Happy first Thursday of the year, everyone! Oh wait, I missed that, because I was still in a red wine & chocolate coma not knowing what day of the week it was. Good way to start the year, Allie! It’s the thought that counts though, so I’m throwing myself into Wandering Through the Shelves’ 2020 Movie Picks with as much enthusiasm as possible. This week’s theme is Favourite Films by Steven Spielberg – a theme I worried would be difficult but crickey the man has made a lot of brilliant movies!
Here are my three favourites:
The Terminal (2004)
I love Tom Hanks, so I’ve watched The Terminal a few times over the years now. Hanks plays an Eastern European tourist who’s government collapses whilst he’s at the airport, leaving his documents unusable and him stranded in JFK airport. I always remember it as a funny story but forget about how moving it is at the same time.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
It’s been years and I have no idea if A.I. Artificial Intelligence still holds up but at the time it felt revolutionary and raised so many thought-provoking questions. A mother’s son was stricken by an incurable disease, and, thinking she had lost him forever, commissioned a realist robot to replace him. The problem is, her son miraculously recovers. I can’t even count the number of times I watched that movie when I was younger.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Have you ever asked anyone if they like dinosaurs and been told no? I guess you don’t go around asking strangers that question often but my point is, who doesn’t like dinosaurs? To me, Jurassic Park is just one of those movies that’s impossible not to enjoy. I can’t say for sure if I saw the older sequels when I was a kid, but I should make the effort to!
Often Off Topic 
We match on Jurassic Park! I’ve seen all of your picks but I hated AI lol. I remember going to that in theaters with my sister and she was so frustrated with it too. I liked the idea of it more than the execution.
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I totally get that. I’d love to find someone who’s never seen it, make them watch it and get their thoughts because I’m convinced it doesn’t hold up, but at the time I loved it!
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I kinda liked The Terminal, I thought it was underrated as I enjoyed the ensemble as well as what Tom Hanks does throughout the film. A.I. I thought was pretty good as it’s Spielberg taking some risks and going into dark territory with a great cameo appearance by the band Ministry.
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I wouldn’t have even guessed A.I. was Spielberg’s to be honest because it’s so different to his usual kind of movie!
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It was meant to be Kubrick’s film but because of technical reasons, he gave it to Spielberg and they shared ideas what to do as Kubrick felt it played more to Spielberg’s sensibilities than his as much of the second act felt like a Kubrick film.
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I forgot that Terminal was a Spielberg film! Such a cute flick.
With A. I. I always end up wondering how the film would have turned out if Stanley Kubrick had got to make it.
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Oooooh very good point about A.I.! That would be interesting to see.
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The terminal always brings a tear to my eye. Such a clever and beautiful story x
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It doesn’t matter how many times I watch it, it’ll always make me cry!
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Jurrasic Park is one of my favorites too. I need to rewatch The Terminal sometime, I kind of forgotten what it contains beyond the premise.
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I always seem to forget about it! It sticks in my mind as a comedy and although it’s really funny, it so isn’t a comedy!
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He’s directed so many amazing movies that it must have been so hard to choose! You know, I’ve never seen The Terminal–I’ll have to find it!
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Ohhh it is so good! I mean, I’ve never seen a bad Tom Hanks movie but The Terminal is something special.
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