December 18th marks the birthday of one of film's greatest icons, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg has been powering out feature-length films since the early 70's in what has been an incredible career. He is a three-time Academy Award winner as he has inspired filmmakers such as James Cameron and Ridley Scott amongst many others. Spielberg happens to be my favourite director has brought some of my favourite films so it has never felt more appropriate to list some of my favourite films of his.
So this brings an opportunity for me to start a new type of series called 'Top 3', where I will make a short list of my three favourite films from an actor, franchise or in this case, a director. Of course, there are going to be some films that will miss out as it is only a list of three and I'm sure you'll probably disagree. This list is made up of my personal favourites and are the ones that resonate most with me.
3. Jaws
The one that defined the Summer Blockbuster comes in at number three. The only great shark movie ever made is a masterpiece from Spielberg in what was one of his first breakthroughs in Hollywood. The performances from Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss are all perfect as Spielberg crafts a tense, scary film without you seeing much of the famous predator. 'Jaws' use of practical effects is legendary and perfectly executed as it is accompanied by one of the most iconic pieces of music from John Williams. When it comes to film, you won't see a better low build executed than in 'Jaws' as even the legendary Alfred Hitchcock praised Spielberg's work with this film. For a film that was released in 1975, this film most definitely holds up and is a timeless classic. Even to this day, you'll still be afraid to go back into the water.
Favourite Moment: When the shark appears out of nowhere giving Scheider's Chief Brody and the audience the biggest fright of their life.
2. Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom
Coming at number two is technically the 'Indiana Jones' franchise- minus the fourth film. Instead of filling the list with the rest of the films, I've decided to go with my favourite from the series, 'Temple of Doom'. The darkest of the four films has a special place for me as it is the first of the series that I remember seeing as a child. There are dark moments as well as great, fun moments which combine to create a fantastic movie. Harrison Ford cements Indy's iconic character status in this film as 'Temple of Doom' delivers on all levels. There is so much to enjoy with this film, much like the two other original films but 'Temple of Doom' just nicks ahead of they two. The film did a great job at showing more of Indy's work bringing a new setting for a great adventure. The dark, mystical tone allows the film to separate itself from the original 'Raiders' and take it in a new direction. As the film to follow 'Raiders', it would have a lot of expectations to live up to.
Favourite Moment: Where Indy and Short Round are trapped in a room with spikes coming close to crush them, only Willie is able to save them. The scene has drama, tension and also comedy that works incredibly well.
