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Jaws is Stephen Spielberg’s best movie


His masterpiece

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For a self-fancied movie buff, you mostly tend to endorse middlebrow films widely familiar to the general public.

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What Spielberg films aren’t middle brow films widely familiar to the general public? 🤔

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Munich.

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Munich is good, but it’s still a pretty paint by numbers popcorn flick.

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Other than his pre-Jaws work, not much.

I'm not criticizing the recommendation, just wondering when you're going to mention a hidden gem or something like that.

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I guess I don’t really have access to or knowledge of them. I’ve heard Cachè is very good, been meaning to watch. Any recommendations?

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Here's a random grab bag:

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
Slither (2006)
Pump up the Volume (1990)
The Big Steal (1990)
Lifeguard (1976)
The Domino Principle (1977)
Inside Moves (1980)

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Pump Up the Volume is awesome!

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I could see that, or Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Yup, very close second. I think he got worse with time.

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That's a reasonable argument, no denying Jaws is one of a kind. I wouldn't say it's Spielberg's best film, but that's subjective I guess. My top 10 would go something like this:

1. Schindler's List
2. The Color Purple
3. Jaws
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
6. Jurassic Park
7. Catch Me If You Can
8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
9. Empire of the Sun
10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

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Good list, never saw The Color Purple or Empire of the Sun. Catch Me If You Can is DiCaprio’s best performance other than Gilbert Grape I think. I’d put Minority Report on there.

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No love for Close Encounters?

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I agree. It’s the perfect thriller. Every scene feels iconic. The characters are burned into our memories. It’s a grand adventure that even kids can watch, but it’s got serious horror film vibes, shocking/realistic violence, and a strong sense of foreboding and dread, combined with the triumph of human ingenuity. It is possibly the most perfect high concept movie. There’s a reason its template has been copied over and over again.

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Agreed. The drinking scene below deck with the Indianapolis monologue is one the most haunting things put to film.

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Jaws and Jurassic Park are his only movies that I really enjoy. Others are meh and a lot I just don't like.

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Duel is his masterpiece.

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Yeah. I've seen Duel more times. I still like Jaws. But Duel hardly let's up.

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