Jolt Country

Rotten Tomatoes has been doing a bracket where everyone votes to figure out Spielberg's best movie. Here is the current status, as we are down to the final 2.

I want to make it clear, I was pretty okay with all of the choices. The final four was almost perfect, as I do think Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters are clearly his best movies, but Close Encounters went up against Raiders in the quarter-finals, so, tough luck.

Obviously all of these are better than Jurassic Park, but it's a fan favorite, so it snuck into the semis.

Then, in an absurd turn of event, Jurassic Park beat Raiders to get into the final. Jaws narrowly beat Saving Private Ryan on the other side, which I would have been happier with either, and since they are both vastly superior to Jurassic Park, it was essentially determining the winner.

Except in the final, Jurassic Park is kicking Jaws' ass. Which invalidates the entire exercise. So forget I posted about it.

Clearly Raiders is better than J. Park. Unfortunately there are dinosaurs in it and everyone loves dinosaurs. Nobody remembers the Jello on the spoon though. I'm voting for 1941 because Belushi was in it.

THE
COKE MOVIE
AARDVARK

His movie Duel starring Dennis Weaver and Kenworth the Truck, was amazing, especially for an unknown director. Later Spielberg remade Duel with Roy Scheider in the role Weaver had, and Bruce the Shark in the role first played by Kenworth the Truck.

He had student films that really should have gotten further.

Tdarcos wrote: Sun Nov 27, 2022 12:54 pm His movie Duel starring Dennis Weaver and Kenworth the Truck, was amazing, especially for an unknown director. Later Spielberg remade Duel with Roy Scheider in the role Weaver had, and Bruce the Shark in the role first played by Kenworth the Truck.

I'm with the commander on this one, Duel rules.

Jurassic vs Raiders?

The first Jurassic was game changing in terms of dinosaur special effects so think it wins against the first Raiders.
Second Jurassic was ok so Temple of Doom wins.
Third Jurassic introduced Pterodactyls and the third Raiders was garbage so Jurrasic wins.

Raiders had the good sense to stop at 3 (except for that awful young indy show that didn't last long) so overall winner is:

Raiders IMO

Casual Observer wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 10:43 pm Third Jurassic introduced Pterodactyls and the third Raiders was garbage so Jurrasic wins.

Last Crusade was "garbage", huh? A rare miss from CO.

Raiders had the good sense to stop at 3

Except for the fourth one, and the upcoming fifth one.

A rare miss from CO.

CO, what did ya not like about Last Crusade? I'd rank them Raiders, Crusafe, Temple of Doom and then a giant distance and then the 4th one. I have generally not seen Last Crusade fail to "click" with people, so this could be an interesting discussion!

Even today, Jurassic Park's special effects look better than high-budget films made now.

Jurassic Park's effects were better than Jaws'. If that's how you're judging movies, good luck to ya. Avatar was more groundbreaking than all of them put together, and it sucked pimply moose balls.

pinback wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:06 am Except for the fourth one, and the upcoming fifth one.

A rare miss from CO.

Whoa those are things? Jesus christ. I don't even want to look at Harrison Ford anymore. Or his little boy wife either.

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:51 am CO, what did ya not like about Last Crusade? I'd rank them Raiders, Crusafe, Temple of Doom and then a giant distance and then the 4th one. I have generally not seen Last Crusade fail to "click" with people, so this could be an interesting discussion!

As much as I loved Sean Connery, they made it into a father/son "buddy flick". The banter was unbearable. The only thing I think I liked was imagining what it would be like to have been able to travel on a luxury zepplin, those days will never return. Christ, I never got to fly on a 747 before they were gone.

pinback wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:35 am Jurassic Park's effects were better than Jaws'. If that's how you're judging movies, good luck to ya. Avatar was more groundbreaking than all of them put together, and it sucked pimply moose balls.

The first Avatar was fun, come on don't be such a relentless asshole.

pinback wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:06 am

Casual Observer wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 10:43 pm Third Jurassic introduced Pterodactyls and the third Raiders was garbage so Jurrasic wins.

Last Crusade was "garbage", huh? A rare miss from CO.

Raiders had the good sense to stop at 3

Except for the fourth one, and the upcoming fifth one.

A rare miss from CO.

Avatar was terrible, however.

Tdarcos! Didja see Avatar?

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:22 pm Avatar was terrible, however.

Tdarcos! Didja see Avatar?

The only thing Avatar added was motion capture which has brought CGI firmly in the uncanny valley

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:22 pm Avatar was terrible, however.

Tdarcos! Didja see Avatar?

Yeah, I also saw Cinema Sins "Everything Wrong With..." roast of the movie. I'm trying to remember what was the point of the movie. Extract metals from the planet. Fair enough. In the story: the Na'vi without powered weapons defeat and drive out the earth forces.

Probable actual scenario: So, gas the residents and any foliage and strip mine the place. The natives try to uprise, saturation bomb the shit out of them. Which meant, in the real world, the movie lasts 15 minutes, with the Na'vi conveniently genocideed out of existence.

Seriously, there is no way a pre-metals (or pre-gunpowder) civilization can defeat a fully technologically advanced civilization. In Star Trek: The Next Generation a human colony was on a planet and not noticed, but the planet was ceeded to Sheliak Corporate, who wants the planet for colonization, and the Enterprise needs to move all 15,000 colonist or the Sheliak will remove their corpses. They don't want to go, they can fight if necessary. Lt. Commander Data gives them a demonstration, by using a hand phaser he destroys the water supply, poining out that he is one android with a hand weapon, the Sheliak have much more powerful weapons and can use them from long distances. "You will be killed without ever seeing your killer's faces."

Short of the Na'vi busting into the Earth Forces HQ and capture the command officers, holding them as POWs until the other side sues for peace, I can't see them being able to beat earth military forces.

Tdarcos wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:32 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:22 pm Avatar was terrible, however.

Tdarcos! Didja see Avatar?

Probable actual scenario: So, gas the residents and any foliage and strip mine the place. The natives try to uprise, saturation bomb the shit out of them. Which meant, in the real world, the movie lasts 15 minutes, with the Na'vi conveniently genocideed out of existence.

Brilliant take! Wanna do the same take with Shooter? It's ok, I will.

No, I mean, didja see the movie Avatar?

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:56 pm No, I mean, didja see the movie Avatar?

Well, let's go back to what I said:

Tdarcos wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:32 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:22 pm Avatar was terrible, however.

Tdarcos! Didja see Avatar?

Yeah,

I believe that a reasonable interpretation of that answer would be "yes."

Fine. Keep your secrets.