40 Celebrities We Need To Keep Safe From 2016

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 17: Director Steven Spielberg attends the UK film premiere of the BFG on July 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

19. Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg isn’t cool. He made his name with escapist potboilers and feel-good fantasies in an era when gritty crime dramas and cynical political thrillers dominated the zeitgeist; he was the status quo against which directors like Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet rebelled. And, aside from the occasional detour into prestige period-piece territory, he remains remarkably unchanged 30 years later.

Yet, even while bemoaning his apparent lack of interest in people other than straight white men, I frequently find myself in awe of Spielberg. Few modern filmmakers have such a firm grasp on the language of cinema, the art of manipulating images and sounds to communicate meaning. His best blockbusters operate like a well-disciplined orchestra, discrete elements coalescing in such perfect harmony that you don’t notice the craft and effort involved, striking just the right balance between grandeur and finesse. His best dramas are full of quiet passion and devoid of pretension, their substance packaged in style. No matter the budget or genre, he knows how to tell a story.

I mean, do I have to list his achievements? Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial are indisputable classics. Schindler’s List is the best historical epic ever, and A.I. and Minority Report are the best science-fiction works of the century so far. With Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, he set the standard for battle scenes in both film and television. Spielberg didn’t just change cinema; to me, he is cinema. Nothing says “movie magic” like the sight of a boy and alien cycling across the moon to the soaring strains of John William’s orchestra. I can’t imagine Hollywood without him.

-Amy

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