Steven Spielberg on the state of cinema

[Jay 37,290]

“In the current health crisis, where movie theatres are shuttered or attendance is drastically limited because of the global pandemic, I still have hope bordering on certainty that when it’s safe, audiences will go back to the movies.

 

I’ve always devoted myself to our movie-going community — movie-going, as in leaving our homes to go to a theatre, and community, meaning a feeling of fellowship with others who have left their homes and are seated with us.

 

In a movie theatre, you watch movies with the significant others in your life, but also in the company of strangers. That’s the magic we experience when we go out to see a movie or a play or a concert or a comedy act.

 

We don’t know who all these people are sitting around us, but when the experience makes us laugh or cry or cheer or contemplate, and then when the lights come up and we leave our seats, the people with whom we head out into the real world don’t feel like complete strangers anymore.

 

We’ve become a community, alike in heart and spirit, or at any rate alike in having shared for a couple of hours a powerful experience.

 

That brief interval in a theatre doesn’t erase the many things that divide us: race or class or belief or gender or politics.

 

But our country and our world feel less divided, less fractured, after a congregation of strangers have laughed, cried, jumped out their seats together, all at the same time.

 

Art asks us to be aware of the particular and the universal, both at once. And that’s why, of all the things that have the potential to unite us, none is more powerful than the communal experience of the arts.”

 

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/steven-spielberg-empire-cinema-will-never-die/

[Edmilson 7,393]

Beautifully said!

[A24 4,326]

I dunno, the same could be said about a soccer game.

[rough cut 1,714]

It’s not exactly news when the godfather of modern cinema praises the cinematic experience.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Thor will probably say it's better than it's ever been. Sheesh we have some real shills here.

[GerateWohl 4,340]

Who stays at the cinema in his seat until the lights come up? There are those immediately leaving when the end credits start, those who wait until the end of the first song, those who leave when it's clear that there will be no bonus snipet inbetween the credits and at last those very few who really wait until finally the lights go up.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,502]

4 hours ago, AC1 said:

I dunno, the same could be said about a soccer game.

Agreed. He talks a lot, but he doesn't say anything. He's good at that.

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

15 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Beautifully said!

 

Not really.

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I agree with Disco Spielberg 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Theatres will survive. It is the best place to experience cinema.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

There are many posters here convinced theaters are finished despite the fact that they were making a killing right before the China Virus. I mean, look how many God damn people went to see that awful Joker movie. Even I saw it and regret it! It's as if all these movie fans get off to the idea of their favorite industry going under. Wtf?

[Bellosh 3,390]

Things will go back to normal eventually.  Might be a few less theaters.  But they will be back.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Only the super rich should be allowed to see movies.

[A24 4,326]

3 hours ago, Bellosh said:

Things will go back to normal eventually.  Might be a few less theaters.  But they will be back.

 

But things won't be the same anymore.

 

Theaters: Theme Park movies

 

Streaming: Everything else

 

 

Everyone happy!

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

1 hour ago, The Big Man said:

Only the super rich should be allowed to see movies.

 

We'll have a cuopon day or something.

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

7 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

Theatres will survive. It is the best place to experience cinema.

 

You haven't been my living room. 

 

At least, you better not have been.

[SteveMc 2,674]

I've never been to a theater.  

[A24 4,326]

51 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

I've never been to a theater.  

 

There are referring to these concrete boxes also known as cineplex or multiplex.

[SteveMc 2,674]

5 hours ago, AC1 said:

 

There are referring to these concrete boxes also known as cineplex or multiplex.

Never been there either.  

I was mega sheltered growing up.  And have not got the chance to go yet.  

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Cinema virgin

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Steven Spielberg certainly isn't doing anything to fill cinemas. No one wants to see his crappy boring dramas except Stu and all the other weirdos here.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I proudly hold Bridge of Spies in higher esteem then both Jurassic Park and Raiders.  Amazing near flawless movie.  Great score too!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Jesus Christ 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

[Holko 9,499]

4 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I proudly hold Bridge of Spies in higher esteem then both Jurassic Park and Raiders.

Well, at least it doesn't abandon its set up moral/philosophical themes and replace them with "if something preventable fails, give up your dream, it's not meant to be". And at least it can write its characters and tone consistently.

[A24 4,326]

This week I tried Spielberg's Lincoln again, but, alas, it's impossible for me to watch this movie. There's something about the style, subject and tone that I really dislike. To be honest, I don't like Spielberg anymore ... Crystal Skull, Lincoln, Bridge Of Spies, Ready Player One, Tintin, The Post, War Horse ... The list is getting too long.

[Chen G. 3,944]

Spielberg not being a writer - like a Ridley Scott or a Clint Eastwood - is kind of at the mercy of the script which he takes on.

 

I didn’t much like Lincoln, either. Nothing specific to point-out about it that’s wrong. It’s just... I dunno.

 

I agree, I’m not terribly taken with much of Spielberg’s output in recent years. I wouldn’t say I “don’t like Spielberg anymore” though...

[Edmilson 7,393]

Lincoln is one of the most boring movies I've ever watched. The best thing about it is JW's score.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I found Lincoln rivating. I never knew he had to battle rebel forces, seperatists, and vampires.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Spielberg sucks now.

 

Bore of the Worlds

Munch

Crystal Dull

BinBin

Snore Horse

Sleep-In

Cringe of Spies

The Pee Eff Gee

Ready Player Dumb

The Shitpost

 

All crap

[Edmilson 7,393]

I'd say that, despite movies like Lincoln and The Post being super boring, none of them are as bad as Crystal Skull. That movie is so abysmally bad it's near unwatchable. Doesn't seem like a movie directed by the guy who did Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. and Jurassic Park.

 

I cringe just remembering Shia hanging on vines like Tarzan with horrible CGI monkeys by his side, or the tall Russian guy being eaten alive by ants.

[Romão 2,274]

I am really fond of Munich, Lincoln, Tintin and Bridge of Spies

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

13 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I proudly hold Bridge of Spies in higher esteem then both Jurassic Park and Raiders.  Amazing near flawless movie.  Great score too!

 

What were its flaws?

[Holko 9,499]

I loved Lincoln the 3 times I saw it.

[Jay 37,290]

I enjoy every Spielberg movie.  It doesn't matter to me that he isn't making the same kinds of films he made when he was younger.  Everything he makes is worth watching

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 hour ago, Nick1066 said:

 

What were its flaws?

 

The prosaic failings which tarnish us all.  Pride.  Envy.  Vanity.  

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

10 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

 

The prosaic failings which tarnish us all.  Pride.  Envy.  Vanity.  

 

I'm guessing for JWFans it's mostly sloth.

[GerateWohl 4,340]

To me Spielberg movies usually contain extraordinary impressive scenes and ideas and at the same time some parts and scenes that I find cheesy, embarressing or instructive. 

But there are some that are reallygreat, where I have no complains at all, e.g. Jaws, CEot3K, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Catch Me if you Can.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

8 minutes ago, Nick1066 said:

 

I'm guessing for JWFans it's mostly sloth.

 

Sloth and gluttony!

 

[Holko 9,499]

40 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

To me Spielberg movies usually contain extraordinary impressive scenes and ideas and at the same time some parts and scenes that I find cheesy, embarressing or instructive. 

I feel the same - he's more interested in having fun shooting specific scenes and assembling the movie and moving on to the 20 other things he wants to do that year than the day-to day blocking and direction of every single scene, or even entire characters (see: the mom from A.I.), and he certainly doesn't trouble himself with extensive rewrites, he takes the first Koepp script with good ideas he gets and that's that, let's shoot shoot shoot.

 

I feel many of his films that others even love sometimes suffer or just don't appeal to me as much, like Jurassic Park. It spends just enough time discussing its thesises that it disappoints me a lot when it's just thrown out the window for monster action. Lost World especially illustrates the above described attitude: let's shoot fun action scenes? What plot? what characters? Write me the flimsiest excuse for a chase scene because I wanna have fun storyboarding and blocking and shooting it, I don't care if the heroes are either clinically retarded or more evil than the supposed bad guy poachers who help them, or both at the same time! OK, now assemble my movie for me while I go do something else.

 

I never was fully into Raiders either, actually... Marion's a mess. Established as tough as nails, hard drinking, don't need no man, then the location changes and she's just childish, then after the scene with Belloq (which does nothing except reestablish that she can think on her feet and drink, but for some reason is intercut with the finding of the McGuffin), she mostly screams and needs rescuing, or tries to help and makes things worse and needs rescuing - the tone similarly gets messy too. They didn't even bother with Elsa for TLC, she's not even in what feels like half a movie but is at least the middle third, and we never really get to know here so we can't believe anything she says. She's just... there. At least Willie's goddamn consistent: we get to learn she's tough enough at her core and knows what to do to get what she wants, but breaks down when under pressure and out of her element.

 

My favourites of his are probably Jaws, CE3K (it spends too long getting to the mountain after Roy discovers it but boy what follows after, and how it's set up!), Temple of Doom (shoot me, it's the most focused and consistent vision out of all the Indys and I adore it all! Best score too!) Empire of the Sun, Schindler and Lincoln.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The Big Fucking Giant was the only one unwatchable to me.

[GerateWohl 4,340]

5 minutes ago, JoeinAR said:

The Big Fucking Giant was the only one unwatchable to me.

There are movies that you shouldn't watch without kids. This is definitely one of these.

[CartoonWarp 1]

On 2/2/2021 at 12:28 AM, GerateWohl said:

Who stays at the cinema in his seat until the lights come up? There are those immediately leaving when the end credits start, those who wait until the end of the first song, those who leave when it's clear that there will be no bonus snipet inbetween the credits and at last those very few who really wait until finally the lights go up.

You suggesting that Spielberg still goes to commercial theaters and plops down with the rest of us? I bet he goes to theaters only for premieres, and events, and such. I doubt he's sitting through commercials or anything. Lights go on as soon as the movie's over.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

5 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

There are movies that you shouldn't watch without kids. This is definitely one of these.

 

For once, I sort of agree with Joe, even though he's an idiot. I threw BFG on whatever it was streaming on and instantly fell asleep. Jesus Christ.

 

I don't think Spielberg's older childish movies are without accessibility to adults. He didn't phone that one home, he phoned it in. And frankly, Spielberg shouldn't be working for the Communist Disney Corporation. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It was so shit

[Sweeping Strings 2,346]

Maybe the nostalgia factor helped with Tintin and Ready Player One, but I got a huge kick out of both *shrug*. 

Any indications that Spielberg still has very enjoyable action-adventures in him are frankly welcome after Crystal Skull. 

It's a shame that the 'communal cinema experience' he talks about is nowadays often marred by late-arriving, chatting, phone-using, loud-food-munching, tiny-bladdered idiots.  

[A24 4,326]

9 hours ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

 

For once, I sort of agree with Joe, even though he's an idiot.

 

Wow, imagine if I said that. Why are there never any consequences for your kind? 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

On 2/2/2021 at 7:53 AM, AC1 said:

I dunno, the same could be said about a soccer game.

 

What about Netflix?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 hour ago, Sweeping Strings said:

 tiny-bladdered idiots.  

 

Oh shuddup

[Bespin 8,480]

I don't know what Spielberg could say interresting about the future of cinema, him, who didn't make a really good movie since 20 years...