40 Years Ago. When I was not-quite 11 years old, one of the most awe-inspiring movies I’d ever seen was Steven Spielberg’s brilliant “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”(1977). “Close Encounters” was life-changing, and propelled my current never-ending curiosity about the universe. Five years later, in 1982, I was a somewhat more cynical 15 years…
Tag: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (2021) smartly updates and improves upon a classic…
*****NEW YORK CITY-SIZED SPOILERS!!***** Robert Wise’s “West Side Story,” 1961. Director Robert Wise’s 1961 film of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway hit “West Side Story” was the “Hamilton” of its day; a 1957-set retelling of Shakespeare’s timeless tragic romance, “Romeo and Juliet,” as seen through the eyes of rival New York City street gangs, the Sharks and…
Wading deep into the waters of “JAWS 2” (1978)…
Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water… The unprecedented success of Steven Spielberg’s “JAWS” (1975) not only inaugurated the summer movie phenomenon, but it also guaranteed a sequel, despite the finality of JAWS’ conclusion. As I’ve said more than once on this site, JAWS is one of my favorite…
A look back at the most Disney film Disney never made: Steven Spielberg’s “Hook” is turning 30…
Critically Pan-ned. *****SPIELBERGIAN SPOILERS AHEAD!!***** In December of 1991, I remember going to see “Hook” about a week or so after it’d opened. I was not the greatest fan of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories, though I was familiar enough with the 1953 Disney animated feature, which I saw as a kid. As a fan…