What Is The Last Film You Watched? (Older Films)

[Quintus 5,399]

Ooo you're so quirky and different to the rest of us. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Really? Dunno.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah, you're a real character. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

That's more like it. You're real quick, with the come back.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I know what Drax is getting at with Spielberg's familial baggage. There are obviously many instances where it's great, but with so many instances of Daddy Issues, he can't hit it out of the park every time, and it eventually gets tiresome. CE wasn't offensive, but let's face it: Spielberg wasn't concerned with the family halfway through that flick and neither were we.

 

Quint is absolutely right that WOTW family scenes were atrocious like the rest of that movie. It really began for me with Hook where Spielberg seemed to have lost his touch with the Father/Son/Family stuff. At that point, Peter Banning was a bad guy because he worked his ass off doing Mergers and Acquisitions to provide for his family and became angered when his kids were acting like crazy brats. You really got the sense that millionaire Spielberg had lived that cushy life too long and could no longer do the relatable family stuff. Some exceptions came along like CMIYC.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

If you talk about things like giving the Neill character in JP  an aversion to children- a cloying plot device- I agree.

The other examples given R bull rap.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Alan Grant gave me the best line ever to use when people nag me as to why I haven't had kids yet.

 

2 hours ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

I know what Drax is getting at with Spielberg's familial baggage.

 

I mean how bad could he have had it while growing up that he felt the need to inject it into 20+ movies? Whether it was the usual daddy issues rah rah or domestic family spats where no-one understands the weirdo being weird. It's not like he grew up in poverty and struggled to survive. He sounds like a spoilt brat biting back at his his daddy for not buying him that pony when he turned sweet sixteeeeen.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

He's a genius- cut him some slack.

They all have childhood issues!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Oh yeah, maybe. But this guy... this guy... it might have been fine in one or two movies, but he's just relentless about depicting and recycling this shit over and over. Like, get over your sob story, grow a pair and stop being such a pussy!

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I'm sure he really cares what YOU think....😒

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I don't expect him to. I just like yelling at the telly.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

...your Leader does alot of that also.  😎

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Godzilla?

[A24 4,331]

The family scenes in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial feel wonderfully natural and spontaneous.  Back then, I looked upon Spielberg as a director who can get exceptionally good and memorable performances out of kids. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I have to mute it during those scenes because I can't stand Elliot and Drew's high pitch squealing and shrieking. Heaven help anyone who actually lives with noisy pests like that.

 

The family scenes in Poltergeist are nicer and friendlier.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I just sent a memo to SOB and TBG. In it I  expressed  my feelings about their Spielberg comments. Here is a photo.

I predict that meme will get ALOT of use in the future.😊😅

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

Wha'?!

I don't understand this Luddite attitude, especially from JWfaners.

As early as 1984, Spielberg started to move away from "kiddie-centric" flicks, and to start to introduce far more stronger male (one could argue "paternal") figures, in his films. He also made it up, with his pa, so that went some way to dispel the notion that he was anti-male.

I disagree with (insert your name, here) about WAR OF THE WORLDS. The early scenes are wonderfully economical is setting up the family dynamic. "Confusing handshake?", "That's not how you're going to get through to him", turning the baseball cap 180° are all fine examples of the fractured relationship that the three principals have, with each other.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Oy, I just wanna see some Martians blowing shit up!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

(sigh)

So simple the subduers.

[Holko 9,519]

20 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

about WAR OF THE WORLDS. The early scenes are wonderfully economical is setting up the family dynamic. "Confusing handshake?", "That's not how you're going to get through to him", turning the baseball cap 180° are all fine examples of the fractured relationship that the three principals have, with each other.

YES! It's also refreshing that we don't think "boy, how did these two ever even get together, let alone have two kids", Otto and Cruise still have visible chemistry in the very little screentime they share.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

It's quite evident that they still have affection for each other, despite "Do you mind closing the door, because that's my refrigerator".

[Quintus 5,399]

I thought those two had about as much chemistry as the parents in AI. 

[publicist 4,643]

The relationship between Hanks and Rylance in Bridge of Spies is the only convincing, un-perfunctory Spielberg try at building an interesting and/or convincing human relationship in recent times (the same goes for Hanks and DiCaprio). 

[Tallguy 3,383]

2 hours ago, publicist said:

The relationship between Hanks and Rylance in Bridge of Spies is the only convincing, un-perfunctory Spielberg try at building an interesting and/or convincing human relationship in recent times (the same goes for Hanks and DiCaprio). 

THAT'S what I should watch this weekend. Still haven't seen it.

 

IMHO - It's not the "family" stuff that went missing, it was how he shot it. And it wasn't just family life. He used to have a gift for narratively followable chaos. It's in Jaws and Close Encounters in many scenes with children and adults. Maybe if he had continued this stunt we'd be groaning about that old Spielberg cross-talk gag. But I don't really recall it in many (any?) of his later films.

[Quintus 5,399]

Is cross talk even still a thing in movies these days? I miss it. Didn't realise how much actually till you said it. There's some great moments in Jaws too! 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

5 hours ago, Quintus said:

I thought those two had about as much chemistry as the parents in AI. 

 

I can't accept this!

[Chen G. 3,949]

58 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

that old Spielberg cross-talk gag. But I don't really recall it in many (any?) of his later films.

 

I think there was a little bit of that in The Post.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

37 minutes ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

 

I can't accept this!

 

Silly man

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

A.I. is a Masterpiece. Monica is easily the greatest Performance in a Spielberg film.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Especially that bit on the dunny 

[publicist 4,643]

3 hours ago, Tallguy said:

IMHO - It's not the "family" stuff that went missing, it was how he shot it. And it wasn't just family life. He used to have a gift for narratively followable chaos. It's in Jaws and Close Encounters in many scenes with children and adults. Maybe if he had continued this stunt we'd be groaning about that old Spielberg cross-talk gag. But I don't really recall it in many (any?) of his later films.

 

That was the 70's (basically Robert Altman introduced it in MASH and was fired for it two years prior on Countdown). It's gone now (mostly).

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Bring it back!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Hollyweird hates suburbia

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

They really do. Bunch of coastal elitist arses.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I live and work in suburbia

[A24 4,331]

You guys and your bogus conspiracy theories! Hollywood has always romanticized the suburbs: The big ass freestanding houses, the beautiful trafficless tree lanes, the happy dog in the yard, carefree kids playing outside on their BMX bikes, the swimming pool, ... 

 

 

It's a place where it's always 'golden hour' and that aliens love to visit. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

They only do that when they're satirising it by exaggerating those features as if they're concealing something sinister beneath the surface.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

58 minutes ago, AC1 said:

You guys and your bogus conspiracy theories! Hollywood has always romanticized the suburbs: The big ass freestanding houses, the beautiful trafficless tree lanes, the happy dog in the yard, carefree kids playing outside on their BMX bikes, the swimming pool, ... 

It's a place where it's always 'golden hour' and that aliens love to visit. 

...but the suburbs have no charm to soothe the restless dreams of youth!

[A24 4,331]

1 hour ago, The Big Man said:

They only do that when they're satirising it by exaggerating those features as if they're concealing something sinister beneath the surface.

 

Don't believe everything Stranger Things is telling you.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

18 minutes ago, AC1 said:

 

Don't believe everything Stranger Things is telling you.

 

I meant like Revolutionary Road or Pleasantville or whichever. Made by anti-suburb freaks who fled to Hollyweird and never shrugged off that chip on their shoulders.

[Quintus 5,399]

The idyllic rooftops of 80s suburban America were a major part of early Spielberg iconography, as instantly attributable to the director's raison d'être as aliens and dinosaurs. When I was a kid, such scenery used to make me feel all warm inside. In the case of Poltergeist, Spielberg would use that to exploit the shit out of me. And for that I will always love him. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The homes and families in Poltergeist are as God intended.

[publicist 4,643]

As a big city kid, i never understood the appeal. Suburbs are boring, except when weird things happen within them (cf Halloween, Poltergeist, ET, Goonies, nowadays Stranger Things or Super 8 and so on). For me they  were a simple springboard for escapist entertainment, as which they are fine.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Being boring makes them pleasant to live in! They're generally not noisy, not congested, it's easy to drive around because they're usually better planned than their older city counterparts, you get to live in your own entire building, you own your own parkland as your front and backyard, etc.

[publicist 4,643]

Thanks you, Captain Obvious!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Occasionally you need a dose of obvious!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

7 hours ago, The Big Man said:

They only do that when they're satirising it by exaggerating those features as if they're concealing something sinister beneath the surface.

[publicist 4,643]

It's also called drama, it's not like filmmakers have an obligation to portray boring suburbs without tension or conflict just because.

[A24 4,331]

No pic, Koray!