Lincoln

Lincoln
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg [IMDB]

Oscar season is right around the corner and in preparation I'm trying to wrap up viewing all the remaining contenders on the list for best picture, sure they haven't released that list, but a Spielberg biopic about Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis... let's be honest, it'll be in there.

Synopsis: This biopic locks in on Lincoln's struggle passing the 13th amendent to the US Constitution.

Lincoln is a solid film and I like that they didn't start from his childhood into adulthood, instead they just focused on one part of his life. Daniel Day-Lewis looked and preformed brilliantly. Tommy Lee Jones also deserves props for his role in the film, I thought he was great.

Lincoln's downfall is the overkill of dialogue. It feels like they took Lincoln's speeches and read them verbatim, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. It felt emotionally disjointed, with the family dynamic hitting most of the passionate moments and the political meetings falling flat.

Everything else you've come to expect from Spielberg is apparent here.... a great score by John Williams and Janusz Kiminski killing it on the cinematography. Overall, I felt like it could be better, but  it wasn't a huge let down either.

The Indiana Jones Anthology

Last week saw the release of the long awaited Indiana Jones box set on blu-ray. Bringing these bad larrys to blu-ray is long over due but I can say it was worth the wait... as they look and sound incredible. So let's get into this.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

(1981) [Trailer]

Director: Steven Spielberg [IMDB]

Synopsis: Indiana Jones is on the hunt for a.... like you don't know already. 

God this movie is so good. Its rewatchability is insane and it has to be one of the most entertaining films I know. I would say it's a nostalgia thing, but it isn't, it's seriously epic. I normally don't throw around that word (epic) but in this case it fits. If I had just seen this for the first time last night I would love it just as much as the 7 year old me. The set pieces, music, cinematography, and pacing are all what you would expect from an 80's Spielberg film. Oh, one last thing, the face melt scene is the best.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(1984) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg [IMDB]

Everything I said about Raiders pretty much rings true here... actually I'm not really sure which one I like better. As a kid this was the first of the Indiana Jones films I remember seeing and it mesmerized me. There's some extremely memorable stuff in here... the heart being pulled from the chest, the chilled monkey brains, the mine shaft chase... I love all of it. I think I enjoy the girl from part one better, but this has Short Round... so I guess they are even.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(1989) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg [IMDB]

Indiana's back and this time his father, Sean Connery, joins in on the fun. All the bells and whistles Spielberg implores in the other installments can be found here... for me it's just not as effective here. Maybe it's the addition of Sean Connery or the back story on Indiana in the beginning, but there's something a little off. I love how dark and ominous the tone of Temple of Doom was, but this film loses that and trys to emulate Raiders a little too much. Not that this is a bad film, it isn't, it's great... I just don't like it as much as the first two. There are just not as many memorable moments in this, especially compared to it's predecessors.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
(2008) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg [IMDB]

I know a lot of people hated this film and many say it's the worst of the series. While I would agree it's the worst of the lot, it's by no means a bad film. I'd say the worst part of it is Harrison Ford. His acting is bad, it's painful to watch at times. I actually didn't mind Shia LaBeouf as the son, I know he got shit on but he's pretty serviceable. The other thing people harped on was the inclusion of Aliens. I actually enjoy that angle and thought it brought something interesting to the table. They are no more absurd than an evil priest ripping a guy's heart out or a man surviving a plane crash with a life raft. These films are meant to be over the top and unbelievable.

Jaws

Jaws
(1975) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

I have made no secret of my love for Steven Spielberg (director) on this blog before. Some of my favorite movies of all time have had him involved and in terms of horror Jaws is definitely one of the best.

Synopsis: Like you don't already know.

This is more of a review of the recently released blu-ray for Jaws. Anyone that wants to know why blu-ray is awesome and why they should get rid of their shit DVD's, watch this. I saw Jaws a few months back through On Demand and the differences between that viewing and this one are night and day. The transfer is immaculate and one of the best that I've seen... it looks like it was filmed yesterday.

I don't think there will ever be a reason to move onto another format after blu-ray. If studios just took the right kind of time to clean up older releases that's all you'd need. There is no way this film could look any better.

Oh yeah... as for the film. It's awesome obviously and definitely holds up. I'm pretty sure everyone out there above the age of 25 has probably seen this, if you haven't, go ahead and treat yourself.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

A.I. Artificial Intelligence
(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

Synopsis: In the future a robot boy has dreams of becoming a real boy... it's like Pinocchio, but not.

I'm dropping a little more Steven Spielberg on you this time, but to be fair this is also a little Stanley Kubrick. As many people know, Stanley passed the buck to Spielberg before God so unkindly dragged him from this earth (people needed good movies in heaven obviously.)

A.I. is a solid film, you could call it the Buick LaSabre of Spielberg's filmography... those are solid cars right? It's stylistically pleasing to me and I love the special effects incorporated into the second half especially. Haley Joel Osment was fantastic in the role as David, Jude Law also plays a pretty convincing android.

I felt like there were a few pacing issues, one being towards the end, it seemed to drag a little. Also, I know it's a movie and all, but if they can create these elaborate robots, why can't they reprogram them if and when their owners decide to get rid of them? Why would they have to be destroyed if mommy falls out of love with them? Kids are assholes, the robot makers should have prepared for that scenario. I call bull shit on that.

The Jurassic Park Trilogy

All praise Steven Spielberg, a God amongst men. If his films were biblical scripture, Jurassic Park would be Deuteronomy. Why you ask? I don't know, but it sounded good.

Jurassic Park
(1993) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

Synopsis: Who the hell doesn't know what Jurassic Park is about? Okay, for the people living in hippy commune since the 70's, who haven't seen this.... Scientists create a theme-park on an island in Costa Rica filled with dinosaurs and shit goes south real quick.

Jurassic Park is one hell of a film and when I was in highschool I think everyone I know saw this in the theaters and then owned a copy on VHS. It showcases exactly what I expect from a Spielberg film. Ground breaking special effects, a solid cast (including kids that actually don't annoy me) and a remarkable score. Side note: it's pretty awesome that he made a version of the music with vocals... check it out. Anyways... where was I?

Highlights for me are: Jeff Goldblum, the first appearance of the tyrannosaurus rex, and the electric fence gag... classic stuff. I love this movie and it makes me wish I was a teenager again. Then I realize how shitty I was, never mind, I'm glad I'm old.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park
(1997) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

Synopsis: Jeff Goldblum, along with a new crew, are sent to a secret island used to breed the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park... again everything goes south quickly. Life will find a way... to fuck you up.

Spielberg returns to direct this follow up, which in my opinion, isn't as successful as the first. I still enjoyed The Lost World, but it's flawed. A lot of what makes part one exceptional, is recycled in this and it works. With all Jurassic Park films you must suspend disbelief, but there are some things that are a huge stretch in The Lost World. Like the little girl half-assing her way into the trip, then later using gymnastics to bust up a raptor. Also the ending, which I won't spoil, but it's pretty unrealistic. However; the film works in a lot of other ways... the suspense is high, the Goldblum is snarky, and the effects are even better then part one.

Jurassic Park III
(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Joe Johnston (IMDB)

Synopsis: Haven't these people learned to not mess with the dinosaurs yet?

No Spielberg directing and no Goldblum acting, I wasn't very excited about the promise of this film, but didn't want to write it off (it's the only one of the three I hadn't seen.) They did manage to get Sam Neill back from part one, which was nice, so I gave it points for that.

The plot is kinda weak and I feel like they could have done something more creative. The dialog also seemed a little stale at times.

My biggest gripe with part 3 is the ending. It felt very anticlimactic and seemed pretty abrupt. Spoiler Warning: when they're flying away from the island at the end, I was totally expecting something crazy to happen and the story to continue on. Then... nothing, just credits?

I didn't hate this, but it could have been so much better.

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Twilight Zone: The Movie
(1983) [Trailer]
Directors: John Landis (IMDB), Steven Spielberg (IMDB), Joe Dante (IMDB), George Miller (IMDB)

This movie freaked me the hell out as a child. I remember being scared of racists, being scared of old people, being scared of other kids, and being scared of flying. Thanks to this movie all those things are still true.

Segment 1: After an epic racial tirade, this old anti Semite gets blasted back through time to see just how it feels to be on the receiving end of hate. I love this one. I know people will say it's preachy and shit, but they are bigots, so who cares. The Nazis have never looked more evil.  I think they could have found a better scenario then placing him in Vietnam however. The end is creepy and effective. Good Stuff.

Segment 2: Spielberg delivers a story of magic as old people get to feel what it's like to be young again. I think this is generally considered to be the worst of the bunch, I like it however. It's completely not scary, but still a fun tale and delivered with style. The one older kid with the cape kinda sucks though.

Segment 3: A women gets drawn into a house where a boy has any wish he wants come true. One of my all time favorite horror pieces. Joe Dante rules this segment and delivers a super creepy installment. The practical effects are the absolute best. They are scary yet maintain that cartoony look. I love the set design of this house. It's so unsettling and weird, the bedroom is sinister and the sister in it looks insane. I really can't praise this one enough. It's been awhile since I've seen it and it's probably better then I remember.

Segment 4: A man loses his shit on a flight when he sees a monster on the wing of his plane. John Lithgow's at his absolute best. He plays bat shit crazy extremely well. The scenes of the monster out on the wing is very spooky and mysterious. When you finally get the close up, the monster is great, he kinda looks like a gremlin meets the predator.

Definitely pick this up if you haven't seen it before. If you have, it's a fun revisit.

War Horse

War Horse
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

Sam Slater (EVFS contributor) and I are having a debate here. I believe that Steven Spielberg has never made a terrible movie, Sam is under the impression that he has. While he does have some stinkers in his collection, I still wouldn't say they're terrible. Terrible is a strong adjective, and a word I don't throw around lightly, kinda like how Justin (another WFR contributor) doesn't throw around the word 'love'. I guess we all have our special words... So next time I say something is terrible, you'll know I mean it.

War Horse is about... you guessed it... a horse. His story is interwoven between different care takers and all takes place in Europe during WWI.

The film was pretty decent and it has a lot of the tropes that make a good Spielberg movie. One element would be a great score which is strategically placed to tear at the heart strings or to make you smile. Another would be the cinematography, which I thought was fantastic. The story of this film is okay, but a bit far stretched at times, and a little overly cheesy. It had a bit of a "oscar bait" feel to it. I felt that every actor was serviceable but not very memorable, with probably the best (and too short) performance coming from Benedict Cumberbun...I mean Cumberbatch.

To sum it up, War Horse is okay yet a bit forgetful in my book. It came out on blu-ray and VOD this week and you can peep the trailer HERE.