Calling Dr. Jones

Well I cannot say I am completely shocked that "Raiders" won this poll. I must say, however, that I am somewhat surprised that "Schindler's List" or "Ryan" didn't edge it out. Most of the "critics" would consider them far superior. They are both fantastic movies and if you voted for them, you will find no argument from me.

I remember when "Raiders" was released. I was eleven and man was it cool. I will never forget what was my favorite part then and remains so until this day. When the guy is swinging the swords and acting all Billy Badass, and Indy just shoots him. I remember thinking "hell yes, why doesn't everyone just do that?" The entire movie is great. That German guy who burns his hand on the amulet and cools it in the snow is a malevolent villain. The seamless changing of locales and the characters that come along with those changes are what gives the movie its roller-coaster feel.

You are sucked in from the first moment of the movie in the rolling boulder scene. The action rarely lets up and keeps you enthralled and thrilled. When it came out, I didn't know Harrison Ford as anything except Han Solo (I hadn't seen American Graffitti at age 11) so I was expecting something pretty cool from his performance. I wasn't disappointed. As you probably know, Tom Selleck was originally scheduled to play Indy but TV conflicts precluded it. Chalk that one up to fate. No one could have done a better job as the everyman archaeologist. What makes Ford stand out in my mind is his ability to look helpless while being productive in an impossible situation. He pretty much does this in every movie but it really works in "Raiders".

Another of my favorite things about Ford is his ability to look pissed. If you will notice, in most of his movies, there is usually a point when he has had enough and decides to say, through just a look, "Fuck this! I am kicking someone's ass." Of course in the Indy movies, this look is always followed by the familiar John Williams theme so that there is no mistake that Indy is going into ass kicking mode.

I have previously discussed "Ryan" and "Schindler" in the Best 90's Drama commentary. "Jaws" was, as far as I know, the genesis of the "summer" movie. It made about a hundred gajillion dollars and spawned several bad sequels. Which brings me to this point. I heard that Spielberg decided to do "Lost World" because he didn't want it to fall into the hands of another director and turn into something as bad as "Jaws 3". Good call Stephen. The only problem is, it still sucked. When I saw "Lost World", I came out of the theater saying "I know that movie wasn't as bad as I think it was." Well, I've seen it again, and it was that bad. The only cool sequence in the whole movie, in my estimation, was the run through the savannah when the velociraptors were chasing the workers. Spielberg used an overhead shot that only showed the raptors cutting through the grass and then plucking the people under. I think this was a reference to "Jaws" in the vein of what you can't actually see is sometimes the scariest thing of all. Plus it looke d like the savannah was an ocean and the people running through it were swimmers.

Spielberg has thrilled us, made us laugh, and made us cry. I look forward to all of his movies, hoping the next one is "Jurassic Park" and not "Hook". Let's hope he decides on something soon as it's been a while since he has graced us with anything.

The new poll will head to the links. Who is the best golfer of all time? Has Tiger already assumed this spot? Let's find out.

Poll Topic: Best Spielberg Movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark	26.9% - (161 Votes)
Saving Private Ryan	21.7% - (130 Votes)
Schindler's List	17.5% - (105 Votes)
Jaws	8.5% - (51 Votes)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	5.5% - (33 Votes)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	5% - (30 Votes)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind	4.5% - (27 Votes)
Jurassic Park	2.6% - (16 Votes)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom	1.8% - (11 Votes)
Empire of the Sun	1.5% - (9 Votes)
The Color Purple	1.3% - (8 Votes)
1941	1.1% - (7 Votes)
Amistad	0.5% - (3 Votes)
Always	0.5% - (3 Votes)
Hook	0.3% - (2 Votes)
The Sugarland Express	0.1% - (1 Votes)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2	0% - (0 Votes)
Total Votes: 597