When I first heard that Spielberg was taking on the classic musical, West Side Story, previously immortalized on celluloid by iconic director Robert Wise, I was a little dubious. Not that I didn’t trust Spielberg. Even with some of his weaker films (BFG) he arguably does something unique and noteworthy, even if it just demonstrates…
Tag: michael kahn
The Post (2017) – Steven Spielberg
Spielberg shows us the (much-needed) power of the free press with The Post. Documenting The Washington Post’s involvement in publishing the Pentagon Papers, the film is a captivating newspaper thriller with a top-notch cast. Tom Hanks takes on the role of Ben Bradlee, chief editor of the Post, and Meryl Streep is Kay Graham, the…
The BFG (2016) – Steven Spielberg
This one seemed like a surefire winner, you’ve got Spielberg working from a script by Melissa Matheson who wrote E.T. The story is adapted from Roald Dahl’s story, and Mark Rylance brings The Big Friendly Giant to life. But no matter how good, the computer-generated images were, combining the computer characters with live-action ones, specifically,…
Lincoln (2012) – Steven Spielberg
Daniel Day-Lewis takes the titular role in Spielberg’s masterful film about the iconic president and his struggle to pass the 13th Amendment in support of his Emancipation Proclamation, even as the Civil War continues to tear the country apart. Filled with themes and ideas that are still sad, and frighteningly relevant, this looks at a…
TIFF ’22: The Fabelmans
I have been a Spielberg fan for as long as I can remember. The first film he saw was The Greatest Show On Earth, which affected him. Mine was Jaws, and I can say the same thing. Over the decades I have followed him on his storytelling journey, embracing each new film that came along,…
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Steven Spielberg
I love the Indiana Jones films (yes, even some parts in the fourth) and while Raiders of the Lost Ark will always be my favorite, Last Crusade is etched in my memory for personal reasons. It was the summer of 1989, I had just graduated high school, it was my last summer living in Bermuda,…
Jurassic Park at the Digital Film Festival
I love the Digital Film Festival put on by Cineplex here in Canada. It’s a chance to see beloved films from the 80s and 90s back where they belong, on the big screen… in a digital presentation. I would go to all of them, if I had the time and the cash flow, even at…
The Mind Reels 