Amistad (1997)

Amistad (1997)

Starring: Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Anthony Hopkins.

Plot: In 1839, the Spanish slave ship La Amistad falls victim to a slave mutiny lead by Cinque (Hounsou).  When the ship is found by American soldiers, the slaves are put on trial, concerning whether or not they are property of the Spanish empire or not.  If they were born on a plantation they would legally be Spanish property, then they will be placed back into slavery.  If proven that they were born in Africa, they will be sent back to their home since kidnapping people there for slavery is illegal.  With the help of a property law attorney Roger Sherman Baldwin and former president John Quincy Adams, they will try to prove to multiple pro-slavery courts that the group of Africans belong in Africa, not a slave plantation.

Good: In my opinion, the best part of the film is the performances, especially the actors portraying the slaves.  They do absolutely amazing and haunting performances that show the horror and grief that comes with being a slave.  A particular stand out performance is Djimon Hounsou, who's expressions really bring his great acting to a new level.  Matthew McConaughey also does a great job as the up-and-coming property attorney.  He has great chemistry with Hounsou and the other Africans, along with a really good presence in the courtroom.  The great Anthony Hopkins is fantastic as John Quincy Adams, pulling off the eccentricities of the character as well as the gravitas.  His speech at the end is amazing to watch, and keeps you invested the whole time.  John Williams' music is great as per usual, with a more subtle feel to it.  The addition of African drums throughout the score along with the more westernized music.  The production design is also very well done, with the audience feeling like they're actually in the time period.  The scenes where the Africans are forced into slavery, while they don't last very long, are also very well done.  It shows how exposed these Africans felt as they were stripped from their homes and families.  These scenes make the concentration camp scenes in Schindler's List look like a Hallmark movie in my opinion.

Bad: Morgan Freeman is one of the best actors in the world.  However, I think his talent is wasted here.  He has very little scenes, and while he does show how far the slave's race has gone from their African roots after generations of slavery in America, any African-American actor could have filled that role.  Another issue I have with the film is that while the characters keep you invested, the story feels very repetitive at points.  The protagonists convince the judge with the evidence, then the government shuts them down and forces them to start over once again.  This happens two more times before the protagonists finally win.  I know this is what happened in reality, but it could've been handled a bit better.  One final issue I have is with the subtitles.  When the Africans are speaking to each other, the movie goes back and forth over whether they should be subtitled or not.  The film should have either been totally without subtitles as a stylistic choice, or with subtitles so that the audience knows what everyone is saying.

Trivia: 

• 'Amistad' in Spanish means 'friendship'.
• Denzel Washington turned down the role of Cinque.
• Many American actors were angry about Spielberg's decision about having a British actor (Hopkins) play a former president of the U.S.
• Anthony Hopkins' seven page speech scene only took one take.  This impressed Spielberg so much that he only referred to him as Sir Anthony throughout the rest of production.

Final Verdict: While there are some problems within, this film is still a great watch.  It's characters are engrossing, the production is fantastic, and the music is entertaining to listen to.  However, if you can't handle intense scenes of human misery, you should probably skip this one.

Next time, I'll look at another one of Spielberg's WWII movies, but this time, on the front lines of battle, in Saving Private Ryan. 

Stay Tuned

One last thing, I now have a tumblr account that you can follow me on.  I'll try to make an ask box soon, so you can ask my your questions there. the link is here.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julian Moore, and Pete Postlethwaite.

Plot: Four years after the events of the first movie, all of the survivors have kept quit about the disaster in the park.  All of them except Ian Malcolm, who tried to tell the world, but with little success.  But John Hammond wants to have a team travel to Isla Sorna, a.k.a. Site B, where the dinosaurs were raised after being born, so they can photograph the recently released dinosaurs and show that it must be kept as a biological preserve.  This includes Malcolm and his girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Harding, who already traveled to the island before him.  Desperate to get is girlfriend out of the dinosaur infested island, he joins the team, but soon encounters a second group who want to bring the dinosaurs to the mainland in a second Jurassic Park zoo.  Can Ian find his girlfriend while also preventing another dinosaurs disaster?

Good: After playing a supporting role in the first movie, Jeff Goldblum has been upgraded to the hero of this film, and for the most part, he does a good job.  He stays faithful to his original role, but has obviously matured between the two films, dealing his children and relationships more seriously.  Goldblum does a good job at portraying this growth in character and making it look believable.  Vanessa Lee Chester, who plays Malcolm's daughter Kelly, does a good job as the obligatory child character, and isn't as annoying as the kids in the previous movie.  Julian Moore does a good job of as Sarah Harding, and is a good foil to Ian Malcolm's cynicism.  The rest of the the cast is fine as well, with standouts such as Pete Postlethwaite as the adventure seeking big game hunter who ends up stealing the show from the protagonists.  John Williams's score, while not as iconic or bombastic as the one in the previous film, is quite good and fits the jungle setting very well.  The dinosaurs still look great, with a great mix of practical and computer effects.  This is especially impressive when the two Tyrannosauruses are on screen together and during the raptor attacks.  The action is also very well done, with a great variety of settings and dinosaurs attacking.  The best action scene would have to be the Tyrannosaur rampage in San Diego.  It adds another level of terror to the attack by having there be more people for the dinosaur to potentially eat, while also being very entertaining to see a dinosaur rampage in a city.  It also works as a nice homage to the silent film The Lost World, where a Brontosaurus rampages through London.

Bad: While the protagonists may be well acted, they're written very poorly.  They constantly make stupid and dangerous decisions that get many people killed.  This includes leaving food in a tent (which attracts the T. Rexes), taking the bullets from a gun (which endangers people's lives during an attack), and bringing a baby Tyrannosaurs to their trailer (which provokes the parents to attack).  Dumb decisions such as these make the audience more sympathetic towards the antagonists, who are either only doing their jobs or are much more interesting characters.  There's also a very strong environmental message to the film, and while I'm all for protecting the environment, the protagonists take it too far and endanger lives in order to save a small handful of animals from captivity, especially Vince Vaughn's character.  Additionally, the film lacks the sense of wonder that the previous film had in spades, and feels more like a generic action/adventure movie that has dinosaurs stomping about, as cool as that can be at times. Finally, there's the nitpicking of inaccurate dinosaur representations, but they were accurate for the time, so I won't go too deep into it.

Trivia:

• The paleontologist who gets eaten by the T. Rex is based on Robert T. Bakker, who has a friendly feud with Jack Horner (who consulted the movies while also being the inspiration for Alan Grant) over whether Tyrannosaurus was a predator (Bakker) or a scavenger (Horner).  After he saw the film, Bakker wrote to Horner, saying "I told you Rex was a predator!"
• The man who gets eaten by the video store was played by David Koepp, the writer, and was credited as "Unlucky Bastard".
• One of the movie posters in the video store has Arnold Schwarzenegger as King Lear.
• During production, Spielberg became increasingly more disenfranchised with the film, wondering if making the movie was worth it.

Final Verdict: While this isn't a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination, it isn't a great one either.  It does have some very well done action scenes, especially the San Diego scene, but it also has some bland characters who make stupid decisions.  All in all, see it if you're a hardcore fan of the franchise, but it's definitely not required viewing.

Next time, we'll go to the 1830s, and look into the courtroom drama about a slave ship mutiny in Amistad.

Stay Tuned              

Schindler's List (1993)

Schindler's List (1993)

Starring; Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsly.

Plot: Oskar Schindler is a wealthy member of the Nazi Party in 1939 who wants to create a factory in Poland, using Jews as a workforce.  However, after a violent liquidation of a ghetto that contains his Jews, Schindler begins to realize how horrible it is being a Jew at this time.  After the Jews are moved to a concentration camp, Schindler begins focusing his efforts on saving Jews by letting them work in his factory.  He ends up creating a list of around eleven hundred Jews to work in his factory.  With his partner Itzhak Stern, he will try to save as many Jews until the war ends. 

Good: This is probably Spielberg's best cast in any of his films.  Liam Neeson does a stellar performance as Oskar Schindler.  He really sells the transformation from a womanizing business man to a humanitarian who cares deeply for the Jews that he ends up saving and wishes that he did more. His breakdown during the final scene is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in cinema. Ben Kingsly also does a great and subtle performance as Schindler's business partner and eventual friend.  They have a lot of good chemistry, and their evolution from partners to friends is very fluid and natural.  The rest of the cast is also amazing as well, including the minor Jew characters.  They really do a great job at portraying the pain of an ordeal such as this.  It can be very heartbreaking at some points.  John Williams's music is fantastic as always, but in a different way this time around.  In this case, the music is much more subtle and heartbreaking, with much of it being a violin solo.  It fits the tone of the movie perfectly, and it's one of his best pieces.  This film has a very unique look to it.  The majority of it is in black and white, but there are key moments where color is used.  This gives it a timeless feel, where at some points it feels like the movie is older than it actually is.  The colored portions of the movie are well realized and give more depth to a film that was already pretty deep.  The rest of the production values are great, especially the look of the camps and ghettos, which feel like characters themselves.  Surprisingly, there are a few moments of good humor in this film that add a bit of levity to this otherwise very serious film.  They don't feel intrusive, and Liam Neeson really helps make them work.

Bad: This film has a length of epic proportions at 195 minutes long, and can be a very exhausting experience for some.  I would recommend that you watch it in either two or three parts, unless you're used to powering through long movies.  It's also kind of confusing as to what Oskar Schindler's plan is in the beginning, but it does become clearer as the film goes on.  This film also has some very disturbing imagery due to its subject matter, so if you're feint at heart, this is not the film for you.

Trivia:

• Spielberg was initially hesitant about making this movie, thinking he was not mature enough to pull it off.
• He was not paid for this film, since he thought his salary would be blood money.
• Although they had permission to film within Auschwitz, they chose to build a mirror image of the camp on the other side of the gate out of respect for the victims.
• Spielberg decided to make Jurassic Park before Schindler's List because he thought he would be to drained to make the former after doing the latter.

Final Verdict: There's a reason this film won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) in 1994.  It's a masterpiece of cinema, and one of the greatest films ever made.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know about how terrible this time period actually was, or if they just want to see a magnificent film.

Next time, we'll travel to Isla Sorna, the secret Jurassic Park never wanted people to know about in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Stay Tuned

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Starring: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.

Plot: 120 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, John Hammond is in the process of creating the world's greatest biological preserve.  But instead of lions, tigers, or bears, this park contains living, breathing dinosaurs, brought back from blood found in ancient mosquitoes trapped in amber.  However, he needs experts to sign off on the park in order to maintain funding from his investors.  This includes two paleontologists and a mathematician, who predicts that the park will go horribly wrong due to a lack of respect for the power they're wielding.  When his predictions start to come true, the group must try to survive a park full of dinosaurs on the loose.

Good: This film has a great and diverse cast.  Sam Neil plays a great leading man as Dr. Alan Grant, who pulls off the scientist aspect to his character.  He also does a great job at showing the evolution of Grant from a child-hating grump to someone who legitimately cares for the kids he helps during the movie.  Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm was an inspired choice, with his charm and charisma turned up to eleven.  He can be very entertaining to watch.  The rest of the cast does a good job, including Richard Attenborough as the kindly but naive John Hammond, and Bob Peck as the delightfully hammy Robert Muldoon.  The music in this film (done by John Williams) is iconic, and one of my all time favorite scores.  It can have you on the edge of your seat with suspense, sit in quiet reflection, or cheer with delight with ease.  The action is also excellent, from the T. Rex attack in the rain, to the Dilophosaurus sneaking up on Nedry, to the suspenseful Velociraptor hunt in the kitchen.  Of course, you can't talk about Jurassic Park without also mentioning its special effects.  The practical effects used on the close ups of the dinosaurs are amazing, with may of them looking like there are real dinosaurs on set.  Two scenes that show this off the best are the sick Triceratops scene and the Tyrannosaurus escape.  The computer generated dinosaurs, even though they have dated a little bit, still looks amazing, even surpassing some modern day CGI creations.  This combination of practical and computer effects makes the dinosaurs really come to life.  The dinosaurs even sound real, from the ear splitting T.Rex roar to the terrifying Velociraptor raptor scream.

Bad: Although the kid actors in the film play their parts well, their characters feel kind of superfluous to the story most of the time, and can sometimes act pretty annoying.  This especially happens to Lex, asking dumb questions and screaming when it's unnecessary.  Luckily, this doesn't happen too much in the film, but it makes an impression when it does.  Also, while the way the dinosaurs were depicted was pretty close to what science thought of them at the time, they haven't aged that well.  We now know that Velociraptors were much smaller (about the size of a turkey) and had feathers, Brachiosaurus couldn't make loud noises, and none of the dinosaurs would've made booming noises when they walked (just look at an elephant walking).  However, this is more of a minor nitpick, as the people making the film were trying to portray the dinosaurs as accurately as possible, and science just moved on.

Trivia:

• The T. Rex animatronic was not meant to break the glass on the top of the car when it attacked the kids, so it produced genuine screams from the actors.
• The Tyrannosaur's famous roar was a combination of dog, penguin, tiger, alligator, and elephant noises. 
• On one of Nedry's computer screens, you can see Jaws playing when he's arguing with Hammond.
• Universal bought the rights to Michael Crichton's novel before it was published.

Final Verdict: While it does have some very minor flaws, Jurassic Park is still an amazing movie, and one of my favorite films of all time.  It has great action, amazing music, and top notch special effects.  This is a must see for anyone who ever wanted to see dinosaurs come to life, or if you just want to appreciate all the hard work that went into it.  I highly recommend it.  

Next time, we'll once again fight against the Nazis.  However, this time, it'll be in a much more serious tone, with Schindler's List.

Stay Tuned           

Hook (1991)

Hook (1991)

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Julia Roberts.

Plot: Peter Banning is a father who has too much time on his hands from his job to spend time with his wife and kids.  When the family takes a vacation to London to visit Granny Wendy, the woman who took of Peter when he was a boy, the children are kidnapped by a man known as Captain Hook.  As it turns out, Peter is none other than Peter Pan, who grew up after falling in love with Wendy's granddaughter.  Now he must travel to Neverland, and with the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, he will try to rescue his kids from the titular villain.

Good: Robin Williams may have been an unconventional choice to play Pan, but he fits into the role very well.  He effortlessly shows both sides of his character, from the overworked and stick in the mud father, to the boyish and energetic hero.  It's very cool seeing his character transitioning between these two extremes.  As per usual in a Spielberg film, the kids do a good job with what they're given, especially the actor who plays Jack Banning, who has a lot of good emotional scenes.  The rest of the cast does a good job as well, but the best performance would have to be Dustin Hoffman as Hook himself.  He fits this role like a glove, bringing a sophistication and charm to the role, while also being delightfully hammy when it's necessary.  This film also has great production design.  The sets look incredibly detailed and fun to look at, especially the pirate village.  The matte paintings of Neverland are also spectacular, adding to the great visual style of that world.  The sword fights during the climax are fantastically choreographed, with great banter between Pan and Hook.  The special effects are quite good, with the flying sequences being particular stand outs.  John Williams brings one of his best scores in this movie, especially in the scene where Peter remembers how to fly.  It's surprising that it's not as well remembered as some of his more famous scores.

Bad:  While Julia Roberts's performance is good, the way Tinkerbell is written is not that great.  Tink should be spiteful and jealous, while this version is too nice.  It feels out of character and makes her kind of boring.  Also, the climax, even though it contains some great sword fights, can feel a bit too cheesy, with the pirates being defeated with eggs, vegetables, and multicolored water.  This, along with some other scenes that are smothered in cheese, can take the audience out of the movie big time.  Plus, there are some major leaps in logic throughout the movie.  The biggest plot holes would have to be how Peter could understand what his mother was saying when he was a baby and how he grew up to be a ten-year old when he was in Neverland.

Trivia:

• The actor who played young Peter Pan is Dustin Hoffman's son.
• Glenn Close plays the pirate who gets sent to the Boo Box.  It's unclear as to why.
• The Peter Pan book that Granny Wendy is reading to the children is a first edition copy from 1911.
• The word 'bangarang', which is said multiple times throughout the movie, is Jamaican slang for disorder, hubbub, or an uproar.  

Final Verdict: Despite some of it's flaws, I still recommend Hook.  It has great acting, fantastic production design, and amazing music.  If you can suspend you disbelief pretty high, and focus on the charm of the film, you can enjoy it a lot.

Next time, we'll go on a weekend inspection of John Hammond's new attraction on Isla Nublar.  Jurassic Park.

Stay Tuned

Always (1989)

Always (1989)

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman

Plot: Pete Sandich is a pilot who helps firefighters by putting out forest fires from the sky.  He regularly endangers himself by doing reckless stunts to impress his wife Dorina, much to her dismay.  After risking his life to save his flying partner and best friend, Pete tragically dies when his engine explodes.  Now he must do what all souls do once they die; help subconsciously guide another pilot to greatness.  What Pete soon realizes however, is that the pilot he's guiding is in love with his now widowed wife.  Can he learn to move on from his old life, or will he remain connected to his beloved Dorina?

Good: The last time Richard Dreyfuss was in a Spielberg movie was in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so it was a welcome surprise to see him again.  His charisma is dialed up to eleven and is very enjoyable to watch.  His humor is hilarious, especially when he's experimenting with the fact that he can influence other peoples actions.  However, he also brings a lot of drama to the scenes that require it.  You can see the internal conflict inside him when he's deciding whether he should hold on to his past life, or let go and let Dorina live her life without him.  Speaking of Dorina, Holly Hunter is also very good, mastering a wide range of emotions in every scene she's in, from joy when the couple celebrate her birthday, to fear when Pete is doing one of his stunts.  The chemistry between these two characters is amazing, and you can really buy that these two are a couple, despite the eleven year age difference.  John Goodman, as always, brings a lot of charm and humor to his scenes, while also pulling off very emotional scenes.  Spielberg does a great job with the romance between Dorina and the pilot, while also making her connection with her past husband just as strong, which adds to the internal conflict.  This is especially notable, since this is Spielberg's first film centered mostly on the romance aspect.  John Williams's music is still great, though it's less bombastic and more subtle, which works well with the tonne of the film.  Despite not being very effects-heavy, the scenes when characters are fighting fires.  Those scenes are probably the best in the film, with suspense that will put you on the edge of your seat, and effects that look so real, you'd think that they were from a documentary if not for the amazing cinematography.

Bad: While there is a lot of great acting in this film, there are some notable exceptions.  The main one being the pilot that Pete has to help.  He's not a bad actor, he's just kind of bland, and doesn't quite hold up to the acting chops of Dreyfuss, Hunter, or Goodman.  The pacing is also very puzzling.  While the movie is about two hours long, it feels like it's moving too fast.  I'm not sure how it managed to do this or if it's just me, but it would've been nice if the pacing slowed down just a bit, so that the audience could see the romance grow in a less speedy way.

Trivia:

• This was Audrey Hepburn's final movie before she died.
• The scene when Dorina and the pilot are doing John Wayne impressions was added after a similar interaction happened between the actors during filming.
• This film is a remake of A Guy Named Joe, which can be seen playing on the television during a scene in Poltergeist.  
• During production, Spielberg told John Goodman that he would make a great Fred Flintstone.  In 1994, Goodman starred in The Flintstones as that character.

Final Verdict: Despite its flaws, this is a very solid movie.  It has great characters, amazing action, and a memorable story.  I would recommend it to people who love romance in general, or people who live Spielberg's lighter work.

Next time, we'll travel to Neverland, and find out what would happen if Peter Pan grew up, in Hook.

Stay Tuned  

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Alison Doody.

Plot: Indiana Jones is back once again, this time in a search for the holy grail (insert Monty Python joke here), but he's not the only one.  The Nazis have also returned, and this time they've captured Indy's father, who has dedicated his life to finding the grail.  With the help of Sallah, Marcus Brody, and the lovely Dr. Elsa Schneider, he will attempt to save his father while also searching for the grail before the Nazis do.

Good: The biggest difference between this film and the last two instalments is that it has a noticeably lighter tone.  This ends up working in the favor of the film, making it more like the somewhat cheesy serials it's based on.  There's a lot more comedic moments, such as when the Jones's are trying to escape the burning castle.  Harrison Ford once again returns as the titular hero, and he still does a great job after taking a five year break from the role.  His wit and charm really bring the character to life, as it did in the last two movies.  Due to the lighter tone, he really gets to show off his comedic prowess.  However, his best scenes are when he interacts with Sean Connery, who plays Indy's father.  Their banter is great fun to watch, and is the heart of the film. While it might seem kind of gimmicky to bring the main character's father along for the ride, but through a mixture of the way the character is written and Connery's charm, the addition is a welcome presence.  The returning cast does a good job as well, especially Denholm Elliot as Marcus Brody, whose role has been expanded upon in this instalment.  John Williams's score brings back the Raiders March again, while also adding some new pieces.  The music during the bike chase sequence manages to leave a memorable tune stuck in your head, and it's one of Williams's best.  The action is excellent, with action scenes being frequent and well placed and staged.  Finally, there are some great visual effects in this film.  The two that stand out are the invisible bridge and the rapidly aging villain. 

Bad: While the lighter tone may work for the most part, at some points, it comes off as too cheesy, with the actors sometimes playing their roles in a tongue-in-cheek manner.  At some points it feels like the movie is more of a comedy than an action/adventure flick.  One of the best parts of the original was how despite the cheesy moments, all of the actors played it straight.  Another issue is that while some of the effects are top notch, there are also some that don't look quite as great.  This is especially true with the green screen that they used for when they were either flying or in a boat.  The shot when the Nazi commander is yelling at the blimp probably looks the most fake.

Trivia:

• During the book burning scene, Spielberg had the extras cross their fingers whenever they did the Nazi salute and said "Sieg Heil".
• Neither Sean Connery nor Harrison Ford wore pants during the plane sequence, since the set was too hot.
• For his scenes as young Indy, River Phoenix based his performance off of Harrison Ford off screen, not the titular character.  Also, Ford had recommended Phoenix for the role.
• Speilberg has always wanted to direct a Bond movie, so having Sean Connery (the first James Bond) in his movie is the closest he's come so far.

Final Verdict: I would say this film is probably the most forgetable of the Indiana Jones franchise.  It's not as iconic as Raiders of the Lost Ark and it's not as infamous as Temple of Doom or Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  However, it's still an enjoyable watch, with its great action, excellent music, and fantastic banter between Ford and Connery.  I definently recommend this film for anyone who is a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, or who just wants a light action/adventure movie.

Next time, we'll see take a look at one of Spielberg's lesser known films, Always.

Stay Tuned

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Starring: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, and Miranda Richardson.

Plot: During World War II, a spoiled British boy named Jamie Graham lives in the Shanghai International Settlement with his parents.  Everything seems to be going well for the family, when the Japanese forces suddenly take over the settlement.  In the ensuing chaos, Jaime is quickly separated from his parents, eventually ending up in an internment camp with other former residents of the settlement.  For the next few years, he must learn how to survive in this harsh new world, with the help of an American Sailor named Basie.  Will he survive until the end of the war and reunite with his parents, or will he become one of the many casualties of  the Second World War?

Good: Like The Color Purple, this film focuses on an element of a well known part of history that isn't as famous as some of the other elements.  In this case, it focuses on the Japanese internment camps.  That is, the internment camps in Japan that held British prisoners of war.  This unique perspective makes the film much more interesting than if it covered territory the majority of the population knows about, such as the European side of the conflict.  I found it interesting how Japan was putting Westerners in internment camps while the reverse was happening in the U.S. at the same point.  However, unlike The Color Purple, all of the acting in this movie is great, especially young Christian Bale as Jamie.  He does an excellent job of portraying the evolution of his character from a spoiled brat to a mature young adult.  When you compare how Jamie acts in the begining of the movie to how he acts in the end, you can barely tell that what you're watching is the same character.  If you're familiar with Bale as an adult, it might be a bit distracting to see him as a child, like it was for me.  However I quickly got over it.  John Malkovich also does a great job as the smooth talking Basie.  At first his presence was a bit distracting, with his calmness and charisma in some situations being unrealistic, but his character grew on me as the film went on.  The rest of the cast does a great job as well, with particularly memorable performances from Nigel Havers as the doctor in the camp and Miranda Richardson as a motherly figure toward Jaime in the camp.  The production values are great, with sets and locations that look and feel like 1940s Japan.  The music is once again done by John Williams, and while it might not be as memorable as some of his other works, it's still sounds great.  It helps show the innocent wonder of a child while also adding some darker notes that show the despair of the prisoners.  Also, it seems that Spielberg has learned his lesson about portraying Japanese people since 1941, with the people of Japan being portrayed in shades of grey, and not just as either the victims or the evil captors, but rather as just people.

Bad: While this film may have better pacing than The Color Purple, it still drags at points, especially during the middle of the film.  The fact that these scenes all happen in the same brown, dull landscape doesn't help.  Also, the movie ends fairly abruptly, so we don't get to see Jaime adjusting to life after all these experiences, which was a missed opportunity.

Trivia: 

• Ben Stiller has a small role as one of the American prisoners, and he apparently came up with the idea for Tropic Thunder while on the set.
• The scenes in the internment camp were severely cut down, with some roles being reduced to minor characters.
• Eric Flynn, who played one of the prisoners in the camp, was an actual prisoner in a Japanese camp as a child.

Final Verdict: This film is absolutely amazing.  Even thought it does have a few hiccups here and there, it still has great production, writing, and most of all, acting.  If you're into history, especially World War II, and you want to see a different side of this interesting conflict, then this is the perfect movie for you.  I also recommend this to anyone who's looking for a great historical drama, or if you enjoy Spielberg's dramas.

Next time, we'll see Indy once again battle Nazis, but this time he's after something a bit more closer to home.  It's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Stay Tuned

The Color Purple (1985)

The Color Purple (1985)

Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey

Plot: Celie is an African American girl in the early 20th century, and has had two children by the age of 14.  When she is married off to a much older man after she has her second child, she must spend most of her life in an abusive and threatening world, and separated from her beloved sister.  But along the way, she meets many friends, including the feisty Sofia and the lovely Shug Avery.  With the help of her friends, she will try to survive in a harsh world of racism and patriarchy. 

Good: One of the things that stands out in this film is the fact that it shines a light on a part of history that isn't focused on today, which is the gender roles within the African American culture in the early 20th century.  If you were a black woman around this time, you were considered to be the lowest class a human could be.  The struggle of these women is portrayed excellently by Whoopi Goldberg in her first role on screen.  She does a great job showing a wide range of emotions without many lines.  Many of the other actors do a great job as well, including Danny Glover as Albert and Margret Avery as Shug.  But the performance that I was most surprised by was Oprah Winfrey as Sofia.  Usually the celebrity cast member is the weakest link in the cast, but Winfrey does a superb job at portraying this strong woman who is broken by society, and she disappears in the role, especially during the dinner scene.  The production design is  very good, and you really feel like you're looking at what life was like in the early 20th century.  The music was done by Quincy Jones, and he does a good job at portraying the emotions of the scenes.

Bad: While many of the performances are good, there are some that can be pretty cringe worthy.  The actors who play Celie's children and step father feel very wooden in their line deliveries.  The worst performance in my opinion is done by the actress who played young Celie.  She is so dry and boring to listen to, that she makes the first 30 minutes of the film drag on, and the film only picks up when Whoopi replaces her.  The movie also feels way too long at points, and comes to a slow crawl near the end.  Some of the humor, while it can be funny, also feels out of place at times, and can give the viewers emotional whiplash.  For example, just after a very tense scene with Celie contemplating murdering her husband, Albert, we get a comedic scene with Albert looking for his clothes to wear for Shug Avery.

Trivia:

• This was Whoopi Goldberg's and Oprah Winfrey's first feature film.
• Tina Turner was initially chosen to play Shug Avery, but she turned it down.
•  This was Spielberg's first "serious" film, and it put him on the path to making movies like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.
• Oprah Winfrey ad-libbed her speech at the dinner table at Spielberg's request.

Final Verdict: To me, this film is a mixed bag.  It has some amazing acting, and some not-so-great acting.  Some of the scenes will captivate you, while others will have you checking your watch.  I would recommend this film to people who find the subject matter interesting, or if you're just a die hard Spielberg fan.

Next time, we'll go to Japan during WWII, and see if Spielberg has learned his lesson about racism since 1941, with Empire of the Sun.

Stay Tuned   

      

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, and Jonathan Ke Quan.

Plot: It's 1935, and Indiana Jones is in Shanghai attempting to make a deal with a local crime boss.  But when the deal goes south, he has to leave town with his sidekick Short Round and a famous singer Willie Scott.  But when their plane crash lands, they arrive in a struggling Indian village.  Their spiritual rock has been taken by a nearby palace, along with the children of the village.  When Indy decides to go check out the place, he discovers that it holds many secrets, including cults, sacrifices, and mind control.  Will he be able to save the village, or even himself?

Good: Harrison Ford is back, and once again does an amazing job as the titular character.  He manages to bring the humor, the charm, and the action for a second time, and seems to have fun doing it.  Jonathan Ke Quan does a good job as Short Round.  A lot of Indiana Jones fans find him to be annoying, but I enjoyed his performance.  I especially like the paternal relationship between Indy and Shorty that is present throughout the film.  You can see it when they escape traps, fight bad guys, and even play cards.  John Williams also returns, and while his main theme remains the best music in the movie, there are great new pieces.  For example, "Slave Children's Crusade" is very entertaining to listen to, with its slow build up and its bombastic climax.  The action is well choreographed and exciting, with varied set pieces.  The special effects are very good, especially during the infamous sacrifice scene.  It uses a great mix of sets and practical effects so that you really believe that a man has been sacrificed to Kali.

Bad: One big problem with this film is its pacing, especially with the action scenes.  The action is few and far between for the first two acts, then switches into mostly action for the last 30 minutes.  While the action is well made during this last act, it gets tiring after a while.  Another issue that I have is the character Willie.  Kate Capshaw's performance isn't the problem per say, but rather it's the way the character's written.  Willie's a huge step down from Raiders's Marion, the latter being a stronger and more interesting female role than the former.  She can get very annoying with her constant screaming and her unnecessary commentary on the situations she's in.  As Indy says in one scene, "The biggest trouble with her is the noise".  One final problem is the somewhat racist portrayal of Indian culture.  I may not be an expert, but I don't think that real Indian people eat chilled monkey brains or worship devil gods.  It's not as bad as it is in 1941, since that movie was targeting a more specific group of people more offensively, but it can get uncomfortable at some points.

Trivia:

• Kate Capshaw needed screaming lessons for this role.
• Capshaw is now married to Spielberg.  This film was were they first met, and they now have five children together.
• The giant vampire bats were actually fruit bats.
• This film is a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, because that movie took place in 1936, and this one takes place in 1935.

Final Verdict: To me, this film is a mixed bag.  It has great action, but it's poorly paced.  Many of the characters are great, but some are annoying.  I would recommend that you check it out if you liked the first one, or if your just a fan of action/adventure movies.  Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

Next time, we'll take a look at Whoopi Goldberg's film debut in The Color Purple.

Stay Tuned               

E.T. (1982)

E.T. (1982)

Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote

Plot: One quiet October night, a group of aliens land their spaceship in California to collect samples of plant life.  But when humans arrive to investigate their arrival, the aliens must evacuate.  Unfortunately, they accidentally end up leaving one of their own on Earth without any way going home.  After a couple of days of hiding, he is discovered by a human boy named Elliott, who teaches the alien where he is, what life is like on Earth, and how to speak English.  Now dubbed E.T. by Elliott, the alien and his new friend must find a way to contact his ship before he's discovered by other humans.

Good: If there's one thing that Spielberg does best, it's working with children, and this film is no exception.  Henry Thomas does an amazing job as Elliott, despite his young age.  He really captures the emotions of the scenes he's in, from his happiness when his bicycle is flying to his anguish when E.T. is dying (unintentional rhyme).  The rest of the cast is great as well, including Dee Wallace as Elliott's mom, Robert MacNaughton Elliott's brother, and Peter Coyote as a mysterious man who is after E.T.  John Williams is back, and better than ever with his score.  Its triumphant tone really sets the mood of many of the scenes, including the now iconic scene where E.T. makes the bikes fly.  The production design is also quite good, especially the brief glimpses of the inside of the alien spaceship.  The real star of the movie however, is E.T. himself.  This animatronic puppet is one of the greatest practical effects in movie history, and it was a big mistake when they replace some of its scenes with a CGI model in the 2002 special edition.  When you see his face, you see a living breathing creature, not a puppet.  It looks so real, that the audience ends up as emotionally attached to him as the characters do, which is the film's greatest strength.

Bad: There isn't much to dislike about this movie, though I do have a few nitpicks.  While the animatronics have aged very well, some of the optical effects don't hold up quite as well.  For example, when the spaceship is landing in front of the kids, you can obviously tell that it's a special effect that wasn't done quite as well.  It would've been better if the effects team used the same techniques that Spielberg used in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Another small problem that I have is that E.T.'s 'resurrection' comes out of nowhere, and isn't explained that well.  What this scene needed was a better explanation for how he came back to life, so that the audience isn't as confused.  

Trivia:

• In the original script, M&Ms were used by Elliott to lure E.T., but the Mars company denied the request, so Reese's Pieces were used instead.  Unsurprisingly, Reese's Pieces sales skyrocketed after the film's release.
• This was the highest grossing film ever until Jurassic Park came out.
• The doctors who try to help E.T. were real physicians because Spielberg wanted the scene to be as realistic as possible.
• This was one of Drew Barrymore's earliest films.

Final Verdict: There's a reason that E.T. remains a beloved film for many.  Despite a couple issues, the film is an expertly made masterpiece that will stay in our hearts forever.  It's emotional, well acted, and has absolutely fantastic animatronics.  A must see for anyone who wants to revisit their inner child, regardless if they're a Spielberg fan or not.

Next time, we'll look at Spielberg's first sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and see if it's as good as the original.

Stay Tuned

Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist (1982)

Starring: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, and Craig T. Nelson

Plot: The Freelings are just your average suburban family without much to worry about.  Then strange occurrences begin to happen in their house, and at first, they're fascinated.  But when their youngest daughter suddenly disappears, they realize the darkness that now inhabits their house.  With the help of a group of paranormal investigators, they will try to find out why these events are happening and how they can get their daughter back.

Good: JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson do a great job playing the parents, showing off their dramatic and comedic sides.  The real star of the film, however, is Heather O'Rourke as Carol Anne.  She does a great performance, adding a cute yet creepy factor to the film, despite her age.  Unlike the last few films, this one does not have John Williams doing the soundtrack, but rather Jerry Goldsmith, who has done the soundtrack for countless films and TV shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation.  His score is very well done, and really emphasizes the emotions that the characters are feeling.  The audience really gets to feel the pain that the parents go through after their daughter is taken from them.  It can get pretty hard to watch at times.  The special effects are quite good, with many clever uses of practical and visual effects, such as the scene where the steak moves across the counter.  Another thing this film achieves is creating a mythology of what happens after death, which is explained in a very simple yet haunting way.  

Bad: This film has the same ailment that I've seen in a lot of other films.  It leads the audience to believe that the film is close to being over, but then there's yet another suspense building moment that feels tacked on and pointless.  One example is The Sound of Music.  When it seems like it's over after Maria gets married, it continues with the plot about escaping the Nazis.  The first climax in Poltergeist is very exciting, with the family and the paranormal researchers trying to save Carol Anne from the afterlife.  The second climax on the other hand, while it stars out with great special effects, ends up becoming just corpses jumping out of the ground.  While the editing is good for the most part, there is one transition that really bugs me.  It's the scene when JoBeth Williams explains the supernatural events to Craig T. Nelson.  Then it transitions to when they're trying to tell the neighbors about it.  It feels so sudden that it temporarily throws the audience out of the movie.

Trivia:

• While technically, this film was directed by Tobe Hooper, many cast and crew members have stated that Spielberg had control over most of the decisions (which is why I chose this film for my retrospective), though he could not legally be credited as director because he was working on E.T. 
• There was only one character who died in the film, Carol Anne's bird Tweety.
• Poltergeist was released only a week before E.T.
• This was Tobe Hooper's highest grossing film.

Final Verdict: Despite its problems, this film is still a classic horror film.  It has fantastic acting, great special effects, and an intriguing mythology.  Whether you're a horror fan, or a Spielberg fan, this is a highly entertaining film.

Next time, we'll look at one of the most beloved Spielberg movies of all time, E.T.

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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and Paul Freeman

Plot: Dr. Indiana Jones is an archaeologist/adventurer who travels the world looking for rare historical items for a museum.  He is fairly successful, but is usually foiled by his French competitor, Dr. René Belloq.  But the Nazis have been secretly digging in the Egyptian desert looking for the Ark of the Covenant, which Hitler plans to use to gain more power.  Jones is assigned to find the Ark and bring it back to America before it gets into the hands of the Third Reich.  Can he make it in time, or will it be taken by Belloq and the Nazis?

Good: Raiders of the Lost Ark does a great job recreating the look and feel of the old movie serials from the 30's and 40's.  It manages to create a world that has a good balance between the over the top and sometimes campy nature of the serials and a more realistic and gritty action and sets.  This creates a unique charm that not many moves achieve.  Harrison Ford is an inspired choice for Indiana Jones, and he adds a great balance between humor and serious.  All the other actors do a great job, including Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah.  John Williams' now iconic score lives up to the legend, with its main march and its slower interlude.  The action is very entertaining and varied, with fight scenes ranging from inside flaming bars to out of control planes.  The special effects are great, with the melting face being the very best of the bunch.  This film is surprisingly funny, which adds to its sense of fun and adventure.

Bad: There isn't really a lot to dislike about this movie.  There is a bit of racial stereotyping with the Egyptians, but it's not as prevalent or distracting as it was in 1941.  The biggest thing against this movie would probably be the fact that Indiana Jones wasn't very necessary in for the plot.  The only thing he really accomplishes is saving Marion.  If he didn't go after the Ark, the Nazis would've found it, tested it on the island, and died. 

Trivia:

• Originally, Indy was supposed to have a sword fight with the swordsman in one scene, but due to food poisoning, Harrison Ford was unable to do the scene, and they eventually decided to have Jones shoot the swordsman.
• The line, "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage" was add-libbed by Ford.
• The Raider's March is a combination of two themes John Williams created for the movie and decided to combine.
• This was Alfred Molina's screen debut as the Latino who betrays Indy in the temple.

Final Verdict: Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic for a reason.  It has great action, fantastic acting, and wonderful music.  But most of all, it created one of the most recognizable and well loved pop-culture icons.  I recommend this movie to anyone who has a love for action, adventure, and period pieces.  It's a must see Spielberg film.

Next time, we'll look at a film that Spielberg did not direct, but it's debatable whether he let the real director call the shots or if he had most of the control over the production.  That film is Poltergeist.

Stay Tuned 

1941 (1979)

1941 (1979)

Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Treat Williams.

Plot: Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, people throughout California live in fear of another attack.  Little do they know that that's exactly what's going to happen if a Japanese submarine has their way.  Meanwhile, an aspiring dancer comes into conflict with a soldier who wants to steal his girlfriend.  Hijinks ensue as various other citizens get into different and humorous situations.

Good: The music is excellent, and it's no surprise that it's done by John Williams.  It really captures the patriotic feel of music at the time.  The production values are quite good, and the sets and costumes look like they've come from the year 1941.  John Belushi does a great job for the surprisingly small role he has, and Dan Aykroyd is also a joy to watch.  The stunts and action set pieces are also great, and they really add a spectacle to the film.

Bad: The most important thing a comedy needs to achieve is laughter from the audience, and this film does not seem to deliver them very effectively.  The jokes at best will get a chuckle from the audience, but that's about it.  It's a;so about an hour way too long, because of the many plot threads that go through the movie.  If half of them were cut, the film would be a lot better.  Also, even with the extra plot lines, the film still seems like it's stretching itself too thin, with scenes that go on for way to long.  But the worst thing about the film would have to be the racial stereotyping of the Japanese.  Not just the slurs and the stereotypical comments made by the American character, because that can be waved off as being accurate to the time period, but the way the Japanese soldiers are portrayed.  They seem way to over the top and stereotypical in the way they speak and act.  You could make the argument that the film is trying to feel like the propaganda films of the 40's, but it's still uncomfortable to watch nonetheless.

Trivia:

• Many of the events that happen in the film did actually happen during that time, such as the army placing a military anti-aircraft gun in a family's back yard.
• Steven Spielberg's favorite John Williams march is the one that appears in this film when John Belushi appears.
• John Belushi would occasionally fail to arrive on set because of his nightlife.
• This was Dan Aykroyd's American feature film debut.

 Final Verdict: While there is a lot of effort put into this film, there just isn't that much to like about 1941.  The racial stereotyping is distracting, the pacing is abysmal, and the jokes for the most part are not funny.  I recomend that you only see it if you're a gigantic Spielberg fan, and you want to see all of his films.

Next time, we'll look at the first film starring one of cinema's most iconic characters with Raiders of the Lost Arc.

Stay Tuned      

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss,  François Truffaut, and Teri Gar.

Plot: Roy Neary is a line worker who has a series of encounters with unidentified flying objects.  Soon, he starts having a vision of a mountain that almost drives him insane.  He meets a single mother who also saw the UFOs and has the same vision.  Together, they'll try to figure out what those strange things were and why they keep having these visions.  Meanwhile, a team of scientists who work for the government are also trying to figure out what these strange occurrences mean, and prepare for contact with possibly extraterrestrial beings.

Good: This film is an excellent example of amazing special effects.  It's one of those few instances where you have to remind yourself that what you're seeing is not real and is a special effect.  If a movie made 37 years ago can fool the audience like that, than the movies today have no excuse for looking fake.  The spaceships look absolutely gorgeous, with their beautiful lights and sounds.  That final scene from when the mothership arrives to when it leaves is one of the most stunning scenes in cinema history.  The music, by John Williams, is amazing as always, and when placed with the visuals, can bring a fan of science fiction close to tears. Richard Dreyfuss does another incredible performance as Roy, and he does a great job as a man with an obsession that nearly drives him insane.  The rest of the cast is great, including a stand-out performance by Melinda Dillon as Jillian.  The film does a great job at making the events in the film feel like they could really happen, with an absence of a villain, and the scientists actually being listened to, like they should be.

Bad: It was hard finding things I disliked about this film without being nitpicky.  One problem is that Roy starts to seem like he doesn't care about his family.  This is hinted at when he destroys the yard of their house in order to make a sculpture of the mountain made out of mud and plants, and it is made very evident when he leaves Earth in order to go with the aliens.  To me, this makes him seem very unlikeable very fast.  One small problem that I have is that the movie reveals what the aliens look like.  I think that it would be a lot better if it was left ambiguous as to what the aliens looked like, just to make them seem more intangible.

Trivia: 

• All the small aliens were played by local 8-12 year old girls, because Spielberg thought girls moved more gracefully than boys.
• Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Steve McQueen were approached to play Roy.
• The words the Indians chant in the film are "Aaya Re!  Aaya!", which means "He has come".
• Stanly Kubrick wanted Cary Guffy (Barry) to play Danny in The Shining after he saw him in this film.

Final Verdict: While it may have some flaws, this film is still absolutely amazing.  The acting is great, the music is fantastic, and the visuals will blow your mind.  I recomend this film to anyone who even has the slightest interest in science fiction, Steven Spielberg, or just movies in general.  It is almost criminal that this film isn't talked about more.  It's not just a great science fiction film, nor is it just a great Spielberg film, but an amazing film in general.

Next time, we'll go back in time and take a look at one of Spielberg's not so loved films; 1941.

Stay tuned

Jaws (1975)

Jaws (1975)

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss

Plot: Martin Brody is a new police chief on Amity Island, a New England island that depends on tourism 

during the summer.  But when a shark starts attacking people by the shore, at first the businessmen and the mayor disregard the danger.  But when more people are killed, its up to Brody, a marine biologist, and an experienced shark hunter to try and kill it before it claims more victims.

Good: If there's one thing that Steven Spielberg loves to do, it's scaring people, and Jaws certainly delivers on that aspect.  It's not the gore that brings the scares (although it certainly helps), it's the suspense.  You never know when the shark will strike next or who will be the next victim.   The special effects are also very well done.  From what I've heard, there were many technical difficulties with the animatronic shark, and it was a smart move for them to work with what they have, and only rarely show the shark, and this helps build the suspense and let the audience's imagination scare them, which is a common trope used in horror movies.  Another great aspect of this movie is the casting, which is absolutely fantastic.  All the actors do an amazing job, but my favorite would have to be Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper, who gives a great mix of charm, intelligence, and humor needed for a movie like this.  The dialogue is also fantastic, with the best scene in the movie being where Quint (Robert Shaw) describes his encounters with sharks in World War 2.  John Williams' iconic score is amazing, and makes the suspense even more heightened, with a few exceptions.  One element that I find particularly good is the fact that, for most of the film, the shark isn't treated like a supernatural monster, but as just an unusually large an aggressive great white shark.  This is the factor that I believe elevates it above your standard horror flick.

Bad: Despite all of these good qualities, Jaws does have some flaws.  For example, sometimes the score (while great to listen to) sounds out of place in some areas, like when it sounds to much like a fun adventure when it should be playing the more suspenseful section of the music.  Also, the pacing does feel uneven in some parts, especially near the end, where the pauses between action scenes only last about thirty seconds.  Another pacing issue is that all the attacks happen in the first half of the film, the hunt for the shark takes up the last half.  It would've been better for the story if the attacks were more evenly spaced throughout the film, rather than have all of them in so close together.  While I did say earlier that for most of the movie the shark is treated like a real animal, in the  last few scenes, the shark starts feeling more like a monster, with it deliberately attacking the boat instead of swimming away.  One minor nitpick is that it annoyed me that nobody except the main character listens to the scientist.  This is a common trope in movies that can get pretty old.  However, my guess is that the audience was supposed to feel this way, and therefore I'll let it slide.

Trivia:

• The famous line "You're gonna need a bigger boat" was not in the script originally, and was improvised by Roy Scheider.    
• The shooting star that appears in a scene that takes place at night was a real and happened to show up when they were shooting that scene.
• During the filming process, Steven Spielberg named the animatronic shark 'Bruce', which was later the name of a shark in Finding Nemo.
• This film is considered to be the first blockbuster, and changed the way movies were made and marketed.

Final Verdict: Despite its flaws, Jaws is still a very entertaining movie, with great acting, great writing, and great effects.  It was interesting to see the film that would make Spielberg a legend for years to come.  I would recommend it to fans of horror, action, and/or (of course) Spielberg.

Next time, we'll get a look at the unknown, the unexplained, and the mysterious with Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Stay tuned

               

The Sugarland Express (1974)

The Sugarland Express (1974)

Starring: Goldie Hawn, William Antherton, Michael Sacks, and Ben Johnson.

Plot: Based on real events, Lou Jean Poplin breaks her husband Clovis out of a correctional facility and they decide to go to Sugar Land, Texas, and find their son in order to keep him out of foster care.  Along the way, they run into a cop, who they kidnap and take him as  leverage on their trip to keep the other police officers from arresting them.

Good:  This film was not what I expected from Spielberg.  It feels more like a Coen Brothers movie than one done by Spielberg.  However, while it starts out slowly and somewhat awkwardly, the tone began to grow on me as the plot moved forward.  The dry and somewhat empty feel to it makes it a unique and interesting start to the future film legend’s career in theatrical film making.  Another positive is Goldie Hawn’s performance as Lou Jean Poplin, which is an excellent blend of innocence, maturity, and desperateness that you begin to grow attached to and feel sympathy towards.  The other actors do a good job as well, including Michael Sacks as officer Slide.  The music, by John Williams (who else would it be?) is also very good, with a unique blend of the harmonica and the regular orchestra that’s very enjoyable to listen to.  It also has a surprisingly good sense of humor, which is not something I expected from a movie like this.  The build up to the climax is quite good, if a bit rushed near the end.

Bad: The worst part about this film would have to be the pacing.  When it first started, I was not all that interested, and it wasn't until 20 minutes into the movie when I finally began to gain interest.  The editing also has some poor qualities, with some cuts not feeling all that smooth, and some ADR not completely matching with the lip syncing.  There are also some scenes that feel pointless, like when they bring in Lou’s father for only a couple of seconds, which starts as an interesting plot point, but ends up not going anywhere.  The only other thing that I can think of that’s negative about it is that the ending felt weak after all that build up toward them being ambushed in the house where their son was, it ends up only wounding one of the characters and leading to an underwhelming car chase.

Trivia:  

• This was Steven Spielberg’s first theatrical release, after directing some TV episodes and movies.
• The Sugarland Express was based on true events in 1969, though the names were changed and some of the events were changed for dramatic effect.
• The child who played Baby Langston is the real life son of co-producer Richard D. Zanuck and Linda Harrison of Planet of the Apes fame.

Final Verdict: I found this film to be an enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, experience.  It was fascinating to see one of the earliest Spielberg productions, and see some of his trademarks come into being.  I would recommend it to fans of his work and/or if you like the look and feel of the Coen Brothers, but can’t stand the darker moments in them.  If not, this probably isn’t for you.

Next time, we’ll take a look at the first blockbuster, and the film that made Spielberg a legend for years to come: Jaws.

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