Blog Archives
Spielberg in the (Digital) Flesh
If you could take a private tour of the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot with any person in the entire world, who would you choose?
Steven Spielberg. That’s right!
Brought to us by Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly, his guided tour of Universal Studios with Steven Spielberg is everything you’d expect and more. There is no better movie director to ask questions and learn about exciting behind-the-scenes stories than the man responsible for so many of the studios’ blockbuster classics.
Click the video below and enjoy!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the masterclass tour of the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot.
Pushing Towards that Whopper of a Dream
Viktor Navorski’s preference for Burger King aside, his passion for working hard for what he wants makes for a perfect Throwback Thursday.
The Terminal was a 2004 Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks collaboration that cleverly told the story of a man from a war-torn nation stranded in New York’s JFK terminal desperate to visit the United States. Bustling during the day and eerily lonely at night, the JFK terminal proved an opportunity and a prison for Viktor. He cannot leave the terminal and enter the United States because of his status as the man without a country. In what’s revealed as his charming character trait, Viktor befriends the blue-collar workers of the airport and evolves from a peculiar foreign nuisance into an inspirational tour de force.
No matter what your goals and dreams are for today and tomorrow, we should all embrace the spirited resolve of Viktor Navorski.
Only Steven Spielberg could’ve framed and transformed a mundane activity into an endearing exercise of the human spirit.
Happy Throwback Thursday!
See Something, Play Something
Steven Spielberg, even with all of his professional accolades and admiration from fans, may never fully know the irreplaceable impact he’s had on entire generations of moviegoers, dreamers and the culture in which we live everyday.
“I don’t dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I’m dreaming for living.”
–Steven Spielberg
And we’re eternally thankful that he does.
As a matter of fact, there are a couple of childhood buddies who didn’t simply watch and enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark when it hit theaters in 1981. They took their fandom to the next level. Ironically, by next level, that was technically intended to be the same level as Mr. Spielberg.
Confused?
This will help.
Watch the trailer once, twice, three times and remember the shared feelings you had with Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala (the cast) when you first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. This homemade adventure of a lifetime by two young Spielbergians is one of the primary justifications for Throwback Thursday. Mr. Spielberg, by dreaming big with daring stunts, thereby encouraged and gave permission for all of us to dream big with daring stunts of our own. Raiders and his long list of pop culture-defining films forever changed the way we watch movies, as well as changing the trajectory for what we expect from movies.
If the above trailer/epic journey proves anything, it’s that Steven Spielberg’s cinematic revolution and trademark story arcs will never be lost.
RD’s BFG in HD
There are no aliens, dinosaurs, sharks, artificial intelligence or adventure-prone professors (along with his trademark father-son struggle/dynamic), yet there’s new evidence that begs the question:
Has Steven Spielberg done it again with a giant that is uniquely big and friendly?
The full trailer for The BFG was released today.
As is the case for any movie that combines CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) with real actors, the challenge is to seamlessly join the two forces within one environment without interruption. This cinematic synchronization is important because suspended belief needs to be constant for the audience to maintain its fluidity in storytelling, as well as enhance the believable factor. The absence of this relationship on-screen can generate (if even temporarily) imaginative detachments for the viewer.
A couple scenes from the trailer above reveal a slight disconnect where you can distinguish the real person and the imaginary backdrop. Is this simply an unavoidable consequence of filming in such high definition? Whatever the reason, the legendary director has earned the benefit of the doubt from his fans. Audiences should see this film in its entirety to fairly judge its comprehensive visual technique and merits.
Visually, this movie has a grand, glowing feel. The famed book of the same name certainly received the movie magic treatment.
Just as BFG author Roald Dahl did with his classic books, Steven Spielberg is taking a chance venturing off into a fantasy world and, ultimately, into our imaginations.
That’s something we can all connect with this summer.
Disney’s The BFG arrives in a theater near you July 1st.
P.S. Was it a good idea to reveal The BFG in his entirety in the trailer?
Jimmy's Daily Planet 