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.

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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.

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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.

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