We are getting towards the end of the month. I haven't been posting as much for a few reasons, but I at least wanted give some thoughts toward the end.
Mostly, I really enjoyed reading the discussions and observations. I think the freestyle approach worked well and will do similar for the next one. Please post if you disagree or I am off base on this sentiment. I still haven't decided what to try for next month, but something will be decided on.
As far as Steve, I think this month of watching just solidified my feelings about him. No, he's not my favorite director. Yes, he has given me a few of my favorite all-time movies, and his contribution to the movies should be celebrated. I will admit that I don't give him enough credit behind the camera, and one of my biggest take-aways from this month is how much credit he should get there. Duel has no being as good as it is with the budget and constraints. I still don't know how he pulled of Jaws being as awesome as it is, and I will never forget the sense of wonder he was able to give me seeing Jurassic Park in the theater. His ability to make movies for the masses that also include genuine emotions, thrills, and scares is top notch. Also, HTF did he manage to make Jurassic Park and Schindler's List at the same time?
My main beef with him is I find he leans too sentimental for my tastes and sometimes I walk away from movies thinking even though it was well made, he wasn't the right person for that story. I often think this with his more dramatic movies.
One sign that I should rank him higher on my personal list is I have trouble narrowing it down to just 5-10 of my favorites of his. That's a sign of a great career and doing a variety of movies. First off the board for me is Jaws followed by Jurassic Park. The next waves of favorites is: Close Encounters, Schindler's List, Minority Report, and The Fabelmans. But that leaves of Indy movies, E.T., Duel, Private Ryan, Catch Me if You Can, Munich, and others that I also really like and would have no gripes about watching again. Maybe not my personal favorite, but should definitely be in any discussion of top 10 directors.