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Let’s give it up to my ALL-TIME favorite director. The man who literally invested the summer blockbuster movie season. The one, the only, the living legend himself, Steven Spielberg. This man made my childhood and made me fall in LOVE with movies. I owe him everything and more when it comes to movies. If you take all the worldwide box office receipts, Spielberg directed films exceed $10 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing director in cinematic history. Through his filmmaking career, he has won three Academy Awards and so many other awards. The man literally had people scared to go in the water, have an alien as a friend, built a park filled with dinosaurs, made being an archeologist cool and influence so many different areas. Give a standing ovation to the legend himself.
Jaws (1975)
You knew we had to start here. Spielberg has made many classic films but this one right here set the tone for summer blockbuster films. Without Jaws, there might not be a summer blockbuster season. Spielberg directed this film when he was only 26-years-old. Pretty much as Stephen A. Smith says, “wet behind the ears, breath smellin’ like Similac.” What came out of it was one of the best movies known to man. What about that opening scene? Who can forget the music? That shit was intense and brought those goosebumps. When we finally see the shark, homeboy was eating everyone. Jaws was so scary it kept people out of the water.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Who would’ve thought a story about a whip wielding archeologist would be entertaining? Spielberg introduced the world to Indiana Jones. A man who fights Nazis and finds lost artifacts. This time around, we get the Arc of the Covenant. First, we had Harrison Ford, Mr. Han Solo himself in the title role. Then we got an epic opening scene with a bolder. Who can forget about the snakes? Also, how about the music. Whoever is Spielberg composer needs to get paid. How about that ending? What warehouse is that?
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
How about having an alien as a friend? Spielberg came through and introduced the world to a little alien with a story of friendship and major differences. Rather than having scary aliens, Spielberg gave us an alien botanist who is left behind when government officials came and tried to capture him. E.T. is introduced to Elliott who go on a wild adventure where one just wants to go home. How about that glowing finger and bikes flying through the sky? One of the best films of all time and a absolute joy to watch.
Jurassic Park (1993)
One of my all-time FAVORITE movies!!! Most of everyone has been to a museum and seen dinosaur skeletons. Spielberg came through and made them come to life. After the book, one man created dinosaurs and it was AWESOME to see. Watching legendary dinosaurs like the T-Rex, Velociraptors, Brachiosaurus and even the Dilophosaurus were a sight to see. Yet, Spielberg just didn’t make dinosaurs come to the screen, he also made a thrilling film of what would happen when a dinosaur park goes terribly wrong. Even after almost 30 years, this movie is still as good as ever and the special effects still hold up to this day. Spielberg made dinosaurs come to life.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Spielberg knows how to make movies as Schindler’s List is one of his best works ever. Rather than focusing on fantasy, Spielberg made a film that follows Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. Shot in black and white, Spielberg showed the horrors of the Holocaust and had one of the most powerful scenes in movie history with the little girl in the red coat. This film was the first time Spielberg won Best Picture and Best Director.
Saving Private Ran (1998)
One of the greatest war movies ever made! This film has one of the most intense 15 minutes in movie history, which is the Invasion of Normandy during World War II. The depiction of the Omaha Beach assault will leave you shell shocked because its just intense. Yet, Spielberg expertly tells the story of a US military squad and their mission to find a paratrooper whose four brothers had already died in the war. The travesty of this film is that it should’ve won Best Picture but lost to freakin Shakespeare in Love. Once again, a freakin great movie to watch if you want to learn about US history and World War II.
The Color Purple (1985)
In a movie that you would expect, Spielberg beautifully told the story of a young African-American girl named Celie Harris and the problems African-American women experienced during the early 20th century. This was Spielberg’s eighth film as a director and marked a turning point when he left the world of summer blockbusters and started telling powerful stories. Spielberg was reluctant to take the job when approached by the great Quincy Jones as he felt his knowledge of the deep South was inadequate and that the film should be directed by someone of color. Once again, Spielberg did a masterful job. You know what the BIGGEST tragedy of this film was??? It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and didn’t win a single one of them. Also, Spielberg wasn’t even nominated for Best Director. Straight up travesty all around.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
When Jaws became a massive hit, Spielberg returned with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg just didn’t direct this film but also wrote it. The film can be traced back to Spielberg’s childhood when he and his pops watched a meteor shower in New Jersey. A story about Roy Neary whose life changes after encountering a UFO. Filled with special effects and excitement, Spielberg knows seemed to turn excitement into wonder. Spielberg has such an imagination and a way of storytelling that it will excite anyone.
Ready Player One (2018)
You don’t know how excited I was when I found out that Spielberg was directing one of my all-time favorite books ever. Now the movie was a disappointment as it was nothing like the book. Yet, I did enjoy all the references extending from the 1970s to the 2010s. Also, Spielberg stated the film was the most difficult movie he has done since Saving Private Ryan. This might not be Spielberg’s best work but only he could pull off getting so many references and companies together under one film.
Minority Report (2002)
Spielberg directed this science fiction thriller that is also an amazing mystery. Set in the mean or nice streets of Washington, D.C., the year is 2054 and Precrime is at the forefront. Pretty much no crime in the city because criminals are apprehended on the foreknowledge seen by three psychics called “precogs.” With the helping hand of Tom Cruise, Spielberg sends a commanding officer on a trip to figure out how he is next in committing a crime. Spielberg takes you on a futuristic ride.
