spielberg: to be or not not to be spielberg

Rating: 8/10 (24 February 1999)

steven spielberg, the greatest talent of our times, and now the biggest monopoly of our times, has one final question with which to trouble his ever expansive mind,"what have i done to shape cinema in the last millennium".Answer:everything and nothing!. movies like 'jurassic park' and (afterwards) other dreamwork related projects may have advanced the technical side of film-making no ends (and by now his ever expansive wallet) but have done little to test the intellect of the viewer while much to please the eye. yet movies like 'schlinders list','saving private ryan' and 'amistad' prove that one man can influence a generation of movie buffs as much as a president. sounds corny i know, but in twenty years time "movie" people will remember the ground breaking war epic that was 'private ryan'(not even his best), as the defining moment of the nineties, much like those who remember 'apocolyapse now'(although the "godfather" series were much more significant) as the defining moment of the seventies (until oliver stone came along),(i must also apologise to all terrence mallick fans). not trying to take away from it, but fact normally is much less interesting than fiction. except where mr. spielberg is concerned. give this guy a true story and a tight narrative and he will grab your attention like your first girlfriend, give him one hundred million dollars and he will lose yours like your last.