It’s time for a Steven Spielberg themed episode. Mike shares things you may not know about Spielberg, his trademarks, legacy and influence on modern filming. Mike gives his 10 favorite Spielberg movies based on story, genre, music and rewatchability. In the movie review, Mike talks about the latest Spielberg movie “The Fablemans” which is semi-autobiographical. And in the Trailer Park, Mike talks about the first look at Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny starring Harrison Ford. He returns as the famous archaeologist in the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones film series.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome back to Movie Mix Movie Podcast. I
am your host movie Mike, and today it's a themed
episode all about legendary director Steven Spielberg. I'll give you
my top ten movies of his of all time. In
the movie review, we'll talk about his latest The Fableman's
which is out in theaters now, and then the trailer part,
we'll talk about the new Indiana Jones and the Dial
(00:21):
of Destiny trailer which he actually didn't direct this one.
It's the first one in the franchise he hasn't directed,
but he's the executive producer on it. So if you
love Steven Spielberg, this is the episode for you. Thanks
everybody for being subscribed. Shout out to the Monday Morning
Movie crew. That's everybody who listens on release day. And
now let's talk movies. In a world where everyone and
(00:43):
their mother has a podcast, one man stands to infiltrate
the ears of listeners like never before in a movie podcast.
A man with so much movie knowledge, he's basically like
a walking on MTV who's glasses from the Nice No
Podcast Network. Movie Podcast About to get into my top
(01:06):
ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time. But first let's
talk about what makes a Steven Spielberg movie. There are
a lot of big themes throughout his entire career, which
is spanned decades now. And the thing about Steven Spielberg movies,
and even when I start listening my favorite directors, I
often overlook him because of how influential he's been over
(01:29):
the years and how many different genres and how many
different types of movies he has made. That I forget
all of these movies. I forget that they are all
directed by one person. It doesn't even sound like that's
something achievable. That is the greatness of Steven Spielberg. I
feel like he is film like. He is the guy.
If there's ever anybody who's up and coming, or even
(01:51):
if like a kid has a video camera, it's like,
well Spielberg. That is how influential he is. He is
just the gold standard. So what exactly makes a STEVENS.
Bielberg movie? I think it boils down to a few things.
You always have to have the adventure. I think that
is what he does best. That is his trademark. You
have a lot of themes with family. A lot of
(02:11):
his films, especially early on, revolved around child actors and
the ability to get performances out of child actors is
a very big accomplishment when it comes to filmmaking, and
he has done it the best and he has given
some child actors some very amazing opportunities and amazing films
(02:32):
that have really broken their careers, from Drew Barrymore to
Christian Bale, and the list goes on and on. So
I think that also speaks volumes to him as a director.
You also have the big scores. Some of the most
iconic themes ever in movies come from Steven Spielberg movies,
and that is very important because when we go back
and watch these movies, it's not only the characters, it's
(02:54):
not only the plots, it's not only the special effects
and the cinematography. It's those score is that can instantly
take us back to a place, especially because they're so
big and cinematic, it makes us feel like we're kids again.
And I think that is very important in all of
his movies, from the sci fi movies to the most
dramatic movies, a killer score is always very important and
(03:18):
always very Spielberg. Another thing about Steven Spielberg movies is
all of his movie titles all have great logos, and
maybe it's something you don't always think about, but I
can picture every title in the logo. So not only
is he creating these great titles, but he's also a
building brand. He's building franchises and things that we just
(03:39):
associate with his movies. From the Indiana Jones logo, the
Jaws logo, the ET logo, the Jurassic Park font, all
of those things I find very memorable. And then some
of the other things that you would associate and what
makes the Steven Spielberg movie is aliens. From Close Encounters
of the Third Kind to ET to War the World,
(04:01):
all these movies. He just has an affinity with aliens
and does it so well. And also Tom Hanks. He
works a lot with Tom Hanks. It's a no brainer.
They just worked together so well. It's like peanut butter
and jelly. So that's what makes a Steven Spielberg movie
in my eyes. Here are a few things you may
not know about him. He was actually turned down by
(04:21):
film school. After graduating high school, he moved out to
Los Angeles and was rejected three times from film school
because of his mediocre grades. He really wasn't interested in
the academic side of college. He only wanted to be
a filmmaker. So that kind of proves you don't really
have to go to school for anything creative to get
a degree. If you just want to go out and
(04:42):
do it, that's probably the better road. He did go
back years later to finish up that degree. In his
final paper, he just handed in the script of Schindler's
List and got his degree well deserved. He is the
highest grossing movie director ever and has had several of
the highest grossing film of all time. His movies have
gross more than any director ever, bringing in over ten
(05:05):
point five billion dollars through his career, and he also
faced some harsh criticism early in his career. I was
talking about this on last week's episode about how Quentin
Tarantino is calling out superhero movies. Spielberg faced that same
kind of criticism early in his career because he found
success at a very young age, and he got a
(05:26):
lot of criticism on his early movies, calling them not art.
Critics claimed that his movies were cynical and just spectacular
cash grabs, designed and made only to make money, so
he didn't get respect early on even though he was
making all this money, making all these movies that people loved.
It wasn't until he made movies like The Color Purple
(05:46):
in six, Empire of the Sun in eighty seven, and
then of course Schindler's List in ninety three, where he
was like, all right, you guys don't think I'm a
real filmmaker. You guys don't think I'm actually making art.
Here you go. And I think all around his career
he's gone back and forth between his signature adventure films
and then later in his career got into really stretching
(06:08):
his wings when it came to making movies about the Holocaust,
slave trade, civil rights war, and terrorism. He's really a
director who has done it all. So that's a little
about him. And now let's get into what I think
are the best ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time.
This is according to me and my relationship with his
movies over the years, and I really battled with all
(06:30):
these movies. So it's a very hard thing to do.
There are so many movies, and my number ten I
went between two movies. I was almost gonna put Schindler's
List there, which is probably arguably depending on what fan
of his work you are, it could be as greatest
film that. It's a powerful movie, a tough one to watch,
and a very hard one to go back and rewatch.
So I couldn't really justify putting that one as my
(06:53):
top ten if I'm picking for me personally. So at
number ten, I went with The Lost World Jurassic Park.
I feel like some people don't even like this movie.
When I asked this question online, of course, everybody said
the original one. I feel like this is one that
gets forgotten. And the first one came out in ninety three,
which I was two years old, but this one came
(07:14):
out in ninety seven, I was six, So I actually
discovered this movie before I did the original one, and
I just have so many great memories of watching this
movie over and over again. And I really loved the
action in this movie. But I love that the technology
progressed so much between the original and this one, and
(07:35):
I felt like the action was a lot more driving
in this movie, especially when it came to scenes around
the t Rex. I thought, I love the more screen
time with the t Rex in this movie, and that's
probably due to they did have the better technology. So
this is a movie that became one of my staples
of my childhood. I've easily watched this one more than
(07:56):
the original, and I just love that Spielberg didn't try
to just make the exact same movie that he did
in the first one. So maybe all of the changes
he did in the difference in tone didn't work for everybody.
It was less driven by the kids in this movie.
You didn't have some of the original cast back. But
I just love the Lost World. So I put this
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one at number ten and number nine from two thousand
and five, I'm putting War of the World. It's based
on the H. G. Wells novel. I also love the
scale of this movie. It had a hundred and thirty
million dollar budget and that was very well used. I
love alien movies, my favorite or alien invasion movies, and
(08:39):
this movie gave me one of my best in theater
experiences in the two thousands, and even though the ending
wasn't the most satisfying, I think all of the action
throughout this movie, the performance from Tom Cruise, and you
have your child actor star in this movie, Dakota Fanning,
which is what put her on the map. Early on
in her career. Spielberg was able to get some really
(09:01):
good emotion out of her. A lot of it is
her crying and yelling and screaming that adds so much
to the movie. I love the way that aliens looked
in this. I thought any time they were on screen
it was very captivating. So even Spielberg aside, this is
one of my favorite movies of the two thousands, and
one that I think still holds up pretty well. So
at number nine, I'm going with War of the World's
(09:22):
at number eight is one I've told you guys I'm
not the biggest fan of, but collectively, all these movies
definitely earned a place on the list. So I'm going
with the entire Indiana Jones franchise at number eight. I
think that's how I can greatly justify that, even though
I'm not a fan of one individual movie, together, I
can't deny what Indiana Jones has done for film and
(09:45):
how significant all of these movies are. Of course, the
original ones are the best and the ones everybody loves,
but I even find the later ones with Chila buff enjoyable,
even though they kind of went in a different direction
throwing in some aliens in there. I think that's what
people were probably most upset about, but hands down, the
Indiana Jones franchise has some of the most iconic images
(10:07):
in movie history. The hat, the whip, the logo, and
the score, like you can't deny that score. You hear
that and you know exactly what it is. You hear
that and you get excited, And that is what Steven
Spielberg does with the music in his movies. So at
(10:29):
number eight, I'm going with the Indiana Jones Franchise. At
number seven from two thousand and two, I'm going with
Catch Me if you can. I love the pairing of
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks to get them both at
a very good point in their career. And this is
a movie I wish I could rewatch for the first time,
because in general, I don't think this movie has the
(10:51):
best rewatchability rate, But the first time you watch it,
it is so exciting, and all the twists and turns,
I think that's something you experience for the first time
and it's unlike anything else. I love that this movie
is set in the sixties, so a lot of the
costume design and look and feel and soundtrack of this
movie just feel perfectly like the nineteen sixties. Course, it
(11:13):
is based on the quote unquote autobiography of this guy
named Frank, which over the years a lot of this
stuff has come out that it's been very exaggerated, but
I think it plays so well into making a movie
about it. So even if it isn't completely true to
what actually happened in this guy's life, it makes for
a highly entertaining movie. I also love the score in
(11:35):
this movie, and it makes it feel unlike anything else
that Steven Spielberg had done. When you put all of
his movies on the list, this one just kind of
has an entirely different playing field. And because he's touched
on history before obviously, but it's not really dramatic history.
It's very cat and mouse style movie. So when looking
(11:58):
at all his movies, this is one I look back
on and forget, like, oh, yeah, he did direct that movie,
because it's so unlike any of his other work. It's
not family base, there's no aliens, but it is a
great thriller. So at number seven, I'm going with catch
Me if you can, and number eight we'll keep Tom
Hanks in it. From Saving Private Ryan, which is arguably
(12:21):
the greatest war movie ever made. It's a perfect blend
of violence and showing the rawness and reality of war
that we had never really seen up to this point
in a war movie. It is probably one of his
bigger masterpieces, like Pound for Pound. I think this is
a masterpiece because you get the emotional side of it,
and you also get all the graphic images which were
(12:45):
brutal to watch. It's a very hard film to stomach
at some points, but I love that realness and rawness
that it captured, and I think that's credit to the
filming style in this movie. I love the handheld camera
scenes which really capture that chaotic energy of war. And
then you also have a perfect score in this movie
(13:05):
as well. You mix that with a stellar cast and
Steven Spielberg behind the camera, it's a perfect movie. So
at number six is Saving Private Ryan. At number five,
(13:27):
we've entered the top five here from I am going
with hook. This is the best Peter Pan story we've
ever had. And the scale of this movie in is
highly ambitious, from the set design, all the costumes, and
how large the cast is, and not only how large
it is, but how many child actors that you have
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to get all of these performances out of it is
an incredible feat in itself, but then you have one
of the greatest comedic actors of all time showing all
size of what he can do well. Robin Williams is
perfect in this movie, probably pretty close to my favorite
movie of his of all time. And this is a
movie that I feel like everybody should watch in their lifetime.
(14:12):
If you haven't, how could you have not have seen
this movie by this point? And I think what made
this movie great specifically is Steven Spielberg put a lot
of himself into it, and that's what really makes the
story play out so well. And you also have another
epic score in this movie. Not to mention it came
(14:35):
out in one of my favorite years of all time,
which also happens to be when I was born, so
I have an affinity for those films as well. So
at number five, I'm going with Hook. At number four,
I am going with E. T. The Extraterrestrial, which came
out in nineteen eighty two. I believe that this movie,
above anything else that he did, created the blueprint for filmmaking.
(14:59):
If you want to know how to make a movie,
you have to go back and watch ET and as
all of my favorite things that you get from Spielberg.
You have aliens, you have adventure, you have iconic imagery,
you have these amazing child actors with Drew Barrymore, and
you have some of the most famous shots that Steven
Spielberg has ever done in any of his movies. And
(15:20):
the most iconic moment of all time that he has
given us is with Et and Elliott flying past the moon,
which actually has no digital trickery to that shot. Almost
every part of that scene was shot right on camera.
That's all lighting and camera work. They used actual astrological
charts to find the perfect time where there would be
(15:42):
a full moon sitting among these low trees in that
right spot, and then Elliott and Et were made into
scale models, but the rest of that was real. So
that is filmmaking. This is one where you just hear
that music and you automatically feel like a kid again.
(16:02):
So At number four from nineteen eighty two is e
t At number three is a very important film for
many reasons. It is the first summer blockbuster of all time.
In the movie from nineteen seventy five is Jaws. This
is Steven Spielberg's monster movie. The one that started his
(16:27):
entire career. He had had some success in some other projects,
but this was his first major movie when he was
twenty seven years old. It went on to be the
highest grossing movie ever in an instant classic, even though
there were so many problems when making this movie. It
was shot on location out at sea, so you can
imagine how hard that was to get the shots without
(16:48):
any other boats in the water. They build this animatronic Jaws,
which they didn't test in salt water, so whence they
had this thing out into the water, they realized there
were a lot of difficulties with that, but a lot
of those issues made this movie great and created something
that I think now the best horror movies use, and
that is not showing and revealing the monster until the
(17:10):
very end and just giving you these brief little moments
of terror to really build that intensity, to build that
tension and suspense. That is what Jaws did so well
and now is my favorite thing when a director can
nail that. And Steven Spielberg is credited for that. And
since it was the first summer blockbuster ever, now every
(17:32):
major movie that comes out in the summer without knowing it,
you have to give credit to Jaws. It made that
summer event become a thing. So now every Avengers movie
or Jurassic Park movie, even though he's not directing those anymore,
anything major that comes out in summer blockbuster season owes
at all back to Jaws. And it also has one
(17:53):
of the most famous themes of all time. So at
number three from nine, I'm going with Jaws. Moving up
now to number two from eighteen, I'm going with Ready
Player one. I love this movie because Steven Spielberg is
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a nerd and this shows that it is a nerd
movie made by a nerd. Only somebody with glasses that
thick could make this movie. And this story takes place
entirely inside a virtual reality world and a little bit
out into the real world. But this movie is so
visually stimulating. Then the sound design is amazing. I love
(18:37):
the pop culture references. And even though this is a
new movie set kind of in this distant future, it
is oddly nostalgic with all the references to old video
games from our childhood, from the eighties and nineties and
two thousands. I think is his best sci fi movie
that he has made, because it blends all of the
things that I feel really define nerd coal sure, and
(19:00):
I don't like it when people who aren't nerds try
to depict what nerd culture is. But since he is
a nerd, he got this movie right. And I can't
wait for Part two, even though there isn't a release
date on that yet. Since this movie came out in
twenty eighteen, I can only imagine how much has advanced
(19:21):
in those four years to make it even more stellar.
And not only that, I think this movie proved that
Steven Spielberg still has it. He directed this movie when
he was seventy two years old. He's seventy five now,
but it just kind of shows you that he has
consistently stayed sharp and consistently been able to push himself.
So at number two, I'm going with Ready Player one.
(19:43):
Before I get to my number one Steven Spielberg movie,
here are a few that you guys sent in on
social media. The Terminal from two thousand and four, which
is a great movie. I think I've heard some people
actually hate The Terminal, but man, that movie is so
good too. Probably would have cracked my top fifteen. A
lot of will sent in The Goonies, which he actually
didn't direct, but he did do the story for the Goonies.
(20:04):
I didn't want to include any of the movies that
he produced or just wrote. I just wanted to focus
on the movies he directed. But if I would have
combined all those together, that easily would have made the list.
But he didn't direct that one. Close Encounters of the
Third Kind from nineteen seventy seven. A lot of people
sent that one in. That's also one of my favorites,
but I think when it comes to all of the
movies that deal with aliens, I just like wore The
(20:27):
World's and E Team more than that movie, but that
movie is still really great. From the movies in his
early work. Of course, you also have The Color Purple
AI from two thousand and one, Minority Report, and the
movie that just missed my top ten Schindler's list, and
now if you haven't been able to figure it out
by now at number one from nineteen ninety three. I
(20:49):
have the best Steven Spielberg movie of all time, being
Jurassic Park. From the first time I heard this theme song.
I have a lot of core movie memories, and this
one is pretty vivid. Even though I saw The Lost
World before I saw the original Jurassic Park, there was
(21:10):
still something so magical the first time you see the
dinosaurs in this movie. And it's from this moment that
I became a true Steven Spielberg fan. And I think
where this movie really kind of showed how he pushes
the boundaries is almost all the technology was created just
(21:32):
for this movie, and if you go back and watch it,
you can tell that it's not perfect. But at the
time it was so advanced, and this was just such
a major event for people to go watch in theaters.
I wish I was able to experience that more. I
wish I wasn't two years old and had no idea
what was going on, but this was an event. This
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had parents taking their kids out of school to go
watch a movie that doesn't happen anymore. And it did
blend at three D technology that was basically being formed
as they went along to get these shots. This movie
came down to the wire because the technology did not exist,
but it blended that with the actual use of animatronics.
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And I think those are still some of the shots
that hold up so well in this movie. When it
comes to the scene in the water with the t
Rex at the gate I still think that is an
incredible feat and one that still holds up. Another one that,
kind of like Jaws back in the seventies, had some
complications because what they build that t Rex out of
didn't do so well in water. It took them a
(22:35):
while to get that right. But you have the perfect
cast in this movie, you have the perfect score, and
it made us all love dinosaurs, which I still haven't
quite figured out what makes dinosaurs so cinematically satisfying. Maybe
it's because we were never alive to see dinosaurs and
seeing them on screen makes them feel like they are
(22:56):
so much more real, and putting that kind of juxtaposition
of seeing something prehistoric in our times makes for a
truly magical experience. I also think that's why I really
love The Lost World is because they brought the t
Rex into a real life city, which made it even
more chaotic, and I love that part of that. But
I think when it comes to really capturing what Steven
(23:18):
Spielberg is all about, you find it all in Jurassic Park,
building a world that is something we have never seen before.
You have the use of technology, but not only that,
you have great storytelling. In Jurassic Park, memorable lines, an
incredible score, and one that has truly stood the test
of time and spawned one of the most memorable franchises
(23:40):
in movie history. So there you have it, my top
ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time. Let me know
if you agree or disagree with some of those pigs.
Which ones you think I should have mentioned, Which ones
you think deserve an honorable mention? Hit me up on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook at Mike Distro, or send me an email movie
Mike d at gmail dot com. Let's get into a
(24:05):
spoiler free movie review now. I want to talk about
The Fable Men's, directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie is
semi autobiographical, and just after watching the trailer for this
movie for the very first time, I knew it was
going to be something special. But man, is this movie
a love letter to cinema. It is one of the
best movies already I've seen of the year, easily already
(24:27):
entered my top five, and I want to tell you why.
But before I get into my full spoiler free movie review,
here's just a little bit of the Fable Men's trailer.
Movies are dreams. It's never forget you have a smiss
what he does. It's playful or imaginative. You could afford
to be a little encouraging. I can't just love something.
(24:47):
You also have to take care of it. It's more
important than your hobby. Can you stop calling him a hobby? Bo?
Mom got a lot, Why don't you get a monkey?
Because I needed a laugh. So this movie, it's about
a character named Sammy, who is based on Steven Spielberg,
and he calls this movie semi autobiographical, mainly because he
(25:10):
didn't really want to promote a movie about himself. Maybe
he felt it was a little bit too self indulgent.
Isn't that kind of a guy? So I find respect
in that. But the movie is so accurate of what
actually happened in his life. So even if you go
back and watch some documentaries about Steven Spielberg, read his interviews,
all of this stuff he has talked about throughout his life,
(25:31):
and he has just put it all into a movie
and embellished some things to make it a little bit
more cinematic. But all of the themes of regarding his family,
regarding how he got into filmmaking, regarding his parents divorce,
all of that actually happened so almost seen for seeing.
Plotline for plotline, you are learning about Steven Spielberg's life,
(25:52):
and the movie starts with him as a kid, his
parents going to take him to his very first movie ever,
and that is kind of where his passion and first begins.
His parents take him to watch The Greatest Show on Earth,
and that's where it all starts, and that is actually
the first movie that Steven Spielberg ever watched, and as
a kid, he was so enthralled by it, and his
(26:13):
mom is very encouraging of his passion for making movies,
but his dad is not. He is an electrical engineer,
and throughout the entire movie you see this team come
up again and again because his dad doesn't want him
focusing on movies. He keeps calling it a hobby, makes
it sound very insulting, and it is hard for Sammy
(26:33):
in the movie to form a relationship with his dad
because he really just makes so little of his passion
and he doesn't see that he is trying to make
this his goal in life, like this is what he
was set out to do. Even though he's a good dad,
he is a really involved dad, tries to be there,
he just doesn't really get it because he is this
(26:54):
very straight laced engineer guy. So I found that relationship
throughout the entire movie to be do You interesting. I
feel like it would be kind of if you made
this movie today, it would be a kid wanting to
be a YouTuber and their parents being like, well, you
can't really do much with YouTube, so you should really
kind of go to college and focus on studies. And
you know, YouTube is just a hobby, but now we
(27:15):
see it is possible. So back in the day, filmmaking
was probably YouTube now, even though I still hope that
the kids out there who want to be filmmakers, and
I would highly encourage if you do have a kid
who is interested in making movies, interested in making YouTube videos,
they should definitely watch this movie. I wish this movie
came out when I was ten years old. Around that age,
(27:37):
that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be
a film director. I remember my brother had this old
VHS recorder video camera and we would make movies oftentimes
like Kung Fu movies, horror movies. And then later in
life I was able to get like a DV camera
with those little small tapes, and I would make movies,
(27:58):
and it was always kind of my passion. I would
kind of follow and I wanted to do, but I
realized how hard it was, and I also didn't really
have anybody around me telling me that it was a
possible thing to do. And it all kind of comes
back to Sammy in this movie and how all of
these things in his life are very chaotic as the
movie progresses. In the very start of this movie, he
(28:19):
has a very picturesque portrait of a family, almost like
it looks too perfect. But as you go through the movie,
things start to get more and more difficult and more
and more real, and you start to realize all the
problems that they actually have and how the relationship changes
between his parents. So in a way, filmmaking is kind
(28:42):
of the only constant that Sammy has in the movie
because it is the only thing he can really control.
And man, have I not related to something so bold
in a movie before, whether it be doing podcasts or
me doing comedy or doing anything creative. When I feel
like in my life oftentimes it is anxiety that just
(29:05):
ruins everything good in my life. But I feel like
if I can have some kind of control over something
where I am dictating things. It makes me feel in control.
So doing this podcast writing jokes for me, that is
me being able to control things in my life. And
I think that is why I gravitate towards my passions.
So seeing that depicted in a movie like this, I
(29:26):
was like wow, and I just felt like, hey, I
have something in common with Steven Spielberg. This movie looks
a lot different than any other Steven Spielberg movie, and
with a subject like this being based on his life,
you feel like it could be so self indulgent, and
I think that's partially why he didn't call it just
a straight on biopic autobiography. But the thing about Steven Spielberg,
(29:49):
he always has the viewer in mind, and this movie
reminded me of that because the movie does cover him
as a teenager making movies, and it shows that entire
process of getting the camera, talking about the film, showing
the editing process, and to a normal viewer, maybe that
would be kind of boring. I could see how easily
(30:10):
you can make a movie like that, and we would
be very boring. But that entire process he makes feel
so magical. And I think my favorite parts in this
movie were the moments where he was filming a movie,
editing a movie, and then you see the final product
and just knowing that Steven Spielberg took a risk on
that but completely nailed it, and you really learned a
(30:34):
lot about what shaped him as a director, how he
tried to make things interesting, and how innovative he was
even as a teenager. I think one of my favorite
scenes again was during that filmmaking process. He was making
this kind of shootout western movie, and during the editing process,
he realized that some of the gunshots didn't seem accurate.
(30:55):
He's like, that looks fake. No one's gonna buy that
because it looks fake. And then he figures out and
gets inspired on how to make that gunshots look accurate.
And I thought that little detail was perfect in this movie.
So it shows that he had that passion early on,
even while making these very very low budget, rudimentary films,
he already had the vision. He was on his way
(31:17):
to become Steven Spielberg. And then you get into the
actors in this movie. Paul Dano was great, and you
just see the range on him. He is one of
my favorite actors. I mean to go from playing the
Riddler and the Batman to the father in this movie
just shows that he really has no restrictions on what
he can do. He can be a convincing father and
(31:40):
he can be an all out psychotic villain. I love
Paul Dano as the casting choice of the dad in
this movie. Michelle Williams, who is another treasure, I think,
gives one of her best performances of her career. She'll
easily be nominated for Best Actress. So I don't think
that's the stretch and saying that, but I think she
could finally win an Oscar with this performance. I think
she gave the best one out of anybody in this cast.
(32:03):
Also have to mention Seth Rogan. I haven't mentioned his
performance in this and how cool of him to be
able to get into a Steven Spielberg movie and you
kind of forget that he's a really good actor. I know,
we just associate him with comedies, and even though his
character is funny in this movie, he really proved to
me that he has those acting chops as well and
can stand up with people like Michelle Williams and Paul
(32:24):
Dano and not look out of place. You also have
Gabriel LaBelle as the young Steven Spielberg, who is a
really great new talent. I thought he also did an
excellent job in this movie. And then you have Steven
Spielberg as director. Again, I don't think it's a stretch
in saying that he will be nominated for Best Director,
probably win that one, but I think The Fableman's easily
(32:46):
has a shot at winning Best Picture this year. And
even at the two and a half hour range, I
thought I would have been a little bit tired of
a movie that's really just a coming of age story,
a family drama. Very rarely does a movie like that
to me worn a two and a half hour runtime.
But I have to tell you, I did not want
(33:06):
this movie to end. It was so magical, visually so
appealing to me. It's like candy for the eyes. It's
like chicken soup for the soul. You know, those old
poetry books from back in the day. It is all
the things that I look for in a movie. I
will say, the only thing I wish this movie would
have had, and the thing I thought it was going
to be a little bit more about, was him as
(33:28):
a kid. And at the start of the movie it
does focus on him using his siblings as subject in
his films, and I found that part of the movie
to be so heartwarming. It had a little bit more
of a comedic tone, so I think if it had
more of that, I would have said it was a
completely perfect movie. So if I had to give this
movie a rating, it is so close to being perfect.
(33:50):
But I give it four point five out of five
Film reels for the fable Bans, It's time ahead down
the movie Mike Paul continuing the theme of Steven Spielberg,
let's talk about Indiana Jones in the Dial of Destiny,
which Disney just dropped the trailer to this. It's coming
(34:12):
out in theaters on June. It is Harrison Ford back
as Indiana Jones in the fifth installment of this franchise,
and not only that, it is going to be his
last time ever to play Indiana Jones. And I think
above all else, I just love a finale in a movie, franchise,
(34:34):
finale to anything. Really, I just love a finale. It
can even be to a TV show that I've never
seen a single episode of, but I just want to
tune in to find out how they decided to wrap
up an entire franchise. So I think going into this
that's kind of why I'm excited about this Indiana Jones movie,
because it's cool to see Harrison Ford at eighty years old,
(34:55):
still playing one of the most iconic characters of all time.
And I think after watching this trailer, I can find
myself really enjoying this movie and quite possibly being my
favorite one they've ever made, because it has all of
those elements working towards it. I just love an epic conclusion.
So we'll talk more about it, but here is just
a little bit of the Indiana Jones and the Dial
(35:17):
of Destiny trailer. I don't believe in magic, but a
few times in my life for seen things things I
can't explain, I've come to believe it's not so much
what you believe, it's so hard to believe it. There's
(35:45):
that epic score. Just hearing that in this trailer, it
makes you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. Makes
me feel like a kid again. And I think it's
just seeing Harrison Ford back in the iconic hat with
the whip and seeing him in action in this and
knowing that he really worked hard to be a part
of this movie. He even saw some injuries while making
(36:07):
this movie, so just credit to him. I think he
is the national treasure and one we really need to
value and protect at all costs. Because of all the epic,
iconic characters he has done in his lifetime, Indiana Jones
would probably be enough for just one person, one role
to be remembered by, but he has that. He has
(36:28):
Star Wars, he has Blade Runner. The list goes on
and on of all these most famous movies that he
has been in and continues to do so seeing him
come back and wrap it up and wearing the hat
for one last time really makes this movie an event.
And that is what I'm all about. I'm all about
movies that can create a spectacle. And that's even though
(36:48):
Steven Spielberg isn't directing this movie. It's the first film
in the franchise that neither he has directed or the
story has been written by George Lucas. Spielberg and Lucas
just served as executive producers on this movie, which is
still important, so I still feel like he is still
attached to it. He was directing it at one point,
but now it is directed by James Mangold, who has
(37:10):
also done movies like Copland Girl interrupted walk the Line
the Wolverine and Logan in twenty seventeen. So I feel
like we're in good hands here with him. And in
this movie we find Indiana Jones and what appears to
be the same kind of format we've seen throughout the franchise,
and now he is said on this mysterious artifact, the
(37:32):
Dial of Destiny, which presumably possesses some power to change
the world. You have him fighting the Nazis again in
this movie, and the movie seems to be focused on
his character kind of getting sucked back into another adventure
with some new faces along the way. And Harrison Ford
himself said that the movie has a lot of mystery,
it has a lot of adventure, which is expected, but
(37:54):
maybe this movie has the most heart out of any
installment in the franchise to date. And I think that
is what I am the most invested about and curious
about in this movie. I think whenever he returned to
some of his biggest franchises in recent years, like Star Wars,
like Blade Runner, that is kind of the moment I
looked for. It's kind of that cross between the movies
(38:16):
we grew up with and now as adults later in
our life that we really identify with, and I think
that's what's going to make this movie special and what's
going to make it memorable, and I hope it goes
out on a high note. The interesting thing that I
was looking forward to seeing, and we got a glimpse
of it in this trailer, was the d aging technology
they used on Harrison Ford and some of the flashback scenes.
(38:38):
They make them look like the younger Indiana Jones that
we know from the other movies, and I thought it
actually looked really good, some of the best use of
that technology that I've seen in just that brief little
screenshot moment from the trailer. But in some other movies
it hasn't been completely right. I remember watching The Irishman
where they used that technology a lot on Robert de
Niro felt it looked a little bit cartoonish and kind
(38:59):
of took me out of that movie. But I think
they have it down now, so it doesn't seem like
Disney is cutting any quarters on this movie. Again. Indiana
Jones and the Dial of Destiny comes out on June.
It's sure to crush so many summer box office records
next year. Just don't try to go to all out
and show up to the movie theater with your old whip.
(39:20):
This links edition of Movie Law and that's going to
do it for another episode here of the podcast. But
before I go, I gotta give my listeners shout out.
And today I am going over to Instagram and a
lot of people were posting their top five most listen
to podcasts of the year, and I wanted to share
a couple of people who tag me in their Instagram
(39:44):
story because Movie Mix Movie Podcast made their top five
of the year. So shout out to Kegan O'Donnell, who
I was number five on her list of most listen
to podcasts of the year. And I was in good
company because a lot of other podcasts that I work
with we're in the top five, including twenty five Whistles
So Losers, and at number one was The Bobby Bones Show.
That is a solid top five Thery, Keegan, so shout
(40:05):
out to you, and also shout out to Cassie Dolan
who I came in at number four, and The Bobby
Bones Show also came in at number one. So Cassie
and Keegan, I am incredibly biased, but you both have
fantastic taste in podcast If you are listening now and
I also made your top five, be sure to post
that and tag me in it. I'll repost that and
give you a shout out in the next episode. I
(40:27):
hope you enjoyed this journey of Steven Spielberg this week.
If you did, let me know what other director I
should cover, and I'll go all in on my favorite
movies of theirs. Give me somebody with a lot of
great movies, And until next time, go out and watch
good movies and I will talk to you later.
Hello, and welcome back to Movie Mix Movie Podcast. I
am your host movie Mike, and today it's a themed
episode all about legendary director Steven Spielberg. I'll give you
my top ten movies of his of all time. In
the movie review, we'll talk about his latest The Fableman's
which is out in theaters now, and then the trailer part,
we'll talk about the new Indiana Jones and the Dial
(00:21):
of Destiny trailer which he actually didn't direct this one.
It's the first one in the franchise he hasn't directed,
but he's the executive producer on it. So if you
love Steven Spielberg, this is the episode for you. Thanks
everybody for being subscribed. Shout out to the Monday Morning
Movie crew. That's everybody who listens on release day. And
now let's talk movies. In a world where everyone and
(00:43):
their mother has a podcast, one man stands to infiltrate
the ears of listeners like never before in a movie podcast.
A man with so much movie knowledge, he's basically like
a walking on MTV who's glasses from the Nice No
Podcast Network. Movie Podcast About to get into my top
(01:06):
ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time. But first let's
talk about what makes a Steven Spielberg movie. There are
a lot of big themes throughout his entire career, which
is spanned decades now. And the thing about Steven Spielberg movies,
and even when I start listening my favorite directors, I
often overlook him because of how influential he's been over
(01:29):
the years and how many different genres and how many
different types of movies he has made. That I forget
all of these movies. I forget that they are all
directed by one person. It doesn't even sound like that's
something achievable. That is the greatness of Steven Spielberg. I
feel like he is film like. He is the guy.
If there's ever anybody who's up and coming, or even
(01:51):
if like a kid has a video camera, it's like,
well Spielberg. That is how influential he is. He is
just the gold standard. So what exactly makes a STEVENS.
Bielberg movie? I think it boils down to a few things.
You always have to have the adventure. I think that
is what he does best. That is his trademark. You
have a lot of themes with family. A lot of
(02:11):
his films, especially early on, revolved around child actors and
the ability to get performances out of child actors is
a very big accomplishment when it comes to filmmaking, and
he has done it the best and he has given
some child actors some very amazing opportunities and amazing films
(02:32):
that have really broken their careers, from Drew Barrymore to
Christian Bale, and the list goes on and on. So
I think that also speaks volumes to him as a director.
You also have the big scores. Some of the most
iconic themes ever in movies come from Steven Spielberg movies,
and that is very important because when we go back
and watch these movies, it's not only the characters, it's
(02:54):
not only the plots, it's not only the special effects
and the cinematography. It's those score is that can instantly
take us back to a place, especially because they're so
big and cinematic, it makes us feel like we're kids again.
And I think that is very important in all of
his movies, from the sci fi movies to the most
dramatic movies, a killer score is always very important and
(03:18):
always very Spielberg. Another thing about Steven Spielberg movies is
all of his movie titles all have great logos, and
maybe it's something you don't always think about, but I
can picture every title in the logo. So not only
is he creating these great titles, but he's also a
building brand. He's building franchises and things that we just
(03:39):
associate with his movies. From the Indiana Jones logo, the
Jaws logo, the ET logo, the Jurassic Park font, all
of those things I find very memorable. And then some
of the other things that you would associate and what
makes the Steven Spielberg movie is aliens. From Close Encounters
of the Third Kind to ET to War the World,
(04:01):
all these movies. He just has an affinity with aliens
and does it so well. And also Tom Hanks. He
works a lot with Tom Hanks. It's a no brainer.
They just worked together so well. It's like peanut butter
and jelly. So that's what makes a Steven Spielberg movie
in my eyes. Here are a few things you may
not know about him. He was actually turned down by
(04:21):
film school. After graduating high school, he moved out to
Los Angeles and was rejected three times from film school
because of his mediocre grades. He really wasn't interested in
the academic side of college. He only wanted to be
a filmmaker. So that kind of proves you don't really
have to go to school for anything creative to get
a degree. If you just want to go out and
(04:42):
do it, that's probably the better road. He did go
back years later to finish up that degree. In his
final paper, he just handed in the script of Schindler's
List and got his degree well deserved. He is the
highest grossing movie director ever and has had several of
the highest grossing film of all time. His movies have
gross more than any director ever, bringing in over ten
(05:05):
point five billion dollars through his career, and he also
faced some harsh criticism early in his career. I was
talking about this on last week's episode about how Quentin
Tarantino is calling out superhero movies. Spielberg faced that same
kind of criticism early in his career because he found
success at a very young age, and he got a
(05:26):
lot of criticism on his early movies, calling them not art.
Critics claimed that his movies were cynical and just spectacular
cash grabs, designed and made only to make money, so
he didn't get respect early on even though he was
making all this money, making all these movies that people loved.
It wasn't until he made movies like The Color Purple
(05:46):
in six, Empire of the Sun in eighty seven, and
then of course Schindler's List in ninety three, where he
was like, all right, you guys don't think I'm a
real filmmaker. You guys don't think I'm actually making art.
Here you go. And I think all around his career
he's gone back and forth between his signature adventure films
and then later in his career got into really stretching
(06:08):
his wings when it came to making movies about the Holocaust,
slave trade, civil rights war, and terrorism. He's really a
director who has done it all. So that's a little
about him. And now let's get into what I think
are the best ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time.
This is according to me and my relationship with his
movies over the years, and I really battled with all
(06:30):
these movies. So it's a very hard thing to do.
There are so many movies, and my number ten I
went between two movies. I was almost gonna put Schindler's
List there, which is probably arguably depending on what fan
of his work you are, it could be as greatest
film that. It's a powerful movie, a tough one to watch,
and a very hard one to go back and rewatch.
So I couldn't really justify putting that one as my
(06:53):
top ten if I'm picking for me personally. So at
number ten, I went with The Lost World Jurassic Park.
I feel like some people don't even like this movie.
When I asked this question online, of course, everybody said
the original one. I feel like this is one that
gets forgotten. And the first one came out in ninety three,
which I was two years old, but this one came
(07:14):
out in ninety seven, I was six, So I actually
discovered this movie before I did the original one, and
I just have so many great memories of watching this
movie over and over again. And I really loved the
action in this movie. But I love that the technology
progressed so much between the original and this one, and
(07:35):
I felt like the action was a lot more driving
in this movie, especially when it came to scenes around
the t Rex. I thought, I love the more screen
time with the t Rex in this movie, and that's
probably due to they did have the better technology. So
this is a movie that became one of my staples
of my childhood. I've easily watched this one more than
(07:56):
the original, and I just love that Spielberg didn't try
to just make the exact same movie that he did
in the first one. So maybe all of the changes
he did in the difference in tone didn't work for everybody.
It was less driven by the kids in this movie.
You didn't have some of the original cast back. But
I just love the Lost World. So I put this
(08:17):
one at number ten and number nine from two thousand
and five, I'm putting War of the World. It's based
on the H. G. Wells novel. I also love the
scale of this movie. It had a hundred and thirty
million dollar budget and that was very well used. I
love alien movies, my favorite or alien invasion movies, and
(08:39):
this movie gave me one of my best in theater
experiences in the two thousands, and even though the ending
wasn't the most satisfying, I think all of the action
throughout this movie, the performance from Tom Cruise, and you
have your child actor star in this movie, Dakota Fanning,
which is what put her on the map. Early on
in her career. Spielberg was able to get some really
(09:01):
good emotion out of her. A lot of it is
her crying and yelling and screaming that adds so much
to the movie. I love the way that aliens looked
in this. I thought any time they were on screen
it was very captivating. So even Spielberg aside, this is
one of my favorite movies of the two thousands, and
one that I think still holds up pretty well. So
at number nine, I'm going with War of the World's
(09:22):
at number eight is one I've told you guys I'm
not the biggest fan of, but collectively, all these movies
definitely earned a place on the list. So I'm going
with the entire Indiana Jones franchise at number eight. I
think that's how I can greatly justify that, even though
I'm not a fan of one individual movie, together, I
can't deny what Indiana Jones has done for film and
(09:45):
how significant all of these movies are. Of course, the
original ones are the best and the ones everybody loves,
but I even find the later ones with Chila buff enjoyable,
even though they kind of went in a different direction
throwing in some aliens in there. I think that's what
people were probably most upset about, but hands down, the
Indiana Jones franchise has some of the most iconic images
(10:07):
in movie history. The hat, the whip, the logo, and
the score, like you can't deny that score. You hear
that and you know exactly what it is. You hear
that and you get excited, And that is what Steven
Spielberg does with the music in his movies. So at
(10:29):
number eight, I'm going with the Indiana Jones Franchise. At
number seven from two thousand and two, I'm going with
Catch Me if you can. I love the pairing of
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks to get them both at
a very good point in their career. And this is
a movie I wish I could rewatch for the first time,
because in general, I don't think this movie has the
(10:51):
best rewatchability rate, But the first time you watch it,
it is so exciting, and all the twists and turns,
I think that's something you experience for the first time
and it's unlike anything else. I love that this movie
is set in the sixties, so a lot of the
costume design and look and feel and soundtrack of this
movie just feel perfectly like the nineteen sixties. Course, it
(11:13):
is based on the quote unquote autobiography of this guy
named Frank, which over the years a lot of this
stuff has come out that it's been very exaggerated, but
I think it plays so well into making a movie
about it. So even if it isn't completely true to
what actually happened in this guy's life, it makes for
a highly entertaining movie. I also love the score in
(11:35):
this movie, and it makes it feel unlike anything else
that Steven Spielberg had done. When you put all of
his movies on the list, this one just kind of
has an entirely different playing field. And because he's touched
on history before obviously, but it's not really dramatic history.
It's very cat and mouse style movie. So when looking
(11:58):
at all his movies, this is one I look back
on and forget, like, oh, yeah, he did direct that movie,
because it's so unlike any of his other work. It's
not family base, there's no aliens, but it is a
great thriller. So at number seven, I'm going with catch
Me if you can, and number eight we'll keep Tom
Hanks in it. From Saving Private Ryan, which is arguably
(12:21):
the greatest war movie ever made. It's a perfect blend
of violence and showing the rawness and reality of war
that we had never really seen up to this point
in a war movie. It is probably one of his
bigger masterpieces, like Pound for Pound. I think this is
a masterpiece because you get the emotional side of it,
and you also get all the graphic images which were
(12:45):
brutal to watch. It's a very hard film to stomach
at some points, but I love that realness and rawness
that it captured, and I think that's credit to the
filming style in this movie. I love the handheld camera
scenes which really capture that chaotic energy of war. And
then you also have a perfect score in this movie
(13:05):
as well. You mix that with a stellar cast and
Steven Spielberg behind the camera, it's a perfect movie. So
at number six is Saving Private Ryan. At number five,
(13:27):
we've entered the top five here from I am going
with hook. This is the best Peter Pan story we've
ever had. And the scale of this movie in is
highly ambitious, from the set design, all the costumes, and
how large the cast is, and not only how large
it is, but how many child actors that you have
(13:49):
to get all of these performances out of it is
an incredible feat in itself, but then you have one
of the greatest comedic actors of all time showing all
size of what he can do well. Robin Williams is
perfect in this movie, probably pretty close to my favorite
movie of his of all time. And this is a
movie that I feel like everybody should watch in their lifetime.
(14:12):
If you haven't, how could you have not have seen
this movie by this point? And I think what made
this movie great specifically is Steven Spielberg put a lot
of himself into it, and that's what really makes the
story play out so well. And you also have another
epic score in this movie. Not to mention it came
(14:35):
out in one of my favorite years of all time,
which also happens to be when I was born, so
I have an affinity for those films as well. So
at number five, I'm going with Hook. At number four,
I am going with E. T. The Extraterrestrial, which came
out in nineteen eighty two. I believe that this movie,
above anything else that he did, created the blueprint for filmmaking.
(14:59):
If you want to know how to make a movie,
you have to go back and watch ET and as
all of my favorite things that you get from Spielberg.
You have aliens, you have adventure, you have iconic imagery,
you have these amazing child actors with Drew Barrymore, and
you have some of the most famous shots that Steven
Spielberg has ever done in any of his movies. And
(15:20):
the most iconic moment of all time that he has
given us is with Et and Elliott flying past the moon,
which actually has no digital trickery to that shot. Almost
every part of that scene was shot right on camera.
That's all lighting and camera work. They used actual astrological
charts to find the perfect time where there would be
(15:42):
a full moon sitting among these low trees in that
right spot, and then Elliott and Et were made into
scale models, but the rest of that was real. So
that is filmmaking. This is one where you just hear
that music and you automatically feel like a kid again.
(16:02):
So At number four from nineteen eighty two is e
t At number three is a very important film for
many reasons. It is the first summer blockbuster of all time.
In the movie from nineteen seventy five is Jaws. This
is Steven Spielberg's monster movie. The one that started his
(16:27):
entire career. He had had some success in some other projects,
but this was his first major movie when he was
twenty seven years old. It went on to be the
highest grossing movie ever in an instant classic, even though
there were so many problems when making this movie. It
was shot on location out at sea, so you can
imagine how hard that was to get the shots without
(16:48):
any other boats in the water. They build this animatronic Jaws,
which they didn't test in salt water, so whence they
had this thing out into the water, they realized there
were a lot of difficulties with that, but a lot
of those issues made this movie great and created something
that I think now the best horror movies use, and
that is not showing and revealing the monster until the
(17:10):
very end and just giving you these brief little moments
of terror to really build that intensity, to build that
tension and suspense. That is what Jaws did so well
and now is my favorite thing when a director can
nail that. And Steven Spielberg is credited for that. And
since it was the first summer blockbuster ever, now every
(17:32):
major movie that comes out in the summer without knowing it,
you have to give credit to Jaws. It made that
summer event become a thing. So now every Avengers movie
or Jurassic Park movie, even though he's not directing those anymore,
anything major that comes out in summer blockbuster season owes
at all back to Jaws. And it also has one
(17:53):
of the most famous themes of all time. So at
number three from nine, I'm going with Jaws. Moving up
now to number two from eighteen, I'm going with Ready
Player one. I love this movie because Steven Spielberg is
(18:17):
a nerd and this shows that it is a nerd
movie made by a nerd. Only somebody with glasses that
thick could make this movie. And this story takes place
entirely inside a virtual reality world and a little bit
out into the real world. But this movie is so
visually stimulating. Then the sound design is amazing. I love
(18:37):
the pop culture references. And even though this is a
new movie set kind of in this distant future, it
is oddly nostalgic with all the references to old video
games from our childhood, from the eighties and nineties and
two thousands. I think is his best sci fi movie
that he has made, because it blends all of the
things that I feel really define nerd coal sure, and
(19:00):
I don't like it when people who aren't nerds try
to depict what nerd culture is. But since he is
a nerd, he got this movie right. And I can't
wait for Part two, even though there isn't a release
date on that yet. Since this movie came out in
twenty eighteen, I can only imagine how much has advanced
(19:21):
in those four years to make it even more stellar.
And not only that, I think this movie proved that
Steven Spielberg still has it. He directed this movie when
he was seventy two years old. He's seventy five now,
but it just kind of shows you that he has
consistently stayed sharp and consistently been able to push himself.
So at number two, I'm going with Ready Player one.
(19:43):
Before I get to my number one Steven Spielberg movie,
here are a few that you guys sent in on
social media. The Terminal from two thousand and four, which
is a great movie. I think I've heard some people
actually hate The Terminal, but man, that movie is so
good too. Probably would have cracked my top fifteen. A
lot of will sent in The Goonies, which he actually
didn't direct, but he did do the story for the Goonies.
(20:04):
I didn't want to include any of the movies that
he produced or just wrote. I just wanted to focus
on the movies he directed. But if I would have
combined all those together, that easily would have made the list.
But he didn't direct that one. Close Encounters of the
Third Kind from nineteen seventy seven. A lot of people
sent that one in. That's also one of my favorites,
but I think when it comes to all of the
movies that deal with aliens, I just like wore The
(20:27):
World's and E Team more than that movie, but that
movie is still really great. From the movies in his
early work. Of course, you also have The Color Purple
AI from two thousand and one, Minority Report, and the
movie that just missed my top ten Schindler's list, and
now if you haven't been able to figure it out
by now at number one from nineteen ninety three. I
(20:49):
have the best Steven Spielberg movie of all time, being
Jurassic Park. From the first time I heard this theme song.
I have a lot of core movie memories, and this
one is pretty vivid. Even though I saw The Lost
World before I saw the original Jurassic Park, there was
(21:10):
still something so magical the first time you see the
dinosaurs in this movie. And it's from this moment that
I became a true Steven Spielberg fan. And I think
where this movie really kind of showed how he pushes
the boundaries is almost all the technology was created just
(21:32):
for this movie, and if you go back and watch it,
you can tell that it's not perfect. But at the
time it was so advanced, and this was just such
a major event for people to go watch in theaters.
I wish I was able to experience that more. I
wish I wasn't two years old and had no idea
what was going on, but this was an event. This
(21:52):
had parents taking their kids out of school to go
watch a movie that doesn't happen anymore. And it did
blend at three D technology that was basically being formed
as they went along to get these shots. This movie
came down to the wire because the technology did not exist,
but it blended that with the actual use of animatronics.
(22:13):
And I think those are still some of the shots
that hold up so well in this movie. When it
comes to the scene in the water with the t
Rex at the gate I still think that is an
incredible feat and one that still holds up. Another one that,
kind of like Jaws back in the seventies, had some
complications because what they build that t Rex out of
didn't do so well in water. It took them a
(22:35):
while to get that right. But you have the perfect
cast in this movie, you have the perfect score, and
it made us all love dinosaurs, which I still haven't
quite figured out what makes dinosaurs so cinematically satisfying. Maybe
it's because we were never alive to see dinosaurs and
seeing them on screen makes them feel like they are
(22:56):
so much more real, and putting that kind of juxtaposition
of seeing something prehistoric in our times makes for a
truly magical experience. I also think that's why I really
love The Lost World is because they brought the t
Rex into a real life city, which made it even
more chaotic, and I love that part of that. But
I think when it comes to really capturing what Steven
(23:18):
Spielberg is all about, you find it all in Jurassic Park,
building a world that is something we have never seen before.
You have the use of technology, but not only that,
you have great storytelling. In Jurassic Park, memorable lines, an
incredible score, and one that has truly stood the test
of time and spawned one of the most memorable franchises
(23:40):
in movie history. So there you have it, my top
ten Steven Spielberg movies of all time. Let me know
if you agree or disagree with some of those pigs.
Which ones you think I should have mentioned, Which ones
you think deserve an honorable mention? Hit me up on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook at Mike Distro, or send me an email movie
Mike d at gmail dot com. Let's get into a
(24:05):
spoiler free movie review now. I want to talk about
The Fable Men's, directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie is
semi autobiographical, and just after watching the trailer for this
movie for the very first time, I knew it was
going to be something special. But man, is this movie
a love letter to cinema. It is one of the
best movies already I've seen of the year, easily already
(24:27):
entered my top five, and I want to tell you why.
But before I get into my full spoiler free movie review,
here's just a little bit of the Fable Men's trailer.
Movies are dreams. It's never forget you have a smiss
what he does. It's playful or imaginative. You could afford
to be a little encouraging. I can't just love something.
(24:47):
You also have to take care of it. It's more
important than your hobby. Can you stop calling him a hobby? Bo?
Mom got a lot, Why don't you get a monkey?
Because I needed a laugh. So this movie, it's about
a character named Sammy, who is based on Steven Spielberg,
and he calls this movie semi autobiographical, mainly because he
(25:10):
didn't really want to promote a movie about himself. Maybe
he felt it was a little bit too self indulgent.
Isn't that kind of a guy? So I find respect
in that. But the movie is so accurate of what
actually happened in his life. So even if you go
back and watch some documentaries about Steven Spielberg, read his interviews,
all of this stuff he has talked about throughout his life,
(25:31):
and he has just put it all into a movie
and embellished some things to make it a little bit
more cinematic. But all of the themes of regarding his family,
regarding how he got into filmmaking, regarding his parents divorce,
all of that actually happened so almost seen for seeing.
Plotline for plotline, you are learning about Steven Spielberg's life,
(25:52):
and the movie starts with him as a kid, his
parents going to take him to his very first movie ever,
and that is kind of where his passion and first begins.
His parents take him to watch The Greatest Show on Earth,
and that's where it all starts, and that is actually
the first movie that Steven Spielberg ever watched, and as
a kid, he was so enthralled by it, and his
(26:13):
mom is very encouraging of his passion for making movies,
but his dad is not. He is an electrical engineer,
and throughout the entire movie you see this team come
up again and again because his dad doesn't want him
focusing on movies. He keeps calling it a hobby, makes
it sound very insulting, and it is hard for Sammy
(26:33):
in the movie to form a relationship with his dad
because he really just makes so little of his passion
and he doesn't see that he is trying to make
this his goal in life, like this is what he
was set out to do. Even though he's a good dad,
he is a really involved dad, tries to be there,
he just doesn't really get it because he is this
(26:54):
very straight laced engineer guy. So I found that relationship
throughout the entire movie to be do You interesting. I
feel like it would be kind of if you made
this movie today, it would be a kid wanting to
be a YouTuber and their parents being like, well, you
can't really do much with YouTube, so you should really
kind of go to college and focus on studies. And
you know, YouTube is just a hobby, but now we
(27:15):
see it is possible. So back in the day, filmmaking
was probably YouTube now, even though I still hope that
the kids out there who want to be filmmakers, and
I would highly encourage if you do have a kid
who is interested in making movies, interested in making YouTube videos,
they should definitely watch this movie. I wish this movie
came out when I was ten years old. Around that age,
(27:37):
that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be
a film director. I remember my brother had this old
VHS recorder video camera and we would make movies oftentimes
like Kung Fu movies, horror movies. And then later in
life I was able to get like a DV camera
with those little small tapes, and I would make movies,
(27:58):
and it was always kind of my passion. I would
kind of follow and I wanted to do, but I
realized how hard it was, and I also didn't really
have anybody around me telling me that it was a
possible thing to do. And it all kind of comes
back to Sammy in this movie and how all of
these things in his life are very chaotic as the
movie progresses. In the very start of this movie, he
(28:19):
has a very picturesque portrait of a family, almost like
it looks too perfect. But as you go through the movie,
things start to get more and more difficult and more
and more real, and you start to realize all the
problems that they actually have and how the relationship changes
between his parents. So in a way, filmmaking is kind
(28:42):
of the only constant that Sammy has in the movie
because it is the only thing he can really control.
And man, have I not related to something so bold
in a movie before, whether it be doing podcasts or
me doing comedy or doing anything creative. When I feel
like in my life oftentimes it is anxiety that just
(29:05):
ruins everything good in my life. But I feel like
if I can have some kind of control over something
where I am dictating things. It makes me feel in control.
So doing this podcast writing jokes for me, that is
me being able to control things in my life. And
I think that is why I gravitate towards my passions.
So seeing that depicted in a movie like this, I
(29:26):
was like wow, and I just felt like, hey, I
have something in common with Steven Spielberg. This movie looks
a lot different than any other Steven Spielberg movie, and
with a subject like this being based on his life,
you feel like it could be so self indulgent, and
I think that's partially why he didn't call it just
a straight on biopic autobiography. But the thing about Steven Spielberg,
(29:49):
he always has the viewer in mind, and this movie
reminded me of that because the movie does cover him
as a teenager making movies, and it shows that entire
process of getting the camera, talking about the film, showing
the editing process, and to a normal viewer, maybe that
would be kind of boring. I could see how easily
(30:10):
you can make a movie like that, and we would
be very boring. But that entire process he makes feel
so magical. And I think my favorite parts in this
movie were the moments where he was filming a movie,
editing a movie, and then you see the final product
and just knowing that Steven Spielberg took a risk on
that but completely nailed it, and you really learned a
(30:34):
lot about what shaped him as a director, how he
tried to make things interesting, and how innovative he was
even as a teenager. I think one of my favorite
scenes again was during that filmmaking process. He was making
this kind of shootout western movie, and during the editing process,
he realized that some of the gunshots didn't seem accurate.
(30:55):
He's like, that looks fake. No one's gonna buy that
because it looks fake. And then he figures out and
gets inspired on how to make that gunshots look accurate.
And I thought that little detail was perfect in this movie.
So it shows that he had that passion early on,
even while making these very very low budget, rudimentary films,
he already had the vision. He was on his way
(31:17):
to become Steven Spielberg. And then you get into the
actors in this movie. Paul Dano was great, and you
just see the range on him. He is one of
my favorite actors. I mean to go from playing the
Riddler and the Batman to the father in this movie
just shows that he really has no restrictions on what
he can do. He can be a convincing father and
(31:40):
he can be an all out psychotic villain. I love
Paul Dano as the casting choice of the dad in
this movie. Michelle Williams, who is another treasure, I think,
gives one of her best performances of her career. She'll
easily be nominated for Best Actress. So I don't think
that's the stretch and saying that, but I think she
could finally win an Oscar with this performance. I think
she gave the best one out of anybody in this cast.
(32:03):
Also have to mention Seth Rogan. I haven't mentioned his
performance in this and how cool of him to be
able to get into a Steven Spielberg movie and you
kind of forget that he's a really good actor. I know,
we just associate him with comedies, and even though his
character is funny in this movie, he really proved to
me that he has those acting chops as well and
can stand up with people like Michelle Williams and Paul
(32:24):
Dano and not look out of place. You also have
Gabriel LaBelle as the young Steven Spielberg, who is a
really great new talent. I thought he also did an
excellent job in this movie. And then you have Steven
Spielberg as director. Again, I don't think it's a stretch
in saying that he will be nominated for Best Director,
probably win that one, but I think The Fableman's easily
(32:46):
has a shot at winning Best Picture this year. And
even at the two and a half hour range, I
thought I would have been a little bit tired of
a movie that's really just a coming of age story,
a family drama. Very rarely does a movie like that
to me worn a two and a half hour runtime.
But I have to tell you, I did not want
(33:06):
this movie to end. It was so magical, visually so
appealing to me. It's like candy for the eyes. It's
like chicken soup for the soul. You know, those old
poetry books from back in the day. It is all
the things that I look for in a movie. I
will say, the only thing I wish this movie would
have had, and the thing I thought it was going
to be a little bit more about, was him as
(33:28):
a kid. And at the start of the movie it
does focus on him using his siblings as subject in
his films, and I found that part of the movie
to be so heartwarming. It had a little bit more
of a comedic tone, so I think if it had
more of that, I would have said it was a
completely perfect movie. So if I had to give this
movie a rating, it is so close to being perfect.
(33:50):
But I give it four point five out of five
Film reels for the fable Bans, It's time ahead down
the movie Mike Paul continuing the theme of Steven Spielberg,
let's talk about Indiana Jones in the Dial of Destiny,
which Disney just dropped the trailer to this. It's coming
(34:12):
out in theaters on June. It is Harrison Ford back
as Indiana Jones in the fifth installment of this franchise,
and not only that, it is going to be his
last time ever to play Indiana Jones. And I think
above all else, I just love a finale in a movie, franchise,
(34:34):
finale to anything. Really, I just love a finale. It
can even be to a TV show that I've never
seen a single episode of, but I just want to
tune in to find out how they decided to wrap
up an entire franchise. So I think going into this
that's kind of why I'm excited about this Indiana Jones movie,
because it's cool to see Harrison Ford at eighty years old,
(34:55):
still playing one of the most iconic characters of all time.
And I think after watching this trailer, I can find
myself really enjoying this movie and quite possibly being my
favorite one they've ever made, because it has all of
those elements working towards it. I just love an epic conclusion.
So we'll talk more about it, but here is just
a little bit of the Indiana Jones and the Dial
(35:17):
of Destiny trailer. I don't believe in magic, but a
few times in my life for seen things things I
can't explain, I've come to believe it's not so much
what you believe, it's so hard to believe it. There's
(35:45):
that epic score. Just hearing that in this trailer, it
makes you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. Makes
me feel like a kid again. And I think it's
just seeing Harrison Ford back in the iconic hat with
the whip and seeing him in action in this and
knowing that he really worked hard to be a part
of this movie. He even saw some injuries while making
(36:07):
this movie, so just credit to him. I think he
is the national treasure and one we really need to
value and protect at all costs. Because of all the epic,
iconic characters he has done in his lifetime, Indiana Jones
would probably be enough for just one person, one role
to be remembered by, but he has that. He has
(36:28):
Star Wars, he has Blade Runner. The list goes on
and on of all these most famous movies that he
has been in and continues to do so seeing him
come back and wrap it up and wearing the hat
for one last time really makes this movie an event.
And that is what I'm all about. I'm all about
movies that can create a spectacle. And that's even though
(36:48):
Steven Spielberg isn't directing this movie. It's the first film
in the franchise that neither he has directed or the
story has been written by George Lucas. Spielberg and Lucas
just served as executive producers on this movie, which is
still important, so I still feel like he is still
attached to it. He was directing it at one point,
but now it is directed by James Mangold, who has
(37:10):
also done movies like Copland Girl interrupted walk the Line
the Wolverine and Logan in twenty seventeen. So I feel
like we're in good hands here with him. And in
this movie we find Indiana Jones and what appears to
be the same kind of format we've seen throughout the franchise,
and now he is said on this mysterious artifact, the
(37:32):
Dial of Destiny, which presumably possesses some power to change
the world. You have him fighting the Nazis again in
this movie, and the movie seems to be focused on
his character kind of getting sucked back into another adventure
with some new faces along the way. And Harrison Ford
himself said that the movie has a lot of mystery,
it has a lot of adventure, which is expected, but
(37:54):
maybe this movie has the most heart out of any
installment in the franchise to date. And I think that
is what I am the most invested about and curious
about in this movie. I think whenever he returned to
some of his biggest franchises in recent years, like Star Wars,
like Blade Runner, that is kind of the moment I
looked for. It's kind of that cross between the movies
(38:16):
we grew up with and now as adults later in
our life that we really identify with, and I think
that's what's going to make this movie special and what's
going to make it memorable, and I hope it goes
out on a high note. The interesting thing that I
was looking forward to seeing, and we got a glimpse
of it in this trailer, was the d aging technology
they used on Harrison Ford and some of the flashback scenes.
(38:38):
They make them look like the younger Indiana Jones that
we know from the other movies, and I thought it
actually looked really good, some of the best use of
that technology that I've seen in just that brief little
screenshot moment from the trailer. But in some other movies
it hasn't been completely right. I remember watching The Irishman
where they used that technology a lot on Robert de
Niro felt it looked a little bit cartoonish and kind
(38:59):
of took me out of that movie. But I think
they have it down now, so it doesn't seem like
Disney is cutting any quarters on this movie. Again. Indiana
Jones and the Dial of Destiny comes out on June.
It's sure to crush so many summer box office records
next year. Just don't try to go to all out
and show up to the movie theater with your old whip.
(39:20):
This links edition of Movie Law and that's going to
do it for another episode here of the podcast. But
before I go, I gotta give my listeners shout out.
And today I am going over to Instagram and a
lot of people were posting their top five most listen
to podcasts of the year, and I wanted to share
a couple of people who tag me in their Instagram
(39:44):
story because Movie Mix Movie Podcast made their top five
of the year. So shout out to Kegan O'Donnell, who
I was number five on her list of most listen
to podcasts of the year. And I was in good
company because a lot of other podcasts that I work
with we're in the top five, including twenty five Whistles
So Losers, and at number one was The Bobby Bones Show.
That is a solid top five Thery, Keegan, so shout
(40:05):
out to you, and also shout out to Cassie Dolan
who I came in at number four, and The Bobby
Bones Show also came in at number one. So Cassie
and Keegan, I am incredibly biased, but you both have
fantastic taste in podcast If you are listening now and
I also made your top five, be sure to post
that and tag me in it. I'll repost that and
give you a shout out in the next episode. I
(40:27):
hope you enjoyed this journey of Steven Spielberg this week.
If you did, let me know what other director I
should cover, and I'll go all in on my favorite
movies of theirs. Give me somebody with a lot of
great movies, And until next time, go out and watch
good movies and I will talk to you later.
Host
Mike D
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