So if you had to pick 8 Spielberg-directed movies...

[Black Diamond Vol]

...for a box set, would these be the ones?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/02/steven-spielberg-directors-collection-blu-ray-boxset-announced

Jaws and ET, absolutely.  And though I personally hated Jurassic Park, there's no denying it's place in cinematic history- so I guess I can deal with its inclusion.  But the others?  Meh.  Where's Raiders?  Where's Schindler's List?  Saving Private Ryan?  Close Encounters? 

[droner]

...for a box set, would these be the ones?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/02/steven-spielberg-directors-collection-blu-ray-boxset-announced

Jaws and ET, absolutely.  And though I personally hated Jurassic Park, there's no denying it's place in cinematic history- so I guess I can deal with its inclusion.  But the others?  Meh.  Where's Raiders?  Where's Schindler's List?  Saving Private Ryan?  Close Encounters? 

I liked 1941 but I wouldn't put it as one his 8 most memorable.

[73Volgrad]

1941 is memorable because of how really bad it was. Too long for the three minutes of plot in the movie.

[Volznut]

If I had to pick 8 they would be:

ET
Close Encounters
Jaws
Jurassic Park (the first one)
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Indiana Jones (1 and 3)
Catch me if you can

[Black Diamond Vol]

If I had to pick 8 they would be:

ET
Close Encounters
Jaws
Jurassic Park (the first one)
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Indiana Jones (1 and 3)
Catch me if you can

I think my list would be nearly identical- but I'd replace CMIYC with Poltergeist.  That movie haunted my childhood.

[EmerilVOL]

...for a box set, would these be the ones?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/02/steven-spielberg-directors-collection-blu-ray-boxset-announced

Jaws and ET, absolutely.  And though I personally hated Jurassic Park, there's no denying it's place in cinematic history- so I guess I can deal with its inclusion.  But the others?  Meh.  Where's Raiders?  Where's Schindler's List?  Saving Private Ryan?  Close Encounters? 

I would have to choose the following

Raiders of the Lost Ark (the definition of a serial movie franchise)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
ET
Jurrasic Park (it was ground breaking for effects and story)
Saving Private Ryan (gritty action movie)
Poltergeist (almost as good as Hitchcock in his heyday)


throw in Indiana Jones Number 3 and 1941 as movies done by Speilberg and you are good to go

But I am not a big fan of Jaws....it was too contrived in a lot of ways....and while the acting was superb it seemed that it was more of a fishy movie the further it went along.  Just did not make me want to see it over and over.   Schindler's list was another of Speilberg's great movies, but it is not a movie I would want to see over and over and over.  Catch Me If You Can was a moderately kind of crazy story that Speilberg does to take his mind of his serial hits. 

[BanditVol]

1941 is memorable because of how really bad it was. Too long for the three minutes of plot in the movie.

I'm with you on that.  I don't see why anyone likes it.

[BanditVol]

I think my list would be nearly identical- but I'd replace CMIYC with Poltergeist.  That movie haunted my childhood.

I saw you make this comment the other day, and then recently I had a chance to re-watch Poltergeist.  And I recalled why I didn't like it.  The first hour or so is very good, brilliant even and even has some pretty good humor to boot (like when the teenage girl flips off the construction workers...lol...that's a classic).

But man....it was waaaaayyyyyyy toooooooooo llllllooooonnnnngggg on the backside.   Unlike most Spielberg movies it seemed to take forever to setup the final scene and play it out.  It was like the plot starts moving in molasses.  And IIRC, that was one of the criticisms of it when it came out...that it took about an hour too long to finish.

That and the psychic lady was too goofball to be believable, but that's a relatively minor point.  I struggled to make it to the end, and that is exactly how I reacted the first time I saw it (on VHS, not in the theater...didn't get a chance to see the first release).

Just MO.  

[BanditVol]

As for your main point, I saw Duel for the first time the other day, and did not realize it was Spielberg.  Thinking about it, it does have many of his trademarks.  If you click the title in the link you provided, you will see that it is described as his "breakthrough", which is probably why it's included.  Sugarland Express, which I had never heard of, is described as his "first feature".  So those two would seem to be included for "historical purposes" and not because they are considered one of his 8 greatest.

You also never know what contractual considerations are involved with the different studios, but I don't think the 8 are the "greatest" as much as perhaps what he considers a historical collection that reflects his career.

[BanditVol]

So having said that, and taking a closer look, why on Earth is he doubling up on Jurassic Park?  That makes no sense at all. 

I think since Universal is releasing the set, likely they were the original studio on all these and don't have rights to the others and/or don't want to pay other studios for the rights.

[Volznut]

Poltergeist never did it for me, I have never been into that type of stuff.

Jurassic Park 2 and 3 were beyond awful.

[Clockwork Orange]

But I am not a big fan of Jaws....it was too contrived in a lot of ways....and while the acting was superb it seemed that it was more of a fishy movie the further it went along.  Just did not make me want to see it over and over. 

Oh my. I could not disagree more. I absolutely love Jaws and it's one of those movies I can't just flip by when it's on. I have to watch. Brilliant filmmaking, IMO.

Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed.

I had a little drink about an hour ago, and it's gone right to my head . . .