*MORE* - Spielberg. The Formula. Busted.

We all look back with rose-colored glasses (unless we're hopeless pessimists). 1982 was such a wonderful year, eh? I'm not going to question the excellent films from that year, because they certainly speak fo themselves -- E.T. & Blade Runner are enough to prove that point. But as an exercise I took a moment to look for what were some of the less impressive works from 1982.

Yes, Georgio
Jeckyl & Hyde... Together Again
The Toy
Inchon
Grease 2
Rocky 3
The Beastmaster

Some of these have a cult following and films such as Rocky 3 might be considered a "guilty pleasure." But no one will accuse them of cinematic excellence of great original storytelling.

Every year has its shining standouts and its lowly stinkers. Some years more of one than the other, some years not so much.

For anyone who criticizes Raiders of the Lost Ark for being derivative, boy are you missing the point. Of course he copied lots of stuff -- that's the whole idea. It's a pastiche, but it is one done lovingly and skillfully, and with lots of great inspired original touches as well. When I saw that freakin' flying wing as a kid my heart skipped a beat. The beam of light in the map room was at once comfortingly familiar and inspired. The truck chase including the dragged by the whip gag practically screamed western stagecoach, which is what made me smile when I first saw it.

Saying that he borrows shots or ideas or even sequences isn't a negative criticism, it's the beginning of an understanding of the very value of the filmmaking.
 
:huh:

I'll take your list of 1982's "worst" over many "top tier" films of today. Give me "The Toy" and Clubber Lang over "Twilight 3(point)whaterthepoo poo" + both Jack AND Jill any day...
 
...which is why you compare the best a year had to offer.




Edit:
In other words, no one is going to argue that every year sees some isolated cases of diauteurrhea.
Doesn't mean that that same year saw chronic outbreaks of dycinetery...
 
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I enjoyed watching that. Thanks for sharing! I don't think anybody has been busted, though.

Part of the fun of watching this was that I enjoyed the clever editing, on the part of the person who made this video. It must have taken them forever, and they nailed it. I also enjoyed seeing just how much Spielberg really was paying homage to those serials that I've never been too familiar with. Bravo, on all accounts.
 
This seems like more of a Lucas thing to do than Spielberg. Anyone know definitively whose idea it was? (the homage to the classic serials?)
 
The two of them came up with it together while building elaborate sandcastles on the beach on vacation in Hawaii.

So yeah, a couple of grown (kinda) men acting like 10 year-old boys and devising the ultimate 10 year-old boy movie.
 
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