The unthinkable has happened. Ryan Kelly and I shall be hosting a Steven Spielberg blogathon from December 18th to the 28th. That's right. Spielberg. THE BIG ONE. The filmmaker that nobody else in blogosphere history has dared to devote a blogathon to, and Ryan and I now have no choice but to step up to the plate.
Why December 18th for opening day? Because Spielberg turns 64 that day (at least, if you're judging by his real birth year--1946--and not 1947, which he used to claim was his birth year for reasons still unexplained). And Ryan and I have been in something of a cinematic draught because of Spielberg's refusal to make any new movies of his own in the last two years, so this is our way of saying: DUDE! HURRY UP!
Of course, the blogathon will also be a celebration of Spielberg the Artist, and not Spielberg the Capitalist. Too many critics and audiences, in our humble opinions, consider Spielberg to be nothing more than a greedy entertainer, and we will seek to correct those ludicrous cultural beliefs. But we NEED YOUR HELP! How can you prove that Spielberg is an artist? We want as many interpretations as possible.
Now, if you're not a Spielberg fan, and you have legitimate criticisms of his work as well, by all means contribute them--as long as they're civilized.
To add to the fon of the occasion, Ryan has built a site devoted to the blogathon. Ryan's built some fine-looking banners there, which we would love for you guys to put on your sidebars as soon as possible.
And we promise you this: you will not regret participating. Not at all. There will be generations because of what you did.
See you in December, everybody.
There's a lot to say about Spielberg beyond the obvious. Hopefully I can put together a piece that reflects this. Great idea, guys!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you aboard, Craig. I'm already troubling myself with which topics to write about--there's so many.
ReplyDeleteAdam,
ReplyDeleteI have been kicking around writing about JAWS since this year is the 35th Ann. Have not done it yet, but I will try and get something going.
It's anyone's guess whether I'll be finished with my Spielberg retrospective by then, or if I'll be so backed up that I still have posts to write (probably the latter, given my course load), but I'll certainly be contributing. If I've somehow finished all his films by then, I'll do a career-summarizing post. If not, I'll write one or two pieces on the films I have left.
ReplyDeleteI take my hat off to the author of this article. Well done.
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alesum
John, a post on Jaws would be excellent. I'm going to try my own piece on Jaws, but it'll be less of an attempt to do justice to that movie in its entirety and more of a defense of it as a New Hollywood art film. Any pieces on that movie would be most appreciated since it's unquestionably one of his finest.
ReplyDeleteJake, any films you get done during your retrospective would be things we'd love to have. I know your last Spielberg-related post was a piece on The Color Purple... so Empire of the Sun is next on the list for you, right? Let me know what you think of that film. I love it.
alesum, are you even a real person?
I love Empire of the Sun and think it is a better indicator of the severity and humanity Spielberg would show in A.I. than even Schindler's List. But more on all that as they come.
ReplyDeleteI am also a huge fan of EMPIRE OF THE SUN and consider it the best film of 1987, and one of the finest of the 80's. I saw it 14 times in the theatre that year dragging along everyone I knew, and even conducted a school field trip for eighth graders. Ha!
ReplyDeleteSpielberg directed four masterpieces, though a good case could be made for JAWS as well:
Empire of the Sun
A. I. Artificial Intelligence
Schindler's List
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial
I have penned a review of the second one for my site, but would more than willing and enthusiastic to revamp it with some added insights.
Another great venture here Adam!
Sam, I tell ya: I've flirted for a long time with the concept of Empire of the Sun as the best of '87. But with The Dead, Full Metal Jacket and The Last Emperor all contending strong for that spot as well, it's just so tough to choose!
ReplyDeleteThat would have been one swell of a movie to go on an 8th grade field trip to see, too. I first saw it when I was around that age, and almost wish I had seen it at an even younger age. It's just a great movie about growing up and facing the evils of the world--and then having to adapt back to normal life once those evils are eliminated. I better stop rambling, though... it's awesome to have you aboard! Your contributions will be much anticipated.
Jake, you're certainly not the only one who thinks EOTS is more humanistic that Schindler's List is. I differ there somewhat, but then again Schindler's List is definitely going to serve as one of the more controversial subjects of the whole blogathon once it begins. Every Spielberg fan seems to have their own unique opinion of it--no two are ever alike.
Adam,
ReplyDeleteI am going to jump all over this one. Guaranteed. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Unlike the last time, where things happened, life interrupted, and I didn't. Oh, no. This time, I'm going to town. I get dibs on A.I. Artificial Intelligence. (if we're taking dibs at all, of course)
All is forgiven, Adam. Haha. Go right ahead with that A.I. piece. Would love to read it.
ReplyDeleteFunny I've been looking for the perfect opportunity to write about Catch Me If You Can.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like it.
Bryce, we'd appreciate a Catch Me if you Can piece a heck of a lot!
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