Skip to main content

Spielberg (2017), Unrated, ★★★1/2


Steven Spielberg. Without the success of Jaws or the passion of filmmaking, we would not have some of our beloved favorites in our storage of memories in the theaters or while watching at home. Hearing about a documentary about one of my favorite directors of all-time, I was in. But, I did not want like a timeline in which how the experiences of each movie differed from one another. Even though I wanted a bit more from the personal insight based on other experience in other films, this is a very good documentary about a man that has the behavior of a kid that loves what does he best: make movies.

We go on a journey with him and many of his co-workers, cast mates and a few critics in praising how Spielberg is one of the best working filmmakers and what makes him the best. He has filmmaking techniques that satisfies everybody but he also he has the same creative team for many movies in which parallels the fast pace of finishing the movie under budget and on time or close to that deadline. It makes them easier for him as he grows from experience.

The one interesting aspect of this two-and-a-half documentary is how separation and reunification is in almost every one of his movies because he is showing his personal life in which his parents separated when he was a kid. It was a bit sad but also uplifting as to how Spielberg and his father reunited happily as both son and father. Sure, we see him talking about his movies like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Schindler's List, etc. but how he became one of the best from being a persistent kid at the Universal lot to directing as a kid to being a part of the group of ambitious up-and-coming directors is fascinating. And, at 70, he is not stopping and we are grateful that we are getting more movies from him.

***1/2


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2015 Documentaries

I have only seen 6 documentaries this year which also includes Amy and I Am Chris Farley . But, I have to be honest, this has not been a particularly strong year for documentaries except for onethat got me emotionally and mentally as what I examine for when they uncover the truth or some facts from the people involved in these documentaries. But, here are the four I have seen this year: Listen To Me Marlon, Unrated, 4 stars This is the most insightful documentary of the year as we only hear Marlon Brando narrating his life and experiences what he has gone through regarding his family, his private life and his film experiences regarding The Godfather , Apocalypse Now , Last Tango in Paris , etc. It is like Marlon Brando came out of his grave to give us another profoundly moving movie only we hear his voice and scenery and nothing else. The Look of Silence, R, 3.5 stars Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up documentary is a light-hearted but still-disturbing film regarding a ...

Daddy's Home 2 (2017), PG-13, ★1/2

The first Daddy's Home was surprisingly a financial success as I thought it was not as bad as many people thought. I thought it was a solid cable watch because it had enough laughs for that sort of mixed recommendation. I was not craving for a sequel for this movie because again, comedy sequels have a very bad record, however, the only difference is that it is not too late since the first movie came out a few years ago. But, this sequel is a reminder as to why we do not need a sequel to a hit comedy because this is a pretty much forgettable comedy, especially a holiday comedy...which I hade a guilty pleasure for. This did not work for me. Brad and Dusty (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) have become friends after the events of the first film and they set up a co-dad system where their two children, Megan and Dylan, spending time at each father's home. Dusty has re-married to writer Karen (Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio) and he is step-dad to Adrianna, Karen...

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), R, 4 stars

The stockbrokers worshipping Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) like a god. Wall Street. The clients, the adrenaline, the stocks, the money, the power, and the decadence. The former three pertains to the man's job, but the latter three pertains what any stockbroker wants in order to have the freedom to do whatever they want with the client's money. As Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) would say, "The name of the game is: move the money from your client's pocket into your pocket." We basically spend three hours seeing all of these Wall-Street scumbags steal the clients' money into their own pockets and spend it on booze, drugs, women, and other insane things in more insane activities. I have witnessed here is a great movie that I would not watch repetitively. The movie starts with Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) blowing cocaine onto a hooker's butt and he and his brokers throwing a little person onto a board with a dollar sign in the center. It'...