My brother Luke does his surveys, I do my lists. I have always thought it'd be fun to rank the movies from my favorite directors. The way the lists are comprised, I tried to weigh how I personally feel about the movie, with whether or not I feel the director accomplished what he set out to accomplish. What better way to start than with my all-time favorite director. I'll add brief explanations after most of the movies...

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Steven Spielberg

E.T. - It's my all time favorite movie, and I think it's Spielberg's best work and most assured work. It's also his most life affirming. It's also the only movie that makes me crave Reese's Pieces.

Raiders of the Lost Ark - This movie set the mold through which every summer movie since has tried to copy. By my estimation, it's a perfect movie. Has the best coat hanger scene ever.

Schindler's List - This movie would have ranked higher, but I don't think it accomplished all that Spielberg wanted to accomplish. I have issues with this movie, but I can't deny it's brilliance. Plus, it has Ben Kingsley.

Close Encounters - One of the few movies that Spielberg wrote and directed himself. This is also the first movie where aliens weren't coming to destroy us.

Jaws - Can you think of a time you've gone swimming, and didn't have the feeling that a shark wasn't going to swim out of pool drain and get you? Neither can I. This movie is popcorn as high art...just like "Raiders."

Catch Me If You Can - I liked this movie because it combined Spielberg's sense of popcorn fun with his more adult sensibilities. I also like movies that show a side of the 60's that isn't all hippied out.

Saving Private Ryan - This movie has moments of brilliance, but ends up getting snared by Spielberg's over-sentimental sensibilities. This has one of the most realistic battle sequences ever, but is far from the best war movie ever made. Earn this??? QUIT BEATING ME OVER THE HEAD WITH THE MESSAGE OF THE MOVIE.

Minority Report - This is the movie where Spielberg's adult sensibilities overshadows his popcorn side to wondrous effect. This movie is also one of the better Philip Dick adaptations I've seen. Maybe Spielberg should have used a pre-cog before he decided to make "The Terminal."

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - This movie is great fun, but misses some of the marks it tries to hit. That tank sequence is great, but I thought the final sequence in the ruins is kind of a letdown. It does carry the Spielberg tradition of giving Nazis interesting and gruesome deaths.

Jurassic Park - This is what a Spielberg popcorn movie looks like when the popcorn side vastly overshadows any other sensibility. It's fun, but I don't really get much from it in the same way I got something from "Raiders" or "Jaws."

Duel - Few directors could come up with a movie that takes place almost entirely in a car, and have the movie be just as suspenseful as any Hitchcock movie.

War of the Worlds - This movie started out brilliantly, peaked with the van stealing sequence, and then rapidly began to decline soon thereafter. Spielberg should go back to aliens as friends, instead of aliens as Osama Bin Laden

Artificial Intelligence - Very underrated movie. AI is like ET without the sentimentality. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. I've almost come to blows with people over this movie.

The Color Purple - This is a pretty good movie, but I think it's kinda boring. Stick with the book.

Hook - Blah. Dustin Hoffman was better in this than Robin Williams was. Too syrupy for my taste.

Amistad - I'm not sure what went wrong with this movie, but I was kind of let down overall. It was as if I could sense Spielberg trying to make a "message movie."

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - This movie starts out brilliantly, but quickly becomes rather cheesy towards the end. It *does* have the moneyest of Indiana Jones shots, when you see him silhouetted when that guy is beating that slave. TIGHT!!!

Empire of the Sun - Kind of boring. Well acted. Good conceptually. Weak in the execution. We should praise this movie though for giving us Christian Bale.

Always - Pretty good movie, but kind of a throwaway. Was Audrey Hepburn's last movie. In some ways, was Brad Johnson's last movie as well.

The Terminal - This movie was pretty lame. Parts of it were okay, but it wasn't believable or clever enough to warrant the talents involved. Catherine Zeta Jones...what was up with her character???

The Lost World: Jurassic Park - Oh.my.god. This movie had some alright moments, but was an overall waste of fucking time. BOOOO!!!

1941 - "The Terminal" is also a comedy as well. Maybe Spielberg should stick to aliens and Nazi face melting. That's what he's better at anyways.

Haven't Seen -- The Sugarland Express

matt out