Tag Archives: Steven Spielberg

movies

Just seen Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story” yesterday afternoon… really good! Liked it a lot!

Leave a comment

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the movie theaters to check out Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story”. I’ve been interested in it ever since it was announced and since it was being talked about. I had faith in Spielberg that he would make a great “West Side Story” movie and he did. I thought it was really good and knocked it out of the park.

Was this movie very faithful to the Broadway musical in 1957 and the 1961 film? Yes. Although this movie was more closer to the original 1957 play than anything, though. This movie didn’t do very well in box office opening weekend and reviews are mixed. Some complained that there are “woke” racial politics in this film which is true but that’s how it was in the 60’s though and Spielberg wanted to make this film as a way to show how divided it is in today’s America.

I don’t really care about that, though, Steve did a great job doing his first musical. It was well acted by the entire cast. You know how in Spielberg films he always has big name stars as the lead? Well in this film, most of the cast are “unknown” actors except the only well-known star in this film is Corey Stoll who plays Lt. Shrank. Well, one thing that impressed me the most about this cast was that this movie had an original star from the 1961 film by Robert Wise. Rena Moreno played Anita in the 1961 original and this same woman is in the 2021 version but plays a different character.

In Spielberg’s version, the songs are the same except there were like a few I didn’t hear before? Were they brand new written for the film exclusively or were they songs taken from the 1957 play and not heard in the 1961 film?

Anyway, while Spielberg’s version had lots of similarities of the 1961 movie, there will be a lot of differences too ’cause this is just Steve’s vision. This was how Steve saw it in his head. Same story but there were plenty of things added to explain things better and make things a little more realistic.

I thought Steve’s take on “West Side Story” was very well done but it still don’t top the 1961 original by Robert Wise ’cause I’ll always love the original. I’ll give Spielberg “West Side Story” a score of 8/10. Definitely worth watching if you’re fan.

Kev

movies

Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” trailer finally drops today and looks amazing! I’m impressed!

Leave a comment

I’ve actually been looking forward to Spielberg’s remake of “The West Side Story” ever since it was announced. I’m a huge fan of the 1961 original by Robert Wise and of course, the play will always be great too.

I’m sure that ever since this was announced there was all kinds of skepticism of Spielberg taking on the remake of “West Side Story”. People are upset that it’s being remade and it should be left alone, blah blah blah… saying stuff that Spielberg is gonna ruin it and won’t top the original. Ya, you get the deal.

Well the trailer for Spielberg’s take on it is here and I’m impressed with it as I got goosebumps watching it. Looks like Steve wants to stay very faithful to the original and the play. He wants it done right. The Spielberg version is still taking place in the 1950’s and the look and the feel of his version is kind of similar to Robert Wise’s version.

Spielberg’s version is still gonna be a song and dance kind of movie and I’m sure it will have all the same songs from the original movie and theatre play… songs like “Tonight”, “Maria”, “America”, “The Rumble”, “I Feel Pretty”…. it’s all gonna be in there.

Spielberg’s a genius, I think he wont’ disappoint the “West Side Story” lovers with this one at all. I’m definitely looking forward to it and I’m gonna be there in the theater for this one for sure. Can’t wait!

Kev

movies

Spielberg no longer directing Indy 5 but what’s the real reason???

Leave a comment

In my opinion, this is bad and I think Steve is making a huge mistake. I remember that Spielberg, Lucas and Ford has been talking about doing Indy 5 ever since the 4th one, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”… but since Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney this means Disney owns Lucasfilm now. Therefor, it also means that Disney owns the Indy franchise.

There could be many reasons why Spielberg is no longer interested… maybe the script having problems still and he isn’t 100% with it yet… either that or he doesn’t feel comfortable without George being around ’cause George was in charge of the story for the first 4 films. It could be any reason. Maybe he feels he doesn’t have what it takes to direct an Indy film anymore.

Steven Spielberg Won’t Direct ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ James Mangold in Talks to Replace (EXCLUSIVE)

Anyhow, I think Indy 5 is gonna flop in the box office pretty badly now that Spielberg is out. In my opinion, no other director but Spielberg directs the Indy movies. Replacing a director for the Indy films is a joke really. Indy is Spielberg’s baby.

A different director takes over, there’s gonna be a different style and no other director will be able to match Spielberg’s style of directing ’cause every director is different.

And also, they better make this movie soon ’cause the longer they wait, the older Harrison gets ’cause that man is getting older. I know these guys want to take their time with the script but Harrison’s age… he’s 77 now.

I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan… love them all even the 4th one “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” but “Raiders of the Lost Ark” will always be the best one of the series. “Raiders” is a classic and an essential.

I hope Indy 5 will be good and it’ll probably end up being a passing of the torch kind of story. I hope they don’t do the “sci-fi” thing next time, though.

Kev

movies

Indiana Jones 5 is finally confirmed with Steven Spielberg returning to direct and Harrison Ford will play Indy once again!

Leave a comment

While announcing the release date for “Star Wars Episode IX” which is the final film of the new Star Wars trilogy, Disney & Lucasfilm finally confirmed “Indiana Jones 5”. Best of all Steven Spielberg is returning to the director’s chair for Indy 5 and Harrison is once again playing Indy. Indy 5 is set for a July 10th, 2020 release date.

http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-ix-and-next-indiana-jones-get-release-dates

What I like the most about Indy 5 is that George Lucas is no longer in charge so that means more creative freedom for Spielberg and Ford. It’s gonna be interesting to see how Spielberg is gonna pull off an Indy film without Lucas involved for sure. I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan, loved all 4 Indy movies…. yes, I even thought, “Crystal Skull” was real good despite the negative critics of that film. I will always think “Raiders of the Lost Ark” will be the best Indy film ever made, though.

At almost 75 do you think Harrison still has what it takes to play Indy? Yes, absolutely. I think Harrison can still do action scenes and his own stunts quite well. He seems to play Han Solo quite well in, “The Force Awakens” movie. Since Han Solo is gone Harrison won’t be playing in SW: Episode 8 and 9 so it’s looking his next movie is gonna be Indy 5.

Will Indy 5 be a continuation of “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”? Probably will but I hope they don’t bring Shia Labeouf back, though.

They need to make the next Indy movie more like “Raiders”. Make it a serious film like “Raiders” was. The next Indy movie will probably be an action movie like they all are but I hope they leave the science fiction stuff out of it this time.

I’m glad Indy 5 is finally happening ’cause Spielberg and Ford has been talking about it for years. They better get to work on it soon ’cause Harrison is getting older. I think they will get to work on it right away. Glad a new Indy film is happening, celebrate by listening to the theme song below!

Kev

 

movies

Indiana Jones 5 will be continuation of “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” so Shia Labeouf and Karen Allen may have to return…

Leave a comment

Not surprisingly Spielberg is planning a continuation of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Indy 4 ’cause if you looked at the way that movie ended, it looked like it opened for another film. They won’t be doing a prequel to “Raiders” which kind of sucks. Since they are doing a continuation of “Crystal Skull” that means Shia Labeouf and Karen Allen maybe returning for the next installment. Yes, that means Mutt Williams and Marion Ravenwood would probably return.

So from the looks of things, it looks like that Indy will be passing the torch to his son, Mutt Williams ’cause if you looked at the way “Crystal Skull” ended, Mutt Williams was getting ready to pick up the Indy hat that blew off the coat rack but Indy was quick to take the hat from him. Remember that? So if Indy 5 were to be the final movie that Harrison will appear in, Mutt Williams maybe taking over as the new hero.

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/12/harrison-indiana-jones-5-frank-marshall

My question is will the next movie continue the story about aliens and UFO’s? I hope not. They should stay away from the sci-fi in the next one ’cause I’ll admit that Indiana Jones and sci-fi don’t mix.

They should focus on history and archeology stuff like Indy is known for. If they’re gonna bring Shia back hopefully would be just for a small role ’cause I didn’t like the Mutt Williams character at all.

The next Indy movie will probably be full of action scenes and CGI, of course but I want them to focus on story, though. What made the original trilogy great (Raiders, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade) was that those three films focused on story than the action scenes. “Crystal Skull” had more action scenes than story. They need to make the next film more like “Raiders” if they want people to take it seriously.

I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan and I just hope they don’t mess the next movie up. Now that George Lucas is no longer in charge, lets see if they can pull it off without him.

Kev

movies

Lets see if Disney can make a good George Lucas-less “Indiana Jones” movie…

Leave a comment

Since Disney was successful at making a good George Lucas-less “Star Wars” movie (George Lucas-less, meaning that Lucas had zero involvement), lets see if they can handle making a George Lucas-less “Indiana Jones” movie. Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg both expressed interest in returning and Spielberg wants to direct again. However though, now that Disney obviously owns Lucasfilm this means that Lucas will no longer be involved in the Indiana Jones franchise either. It’s a well-known fact that while George didn’t have anything to do with the direction, production and screenwriting of the Indiana Jones trilogy – Lucas still was involved in creating the story. Lucas was still in charge. Now that he’s no longer in charge of the Indy franchise, that means more creative freedom for the writers and more creative freedom for Spielberg/Ford. So I’m so glad that Lucas is no longer involved in the Indy franchise.

Could Disney do a good job with the Indy franchise? Could they make a good Indiana Jones movie again since “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” got so many negative reviews?

Yes, I definitely think it’s possible that the Indy franchise can step their game up again. I don’t think they’ll make another mistake like “Crystal Skull” again ’cause I’m sure they’ve learned their lessons.

They need to focus on less CGI and hopefully they don’t bring the sci-fi back either. They need to make the next Indy movie similar to Raiders, the first one which was a classic movie. They need to focus on archeology and history like they were intended to be. I’m not saying get rid of the action scenes ’cause action scenes is what the Indy movies were all about to begin with but they need to make the next Indy film more serious. Not make it a popcorn flick like “Crystal Skull” was, ya know? That’s the kind of Indy movie we all wanna see.

I’m a really big Indiana Jones fan but “Raiders” will always be the best film. I don’t think anything can top that movie no matter how many Indy films they try to make. “Temple of Doom” was a really great film too, though. Lets hope and pray that Spielberg doesn’t mess up the next Indy film at all.

Kev

movies

Steven Spielberg says he’s still planning to direct “Indy 5” w/ Harrison Ford as Indy…

Leave a comment

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg did a Q&A session to promote their latest movie, “Bridge of Spies” and it looks like that Steven is still planning to direct Indy 5.

In the video in the link below, Steven said:

“We’ve gotta figure this out because now,” Spielberg says. “Tom is tied with Harrison Ford: Harrison and I did four movies, Tom and I have done four movies. Now I’ll probably do an Indy 5 with Harrison. It’ll be five for Harrison, four for Tom… [Then] I’ve got to make another one with Tom, so that will be five for Tom, five for Harrison. And I think I’m going to leapfrog that way for the rest of my career. With Daniel Day-Lewis in everything else!”

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/621859-will-indiana-jones-5-reteam-steven-spielberg-and-harrison-ford

So it’s looking like Spielberg & Ford are gonna go ahead and make Indy 5 even without George Lucas being involved. Which is pretty cool actually. With Lucas no longer being involved, that will mean more creative writing control for Spielberg & Ford.

Now it’s looking like it maybe a possibility that Ford will be playing Indy again, this means that Ford will be reprising his roles to three of his most well-known characters: Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard. Yes, he’s still committed to playing Rick Deckard for the “Blade Runner” sequel too.

The question is will Harrison ever reprise his role to another famous character of his? That character is Jack Ryan. I doubt it ’cause Paramount is focused on a young Jack Ryan. Even though Harrison expressed interest in returning to the character before, I don’t think Paramount wants him back for whatever reason. Which is a shame ’cause I really loved “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger”.

It’ll be cool if Harrison comes back as Indy but they better NOT bring Shia Labeouf back. Oh please don’t bring Shia back ’cause he was terrible in “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.

Kev

movies

Steven Spielberg reportedly trying to get Gene Wilder out of retirement…

Leave a comment

This is pretty cool news. I’ve always been a huge fan of Gene Wilder’s work. Gene may have been most famous as Willy Wonka but he had other good roles too like “Young Frankenstein” for starters. Also, he was great in “Blazing Saddles”. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” is one of my favorite comedies of all time and the “Woman in Red” was great too.

Gene Wilder maybe 82 years old now but I’m sure he still has the acting chops. I’m sure getting Gene would be difficult and Steve would probably have to offer him a lot of money that he couldn’t afford but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. Hopefully Steve can get him ’cause it would be cool!

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/08/stephen-spielberg-is-reportedly-courting-gene-wilder-out-of-retirement/

Kev

movies, Politics/war

Spielberg still baiting for Oscars??? He’s gonna team up with Jennifer Lawrence for Lynsey Addario biopic film…

Leave a comment

Hmmmm, I guess Spielberg decided not to direct “American Sniper” ’cause he felt the film was too conservative for him so he would rather do something more liberal like the Lynsey Addario story. Lynsey Addario is a photo journalist who mostly focuses on human rights and does stuff about women from other countries… that sort of stuff. It’ll be based upon Lynsey’s book, “It’s What I Do”. Look like Jennifer Lawrence is gonna play Lynsey for the film.

http://deadline.com/2015/03/steven-spielberg-jennifer-lawrence-warner-bros-its-what-i-do-lynsey-addario-war-photographer-1201384706/

Spielberg’s been doing political and history films for too long. I miss the old days when he was making genius films like Indiana Jones, E.T., Close Encounters, etc. I wish he would get back to all that. Make films for family. He still does make family films once in a while like “Adventures of Tin Tin”, “The Terminal” and “War of The Worlds” but that’s about it.

I do respect him as a film maker and all ’cause he’s a legend but I wish he would stop baiting for Oscars.

Kev

movies

How Harrison Ford can still play Indy in the new “Indiana Jones” reboot by Disney and make it work…

Leave a comment

So Disney is officially rebooting the Indiana Jones franchise with Chris Pratt possibly taking over the Indy role. People are wondering why Disney is moving on without Harrison Ford. Keep in mind that Disney never said that they are moving on without Harrison Ford yet. They never confirmed whether he was in or not yet so that means it’s still a possibility that Harrison could still be involved. I don’t think he’s ruled out yet.

How can they make it work with Harrison still playing Indy in the next film?

Well, when George Lucas used to be involved, I remember that Lucas and Spielberg were talking about rebooting the series but with an aging Indiana Jones passing the torch to a younger Indy. They originally had that idea for Indy 5 but that idea may have been scrapped when Disney bought Lucasfilm. Harrison could still play Indy in the next film. The older Indiana Jones is on the verge of retirement from being the archaeologist and he passes the whip to a much younger Indy. The Chris Pratt character can have Harrison as Indy become his mentor and teacher. That’s the direction that I think they should go in.

If Spielberg and Ford returns without Lucas being involved, that’ll be awesome! I’ll admit that Lucas wasn’t the greatest storyteller so I’m actually kind of glad he’s gone. More creative freedom for Spielberg and Harrison.

I can absolutely see Harrison coming back for Indy in the next one ’cause Harrison has been expressing interest in returning to the role for years so never say never, people! It’s still a possibility! They should still go for the pass the torch to the young idea.

Kev