Are we going to see more "Spielberg revivalism?"

[Guestx]

It started with Super 8 and now we've seen the next major entry with Stranger Things. And considering the popularity of Stranger Things, and the way that Hollywood likes to chase its own successes, are we going to see a full-fledged Spielberg revivalist movement in the next handful of years?

Personally, I wouldn't mind. Spielberg's style was, in my opinion, the BEST style for family films and the 80s were the best decade. Whether through Super 8 or Stranger Things, I've had fun diving back into that era in that way.

So what do you guys think? Are these isolated incidents or just the two forerunners in what will become an all-out cinematic trend?

 

[minute bull]

 

[BisexualMMA]

I haven't seen Super 8 or Stranger Things.

But just when you think you've pinned Spielberg down to a style, he reinvents things with Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan.

Anything that results in more movies being like Spielberg's is fine with me.

 

[Guestx]

I haven't seen Super 8 or Stranger Things.

But just when you think you've pinned Spielberg down to a style, he reinvents things with Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan.

Anything that results in more movies being like Spielberg's is fine with me.

How did you just never watch Super 8? It's kind of a problematic movie in some ways, but everyone should watch it at least once if only to see JJ Abrams (successfully) do his best Spielberg impression.

And you need to check out Stranger Things as well.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

How did you just never watch Super 8? It's kind of a problematic movie in some ways, but every should watch it at least once if only to see JJ Abrams (successfully) do his best Spielberg impression.

And you need to check out Stranger Things as well.

It's never been on any of the movie channels since its release, oddly. At this point I'll need to Amazon prime it or something

 

[Prefect]

The best way I have heard Spielberg described is the world's best director with no vision and bad taste. All of his movies are incredibly well shot but very formulaic. Single parent household. Family in crisis. Parent's don't believe me or wouldn't understand. Formula scene to pull heart strings. Spielberg seems perfectly content to make just a by the books, no risk "entertaining" movie.

 

[Guestx]

It's never been on any of the movie channels since its release, oddly. At this point I'll need to Amazon prime it or something

Have you never seen it either?

 

[BisexualMMA]

The best way I have heard Spielberg described is the world's best director with no vision and bad taste. All of his movies are incredibly well shot but very formulaic. Single parent household. Family in crisis. Parent's don't believe me or wouldn't understand. Formula scene to pull heart strings. Spielberg seems perfectly content to make just a by the books, no risk "entertaining" movie.

What you just typed doesn't describe Jaws, Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan.

Schindler's List is pretty much the opposite of what you said, except that it is well shot.

Your description fits some of his work, but he branches out from that very successfully at times.

 

[Guestx]

The best way I have heard Spielberg described is the world's best director with no vision and bad taste. All of his movies are incredibly well shot but very formulaic. Single parent household. Family in crisis. Parent's don't believe me or wouldn't understand. Formula scene to pull heart strings. Spielberg seems perfectly content to make just a by the books, no risk "entertaining" movie.

Interesting. I think Spielberg was pretty original in his prime. If any of these things are formula now, it's because he's been copied so much.

When I think Spielberg's early films, I think "heart." There's so much heart in films like Close Encounters, ET, The Indiana Jones series, Hook, Jurassic Park, etc.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

What you just typed doesn't describe Jaws, Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan.

Schindler's List is pretty much the opposite of what you said, except that it is well shot.

Your description fits some of his work, but he branches out from that very successfully at times.

The same three films leapt to my mind as well. I also thought Minority Report was pretty awesome (though by no means a pillar of his career works).

Then we have the excellent films Amistad, Lincoln, and my personal favorite.... Empire of the Sun

 

[Prefect]

Jaws was special.

Schindler's List is the best he has done but he can get away with string pulling in that because it is about a tragedy. This is his best piece of work by far. The movie is start to finish special.

Saving Private Ryan is visually the most impressive WW2 movie ever made. Nothing comes close. Character development? They might as well had cardboard cutouts. I like the movie but I know what it is not. It is nothing epic like Lawrence of Arabia or Paths to Glory. Or has remotely as much character development as When Trumpets Fade. The Thin Red Line, which I think was released the same year, is something special in comparison.

 

[europe1]

I think Spielberg was pretty original in his prime. If any of these things are formula now,

On a filmmaking level, things are pretty much reverse.

One of Spielberg's trademarks is his long-shots. If you watch his films -- there a many examples where he does not cut but allowes the camera to move uninterrupted for a minute or two. This was normative back when he was getting started. But these days, frequent cutting has become much more prevalent. Except for a few people that loves taking the long-shot into the extreme like Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) or Alejandro Inarritu (Revenant).

But the thing is that he really knows when and how to utilize these long-shots. He uses them for drama, the lack-of-cutting allowing the actors to give a better performance, for example. Or to immerse the audience in a dramatic or intense scene better. He's so good at it that it never ends up "feeling" formulaic.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Jaws was special.

Schindler's List is the best he has done but he can get away with string pulling in that because it is about a tragedy. This is his best piece of work by far. The movie is start to finish special.

Saving Private Ryan is visually the most impressive WW2 movie ever made. Nothing comes close. Character development? They might as well had cardboard cutouts. I like the movie but I know what it is not. It is nothing epic like Lawrence of Arabia or Paths to Glory. Or has remotely as much character development as When Trumpets Fade.

Glory is one of my favorite war movies

I remember watching it in school for the first time and I was hooked

 

[europe1]

Character development? They might as well had cardboard cutouts. I like the movie but I know what it is not. It is nothing epic like Lawrence of Arabia or Paths to Glory

If a movie needs to surpass Lawrence and Glory to be considered epic then epics are a scant breed indeed. Private Ryan can be epic in terms of quality without even needing to come close to those two films.

And I don't at all think that Lawrence is as good as everyone says it is.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Jaws was special.

Schindler's List is the best he has done but he can get away with string pulling in that because it is about a tragedy. This is his best piece of work by far. The movie is start to finish special.

Saving Private Ryan is visually the most impressive WW2 movie ever made. Nothing comes close. Character development? They might as well had cardboard cutouts. I like the movie but I know what it is not. It is nothing epic like Lawrence of Arabia or Paths to Glory. Or has remotely as much character development as When Trumpets Fade.

But all three of these movies are examples of having vision, which is what Spielberg was described as lacking.

I think it probably goes without saying regarding Jaws and Schindler's List.

And with respect to Saving Private Ryan, what he did with the shutter angle of his cameras was visionary - setting aside all of the complex shots and everything. He set out to recreate in his movie the look and feel of WW2 news footage and calibrated his cameras in a way nobody was doing or had done to create that feel throughout. It's the sort of thing that very few directors would have the vision to incorporate into a film. Much like the girl in the red dress in Schindler's List.

Both Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan spawned a trademark film technique, akin to things like "bullet time" or "300 fighting."

 

[Guestx]

Regarding vision, I think one thing that's important to note is that Spielberg's movies--especially his early movies--have a very distinct FEEL to them that you just don't get with other directors.

There's a reason why right now we're talking about Spielberg revivalism, and why we are not, and never will, be talking about Brett Ratner revivalism.

 

[europe1]

And Spielberg created shoots like this. Which is pretty much pornography for film-school students.



Dolly shoot plus zoom.

And with respect to Saving Private Ryan, what he did with the shutter angle of his cameras was visionary - setting aside all of the complex shots and everything. He set out to recreate in his movie the look and feel of WW2 news footage and calibrated his cameras in a way nobody was doing or had done to create that feel throughout.

For a comparison to what Speilberg did -- watch the D-Day scene from something like The Big Red One (which came out before Private Ryan) and spot the diffrence. What Speilberg achieved took both immense vision and craftsmanship.

It's the sort of thing that very few directors would have the vision to incorporate into a film. Much like the girl in the red dress in Schindler's List.

One of the most moving moments ever in film.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Regarding vision, I think one thing that's important to note is that Spielberg's movies--especially his early movies--have a very distinct FEEL to them that you just don't get with other directors.

There's a reason why right now we're talking about Spielberg revivalism, and why we are not, and never will, be talking about Brett Ratner revivalism.

So when does Uwe Boll revivalism begin?

 

[europe1]

Also, movies like Bridge of Spies proves that Spielberg still got it. A master whom works effortlessly in his craft.

 

[Guestx]

So when does Uwe Boll revivalism begin?

Well the Uwe Boll movement was just an homage to David Prior.