Eric Prime

#1 Schindler’s List 275 pts, 34 lists "In memory of the countless victims among your people, I ask us to observe three minutes of silence." #1 placements: 10 #2 placements: 6 #3 placements: 3 Top 5 placements: 6 Top 10 placements: 6 Top 15 placements: 2 Box Office: 96.9M DOM, 322.2M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Metacritic: 94 Awards: 7 Academy Award wins and 5 nominations, 7 BAFTA wins and 6 nominations, 3 Golden Globe Award wins and 3 nominations Critic Review: "What is most amazing about this film is how completely Spielberg serves his story. The movie is brilliantly acted, written, directed and seen. Individual scenes are masterpieces of art direction, cinematography, special effects, crowd control." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times BOT User Review: "One of the best films ever made." - @Plain Old Tele Its Legacy: Hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Appeared on too many critics list and polls to count. Earned both praise and criticism from many filmmakers. Became Spielberg’s first Best Picture win. Eighth best film on AFI’s Top 100. Joined National Film Registry in 2004. Created the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. Earned numerous controversies for television broadcasts. Brought the horrors of the Holocaust to a new light. Commentary: Like this comes as a surprise to anyone. Schindler’s List was the only movie to appear on every single list. And at this point, we all know why. Perhaps one of the most tragic films ever conceived, this was a film Spielberg, a Jewish man who dealt with antisemitism all his life, knew he had to make, but he had no idea if he could even make a good movie out of this, resulting in the project hopping from director to director. It wasn’t until he saw the rise of Holocaust denial and neo-Nazism, a trend that is sadly still alive and well today. And he had to make the best damn movie he could. And he could. It’s a film that is brutal, almost impossible to watch at points. Yet it makes the film all the more powerful. We had to see what humanity has done to an entire creed of people, and how so many just let it all happen. It’s a call to action to never let something like this happen again. And yet, tragically enough, it has happened again. Numerous times. Around the world in fact. But it’s why we need this movie in the first place. Somebody has to stop this stuff. And while we haven’t found a solution just yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen soon. And media like this is important, as it recognizes our mistakes as a society. Nobody knows what the future holds, but Shindler’s List being in our life does make things a little bit brighter. This is Spielberg’s true magnum opus. Some of us may prefer other titles, but this is the defining movie of Spielberg’s entire filmography. This is what will leave the most impact. And I am so glad to see this is what is #1 on this very countdown.

#2 Raiders of the Lost Ark 267 pts, 33 lists "It belongs in a museum!" #1 placements: 8 #2 placements: 7 #3 placements: 8 Top 5 placements: 2 Top 10 placements: 7 Box Office: 248.2M DOM, 389.9M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 95% Metacritic: 85 Awards: 5 Academy Award wins and 4 nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 1 BAFTA win and 6 nominations, 1 Grammy Award win, 1 Hugo Award win, 7 Saturn Award wins Critic Review: "Raiders of the Lost Ark has it all—or, anyway, more than enough to transport moviegoers back to the dazzling, thrill-sated matinee idyls of old. It is surely the best two hours of pure entertainment anyone is going to find in the summer of '81." - Richard Schickel, TIME BOT User Review: "One of the all-time adventures. To steal from another franchise, it bows to no one." - @Plain Old Tele Its Legacy: Became the highest-grossing film of 1981. Was the fourth highest-grossing film of all time. One of many titles that made Harrison Ford a household name. Served as Lucasfilm’s other big franchise. Reinvigorated interest in old film serials. Hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Spielberg considers it his perfect movie. Became the best-selling VHS in history. Inspired hundreds of future archaeologists. Joined the National Film Registry in 1999. Inspired the likes of Chris Carter, Simon Kinberg, Jon Turteltaub, Dan Brown, and Joe Johnston in their careers. Referenced and parodied everywhere. Inspired the likes of The Goonies, Romancing the Stone, The Mummy, and National Treasure. Was remade shot-for-shot in 1989. Way too much merchandise, comic books, and video games to count. Gave Alfred Molina a paycheck. Commentary: Here’s a good anecdote to start this out. My mom saw Raiders when it first came out in theaters, and she talked about how nerve-wracking the introduction was. Indiana Jones goes across a booby-trapped temple, is betrayed by some colleagues, is chased by his rival and a tribe of indigenous folk, and tries to get on a seaplane back to safety. It was the scariest thing she ever saw, and put her on the edge of her seat every step of the way. That experience of seeing all these crazy twists and turns for the first time is still etched in her brain. And...yeah, there’s a good reason why. Spielberg has gone on to say Raiders of the Lost Ark is his perfect movie. Nothing could be changed, nothing could be added. And while I was the one parading E.T. as his perfect movie, I can see why he would choose Raiders. Coming from the idea of George Lucas, Raiders so perfectly blends action, adventure, comedy, drama, romance, and spectacle into a glorious package. The characters are likable, the actors are incredible, the sets are mind-boggling, the creativity is off the charts and...yeah, that intro is incredible. What has been said about Raiders has already been said, though I guess one interesting tidbit is that, like Jaws, Raiders is a good reason why Box Office Theory exists. After several years of declining audiences and profits, summer 1981 was a record season at the box office, helped not just by the highly-anticipated Superman II, but the surprise success of Raiders of the Lost Ark. People didn’t expect much of this Harrison Ford starrer despite the attachment of Spielberg and Lucas, with audience polling reportedly showing no interest in the film. Yet this film managed to be so fun and endearing it more or less boosted people’s interest in the movies again, showing that you need compelling films to get people invested in going to the theaters rather than just expecting people to come. Let’s hope studios take that lesson to heart before theaters die away forever. This was actually on the lower end on the top 5 for a good while, but a huge resurgence of #1/#2 votes helped take this all the way to second place, showing how much people love this movie. Needless to say, James Mangold has some heavy shoes to fill with the fifth and final installment, but I can't wait to see what he does regardless.

#3 Jurassic Park 243 pts, 33 lists "Hold on to your butts." #1 placements: 6 #2 placements: 7 #3 placements: 1 Top 5 placements: 4 Top 10 placements: 8 Top 15 placements: 3 Box Office: 404.2M DOM, 1.033B WW Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Metacritic: 68 Awards: 3 Academy Award wins, 1 BAFTA win and nomination, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 1 Award from the Japanese Academy, 4 Saturn Award wins and 7 wins, 3 MTV Movie Award nominations Critic Review: "As a flight of fantasy, Jurassic Park lacks the emotional unity of Spielberg's classics ("Jaws," "Close Encounters," "E.T."), yet it has enough of his innocent, playful virtuosity to send you out of the theater grinning with delight." - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly BOT User Review: "Still holds up really well today. The animatronics and visual effects are still fantastic and the story combines the thrills, action and comedy so nicely." - @TheMovieman Its Legacy: Became the highest-grossing film of all time. Is the highest-grossing film in Spielberg’s career. Considered one of the greatest action thrillers of all time. In too many polls and other lists to count. Inspired hundreds of future paleontologists the world over. Became one of the biggest moneymakers for Universal with several sequels, some of which became some of the highest-grossing films in history. Featured groundbreaking CGI effects that redefined visual effects for years to come. Such VFX resulted in the Star Wars prequels, A.I., and Lord of the Rings to name only a few. Inspired way too many dinosaur movies/documentaries to count. Birthed the sound system DTS. Birthed the special effects company Digital Domain. Birthed the Toronto Raptors name. Saw a Universal Studios theme park ride, and an entire land at Islands of Adventure. Joined the National Film Registry in 2018. Got a bunch of video games. Was parodied in the first episode of the Animanaiacs reboot. Gave Wayne Knight a paycheck. Commentary: While arguably not the deepest film in the Spielberg canon, Jurassic Park is, in many ways, the quintessential Spielberg title. There’s something still inherently fascinating about the idea of dinosaurs living among us, and Spielberg knows it. Those first few instances when Alan and Ellie see that Brachiosaurus? Pure bliss, as the unreal becomes real. John Williams’ score and Richard Attenborough’s utterly charming performance only further heightens the wonder over seeing such magnificent creatures come to life, and I still get goosebumps over it. Even four movies later, nothing has come close to such a magical moment in the franchise. The marketing made sure audiences saw as little of the dinos as possible, so it must have been jaw-dropping to see this on the big screen. It’s honestly the one movie I wish I was alive to have seen when it first came out. At the same time, Jurassic Park is also a terrifying film. It shows the reasons why dinosaurs don’t coexist with humans. The most tense moments of the piece have little music, and are full of carnage, destruction, and fear, resulting in one intense setpiece after another. It’s nerve-wracking to go through, but it helps make Jurassic Park turn into one insane and likable thrill ride unlike any other. Helped of course by an incredible cast that take some admittedly simple characters and turn them into charismatic and dynamic heroes and antagonists. Jurassic Park has continued to live on as a blockbuster icon. So much so the rebootquel series Jurassic World is currently the biggest non-Disney franchise as of this writing by a significant margin. And as the third title finally comes to us in two years...hopefully in theaters, the love and iconic stature of the original Jurassic Park won’t go away any time soon.

#4 Jaws 242 pts, 31 lists "You're gonna need a bigger boat." #1 placements: 4 #2 placements: 6 #3 placements: 5 Top 5 placements: 7 Top 10 placements: 8 Top 15 placements: 1 Box Office: 260.8M DOM, 470.6M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Metacritic: 87 Awards: 3 Oscar wins and 1 nomination, 1 Golden Globe win and 3 nominations, 1 BAFTA win and 5 nominations, 1 Grammy Award win Critics Review: "The terror, panic and small town politics are all brilliantly done but this is also a film about bravery and friendship and the scenes in which the trio bond as they sit out at sea waiting to fight death itself are moving and witty." - Martin Chilton, The Telegraph BOT User Review: "This is one of the best thrillers ever. I just love how suspenseful it is without even showing the shark. One of my favorite movie quotes of all time came from this movie."we're gonna need a bigger boat" - @ecstasy Its Legacy: Became the highest-grossing film of all time. Became the first blockbuster in history, redefining the distribution and business model of films. Such effects still exist today. Became one of the biggest moneymakers for Universal with several sequels. Set the template for hundreds of horror titles in the decades to come. Caused fears of going into the ocean amongst the general public, amongst other cinematic neuroses. Got a bunch of mockbusters. A fan-made documentary was produced. Saw a Universal Studios theme park ride. Earned several musicals for some reason. Got a bunch of video games. Mayor Vaughn became a hero to several garbage mayors and politicians in 2020. Gave Murray Hamilton a paycheck. Commentary: There’s a lot to say about Jaws that has already been said by just about everybody else on the planet. A production from hell turned into a major success story overnight that influenced countless horror titles and the career of Mr. Spielberg, the one thing I wanted to talk about with Jaws that hasn’t been said before is that without this movie, Box Office Theory likely would have never existed. At least in the way it’s currently situated. Jaws took a bold concept when it came to distribution. Instead of just releasing a film in certain markets and build word of mouth from there, Spielberg and Universal knew they had something special and this had plenty of potential to make a lot of money. And thus, the film was unleashed to a wide release across the country, with a massive television and tie-in merchandise campaign. And Jaws was rewarded tremendously, becoming an instant success both critically and commercially. And because of Jaws’ unique strategy, alongside Star Wars, this allowed the birth of the blockbuster, as studios created films focused more on high box office returns, with action-adventure elements, simple high-concept premises, wide saturated releases and massive ad campaigns. This sadly did lead to the end of the New Hollywood era, as auteur-driven pieces started to disappear. But this also ushered in an exciting era of box office numbers and enthusiasts. Without Jaws, we wouldn’t have had Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Titanic, Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Avatar, Iron Man, The Avengers, or any of our other favorite movies and franchises. Jaws gave us a chance to create a community where we can talk movies, numbers, math, and franchises we would all earn a soft spot for. And simply put, none of us probably would have been friends if Jaws didn’t disrupt the system the way it did. You can make the argument Jaws did more harm than good in our current risk-averse film world. But there is something special about its impact in a way that I think is worth treasuring, and I hope this will only lead to future box office success stories and records in the years to come.

#5 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 208 pts, 32 lists "I'll be right here." #1 placements: 3 #2 placements: 4 #3 placements: 1 Top 5 placements: 4 Top 10 placements: 14 Top 15 placements: 5 Box Office: 435.1M DOM, 792.9M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Metacritic: 91 Awards: 4 Academy Award wins and 5 nominations, 2 Golden Globe wins and 3 nominations, 2 Grammy Award wins, 1 BAFTA win, won Best Foreign Language film at Blue Ribbon Awards, Cesar Awards, and David di Donatello. Critic Review: "If we approach the unfamiliar with fear and apprehension, we will be met with fear and apprehension. But if we approach with sympathy and curiosity, we will be rewarded with same. And our souls, not to mention our bicycles, will soar to the heavens." - Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer BOT User Review: "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is pure magic. Spielberg's direction has rarely been as touching and marvelous as it is in this film. Elliot and ET's friendship is believable and heartwarming, with Henry Thomas delivering one of the greatest child actor performances ever. ET himself is technically astounding, not once appearing false to the audience or to his friends." - @Blankments Its Legacy: Became the highest-grossing film of all time. Earned the highest-grossing second weekend in history. Began the film career of Drew Barrymore. Earned the biggest weekend gross of all time in weekend 4. Had 8 weekends over $10 million. Was number one for 16 weeks, a record still held to this day. Saw a record of 6 million VHS rentals, as well as $250 million in home media revenue. Grossed more than $1 billion in merchandise sales as of 1998. 24th greatest film on AFI’s Top 100. In way too many other polls and lists and countdowns to count. Was one of the first Amblin productions. Was instantly hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time. Earned Steven Spielberg a UN Peace Medal. Became the first movie to earn an A+ on Cinemascore. Hershey saw a 65% rise in profit due to Reese’s Pieces product placement. Praised by Ronald Reagan and Princess Diana. Got a ride at Universal Studios. Resulted in the video game crash of 1983. Gave C. Thomas Howell a paycheck Commentary: Here was a film that was so good, that when Richard Attenborough won Best Picture for Gandhi, he said this should have beat him out. Conceived through Spielberg’s childhood with an imaginary friend as well as from a script titled Night Skies, E.T. is a film that needs no introduction. Becoming one of Spielberg’s biggest hits ever, this sci-fi tale about a boy and his alien is one of the most enduring family classics out there, taking an innocent, highly emotional tale that is comedic, dramatic, suspenseful, sentimental, and tragic all in one. And even today, it is still a film passed on to generation after generation, becoming one of Universal’s biggest moneymakers ever. In fact, I’d dare to say this is Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece. I didn’t grow up with this movie, but I saw the film 5 years ago while scrolling through TV. And to say my mind was blown is an understatement. The characters are all endearing, the actors are incredible, the story is simple yet poignant, the atmosphere is one of a kind, the comedy is hilarious, the adventure is enthralling, the visual effects are incredible, the genre blending is one of a kind, the themes of friendship, communication, and peace, as well as its religious parables are thought-provoking, and that ending is still a gut-puncher if I’ve ever seen one. It’s the rare kind of movie that is by all accounts absolutely perfect. In terms of direction, acting, writing, and in all other crafts. Removing anything would take something away from this piece, while adding anything to it would just make the film worse by default. Movies like this don’t come around all the time, and that makes them all the more special.

Finally home. Will get the last 5 entries up tonight. Feel free to predict what you think the top 5 will be. Winner gets my love and affection as a prize.

You know you don’t have to be condescending to other people and cultures because they don’t like a kids movie you like

Literally go back one page dude.

https://deadline.com/2020/12/the-crown-the-queens-gambit-nielsen-streaming-rankings-netflix-1234658394/

#6 Saving Private Ryan 186 pts, 29 lists "He better be worth it. He better go home and cure a disease, or invent a longer-lasting light bulb." #1 placements: 2 #3 placements: 4 Top 5 placements: 6 Top 10 placements: 11 Top 15 placements: 5 Box Office: 217M DOM, 482.3M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Metacritic: 91 Awards: 5 Academy Award wins and 6 nominations, 2 BAFTA wins and 8 nominations, 2 Empire Award wins and 1 nomination, 2 Golden Globe wins and 3 nominations, 1 Grammy win, NBR's Top 10 Critic Review: "Saving Private Ryan is a masterpiece. It cements Steven Spielberg’s reputation as one of the seminal filmmakers of the era. It tells a gallant story of honor and duty and courage under fire. It shows you things about war that have never been seen on a motion picture screen." Rex Reed, The Observer BOT User Review: "The first time I watched this, I didn't like it at all. However, on repeat viewings, the film really resonates with me. Is it too long? Absolutely. But there are scenes made of nothing but utter genius. I have to say that it has one of the most emotional scenes I've ever seen and that was when the soldiers were talking about their mothers. I found that absolutely heartbreaking and the most effective scene in the film." - @Noctis Its Legacy: One of the most influential war films in history. Filming and cinematography techniques influenced films and games for years to come. Became the highest-grossing domestic film of 1998, second place worldwide. Earned one of the most infamous Best Picture losers in history. Considered the most accurate portrayal of war combat. Birthed the Medal of Honor video game series. Was the first of many Spielberg-Hanks collaborations. Gave Vin Diesel a paycheck. Commentary: We all remember how Saving Private Ryan opens. An elderly man falls to the ground in anguish at the Normandy Cemetery. And thus, we cut to the Normandy invasion on Omaha Beach. For 27 whole minutes, we see what happened on those beaches. Bodies dead immediately as the boat docks itself. Soldiers running frantically, trying to find safety. Soldiers carrying one another to find some form of sanctuary. Blood is on the floor, gunshot sound effects permeate across the speakers. Desaturated colors are on the screen, as the film cuts to handheld shots of people hiding under bunkers or grieving for friends they just lost. That right there is war. And Saving Private Ryan shows how horrible war can be. One of the most violent films in Spielberg’s filmography, this was one brutal piece. So much so that men who fought in World War II and Vietnam had to leave the movie because it was too realistic to what they actually went through, causing terrifying war flashbacks. It is a downside to the movie; nobody should have to relive such trauma. But it also serves as why this movie is so powerful. It is as authentic as possible, without being exploitative of these events. There’s incredible and brutal action on display, but there’s never a sense Spielberg is glorifying these actions, although Oliver Stone says otherwise. If anything, it’s a tragedy these men were forced to take part in these events just to help one Private. And sure enough, Saving Private Ryan has lived on as one of the biggest success stories in Spielberg’s career. And that’s saying a lot. It earned Spielberg his second Oscar and became an infamous loss for Best Picture. To this day, people are still salty Shakespear in Love got the gold. Thanks Harvey! Yet as the years have gone on, Saving Private Ryan has created a legacy all its own. One that celebrates the heroes who died in combat, while also letting the people know how little we have progressed and to change this for the future.

#7 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 183 pts, 28 lists "Nazis. I hate these guys." #2 placements: 2 #3 placements: 3 Top 5 placements: 8 Top 10 placements: 10 Top 15 placements: 5 Box Office: 197.2M DOM, 474.2M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Metacritic: 65 Awards: 1 Academy Award win and 2 nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 3 BAFTA nominations, 1 Grammy nomination Critic Review: "The Harrison Ford-Sean Connery father-and-son team gives Last Crusade unexpected emotional depth, reminding us that real film magic is not in special effects." - Variety Staff BOT User Review: "Honestly, this is my favorite of the Indy films. The puzzles, the locations, the action, the quotes, and Sean Connery make this a really fun movie and its aged pretty well." - @Master Scottb Its Legacy: Earned the biggest opening weekend of all time. Became the first movie to earn over $10 million in one day (my is that quaint). Was the 11th highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing 1989 film worldwide. Was the inspiration for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Increased tourism to Petra, Jordan. Gave John Rhys-Davies a paycheck. Commentary: After the mixed reactions towards Temple of Doom, Last Crusade was designed as a back to basics film, resulting in a lighter, less violent story that made it more appealing to a family audience. Of course, that didn’t make the film any lesser. Using an estranged father-son relationship as its backdrop, Last Crusade had fun action and adventure, a compelling story, and some quality Nazi killing. All the while, Harrison Ford, an acting legend, got to interact with the one and only Sean Connery, another acting legend. It’s still incredibly surreal to see two incredible acting talents work off one another as father and son and helped make this film as memorable and charming as it is. There’s even River Phoenix as a young Indy, another acting legend who sadly left us way too soon. Still hurts that he’s gone. This was another fan-favorite in this countdown, with several top 5 votes, including a stray #3 and even #2 placement. It’s actually the highest-rated film to not get a #1 vote.

#8 Catch Me If You Can 177 pts, 32 lists "The truth is I'm not a doctor or a lawyer. I'm nothing really. I'm just a kid in love with your daughter." Top 5 placements: 4 Top 10 placements: 18 Top 15 placements: 8 Box Office: 164.6M DOM, 352.1M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Metacritic: 75 Awards: 2 Academy Award nominations, 1 BAFTA win and 3 nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 1 Grammy nomination Critic Review: "Part of Spielberg's skill as a filmmaker comes in choosing the right collaborators. Janusz Kaminski's gorgeous cinematography, Michael Kahn's graceful editing, Jeff Nathanson's clever script, and John Williams' score all work well in unison, but the film's masterstroke is the casting of Walken as DiCaprio's utterly decent father." - Nathan Rabin, AV Club BOT User Review: "Spielberg proves yet again why he is where he is. His ability to master multiple types of films is masterful. This is maybe his best of the decade." - @RobinHood26 Its Legacy: Brought the story of Frank Abagnale to the limelight. Was Leonardo DiCaprio’s first critical and commercial hit post-Titanic. Kickstarted the career of Amy Adams. Was adapted into a stage musical (Fun fact: my sister was in a high school production of that play). Parodied on The Simpsons. Gave Christopher Walken a paycheck. Commentary: Before the film we got today, Catch Me If You Can was given by director after director. David Fincher, Gore Verbinski, Lasse Hallstrom, Milos Forman, Cameron Crowe. Yet when you really think about it, only Spielberg could make this film work. He grew up with a messy divorce and decided to make a career out of creating make believe stories. Him telling the story of a man running away from a troubled family life and creating illusions and cons is a perfect fit, both in terms of experience and creating a human portrayal of Frank Abangale. Spielberg manages to create a cat-and-mouse tale that is both immensely fun and incredibly sad all at once. There’s of course some fast-paced editing, fun locales and a jazzy John Williams score that gives the piece bright energy and an exciting atmosphere. But it’s still a story about a man who has no family and always tries to run away from the law. There’s a tragedy that comes from a story about a man who just wants everything back to normal, but he just can’t have it. We all go through these motions at some point, and it can be brutal to watch unfold, especially considering how well DiCaprio does at selling this loneliness and frustration. Sure enough, Catch Me If You Can was an instant success. It was one of the biggest box office hits of 2002 despite never hitting #1 and earned some of the highest notices of Spielberg’s career. This was actually only a few months after the release of Minority Report, making it one of those years when Spielberg was firing at all cylinders. Of course despite the success of both features it was nothing compared to a certain year in the 90s, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This was also a huge hit with voters here, with top 10 vote after top 10 vote. It actually took me kind of surprise, as while I knew people loved this movie, I did not expect the kind of love people were throwing out for this title. But hey, this countdown was full of surprises.

#9 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 154 pts, 29 lists " I guess you've noticed something a little strange with Dad. It's okay, though. I'm still Dad." #2 placements: 1 #3 placements: 2 Top 5 placements: 3 Top 10 placements: 5 Top 15 placements: 9 Box Office: 135.2M DOM, 306.9M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Metacritic: 90 Awards: 1 Academy Award win and 7 nominations, 1 BAFTA win and 8 nominations, 4 Golden Globe nominations Critic Review: "Steven Spielberg's giant, spectacular Close Encounters of the Third Kind...is the best—the most elaborate—1950's science fiction movie ever made, a work that borrows its narrative shape and its concerns from those earlier films, but enhances them with what looks like the latest developments in movie and space technology." - Vincent Canby, New York Times BOT User Review: "One of the all time classic Sci-Fi films." - @WrathOfHan Its Legacy: Led to a major resurgence of science fiction films. #64 on AFI’s Top 100 Movies. First collaboration with editor Michael Kahn. Part of the National Film Registry. Saw two other alternate cuts. Parodied multiple times. A favorite for many acclaimed directors, like Edgar Wright, Spike Lee, Denis Villenueve, Stanley Kubrick, and Andrew Stanton. Gave Carl Weathers a paycheck. Commentary: Developed since 1973, with writers coming in and out to help the script come to life, Close Encounters was the other 1970s title that made Steven Spielberg a household name. Taking a simple story about a blue-collar worker whose life changes upon seeing a UFO, this has many of the hallmarks people come to know with Spielberg. Broken family units, suspenseful sequences, an incredible John Williams score. Yet it’s also a film about obsession, and humanity’s attempts to understand the unknown. It takes a science fiction story into a unique, spiritual direction, as Roy Neary looks to connect with the aliens he saw in just a tiny glimpse. In a way, Roy’s journey and obsession with his alien encounter is also a meta commentary for filmmaking itself. We all have distinct visions and ideas, but only a few, like Roy, try to recreate such wild visions through art. See his potato sculpture. It’s a film that is clearly full of passion, from a man who only just got his big break and truly wanted to prove himself in an era of filmmaking that allowed directors a chance to prove themselves. And wouldn’t you know it, Close Encounters became a critical and commercial darling, earning immense box office returns and award nomination after award nomination. All the while, becoming a major influence in the reinvigoration of sci-fi films and media which is still in effect today. If Star Wars was the movie that got people invested in pulpy, sci-fi action adventure, Close Encounters got people invested in contemplative, thrilling sci-fi storylines. And people would stay invested in such stories for years to come.

#10 Bridge of Spies 130 pts, 28 lists "Well, the boss isn't always right. But, he's always the boss." #2 placements: 1 #3 placements: 2 Top 5 placements: 3 Top 10 placements: 5 Top 15 placements: 9 Box Office: 72.3M DOM, 165.5M WW Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Metacritic: 81 Awards: 1 Academy Award win and 5 nominations, 1 BAFTA win and 8 nominations, AFI's Top Ten Films of the Year, NBR's Top 10 Films, 5 Critics Choice nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 1 Empire Award nomination, Critic Review: "The film is an anomaly — a confident, slightly square, highly satisfying example of old-school Hollywood craftsmanship, starring a major movie star brandishing a briefcase, and a handkerchief, rather than a pistol." - Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune BOT User Review: "An understated political drama that really benefits from the Spielberg touch. He makes 141 minutes of verbal negotiation thoroughly engaging, and Hanks of course is the perfect guy for this role" - @tribefan695 Its Legacy: Was one of the last Touchstone/Dreamworks co-productions. Helped turn Mark Rylance into a household name in America. Brought the stories of James B. Donovan and Rudolf Abel to light. Is the ultimate dad movie. Gave Jesse Plemons a paycheck. Commentary: This is the highest-ranked Spielberg film from the 2010s for good reason. This legal drama takes what could have been drab negotiations into a series of intense battles of suspicion peppered with dry wits of humor, helped by a memorable screenplay written by the Coens. This anxiety, backed by the confusing and dramatic landscape of the Cold War, is also helped by its two main actors, with Tom Hanks and mainstream newcomer Mark Rylance delivering stirring performances. This even led to Rylance earning an Academy Award, much to the chagrin of Stallone fanboys the world over. This film wasn’t set to be in the top 10 for a while, but a couple of passionate top 5 votes helped give the movie a strong edge, ensuring this is the film that this generation’s cinephiles will latch on to when discussing Spielberg.

About to get the top 10 up. We're getting close to the end everybody!

As long as they at least get decent screen time, then I suppose it won't be all bad. I'll admit that I'm also excited to see more of the tiger dancers for...selfish reasons.

Like most SNL episodes, it was way too long and full of dead moments. The Lexus and baking show sketches were good, and Tiny Horse got a laugh out of me for how strange it was. The rest was...not so good, even with Timothee dressed up as Harry Styles at one point. But watching it live reminded me why I don't like sitting through a whole SNL episode and I'm glad I don't have to do this again until the promo for Dune happens next year. Only other thing that I should mention is that the wig they put on Timothee for the Lexus ad is literally my haircut, and it threw me off for a while.

Wait Marty did the Bad music video? I NEVER KNEW THAT

@all other studios, please put all your movies on streaming services. I think this will benefit everybody