This June, Establishing Shot will feature a miniseries we’re calling Here’s Looking at You, 2002 as we take a look back at films celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Up first, we have Jesse Pasternack’s appreciation of a Steven Spielberg classic that deserves a reappraisal. It might seem strange to describe Catch Me If You… Read more »
Tag: Steven Spielberg
The Cinematic Wonders of Close Encounters of the Third Kind
“What makes a man leave bed and board And turn his back on home? Ride away, ride away, ride away.” — Stan Jones, theme song from The Searchers “Face to face…with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Steven Spielberg loves The Searchers (1956). He has repeatedly cited… Read more »
What is Real? Dinosaurs, Nostalgia, and a History of Cinematic Effects
When Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) was released, critics and audiences heaped praise on it for its “realistic” depiction of its star subjects: dinosaurs. Janet Maslin of The New York Times characterized them as “Amazingly graceful and convincing, they set a sky-high new standard for computer generated special effects.” Likewise, Kenneth Turan of The Los… Read more »
IU Cinema turns 6!
Six years ago today Indiana University Cinema launched its first season with an unforgettable screening of Lawrence of Arabia—officially transforming the University Theatre from its origins as a live performance space to an amazing place for film. I was finally seeing the film as it was meant to be experienced—beautifully projected on the big screen.