Steven Spielberg

A collection of 40 posts

Disclosure Day

Disclosure Day (2026)

I've been wrestling with my mixed feelings about the new Spielberg film since I first saw it a few weeks ago. It's inspired a 4,000-word review!

Empire of the Sun

The Boy Who Believed in Airplanes: reflections on Empire of the Sun (1987)

In my last Good Letters column for Image, I turned to Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun as a way to express my vision and gratitude.

Podcast

Why I love the collaborations of John Williams and Steven Spielberg

Timothy Greiving, author of the incredible book John Williams: A Composer’s Life, is a generous guy. He could bring all kinds of superstars to this table, as he travels the globe interviewing the great film composers and their filmmaking collaborators. And I suspect that, over time, he will. But

By My Lights

By My Lights: A December 17 Surprise Package

Some recent highlights from my recent incoming texts, the news feed, and the Coming Soon movie calendar.

The Establishing Shot

Reconstruction of The Fabelmans

Eli Price interviews me about Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, and its place in the legendary director's filmography.

Steven Spielberg

Indiana Jones and the Fall of My Favorite Hero

Journal

Cinemarginalia: September 14

This is the first installment in an new weekly series of miscellany-loaded posts. This one includes notes on my recent encounters with Blue Jay, Luce, War of the Worlds, The Peanut Butter Falcon, and more!

Film Review

Ready Player One (2018)

Spielberg gets lost in nostalgia, serving up a flashy but frustrating contradiction.

Meryl Streep

Spielberg invites you to Post dramatic stress

Even if you know this story of #RealNews and a crooked government, your nerves will be singed by this slow-burn Spielberg drama.

Film Review

The BFG (2016)

Once upon a time, a father and son saw Steven Spielberg's "The BFG." You won't believe what happened next.

On Books & Writing

Is there a better review of Raiders on the Internet?

C.S. Lewis once said, "An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only." Ah, but there are so many books! How does one decide which volumes to read a second time? Lewis's line might be revised to apply to moviegoers: Those

On Movies & Media

My history with the raptors

Just like every other moviegoer on the planet, I had a blast attending the theatrical opening of Jurassic Park in 1993. I remember laughing for joy at the blissful terror of the T-Rex's entrance, and laughing even harder when I saw my friends Eric and Matt crawling

On Movies & Media

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Five years ago this week, I was so excited about seeing Harrison Ford return to the role of Indiana Jones — and even more excited about seeing Karen Allen return to the role of Marion Ravenwood — that I had a great time watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Then I saw the film

On Movies & Media

35 Years Ago Today, Strange Lights Filled the Sky

Today's anniversary nearly slipped past me. But then a tweet from actor Richard Dreyfuss caught my eye...

On Movies & Media

Lincoln (2012)

This time, Spielberg focuses on the delicate art of bringing characters to life instead of the anxious work of provoking one's audience into reacting.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Abraham Lincoln: A Trailer, A Speech, and "Divine Providence"

Here's the trailer for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. But that's just the beginning. Since America will have Lincoln on the mind in the coming weeks, I encourage everyone to read the text of Abraham Lincoln's amazing Second Inaugural Address. Read it out loud. And then, well,

Politics

Looking Elsewhere: September 10, 2012

Spielberg teases Lincoln; Clint Eastwood: Conservative?; Joss Whedon's Shakespeare; Steven Greydanus Sings to Babies!

On Movies & Media

Indiana Jones and the Fall of My Favorite Hero, Part One: King of Heroes?

On June 12, 1981, moviegoers watched Indiana Jones disarm a gunslinging traitor with one swift lash of his bullwhip. The bloodied villain, caught red-handed (literally), fled, and we saw Harrison Ford’s glare smolder beneath the brim of that fedora for the first time. We knew he meant business.

On Movies & Media

War Horse (2011)

[This review was originally published at Good Letters, the blog hosted by Image.] • Was there a horse story in your childhood? My wife Anne cherished Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, C.W. Anderson’sThe Blind Connemara, and Marguerite Henry’s Stormy and White Stallion of Lipizza. When she wasn’t

On Movies & Media

The Fearsome and the Childlike in the Films of Steven Spielberg

In my book Through a Screen Darkly, I wrote quite a bit about the films of Steven Spielberg. But those thoughts are scattered throughout the book. Today you can read my new overview of Spielberg's entire career as a director... It's been posted at Christianity Today.

On Movies & Media

May I Suggest Daniel Day-Lewis as Moses?

Rumors have been rumbling, and now Twitch seems to be confident: Steven Spielberg appears to be in talks with Warner Brothers to direct a film about the life of Moses. They say: Scripted by Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine the film aims to tell the entire story of Moses'

On Movies & Media

My Kind of Loser.

To continue this week of celebrating the 30th anniversary of my favorite adventure movie, here's an excerpt from my memoir of dangerous moviegoing... the book called Through a Screen Darkly: • The Paramount Studios logo — a crooked, rocky peak — fades out, replaced by a real-world equivalent, a stone

On Movies & Media

30 years later, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is Still, For a Lot of Moviegoers (Including Me), the Big Screen's Greatest Adventure.

Apparently, I'm not the only one... Here's Ryan Holt: They had forgotten how violent the film actually is, but my interest level was so high that they lacked the heart to turn the film off. So the three of us sat there, and I, who was

On Movies & Media

Ebert defends Indy's Standing-O; C.S. Lewis on Mysticism

Indy's standing-o Indiana Jones IV got a standing ovation at Cannes. And Ebert thinks it was genuine. * What did C.S. Lewis have to say about mysticism? Listen to this intriguing podcast at The Kindlings Muse... The Riddle of Joy

On Movies & Media

The Terminal (2004)

[This review was originally published at Christianity Today.] Near the end of Steven Spielberg's new film The Terminal — an ambitious, whimsical and sentimental movie similar in tone and gloss to 2001's Catch Me If You Can — one of the characters proves to be quite a juggler.