunity to have Steven FREAKING Spielberg direct Harry FREAKING Potter...but instead, we have A.I. So for my sake, this movie had better be worth it.

The movie is about David, a robot child capable of having thoughts and emotions played by Haley Joel Osment. This was at a time when Osment was the biggest child star on the planet thanks to The Sixth Sense. I bring that up since it ties into his performance in A.I. David is absolutely TERRIFYING when you first meet him. He's just so creepy and awkward to watch that it makes you uncomfortable, and I think that was the goal. As a human, you're taken aback by David at first (just like how humans segregate robots in the film), but once you start to get to know him, there's something about him that grows on you. You can understand his motives and feelings and really want him to succeed at becoming a real boy (even though it's painfully obvious that his journey is a long shot to everyone else except him). We see him pushed to his limits by seeing him deal with problems at home, as well as problems in the real world but he does not let them stop him from his goals. Admittedly, David is massively naive, but he's brand new to this world and he's a kid so you can't really fault him for it, it's just the cards he was dealt.

Along the way, David encounters a male prostitute robot named Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law. While I enjoyed Joe as a character thanks to his endless sexual euphemisms and artificial charm (I can't call it natural since it's programmed in him), there's something about his side of the story that just didn't fit within David's story, nor is it given enough time and attention to say that they share the narrative together. Joe is a sidekick on his journey, but I do believe that his euphemisms play a part in one of the themes biggest themes. Anytime he tries to help David, he can't help but use his knowledge of women and sex, since that's all he really knows about since he was programmed for a specific function. That's what sets David apart from all the other robots, that his specific function is to love and think and feel like a human, which is a very specific function in concept with very broad after effects. Still, you can feel a friendship develop between these two, with Joe showing compassion whenever David hits a bump in the road on his journey.

Part of the reason I don't feel a prostitute robot fits in this movie is probably because of Spielberg. You can only imagine that in his mind, creating a PG-13 science fiction film that is tailor made toward general audiences probably would have a more family friendly character than Gigolo Joe (even if his sexual stuff is downplayed quite a bit). Now, Teddy, voiced by Jack Angel, feels more up Spielberg's alley. Teddy is my favorite character in the film because he perfectly embodies the film's themes of loyalty and compassion to someone else, regardless of whether you are human or robot. Teddy is a robotic teddy bear who befriends David and throughout the entire film is absolutely loyal to him. They get separated, Teddy finds where David is going. David gets in trouble at the Flesh Fair, Teddy tries to spring him out. David's obnoxious brother Martin, played by Jake Thomas (that annoying brat from Lizzie McGuire), tries to take advantage of him, Teddy does his best to be his conscience. It's obvious this movie has a theme similar to Pinocchio, but it took me a little while to connect that Teddy is this film's Jiminy Cricket, and he's the real MVP on this mission because he goes to any lengths to help David.

Naturally in a movie like this you gotta talk about the effects, right? Of course the effects look great, it's Spielberg for crying out loud. The problem with the design isn't the effects themselves, but in the execution. They enter a place called Rouge City, a place that Joe alludes to having as many women as there are stars in the sky (basically, I was predicting a town full of prostitutes). So when they get there, there's bright colors, holograms, and giant sculptures, but nothing other than those mouth tunnels (which are admittedly really cool) resemble the town that was described. You know if Kubrick was still alive to direct this movie that Rouge City (as well as Joe's character) would've been a lot more perverse and would have left a bigger impact with the audience, as well as displaying how much of a fish out of water David was. Even if they look nice, the effects are also proof that Spielberg was out of his element on this project, since they had potential to create something even grander to behold.

When I think of A.I. Artificial Intelligence, all I can think about is the word "letdown." Spielberg was going into a project that he couldn't win. He had to maintain what Kubrick wanted in honor of his friend, but also had to add his own style to it so it looked like something from him as well. The result was very mixed for me. There were a number of decisions made that took a potentially "ok" movie and made it something that felt like an absolute chore for me to watch (the ending seems to come to mind). All this made me want to do was go see more Kubrick movies to get the idea of what his vision could have looked like. In fact, that's what I'm going to do. I've got two more Spielberg movies this month, but after that, I'm going to cover the best movies of the legendary career of Stanley Kubrick. Now that's what I call a proper tribute and blend to the careers of Spielberg and Kubrick.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a textbook example of how films can falter when their directors try to emulate someone else. Both Spielberg and Kubrick are master visionaries, so when their styles get blended together the combination doesn't exactly click well. If you are big fans of either of these filmmakers, then I guess it's worth at least a rental. But the casual moviegoer could pass this one up in favor of other works from both these directors.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence and movie images are copyrighted by DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Saving Private Ryan

#971- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
Directed by: Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: After three brothers, Daniel, Shawn, and Peter Ryan are all killed in combat during World War II, a mission is sent out by General George Marshall to retrieve James, the fourth Ryan Brother, and return him home to his mother. James, a paratrooper, was last reported somewhere in Normandy and his exact whereabouts are unknown, so Captain John H. Miller and his company of men go on a life-threatening journey to find him. As if the threat of Nazi soldiers wasn't enough, many of the men in Miller's company disagree with the mission and find it unfair for him to receive this opportunity to be sent home, especially if they end up sacrificing their lives in the process. Miller just hopes that Private Ryan is a good man who will use this chance to earn something that he and his men aren't even guaranteed during the war: a chance to go home and experience life.


I won't lie, one of the main reasons that I wanted to do a look on Spielberg's career was so I could do a review for Saving Private Ryan. How could I not want to review this one? It's universally considered one of the greatest movies in the modern age of film and is certainly one of Spielberg's most memorable movies. At almost 3 hours in length, the film is primarily centered on 9 main characters (Private Ryan and the 8-man company that's supposed to save him), so I thought I would spend most of this review talking about these characters. There's also the actual depiction of war that's worth talking about (and I do get to that at the end). But all the characters in this film are so relatable and entertaining (which is rare, since even the greatest of movies can even have that ONE character you really don't care about) that I wanted to make sure they all got some proper recognition.

So let's start the review of Private Ryan by talking about the main character....Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks. I know the film is about saving Private Ryan (DUH!!!), but for half the movie, he's just a name or an objective that Miller and his men are looking for. What else needs to be said about Miller other than it's Tom Hanks giving another great acting performance. He's one of my favorite actors of all-time and this is another one of his memorable performances. At first I wasn't sure what Hanks could bring to the role that would make him stand out, but in a moment of art imitating life, it's a role where the experience of a veteran actor translates to him properly portraying the experience of a veteran soldier. Now back to Private Ryan, it's only within the last hour that he's given a face to go along with it all and Matt Damon does a solid job of making Ryan likable to an extent. At first, he doesn't want to leave with Miller since he feels it's his duty to stay with his men and defend the bridge. He has a mindset that shows his loyalty to his country and the military and it is commendable, and once he's told of the sacrifices they've made for him he is a bit more understanding so he definitely shows that he's learning and possibly accepting to the idea.

Tom Sizemore plays Sgt. Horvath, a character who is very loyal to Miller (as someone should be to their Captain). He gets in a few zingers once in a while, but his best qualities is his loyalty to his missions and his physicality for warfare. The polar opposite to Horvath is Private Reiben, played by Edward Burns. Reiben does not think the mission to save Ryan is worth risking the lives of their men and he is openly disrespectful to Miller and Horvath about it. He's the one whose attitude definitely needs to be checked at the front door, but will never back down about what he believes in. And then we have one of the film's most popular characters Private Jackson, played by Barry Pepper. Jackson brings religion into the story by crediting God for his gifts of being an excellent sniper. The scenes where he is needed to take out men from afar are absolutely breathtaking and suspenseful and the things he says while he is preparing to shoot are the epitome of being a BA. Even if Jackson doesn't do a whole heck of a lot in context of the main narrative, it's easy to see why he's so popular.

Hey kids, check it out, it's a young Vin Diesel as Private Caparzo. Admittedly, of the characters in the film, Caparzo probably adds the least, but his popularity is easily boosted by the future sensation Vin Diesel would become. His greatest relationship is with his friend Private Mellish, played by Adam Goldberg. Mellish, also known as "Fish," is a very sarcastic character and has many humorous one-liners, but he is also a very empathetic character. He is a Jewish soldier fighting a bunch of Nazis, so you could definitely understand him getting emotional during this time. Even when he is acting like a bully to some of the other members of his company, you don't really ever hate the guy or find him too obnoxious. The soldier "Fish" normally bullies is their newest member, Corporal Upham, played by Jeremy Davies. Corporal looks and feels incredibly out of his element in this film, which is understandable for the audience, since many of them would feel the same way. Still, Upham is very likable for his ability to be their conscience and he forms a really strong relationship with Miller. Rounding out the main cast is Giovanni Ribisi as their medic Technician Wade. As a HUGE fan of Friends, it's always humorous to see Frank Jr. in this movie, but he's anything but humorous. Many times, like Upham, Wade looks at the bigger picture and is able to keep the company in check when some of their actions seem insensitive. He even has a great moment in the middle where he talks about his relationship with his mother back home. It's very emotional and is a reminder that these people have lives outside of war.

As if the main cast of characters wasn't good enough, we have an insane amount of awesome cameos scattered throughout the film. Normally, I wouldn't take the time to address these, but there are just way too many favorites of mine that they can't be ignored. As a fan of Becker and Cheers, I loved seeing Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill. As a fan of Sons of Anarchy and Remember the Titans, I loved seeing Ryan Hurst play paratrooper Mandelsohn (the one with the hearing problem). Loving his work with Joss Whedon, I got a kick out of seeing Nathan Fillion as the "other" Private Ryan. I even loved accomplished actors I'm not too familiar with like Paul Giamatti and Dennis Farina as Staff Sgt. William Hill and Lieutenant Col. Walter Anderson respectively. But my favorite cameo by far was by Walter White himself Bryan Cranston, as Col. I.W. Bryce. I'm a HUGE fan of Breaking Bad, so to see one of my favorite actors be one of the characters to actually set the film's plot in motion (pay attention to that) it's the cherry on top of an amazing ensemble cast.

One of the film's biggest strengths, and one of the many reasons the film won Spielberg another Academy Award for Best Director was it's very realistic and gritty depiction of war. Don't believe me, just watch the film's opening scene of the American troops storming Omaha Beach on D-Day. That scene is so exhilarating, bloody, and disturbing that it probably shattered a lot of preconceived concepts that some had about how glorious and glamorous it was to fight in a war. Added by the way the stunning cinematography that put the audience in the middle of the battles, and you have the ultimate point of view experience of what it was like to fight alongside the troops at D-Day, and it was anything but glamorous. Saving Private Ryan, like Schindler's List, was definitely an eye-opening experience of what was going on at that time, but I feel Private Ryan isn't as gruesome and is more open to viewers revisiting this accomplishment in film. It's nowhere near family friendly, but is definitely more open to a wider audience, which for a director like Spielberg, has always been something he has been about.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Saving Private Ryan is easily one of my favorite Spielberg movies. In fact, it's one of my favorite movies PERIOD. It's one of the most well-known and well-depicted war movies in existence and deserves a lot of the hype and praise it has received over the years. It's one of the easiest recommendations I could give to all movie buffs out there. This one is definitely worth owning in your collection.

Saving Private Ryan and movie images are copyrighted by DreamWorks Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Close Encounters of the Third Kind

#640- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Directed by: Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: In the middle of the night in Muncie, Indiana, young Barry Guiler awakes to see his toys moving on their own. He finds someone or something in the kitchen and follows it outside, leaving his mother Jillian to follow him. At the same time, electrician Roy Neary is investigating a city-wide power outage when a UFO hovers over his pickup truck and departs. After nearly running over Jillian and Barry with his truck, Roy forms a friendship with Jillian connected by their fascination with UFOs. Roy begins to develop erratic behavior much to the dismay of his wife Ronnie, who leaves him and takes their children with her. Jillian's home is terrorized by these outer world visitors again, this time abducting Barry. Meanwhile, French scientist Claude Lacombe learns of a five-tone musical phrase as the basis of communication with the aliens, and after his American interpreter David Laughlin has figured out how to properly map their coordinates in the codes, the United States Army evacuates the area and secretly plans to have the UFO land and communicate with them.


Did you know that 1977 gave us TWO groundbreaking science fiction films? I'm sure most people know of one (Star Wars...duh), but for the casual moviegoer, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of a Third Kind I'd imagine goes under their radar in comparison. Is there even a need for comparison?  Both films have similar qualities (John Williams score, the fact that Spielberg and George Lucas are buddies), but not as many as you'd expect. Spielberg takes the space adventure to Earth and creates a story that seems to fit his imagination like a glove. Now, here's where I put a gigantic HOWEVER, I will acknowledge that there is a lot of bits in this film that to me were BORING. Of all the Spielberg movies I had seen before starting this career retrospective, Close Encounters was the one I was looking forward to the least in terms of talking about it, but I made sure to keep an open mind when revisiting it for this review. So, what was I able to appreciate from a film of this magnitude, when I will publicly admit that it hasn't aged gracefully in terms of Spielberg's other films? Let's find out.

The movie follows three main character narratives, so we will begin by looking at Rob Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss. After making contact with the aliens, Rob begins to undergo some strange side effects, which makes his family, specifically his wife Ronnie, played by Teri Garr, uneasy (maybe she just needs a good "roll in ze hay"). Dreyfuss does a really great job of capturing Rob as a curious but determined everyday man. We really feel for the guy, especially when his family takes the high road to get away from him, since we know he isn't insane. We clearly saw a UFO fly over his pickup truck, but no one else did and that's what's so tragic about his mental deterioration. Still, many of the scenes of his "breakdown" are humorous, making mud, shaving cream, and other household items the punchlines for his eccentricities (Mark my words, some of you will never look at mashed potatoes again without thinking of Richard Dreyfuss...MARK MY WORDS!!!).

The next character to look at is Jillian Guiler, played by Melinda Dillon (yes, she IS the mom from A Christmas Story). Like Rob, the audience absolutely empathizes with Jillian. We not only see the aliens take her son Barry, played by Cary Guffey, but we see her have to watch it all happen. Then, we feel for her even further when, surprise, surprise, not many actually believe her. Her bond with Rob is actually very enjoyable and doesn't range on obvious forced love interest territory. Here, the two seem like very platonic friends that have formed from a common goal, to prove their sanity. The scenes where her home is affected by the alien visitors are particularly creepy since their presence causes many household objects to go berserk, from doors opening, to devices turning on. Her early scenes create a very threatening tone and establishes the creatures without informing the audience of whether or not they're friend or foe.

Of course an alien movie like this is incomplete without government involvement, so let's look at the French official in charge of UFO-related activities Claude Lacombe, played by Francois Truffaut. Not much is known about Truffaut, but he is played as a highly intelligent man who has more answers in his head than he is willing to give out to Rob and Jillian. It's thanks to him that we have the iconic scene where the government communicates with the UFOs via light and sound on a gigantic electric board. It's the film's biggest highlight, thanks to the wonderful combination of special effects and the beautiful score from John Williams (it made me tear up...it's THAT good). So yeah, there's not much done with Lacombe, but he's a solid enough edition to the side characters and he's involved in the film's biggest scene.

The film's realistic approach (which I'll get to later) is also accompanied with many different examples of Spielberg's trademark whimsy. Some of it comes from the family lives of the main characters, including the use of child actors (even if they aren't exactly the greatest Spielberg has ever used), and of course a brilliant musical score from John Williams. Also, if you look really close you can see early glimpses of Spielberg's love for spotlights (or as the Nostalgia Critic calls it, his Spotlight Fetish). Actually, the more I describe it, the more I realize that Close Encounters is a blueprint for a lot of Spielberg's films that also introduced a wide array of these filmmaking techniques (I already mentioned E.T., but also Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Hook).

Close Encounters of the Third Kind introduced the world to a Spielberg subgenre: his science fiction movies. Spielberg loves delving into the realm of science fiction in a lot of his films, particularly involving contact with aliens. Some of it works (Close Encounters and E.T.), and some of it doesn't (War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), yet all of them offered something different. War of the Worlds tried from a perspective of fear and peril since those aliens were hostile, E.T. chose a more family friendly environment that made the government the threat instead of the aliens, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull used aliens as an attempt to completely jump the shark (I couldn't resist). Close Encounters goes somewhere between all of these and creates many points of view that range from pessimistic about the existence of aliens, to the optimistic of trying to establish communication and contact with them. It's a very realistic approach to the existence of aliens that I'm sure was overdue thanks to some of the science fiction movies that were churned out during the '50s and '60s. It brought forth the idea of how we would really respond to alleged contact with beings from another planet and created a legacy for Spielberg and science fiction that surpasses the context of the film itself.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Close Encounters of the Third Kind can drag a little bit, and not all of it has aged well over the years, but it still has some charm to it and is a very important film to watch. It's the film that introduced Spielberg into the sci-fi genre, and I'd recommend all moviegoers check out this film at least once as a rental. Fans of science fiction and Spielberg, however, should add this film to their collection (specifically the 3 Disc Special Edition that has the original theatrical, digitally remastered, and director's cut all on one set).

Close Encounters of the Third Kind and movie images are copyrighted by Columbia Pictures