Steven Spielberg
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1997 was shaping up to be a year similar to 1993 for director Steven Spielberg. Both years had him working on two films simultaneously, one a massive popcorn blockbuster and the other a harrowing historical drama. But if the one-two punch of twin successes JURASSIC PARK and SCHINDLER’S LIST were a career-high for Spielberg, then…
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The year 1993 was such a rewarding and exhausting year for director Steven Spielberg that he needed a fair amount of time to recover. After taking home the Directing Oscar for SCHINDLER’S LIST, he embarked on a directing hiatus that would last for four years. During this time, Spielberg was busy shepherding other project as…
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Academy Award Win: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay Inducted into the National Film Registry: 2004 When I was 10, 11 years old, I acted in little plays at a local theatre in Portland. One of the instructors there was in the process of…
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Academy Award Wins- Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Every kid is fascinated by dinosaurs. It’s a universal given, at least in America. The idea of giant monsters stomping around a lush, primordial jungle is the stuff that fuels pint-sized imaginations, and the fact that dinosaurs don’t exist anymore gives them a…
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Peter Pan is one of those cultural touchstones which tends to have a profound effect in people’s lives. For many, it’s one of the earliest stories told to them, and the details stick because a child’s mind—untainted by the lifetime of experiences that await it– is like a sponge soaking up every little nuance. This…
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In 1943, an unassuming melodrama known as A GUY NAMED JOE was written by legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and released in cinemas. The film concerned a fighter pilot who is killed in combat, only to return as a spirit and help his love move on with her life. It came and went without much of…
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Notable Festivals: Berlinale (out of competition) The warm reception of 1985’s THE COLOR PURPLE emboldened director Steven Spielberg to continue down the path of creating serious prestige films instead of his usual blockbuster fare. Meanwhile, an adaption of J.G. Ballard’s novel Empire Of The Sun had been kicking around Hollywood with one of Spielberg’s key…
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Notable Festivals: Cannes (Out of Competition) After several features completed in the Hollywood studio system, director Steven Spielberg had built up quite the reputation as a maker of spectacle-based “event films”. Due to this success, he had friends in high places—President Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones to name a few. And it was…
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In the mid-80’s, director Steven Spielberg had begun to hit his stride as a feature filmmaker. After the expected success of 1984’s second installment of the Indiana Jones saga, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, Spielberg surprised his fans with a return to the medium that created him: television. In 1985, he joined up…
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Academy Award Wins: Best Visual Effects RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) was a massive commercial and critical hit, with the adventures of Indiana Jones captivating audiences around the world. Naturally, fans were clamoring for a sequel– something Spielberg had never actually attempted before. Indiana Jones’ co-creator, George Lucas, persuaded Spielberg to return, citing the…
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With the one-two punch of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) and E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982), director Steven Spielberg was in a position to tackle any project he wanted. His choice on a follow-up was a surprising one: contributing a segment to TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983), an anthology feature that updated four of the…
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Notable Festivals: Cannes (Out of Competition) Academy Award wins: Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Sound Inducted into the National Film Registry: 1994 1982’s E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL holds a special place in my heart, as it does for a whole lot of people. It was the first film I ever…