Review Steven Spielberg

[Doctor Omega]

Steven Allan Spielberg KBE OMRI (born December 18, 1946) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era, as well as being viewed as one of the most popular directors and producers in film history.[2] He is also one of the co-founders of DreamWorks Studios.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Spielberg's films have spanned many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films, such as Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), were seen as archetypes of modern Hollywood escapist filmmaking.[3] In later years, his films began addressing numerous humanistic issues such as the Holocaust, the transatlantic slave trade, civil rights, war, and terrorism in such films as The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Schindler's List (1993), Amistad (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Munich(2005), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), and The Post (2017). His other films include Jurassic Park (1993), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and War of the Worlds (2005).

Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, as well as receiving five other nominations.[4] Three of Spielberg's films—Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park—achieved box office records and came to epitomize the blockbuster film.[5] The unadjusted gross of all Spielberg-directed films exceeds $9 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing director in history. His personal net worth is estimated to be more than $3 billion.[1] He is also known for his long-standing associations with several actors, producers, and technicians, most notably composer John Williams, who has composed music for all but three of Spielberg's films (The Color Purple, Bridge of Spies, and Ready Player One).


Personal life
Marriages and children
Spielberg first met actress Amy Irving in 1976 at the suggestion of director Brian De Palma, who knew he was looking for an actress to play in Close Encounters. After meeting her, Spielberg told his co-producer Julia Phillips, "I met a real heartbreaker last night."[6]:293 Although she was too young for the role, she and Spielberg began dating and she eventually moved into what she described as his "bachelor funky" house.[6]:294 They lived together for four years, but the stresses of their professional careers took a toll on their relationship. Irving wanted to be certain that whatever success she attained as an actress would be her own: "I don't want to be known as Steven's girlfriend," she said, and chose not to be in any of his films during those years.[6]:295

As a result, they broke up in 1979, but remained close friends. Then in 1984 they renewed their romance, and in November 1985, they married, already having had a son, Max Samuel. After three and a half years of marriage, however, many of the same competing stresses of their careers caused them to divorce in 1989. They agreed to maintain homes near each other as to facilitate the shared custody and parenting of their son.[6]:403 Their divorce was recorded as the third most costly celebrity divorce in history.[146]

Spielberg subsequently developed a relationship with actress Kate Capshaw, whom he met when he cast her in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. They married on October 12, 1991. Capshaw is a convert to Judaism.[147] They currently move among their four homes in Pacific Palisades, California; Quelle Farm, Georgica Pond in East Hampton, New York;[148] New York City; and Naples, Florida.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The greatest director of all time?

 

[Doctor Omega]

Spielberg Won’t Enhance His Old Films





Iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg has revealed he will never digitally enhance the special effects in his old movies ever again.

Digital enhancements of visual effects in old films have proven a mixed bag. Some, such as the “Star Wars” special editions, have been met with a backlash. Only a few done tastefully, such as the director’s cut of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” have received acclaim.

Spielberg found himself on the backlash end with the anniversary re-release of “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” boasting a few CG effects shots including the key scene where cops saw their shotguns replaced by walkie-talkies.

Doing press rounds for “Ready Player One,” Spielberg revealed to Screenrant that the criticism he scored from that means he won’t ever be digitally changing up elements of his old films again:

“I got in trouble for doing that. When E.T. was re-released, I actually digitized 5 shots where E.T. went from being a puppet to a digital puppet and I also replaced the gun when the F.B.I. runs up on the van, now they have walkie-talkies.

So there’s a really bad version of E.T. where I took my cue from Star Wars and all of the digital enhancements of A New Hope that George put in, and I went ahead, because the marketing at Universal thought we need something to get an audience back and see the movie so I did a few touch ups in the film, and in those days, social media wasn’t as profound as it is today but what was just beginning, you know, erupted a loud, negative voice about how could you ruin our favorite childhood film by taking the guns away and putting walkie-talkies in their hands among other things.

So I learned a big lesson and that’s the last time I decided to ever mess with the past. What’s done is done, and um, I’ll never go back and do another movie I’ve made and I have control over to enhance or changes.”

Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” opens in cinemas everywhere on March 29th.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

I hated that he did it, and I hate E.T.

Yes, I hate that movie. Let the flame war begin.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

The greatest director of all time?

You would dare place him above Edward D. Wood, Jr? You monster!

 

[Doctor Omega]

Spielberg’s Films Top The $10 Billion Mark





Filmmaker Steven Spielberg was always in a class of his own, but now it’s official – Spielberg has become the first director in film history whose movies have topped the $10 billion mark at the worldwide box office.

The Wrap reports that with the success of “Ready Player One,” which has earned more than $475.1 million worldwide since its release, Spielberg is now the only director in the history of film to ever gross more than $10 billion at the worldwide box office.

It also gives the director a clear lead over the runner-up, Peter Jackson, whose combined films have grossed $6.5 billion. Even more impressive – this list is restricted to directing efforts only, not the countless works Spielberg has produced in his time, and does not account for inflation.

Spielberg’s all-time top performers are “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” and “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”. Also this week a clip of the first race from “Ready Player One” has also been released online in full and can be seen below.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Inside Steven Spielberg's Secret World: A Guided Tour Of The Universal Lot | Entertainment Weekly

Steven Spielberg, the director of 'The BFG', takes us through the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot that shaped him '” before he reshaped it.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Spielberg Still Defending Theatrical Releases





Steven Spielberg has come out in defense of film exhibitors as part of his speech whilst accepting the Filmmaker Award at the Cinema Audio Society’s CAS Awards over the weekend.


Last year during “Ready Player One” press, Spielberg expressed concern about the rise of streaming services and their effect on both the film industry and the awards race. At the time he said that with studios having adopted a tentpole-only strategy, smaller films are going to the thriving streaming market which poses “a clear and present danger to filmgoers”.

He went on to say streaming service content is effectively TV content even if it is in feature film format. He considers films on streamers like Netflix to be telemovies, not real movies, and that includes the ones “given token qualifications” with a week in theaters.

The thinking hasn’t changed much in the year since going by his latest speech which suggests he’s firmly with the cinemas, not the streamers, but the focus this time is less on the content format and more on the difference of the ‘theatrical experience’:

“I hope all of us really continue to believe that the greatest contributions we can make as filmmakers is to give audiences the motion picture theatrical experience. I’m a firm believer that movie theaters need to be around forever.

Some of the greatest writing being done today is for television, some of the best directing for television, some of the best performances [are] on television today. The sound is better in homes more than it ever has been in history but there’s nothing like going to a big dark theater with people you’ve never met before and having the experience wash over you. That’s something we all truly believe in.”

Spielberg will film a remake of “West Side Story,” for cinemas, later this year.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

but there’s nothing like going to a big dark theater with people you’ve never met before and having the experience wash over you. That’s something we all truly believe in.

I do have to agree. While it's expensive, and I have certainly had my share of bad audience experiences, it is still the best way to see a movie. I have been to every Star Wars movie in the theatre (ANH and TESB during the Special Edition re-release, but still), most of the Star Trek movies, every Marvel movie since Avengers, and other films that certainly benefited from the big screen treatment.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Spielberg’s Apple Appearance Causes Debate





Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is being accused of sending mixed messages with his appearance as part of Apple’s TV+ dramatic short film about the power of creative content which was unveiled this morning in Cupertino.


Spielberg was the first to appear in the film, along with numerous other filmmakers like Ron Howard and J.J. Abrams, which played at the top of a presentation of the original series the company has ordered.

Spielberg then took the main stage of the Steve Jobs Theater to discuss his “Amazing Stories” series reboot. He received a standing ovation inside the theater. In the wake of that presentation, Spielberg became a national trending topic on Twitter.

The filmmaker famously set off a global online debate a few weeks ago about streaming services and their ability to compete at the Oscars with their original films – films which some consider only telemovies and thus should be up for Emmys, not Oscars. This was seen as a direct charge at Netflix following their awards success with “Roma” this year.

Spielberg’s proximity to a rival streaming platform this morning has understandably raised eyebrows and drawn some amusing responses from industry watchers.

Apple has original movies currently sitting on its shelves including the animated “Wolfwalkers,” the nature documentary “The Elephant Queen” and Sundance acquisition “Hala” and Apple has not clarified whether it plans to take those films straight-to-service or support them with a theatrical release. “Wolfwalkers” in particular is being seen as a potential serious Best Animated Oscar contender.