10 Steven Spielberg Movies Everyone Should See

The latest entry in this ongoing series focuses on Steven Spielberg, one of cinema's most famous Directors. As always, rather than a "Best of" or "Top 10" this is more of an overview highlighting some of the notable movies of a person's career. Also, at the bottom of this post I'll leave a link to all of the other '10 Movies Everyone Should See' posts.


#10 Bridge of Spies (2015)

This is the 4^th pairing of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (the previous three films being ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and ‘The Terminal’) I wasn't sure about this one going in but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a pretty outstanding Cold War, espionage movie.

#9 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Well acted, engaging story, great musical score, and massive success at the box-office.
This big hit (along with Jaws) helped catapult Spielberg to top of every studio's Director list.

#8 Lincoln (2012)

When you pair up an all-time great actor in Daniel Day-Lewis with an all-time Director you can even turn a film about Abe Lincoln into not only a financial success but also a multiple (2) Oscar winning film.

#7 Saving Private Ryan (1998)

There are a ton of WWII movies for anyone looking to watch one. The fact that this one often rises towards the top for a lot of people says a lot. It's a really solid film.

#6 E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)

I've seen this one multiple times over the years and there's no way it should be as good as it is. Kids fly on bicycles, the alien is basically a bumbling child, none of the acting is amazing... In the hands of a lesser filmmaker this is a crappy movie, but Spielberg made it a classic.

#5 Schindler's List (1993)

This period-drama about the Holocaust won 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and it's easily one of Spielberg's most critically acclaimed films.

#4 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The film that launched one of cinemas most beloved characters, Indiana Jones, still holds up pretty well. While it's not my favorite Indiana Jones movie (that distinction belongs to 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) it's impact is undeniable.

#3 Jaws (1975)

It's one of cinema's greatest summer blockbusters and one of the only legitimately good shark movies ever made. All you have to do is say the word "Jaws" and most people will immediately think of this early Spielberg classic.

#2 Minority Report (2002)

This one also appeared on my list of '10 Tom Cruise Movies Everyone Should See' (which you can check out by clicking here) and while it's not as famous as a film like  "Jaws" or  "E.T.", I think it's a great, tension-filled movie that is definitely worth checking out if you've never seen it.

#1 Jurassic Park (1993)

Early on as I started rewatching a bunch of these films for this list, this one jumped to #1. Everything I like about different Spielberg's films come together in this one. You get adventure, memorable characters, great special effects that still hold up, and an interesting story that's easy to get fully invested in.

Have a suggestion for a '10 Movies Everyone Should See' list?

Leave it in the comments below, and if you want to check out the other other entries in this series you can find them all by clicking Here.

The Founder (2016)

I had been meaning to watch and review this movie for a while now, and I finally took the time tonight to check it out. 

While I am a big fan of Michael Keaton, I wasn't sure if a movie about how McDonald's came about would really be something I'd find all that entertaining. To my surprise, the story was pretty interesting and I was into it from start to finish. The acting, particularly Keaton as Ray Kroc as well as John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman as the McDonald brother, was really solid and the whole thing clicks along at a fairly decent pace.

The film, as you may expect, is about how Ray Kroc saw the potential in a small burger joint owned and operated by the McDonald brothers. Kroc, a very determined businessman, realizes that the efficient McDonald's system could be a major franchise with locations all over the United States, and his big picture way of thinking often doesn't gel with what the brothers see as the best way to protect their brand. The McDonald brothers are nervous about rapid expansion and they don't want to sacrifice quality just to save a few bucks. Of course Kroc on the other hand wants to go big and get rich, resulting in mounting tensions over the course the film between his vision for McDonald's and theirs.

Overall, I think this film is entertaining enough to watch at least once. There are a couple parts that drag a little and 10-15 minutes could've easily been shaved off the runtime, but it's a decent movie.

I give this one a 3.5 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

Movie Review: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

About a month ago I added to my ongoing '10 Movies Everyone Should See' series with a look at 10 Tom Cruise movies (you can check out that blog entry by clicking the link here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/10-tom-cruise-movies-everyone-should-see.html). 

However, as always when I make those lists, there are films that are deserving but get left off for one reason or another. One of the films I just didn't have a place for on the list was 2014's 'Edge of Tomorrow', but that's not to say I don't enjoy it. It's a really cool sci-fi/action movie that I found entertaining it when I saw it in the theaters and have since rewatched a few times. Interestingly, despite a 91% critic rating and a 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film wasn't a box-office hit and a lot of people I know haven't seen it. Also, for some reason, after originally being titled 'Edge of Tomorrow' for the theatrical release when it was released on DVD and Blu-ray it was retitled 'Live. Die. Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow'. 

The film stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and takes place during an alien invasion. Cruise plays Bill Cage, an Army officer that reluctantly gets sent to fight on the front line. After killing one of the aliens, some of the blood gets on Cage and he ends up stuck in a time loop, leaving him to fight and die over and over again while he tries to find a way win the battle and break the cycle. Think of it like an action-packed "Groundhog's Day". There are some great action scenes, and just about all of the comedy that's sprinkled in hits the mark. Additionally, the chemistry between Cruise and Blunt is pretty good and the plot moves along a brisk, entertaining pace during a runtime just shy of 2 hours.

Overall, if you haven't seen this one then I recommend giving it a try.
I give this one a 4.5 out of 5.


Have a suggestion for a review?
Leave it in the comments below.

10 Tom Cruise Movies Everyone Should See

With Tom Cruise's latest film having just come out recently (You can check out my review of that here: 'The Mummy' 2017) it seemed like a good time to add a new entry to my '10 Movies Everyone Should See' series. I have previously written similar posts about Sean Connery, Tom Hanks, Alfred Hitchcock, and others and I'll leave links to those at the bottom of this one. If you're not familiar with how I make these lists, they aren't necessarily a 'Best Of' or 'Top 10', It's merely 10 films that I feel would be the best representation of someone's total career.


#10 Knight and Day (2010)

'Knight and Day' isn't a fantastic movie, in fact parts of it are kinda dumb. However, I think the goal the filmmakers were shooting for was to make a fun, action-filled, romp with a couple bankable movie stars. That is exactly what they achieved.

#9 The Last Samurai (2003)

If you like war movies then this one has some pretty good battle scenes between those who still practice the ways of the ancient Samurai and a Japanese military that is trying to adapt to the type of weaponry the U.S. was using at the time. I thinks it's also one of Tom's more complex performances.

#8 Risky Business (1983)

The oldest movie to make this list, 'Risky Business' was a breakout film for Cruise and it's still a pretty entertaining watch.

#7 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

You won't find many sequels on Tom Cruise's filmography but, the 'Mission: Impossible' series has been going strong since '96 and this one is certainly in the discussion for best 'Mission: Impossible' film.

#6 Far and Away (1992)

The plot is a little thin and Tom's attempt at an Irish accent is a bit dodgy but, it's directed by Ron Howard, there's some really good cinematography, a solid John Williams score, and great chemistry between the two leads.

#5 Days of Thunder (1990)

If you've ever seen Top Gun and thought "I'd like to see a version of this, but with race cars instead of fighter jets" then you'll probably enjoy Days of Thunder.

#4 Rain Man (1988)

Even though most people associate Cruise with action movies, he is capable of putting in solid performances in critically acclaimed films as well. The best example of this is the multi-Oscar winning film 'Rain Man' (winner of the 1989 Oscars for Best Picture, best Screenplay, Best Leading Actor: Dustin Hoffman, and Best Director: Barry Levinson).

#3 Mission: Impossible (1996)

The first film in the 'Mission Impossible' franchise may not have as much over the top action as some of the later entries in the series but, its still a really enjoyable flick.

#2 Top Gun (1986)

If I were just ranking film quality, then 'Top Gun' wouldn't have landed as high as #2. However, it is one of Tom Cruise's most iconic roles. Yes, parts of it are dumb and cheesy but it's also just an overall fun movie.

#1 Minority Report (2002)

It was a bit of a close call on some of these and there were a few films that I went back and forth on. That was not the case with the #1 spot. I think this one is hands down the best film starring Cruise.


Honorable Mentions: A Few Good Men (1992), Jerry Maguire (1996), Jack Reacher (2012), and Edge of Tomorrow (2014)


 If you have a suggestion for another "10 Movies Everyone Should See" leave it in the comments below.

Also, check out these other entries:
 10 Sean Connery Movies Everyone Should See
10 James Stewart Movies Everyone Should See
10 Alfred Hitchcock Movies Everyone Should See
10 John Travolta Movies Everyone Should See
10 Tom Hanks Movies Everyone Should See
10 Chuck Norris Movies Everyone Should See 
10 Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies Everyone Should See

Spider-Man: Homecoming

It's no secret that we are living in something of a golden age for comic book movies. With even more obscure characters getting a lot of love at the box-office, it's no surprise that the big Hollywood decision makers keep green-lighting films about the most marketable of all superheros; Spider-Man.

Just within the last 15 years we've had Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and now Spider-Man: Homecoming. So, is it really worth spending you're hard earned money to see yet another Spider-Man movie? Yes, because this time I think they nailed it. I'm not going to give a bunch of spoilers away because this film is new and I do think it is worth going to see.

  

Now, for starters, the previous five Spider-Man films have ranged from good to awful. Both Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield have taken up the role of the title character and both received mixed reviews. The general consensus is that Maguire didn't fully capture the Spider-Man side of the character and Garfield wasn't a believable Peter Parker. This time around they got it right, as Tom Holland was a great casting choice. He's believable as both a high school age Peter Parker and as Spider-Man, making it easy to become fully invested in this character. The supporting cast of Peter's friends and classmates is solid, Marisa Tomei is great as Aunt May, and Robert Downey Jr. delivers the goods as Tony Stark like he always does. However, the real standout in the film is Michael Keaton as the Vulture. It's easily one of the best villain performances in the MCU.

Which brings me to my next point; this is a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Previously, because of Sony holding the movie rights, Spider-Man films have existed off in their own little world. Now, we have the extra complexities of Spider-Man wanting to become an Avenger and prove himself Tony Stark. Being part of a movie universe that includes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, etc. allows this film to have a simple story without the need to make it about saving all of New York city. The film does have some good action and spectacle, but for the most part it all takes place Queens. It's established that the Avengers will save the world, Peter should just focus and on being a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" and that really works in the movie favor.

Overall, the movie is fun, it has a lot of heart, and it exceeded my expectations. If you're a Spider-Man fan then you're going to have a ton of fun watching this one. It's by far my favorite Spider-Man movie to this point, and I highly recommend it.

I give this one a 4.5 out of 5.

If you'd like to see how I think Spider-Man: Homecoming stacks up against the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can check out my complete MCU rankings by clicking here.

Sandy Wexler (2017)

Curiosity finally got the better of me. Despite repeatedly seeing this title pop up on Netflix and saying to myself "Not this time Sandler, I won't get burned again", I couldn't help it. There was a time in my life when I was a big fan of Adam Sandler, I had a few of his comedy albums and movies like 1995's 'Billy Madison', 1996's 'Happy Gilmore' and 1998's 'The Wedding Singer' are films that I still get a lot of laughs out of. However, over the last 15+ years, the decline of Sandler has resulted in many films that don't even come close to duplicating the entertainment value of his earlier works. 

 

This film, about a small-time 90's talent manager, is just another bad movie in Adam Sandler's filmography. The jokes don't land, the main characters aren't that interesting, the 'heart-felt' moments feel contrived, and even though the runtime is just over two hours it feels like it's never gonna end. It's another dumb voice, awkward Sandler character bumbling and stumbling through a paper-thin plot. 

The one positive about the film is that it's fun to see the ridiculous amount of cameos in the film. "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jimmy Kimmel, Dana Carvey, Darius Rucker, Mike Judge, Penn Jillette, Henry Winkler, Jon Lovitz, Chris Rock, Judd Apatow, Jay Leno, and a long list of others pop in at various points throughout.

Overall, it's a bad movie and I can't honestly think of one person I know that would actually enjoy it.

I give this one a 0 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

Ranking The Pixar Films

For over 20 years Pixar animation has been making films that are fun for the whole family. The most recent addition to the Pixar library, ' Toy Story 4', was just recently released and I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all these films for an overall ranking. I have done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe films (to check out that list click here). I update those rankings after each new film comes out and I plan on doing the same with this one. As with my Marvel rankings, this is just how I see the films when I compare characters, story, and overall rewatchability. I'm only going to be ranking the major theatrical releases, no animated shorts or direct to DVD movies.

#21 The Good Dinosaur (2015) 

One of these had to be the worst and I found this film thoroughly unenjoyable.

#20 Cars 2 (2011)

Barely escaping the bottom spot on this list is the dumb, misguided 'Cars 2'. If you haven't seen it, don't bother.

#19 Finding Dory (2016) 

It all worked in 'Finding Nemo' but this entry felt stale and about 10yrs too late.

#18 Ratatouille (2007)

This is odd one in that, though it's not a bad film, it's just forgettable. I often don't even remember that it's a Pixar movie.

#17 Cars 3 (2017)

I wrote a whole review on this one that you can check out here. In short, it's fine. Some good animation and a laugh or two, but nothing special.

#16 Inside Out (2015)

A lot of people fell in love with this one, so maybe its just me, but I thought this one was really underwhelming. The voice acting is solid and I like the concept, it just didn't work for me.

 

#15 A Bugs Life (1998)

It's a cute, entertaining movie. It's not amazing but I enjoyed it when it came out and it still holds up ok.

#14 Up (2009)

This was a hard one to rank because it starts out really strong. Unfortunately, for the most part the film is just average with a decent moment or two scattered throughout.

 

#13 Brave (2012) 

I'm not going to rave that this is an excellent film, but I do think it's a bit underrated by most.

#12 Monsters University (2013) 

This one is a mixed-bag. It's not nearly as good as 'Monsters Inc.' but there's still some funny moments and I like all of the characters.
 

#11 Cars (2006) 

Unlike it's two sequels, I actually do like the first 'Cars' film. I've rewatched it a few times and always enjoy it.

#10 Toy Story 2 (1999) 

This one, in my opinion, is the weakest of the 'Toy Story' films. However, it's still a real good movie. 
 

#9 The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar's attempt at a superhero movie ended up being one of their better ones.

#8 The Incredibles 2 (2018)

I like this one better than the first. It's not an all-time great film, but it is fun.


#7 Toy Story 4 (2019)

Toy Story 4 is a completely unnecessary sequel, but a ton of fun nonetheless.


#6 Coco (2017)

Though it may move up or down a spot on this list with more viewings, I think it's safe to say this one is a return to form after a few films in a row that I found underwhelming.

 

#5 Wall-E (2008)

Usually I have a good idea of what I'm going to get going into these movies, 'Wall E' was a rare exception. While it's not perfect, it was far better than I expected it to be.

#4 Finding Nemo (2003)

This one effectively combines a simple but interesting plot with unique characters and some really impressive animation.

#3 Toy Story 3 (2010)

 This one hit every beat I was hoping it would when I first went to the theater to check it out.
It's a really solid movie, with a lot of heart.

#2 Monsters Inc. (2001)

I love this one. It's a ton of fun, and still enjoy it with every repeat viewing. Mike and Sully are right up there with Buzz and Woody as my favorite set of Pixar buddies playing off one another.

#1 Toy Story (1995)

This is the gold standard by which I always compare Pixar films too. It's fun, the characters are great, it's enjoyable start to finish, and it represents a milestone in animation.


Do you agree with my rankings?
How would you rank all these film?
Let me know in the comments below.