Spielberg's Worst Directorial Failure

AI was really Kubrick's unfinished film. I'm pretty sure the ending would have been darker or disturbing if finished by Kubrick. The "blue fairy" would have somehow been horrific.

Quote: rxwine

AI was really Kubrick's unfinished film. I'm pretty sure the ending would have been darker or disturbing if finished by Kubrick. The "blue fairy" would have somehow been horrific.

The short story was written in 1969, and had a plot reveal at the end. David reveals that he is artificial when his 'parents' receive permission to conceive a child.

Quote: Super-Toys Last All Summer Long By Brian Aldiss (ending)

"Monica ... oh ... Don't tell me our number's come up!"
"Yes, my darling, yes, we've won this week's parenthood lottery! We can go ahead and conceive a child at once!"
He let out a yell of joy. They danced round the room. Pressure of population was such that reproduction had to be strict, controlled. Childbirth required government permission. For this moment, they had waited four years.
..
"What do we do about them?" Henry asked.
"Teddy's no trouble. He works well."
"Is David malfunctioning?"
"His verbal communication-center is still giving trouble. I think he'll have to go back to the factory again."
"Okay. We'll see how he does before the baby's born. Which reminds me - I have a surprise for you: help just when help is needed!
Come into the hall and see what I've got."
...
"First I'm going to have another rose!" Plucking a bright pink flower, he carried it with him into the house. It could lie on the pillow as he went to sleep. Its beauty and softness reminded him of Mummy.

It will be interesting to see if Spielberg is snubbed again


GOLDEN GLOBE MOTION PICTURES
Best Picture, Drama:
"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy:

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
"Les Misérables"
"Moonrise Kindgom
"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
"Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Director:
Ben Affleck, "Argo"
Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"

Best Actor, Drama:
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Richard Gere, "Arbitrage"
John Hawkes, "The Sessions"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Actress, Drama:
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Marion Cotillard, "Rust and Bone"
Helen Mirren, "Hitchcock"
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
Rachel Weisz, "The Deep Blue Sea"

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy:
Jack Black, "Bernie"
Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"
Ewan McGregor, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
Bill Murray, "Hyde Park on Hudson"

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy:
Emily Blunt, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
Judi Dench, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Maggie Smith, "Quartet"
Meryl Streep, "Hope Springs"

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Django Unchained"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, "The Master"
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
Nicole Kidman, "The Paperboy"

Best Screenplay:
Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Tony Kushner, "Lincoln"
David O'Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
Chris Terrio, "Argo"

Foreign Language Film:
"Amour"
"A Royal Affair"
"The Intouchables"
"Kon-Tiki"
"Rust and Bone"

Quote: Pacomartin

It will be interesting to see if Spielberg is snubbed again

I think this is his year. Have the betting lines been published?

Quote: Ayecarumba

I think this is his year. Have the betting lines been published?

Ladbrooke's has Lincoln as Sweep for Best Dramatic Film, Daniel Day Lewis as BDA , and Spielberg as Best Director. Second place for TLJ for supporting actor and a very distant second place for Sally Field.

Anne Hathaway seems to have won on the commercial alone.

Lincoln 8/11
Argo 3
Zero Dark Thirty 7/2
Life Of Pi 14
Django Unchained 25

Daniel Day-Lewis 3/10
Denzel Washington 4
John Hawkes 10
Joaquin Phoenix 10
Richard Gere 50

Steven Spielberg 11/10
Ben Affleck 9/4
Kathryn Bigelow 3
Ang Lee 12
Quentin Tarantino 25

Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master" - Evs
Tommy Lee Jones - 13/8
Leonardo Di Caprio -6
Alan Arkin-10
Christopher Waltz 25

Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables" - 1/5
Sally Field-7
Helen Hunt-7
Amy Adams - 25
Nicole Kidman-33

Spielberg (the king (inventor?) of the summer blockbuster) is pretty careful about releasing his historical dramatic and period piece films at the end of the year.

Nov 9, 2012 ( 12.8 ) Lincoln
Dec 25, 2011 ( 10.1 ) War Horse
Dec 23, 2005 ( 7.3 ) Munich
Jul 24, 1998 ( 45.7 ) Saving Private Ryan { 6 June 1944 D-Day}
Dec 10, 1997 ( 9.5 ) Amistad
Dec 15, 1993 ( 23.0 ) Schindler's List
Dec 11, 1987 ( 5.5 ) Empire of the Sun
Dec 20, 1985 ( 26.5 ) The Color Purple




Generally, if the movie is not a historical drama, and is not a candidate for an award, he doesn't do very well with December releases. These are his 5 December releases that are comic or family fare.

Dec 11, 1991 ( 28.7 ) Hook
Dec 14, 1979 ( 12.7 ) 1941
Dec 21, 2011 ( 9.8 ) The Adventures of Tintin
Dec 22, 1989 ( 10.5 ) Always
Dec 25, 2002 ( 27.4 ) Catch Me If You Can

Quote: Pacomartin

Spielberg (the king (inventor?) of the summer blockbuster) is pretty careful about releasing his historical dramatic and period piece films at the end of the year.

Nov 9, 2012 ( 12.8 ) Lincoln
Dec 25, 2011 ( 10.1 ) War Horse
Dec 23, 2005 ( 7.3 ) Munich
Jul 24, 1998 ( 45.7 ) Saving Private Ryan { 6 June 1944 D-Day}
Dec 10, 1997 ( 9.5 ) Amistad
Dec 15, 1993 ( 23.0 ) Schindler's List
Dec 11, 1987 ( 5.5 ) Empire of the Sun
Dec 20, 1985 ( 26.5 ) The Color Purple




Generally, if the movie is not a historical drama, and is not a candidate for an award, he doesn't do very well with December releases. These are his 5 December releases that are comic or family fare.

Dec 11, 1991 ( 28.7 ) Hook
Dec 14, 1979 ( 12.7 ) 1941
Dec 21, 2011 ( 9.8 ) The Adventures of Tintin
Dec 22, 1989 ( 10.5 ) Always
Dec 25, 2002 ( 27.4 ) Catch Me If You Can

I don't know how much say he has in the actual release date. The distribution company usually makes that call. However, the end of the calendar year is the time when the "serious" contenders for Oscars want to get on the screens, even if there is less money to be made. It leads to Spring releases for DVD's, Just in time for Academy voting.

Bucking the trend, The Hobbit is an interesting counterprogramming decision for this year. However, the pent up demand for large scale fantasy adventures has not been sated since the LOR and Harry Potter's finished their runs, so a ready audience is waiting

Quote: Ayecarumba

I don't know how much say he has in the actual release date. The distribution company usually makes that call. However, the end of the calendar year is the time when the "serious" contenders for Oscars want to get on the screens, even if there is less money to be made. It leads to Spring releases for DVD's, Just in time for Academy voting.

Bucking the trend, The Hobbit is an interesting counterprogramming decision for this year. However, the pent up demand for large scale fantasy adventures has not been sated since the LOR and Harry Potter's finished their runs, so a ready audience is waiting

They usually have a few commercial releases in December. Especially if the film is either very family friendly or appeals to an older audience. This year it is obviously the Hobbit and Les Miserables. Last year the big December releases were:

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol 26.6 million tickets
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 23.8 million
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked 16.9 million

But, you are correct that they don't want the Academy Award member to try and think back to a movie from 9 months ago as a candidate for an award winning film.


In 1952 the cost of a 20" black & white GE console TV was $ 300. That would be $ 2.6K today. But I see 50" flat panels on sale at K-Mart for $600, and some 65" TV's for $1.6K.

We have a 17 year old 32 inch console TV that weights 165 pounds. I don't know if console TV's got much bigger than that. I can't remember what size they switched to projection TV's.

In any event, you wonder how much longer family movies in the cinema will exist. With these giant home screens, it seems crazy to pay for your kids to go to the movies.

Quote: Pacomartin

We have a 17 year old 32 inch console TV that weights 165 pounds. I don't know if console TV's got much bigger than that. I can't remember what size they switched to projection TV's.

In any event, you wonder how much longer family movies in the cinema will exist. With these giant home screens, it seems crazy to pay for your kids to go to the movies.

There was a 40" Sony that weighed over 300 lbs. It's a beautiful TV, kind of like a late 50's Cadillac with massive tailfins. Some early rear projection TV's were actually smaller at 32 or 34 inches.

The days of "plain" movie theater's are numbered. Unless they can offer giant IMAX screens, wait staff served meals, or a better 3-D or 4-D experience ("smell-o-vision"?), I agree that there is no need to go out, when you can sit in front of your 100" HDTV at home.

That 90" LED television by Sharp is only 141 lbs, actually less than the old Sony 32" console TV.

In addition they are under $9K. However, if you have $9K for a television, you are not apt to argue about movie ticket prices. My argument is that you can get a 50" screen at KMart for $600 which is a good alternative to a large family who might purchase 30 movie tickets during a year.