WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
Out of curiosity, how exactly do you think he fucked it up?
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What Is Spielberg's Place Among Directors?
- Thread starter Andrew Korenchkin
- Start date
Out of curiosity, how exactly do you think he fucked it up?
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
Top five directors includes John Cassavetes.
Ray Carney lol.
Ray Carney lol.
manzoman96
Member
Don't know if I'd call him THE best, but certainly belongs in a greatest of all time discussion. Excelled for a long time with many different genres.
Roronoa Zoro
Gold Member
First blockbuster
The biggest blockbuster of all time 17 years later
One of the greatest film trilogies of all time in between
The biggest war movie ever
One of the greatest films of all time at least artistically and importance wise (shindlers list)
One of the greatest sci-fi films of all time (not a fan but I acknowledge it)
I'll say he's the greatest blockbuster director and most
Timeless director of all time
The biggest blockbuster of all time 17 years later
One of the greatest film trilogies of all time in between
The biggest war movie ever
One of the greatest films of all time at least artistically and importance wise (shindlers list)
One of the greatest sci-fi films of all time (not a fan but I acknowledge it)
I'll say he's the greatest blockbuster director and most
Timeless director of all time
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
He's in my top 10, which looks something like:
-- Scorsese
-- Nolan
-- Spielberg <---
-- Tarantino
-- Cameron
-- Hitchcock
-- Kubrick
-- Coen Bros.
-- Fincher
And never in that order. Gun to my head I am picking between Fincher or Nolan right now.
-- Scorsese
-- Nolan
-- Spielberg <---
-- Tarantino
-- Cameron
-- Hitchcock
-- Kubrick
-- Coen Bros.
-- Fincher
And never in that order. Gun to my head I am picking between Fincher or Nolan right now.
Lol true, it really is more of the other way around.
I dunno who I'd call the American Kurosawa, but it sure as hell isn't Spielberg.
StrangeRoboMemory
Member
Nowhere close to the best all-time filmmaker, but definitely a top 3 director of popular adventure movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark is basically a perfect film.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Other directors seem to think he's a pretty good director.
Kubrick liked him
Kubrick liked him
Stiler
Member
I'd put him in the top tier of directors.
He's one of the few director's that can pretty much make whatever damn movie he wants to make, which a lot of other directors can't do.
A few examples of that tier of director's, Cameron, Nolan, Tarantino, the guys who pretty much walk into a movie studio and be like "I want to make this movie" and the studio is like "sure, whatever you need."
He made some truly great movies, especially in the 80's and 90's.
2000's he kind of fizzled out a bit for me personally, I was a fan of his Sci-fi/adventure movies and war stuff like SPR/Band of Brothers, but then he kind of got into biopics and things.
I did enjoy TinTin quite a bit though.
He's one of the few director's that can pretty much make whatever damn movie he wants to make, which a lot of other directors can't do.
A few examples of that tier of director's, Cameron, Nolan, Tarantino, the guys who pretty much walk into a movie studio and be like "I want to make this movie" and the studio is like "sure, whatever you need."
He made some truly great movies, especially in the 80's and 90's.
2000's he kind of fizzled out a bit for me personally, I was a fan of his Sci-fi/adventure movies and war stuff like SPR/Band of Brothers, but then he kind of got into biopics and things.
I did enjoy TinTin quite a bit though.
ET or Close Encounters?
Stiler
Member
He was good friends with Kubrick.
Kubrick was making A.I. but thought Steven would be better for it then himself but Steven said he should finish it. Sadly Kubrick died before this could happen so he ended up making it and dedicated it to Kubrick.
Also IIRC Spielberg was planning to make Kubricks long time Napoleon project with HBO in a mini series (A la Band of Brothers), I haven't heard anything about it since like a year ago though:
http://collider.com/stanley-kubrick-napoleon-hbo-cary-fukunaga/
SkyMasterson
Member
Dude put out Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in the same year.
Both films combined to win ten academy awards, which is pretty cool.
Arguably created the Summer blockbuster(for better or worse).
Not only did he direct some all time great films, he produced some amazing films and Television as well.
The man is a legend. No matter what you think of his recent output.
Both films combined to win ten academy awards, which is pretty cool.
Arguably created the Summer blockbuster(for better or worse).
Not only did he direct some all time great films, he produced some amazing films and Television as well.
The man is a legend. No matter what you think of his recent output.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
No, I mean that he largely has a good eye for framing shots but cannot resist the siren call of the trite closeup with the swelling music, and other such shitty contrivances.
H.Cornerstone
Member
I liked Bridge of Spies and Lincoln. :shrugs:
I always considered Lincoln more DDL's movie, but yeah I like it too.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Carney is a silly man, in some ways, but Cassavetes was 1000x the artist Spielberg is, in any era.
Probably top 5, all time. He could shit the bed from here until retirement and it still wouldn't change that fact.
Despite people's complaints his movies very rarely have anything wrong with them in terms of direction. Sometimes he'll pick a not-great script or something, but in terms of actual directing he's generally flawless.
Despite people's complaints his movies very rarely have anything wrong with them in terms of direction. Sometimes he'll pick a not-great script or something, but in terms of actual directing he's generally flawless.
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
No shit sherlock.
I was mocking Carney, but Cassavetes is probably my favorite director.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
Haha he does seem to love the dolly up close to get the face to fill the frame paired with a similar musical crescendo. I guess we can file that with the emotional manipulation complain (it's definitively melodramatic).
I'm not really qualified to talk about the golden and silver age directors. It's not like I haven't seen any of 30s-60s classics, but my viewership of that era is too spotty to speak from authority.
Of the modern directors (mid 70s to present) who focus on widely appealing fare such as big budget action flicks, I would say that he is easily in the top 3. Even his less successful films have an interesting sequence or two.
Of the modern directors (mid 70s to present) who focus on widely appealing fare such as big budget action flicks, I would say that he is easily in the top 3. Even his less successful films have an interesting sequence or two.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
your post is a shitty contrivance
Not sure about American directors, but Kurosawa was ,among many other things, a master of movement and framing. So I'd say Alfonso Cuarón is his modern equivalent.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Cuarón is so fucking good
Everlya_Apocryha
Banned
a hack that directed Schindler's List? Who said that?!
You may not like his other 'family friendly' offerings or his recent works post 2000s but you can never take credits like being director of Schindler's List, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark from the man.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
If you want your emotional responses spoonfed to you, as Spielberg always does, even in "morally gray" works like Munich, feel free to open wide, amigo.
Kinda wanna barf seeing people compare him to Kurosawa, tbh.
I'm a big fan of Minority Report as well.
You know that you did something right in your sci fi flick when it is commonly cited as an inspiration for real-world tech a decade or so later.
I could see that. Or his amigo Iñárritu. Biutiful was strikingly evocative of Ikiru.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
I know, but I responded seriously because it was a good way to get more of my anti-Spielbergo cards on the table!
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
I know people have their issues with Iñárritu, and I have mine, but he's cool in my book just by being the prime Lubezki enabler.
Conor_Fool
Banned
Agent Icebeezy
Welcome beautful toddler, Madison Elizabeth, to the horde!
In my opinion, at the time of release, I thought I was watching the perfect movie till he put his spin on the ending. It wasn't supposed to be a happy ending, it was supposed to be somber and sad, we didn't get that.
I'd put Spielberg in my top 10 list of current English-speaking directors working today, but it'd be a lot harder to place him in my personal overall favourite directors list. Really enjoyed Bridge of Spies, Tintin and Lincoln, but wasn't too fond of the BFG and War Horse from recent years. I'd argue he's pretty much defined what blockbuster entertainment has been to theatre-goers for decades now, and deserves a place in the all-time greats for the legacy to the craft he's contributed.
Sweet Bellic
Member
He's certainly prolific and has made some great films... and yet none of his films make my personal top 20, hell, maybe not even my top 50. His work has entertained me, but not reached or inspired me to the same extent as the films of Kubrick, Leone, Tarantino, Lynch, the Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Gilliam, Scorsese, Coppola, etc. That said, I should probably rewatch Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. It's been a while.
dickroach
Member
absolutely.
PsihoPerihelion
Member
He directed Munich, so he's the GOAT on my book.
Every film student that I know hates Spielberg lol.
He's the American Spielbergo.
I've actually always associated Lubezki more with Malick since The Tree of Life was such a formative experience for me. But the dude gets around.
Curious as to what issues you've got with Iñárritu?
SkyMasterson
Member
Oh, I do too. I wasn't speaking for myself.
People seem to hate on a lot on Spielberg's recent output.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
May be irrational, but to me he's the kind of artist that now could make any film he wanted in Spanish, and elevate Latin American Cinema, but instead would only make a film in Spanish, or any foreign language just so he can exploit the foreignness of it. Have American viewers read the subtitles and feel cosmopolitan, and remind the world he is cosmopolitan.
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
What do you mean "put his spin on the ending" though? He shot the same ending the Kubrick had planned to begin with. The single biggest alteration Spielberg made to the movie was the Flesh Fair, which is the meanest, grungiest, and darkest sequence of the whole movie.
And I gotta reject the idea that the ending isn't "somber and sad". David curls up with a literal fleeting memory of the mother he'll never see again shortly before she'll disappear from existence for eternity. That shit ain't happy at all, even if the character briefly is.