SPIELBERG: ERAS AND ERRORS

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A BIGGER BOAT: THE ERAS OF BEARDO

We are joined once again by cinema expert Rick Patt to discuss Spielberg's three eras, along with the successes and errors within each.

1. ASCENDENT: 1971-1993. DUEL - SCHINDLER'S LIST
Spielberg's blatant need to be respected and lauded had a lot of speed bumps in the 1980s and early 1990s but Jurassic Park AND Schindler's List in the same year, 1993? Perhaps the greatest year financially, artistically and critically of any director ever. Our favorite guy-with-a-beard finally made it to the top!

2. RESPECTABLY RELEVANT: 1997-2008 LOST WORLD - CRYSTAL SKULL
In this second era we find Spielberg almost desperately trying to recreate the alchemic balance of '93 with varying results.  Some of his most adventurous material is nestled within in the 00s.

3. RESPECTABLY IRRELEVENT: 2011-2022 TINTIN - THE FABLEMANS
In the third era, Spielberg, having made that hugely successful fourthquel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, simultaneously lost credibility and cachet with longtime fans. Like a balloon popped. We ghosted him and moved onto the Nolans, Reeves', Peeles, PTAs and Marvel nonsense of the mainstream film world. From there he has made stately dramas for the retirement home set or attempted to make the kinds of films he was known for decades ago (Tin Tin, Ready Player One) with, again, widely varying results. Longtime fans no longer talk of him reverently and rarely do his films tap into any sort of zeitgeist, a zeitgeist he at one time owned. With the promise of an autobiographical film later this year, he is not going anywhere, mining the mid 20th century like it was somehow in danger of being forgotten (Narrator: It wasn't).

Rick helps us track it all.

THEME SONG: WEIRD A.I.

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Ken: Ken Koral
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