No, but as evidenced by the fact that I've never brought up Jack and Jill once, that's not an opinion I care about. I read White the same way people have always read Kael; look for the films and directors that clearly left a major impression on him/her, and know when the recommendations are minor instead of major. For instance, Kael liked the 1976 King Kong, but compared to her passion for The Godfather, Taxi Driver, E.T., Altman, and De Palma, who cares about Kong? White actually seems to have a wider range of taste than Kael did...what other critic would include both a Godard and a David Lean film in their top 10 of all time? It's the most excitingly eclectic taste I've come across.

I swallow White's reviews, yes, but not blindly. I know his opinions are the right ones when I understand and appreciate his perspective. Sometimes this takes more than one read, or more than one sit through of the film in question, but it's almost always worthwhile. It's only on White's recommendations that I rediscovered Spielberg in the first place.

You're backpeddling on Jack and Jill because you can't justify it. The reason for this is that it is unjustifiable, yet in the first instance you defended it blindly merely for the fact that Armond White gave it a good review. Based on nonsense I might add. In retrospect it reads like the ramblings of a drunken oaf.

And I don't believe it took White to direct you to Spielberg. Who taught you to breath and digest food?

Spielberg is a great director, because his films cannot be dated or chained to a time-frame. His perspective has always been his own, and his power as a director/producer has made him able to imprint that worldview onto his films without compromise. The only thing people seem to hate about Spielberg is his propensity to look for a bright side when other directors settle for gloom. Dark is never the correct default, just as light cannot be. Why hate on the guy for allowing a little hope into his films? It's not as if Lodge Kerrigan ever gets derided for making joyless films about clouds without sliver linings. I never understood why the critical cognoscenti always goes for the downer over the upper. School says they're both harmful. Most of all, I think it's because people who fashion themselves as intellectual consider optimism the refuge of idiots and jesters. The ongoing scrutiny of Schindler's List can be seen as further proof of how blind modern critics have become to alternate perspectives in film.

Agreed 100%. Couldn't have said it better myself. The exact same is happening in music (I mention that because that's what I do so I know what I am talking about). I would say it started to seep into every corner of mainstream in the mid 90s. All of a sudden it was "forbidden" to sound "pretty". I have talked about this with many people I consider very intelligent. I tried to come up with a reason for that. I think it has a lot to do with the fashion industry which somehow gradually gained influence of certain media such as tv commercials and pop music. The gloom over hope thing is perhaps even more pronounced here in Europe. One of the reasons people accept this without asking any further questions is: anything hopeful or "pretty" raises feelings many people might be very uncomfortable with. It's easier to hide behind a mask of pessimism. It's easier and safer to like things which are "cool" or "badass". Pretty and hopeful is for pussies. Even composer John Williams has been criticized as being too much "easy listening". The fact that still many people love his work (including yours truly) is proof how brilliant the man actually is: the quality of his body of work is obvious even to half deaf morons who can't help but follow pre-fabricated opinions. The fact that John Williams is almost exclusively Spielberg's first choice for the music score tells a lot about Spielberg himself...

I'd suggest that his point of view has grown somewhat less sunny in the years since Schindler's List, but it's a hard-won reputation that he'll probably never shake.

Very well put; I think his movies contain moments of darkness, but are always fundamentally built on optimistic ideas. He also doesn't let "realism" get in the way of imagination, which sad to say is not fashionable right now.



I also saw Jack and Jill and enjoyed it, if that makes any difference.