Typical Spielberg dispatch ... and yet, I'm heartened.

And, for the first time since this was announced, actually a little excited.

Although that may have more to do with Cate Blanchett looking like she wants to kick my ass and interrogate me.

She had her kicks.

Your bullshit opinions on Kaminski have already been shot down and spread around the internet with a laugh. I don't have the time or the desire to fight it again, but I am heartened that you can't actually think of anything bad to say about Speilberg just this once. I would have thought you might have attacked him for being happy with what he shot.

This looks like a lot of fun...Harrison Ford's career has been a complete disaster for the past 15 years. No one has disappointed me more. I'm excited to see him teaming up with a big director again even if it's for a Part 4. Is it true that Spielberg's next movie is this Chicago 7 movie with Sascha Baron Cohen as Abby Hoffman? What is up with Interstellar and Lincoln? Any word on his post-Indy plans yet?

If I had to guess, he makes CHICAGO 7 by the end of this year to run for Oscars. Fits his pace. Also, christian, nice post.

Why even get Kaminski then? Is ever capable DP from the 80's dead?

And why would Kaminski feel compelled to accept? Is he that scared that Steven won't let him back on the train if he gets off for one stop?

"Janusz Kaminski, renowned and dreaded for his repeated use of oppressively milky, white-sunlight-saturated color."

Seriously Jeff, get a subscription to American Cinematographer. Your descriptions of cinematography are bizarre and borderline incoherent.

Off-topic, but not quite: discussion of our love/hate relationship with tracking shots over at CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/02/film.atonement.trackingshot.ap/index.html

Cate looks like Glenda Jackson in Women in Love--except for the uni, of course.

Glenn Erickson also weighs in on tracking shots: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant

Aaron Sorkin (who penned the CHICAGO 7 script) has said that the movie was supposed to start shooting in March, depending on the strike of course. So that seems to indicate that Spielberg intends to make it his next film. The recent announcement of Sacha Baron Cohen being cast as Abbie Hoffman seems to reinforce this.

Not sure where this puts LINCOLN though, as I thought the biopic was supposed to come out on the bicentennial of Abe's birth (Feb. 12, 2009). I know Spielberg can churn out films faster than anyone, but I doubt he'll be able to do post work on INDY 4, film CHICAGO 7 and LINCOLN in enough time for the latter to come out on Feb. 12. INTERSTELLAR will come out after all of these, as Jonah Nolan is still working on the script.

More telling are the comments made by George "I just want to make art films" Lucas:

http://therecshow.com/2008/01/02/lucas-and-the-ultimate-bad-guy/

I'm surprised you were able to hold back the Spielberg hate here.. but what's this? Some Janusz Kaminski hate? Yeah the cinematography on The Diving Bell sure sucked, didn't it...

mark, the original dp is in his 90s now . . . last crusade was the last film he shot

The new Indian Jones movie is gonna be AWESOME!

- Guy who enthuses over the awesomeness of movies long before actually seeing them (and AICN regular)

If you look at the previously released Crystal Skull photos (IMDb has them) you can see that Kaminski is going for a theatrical lighting style that's consistent with the Douglas Slocombe look.

This Vanity Fair article talks a bit about Spielberg's legacy, comparing him to Normal Rockwell in that his critical reputation is likely to increase. Expect a denunciation from Wells shortly.

Looks like a $200 million kiddie play to me....

Breed: "Is it true that Spielberg's next movie is this Chicago 7 movie with Sascha Baron Cohen as Abby Hoffman?"

Yeah, that's gonna be a big mistake. Especially since the only one in Hollywood who even came close to getting Hoffman right so far is Zemeckis in Forrest Gump. (*cough* Steal This Movie and Chicago 10 *cough*)

Those pants give Blanchett something I haven't seen on her in years: curves.

who the hell cares about the Chicago 7? Didn't these people end up selling out to the man. What exactly did they do for us? Cause after the Chicago 7, we cleaned up our government and stopped invading countries for unpopular wars. I'd rather go see a movie about the Radio programmer that invented "Two for Tuesday" than sit through two hours of this "weren't we so great in the '60s handjob festival."

I have to say, this sort of quote about swallowing pride and looking at the first 3 films is very encouraging.

I am also encouraged by George Lucas' statements in the article. I was wary of the whole "alien" angle, but George explains that he and Spielberg see this movie as more of a 50's "monster invasion" than a 30's Republic serial. If Ford is able to channel his inner Kenneth Tobey or Richard Denning, this movie could be a lot of fun.

I'm amused how Wells regards this as some sort of moral victory.
a) Because he honestly believes that Kaminski is "bad' and that everyone agrees with him on this count and
b) Because Spielberg is only demonstrating what most of us here already know: He's not an idiot.

If Wells read the whole article he'd come across this obvious-but-accurate Lucas quote:
“I know the critics are going to hate it,” he says. “They already hate it. So there’s nothing we can do about that. They hate the idea that we’re making another one. They’ve already made up their minds.”

Lucas doesn't SAY, "some guys are even calling Harrison, 'Festus!'" but we all know how to read between the lines and see how shaken he truly is.

We should all look forward to Wells targeting bloated hack Michael Kahn before too long. "Notoriously loathed for his chop-chop editing style, his sloppy work-too-fast habits and his toadying to history's greatest monster, Spielberg himself..."

Laugh out loud funny, jeffmcm.

I was always curious how Spielberg was going to handle the "Januz" issue. Because the first three movies look AMAZINGLY similar, it'd be pretty stupid to just up and change the look and texture.

Guess he's not stupid. To Jeff's credit, there are others who find Kaminski's backlit style of lighting in some scenes not to their liking. A.I., started this backlash, but what Jeff wrote is a bit much.

Michael Kahn is one of the best editors in cinema today, and probaly of all time. I'd say he and Stephen Mirrione (Traffic, Babel) are the best around.

If this film only grosses $600m worldwide will Wells consider himself part of the team that took down Indiana Jones?

Kaminksy does have a distinctive style which can involve blown-out whites and atmospheric smoke but that is hardly what ALL of his movies look like - that's the problem with Wells' logic.

Someone with limited film knowledge might guess that The Terminal, AI and Minority Report had the same DP but I don't think you could say the same about Munich, Schindler's List and Jerry Maguire.

Obviously he has the talent to modulate his style and if he's been pushing it on Spielberg a bit lately, it's not surprising that Spielberg told him that the Indy aesthetic had to take precedent.

The fact that Spielberg has stuck with him so long and that he trusted him to handle Indy says a lot more about how respected Kaminski is than the rantings of a beloved web columnist who calls his work "renowned and dreaded."

Jeffmcm, you forgot to mention the fact that Kahn and Spielberg still cut on a moviola. That alone should be cause to drag their names into the mud.

This is definitely exciting news. I watched the first three Indy films over the weekend because my wife had never seen them. I was curious/concerned as to how the new one would look. One thing I also noticed is that these films are loaded with slapstick. But not in a bad way. It works, so I'm curious as to how well that schtick will play almost 20 years since Last Crusade.

She may work very closer with her director, but Thelma Schoonmaker is just as good if not better than Kahn and Mirrone.

And it would be nice to mention Dede Allen as well.

Fuck the haters, cause Kaminski's work in "The Diving Bell" is glorious. "dreaded" by whom? Oh, that's right.

Him. Well, not with a capital "H".

I like the Louise Brooks hairstyle.

Sascha Baron Cohen as Abby Hoffman

Jesus, he's tall enough to be two Abby Hoffmans. Just as Vincent D'Onofrio was big enough to be three.

Michael Kahn is one of the best editors in cinema today, and probaly of all time. I'd say he and Stephen Mirrione (Traffic, Babel) are the best around.

Editing was pretty much the only part of Babel I found impressive, so no problem with these two, but aren't we forgetting Walter Murch?

And Thelma Schoonmaker?

Ooops. I need to read from the top down, not the bottom up.

"Jesus, he's tall enough to be two Abby Hoffmans. Just as Vincent D'Onofrio was big enough to be three."

They should cast Vin Diesel and go for five Abby Hoffmans.

"I have got to get my wife to put on an outfit like that, tie me up, hit me, and then give me a blowjob." - York "Budd" Durden

Shouldn't she tie you up, give you a blowjob, and then hit you?

No wait - you're absolutely correct. It's important to get the order right.

re: Editors

Walter Murch you could easily argue is one of the Best Editors ever, certainly in the modern era. Thelma Schoonmaker as well. Verna Fields, great old school editor too.

But Michael Kahn is on that list too. Christopher Rouse, who works closely with Paul Greengrass, I believe will be on that list too someday after a few more movies.

What about Claire Simpson?

Her work on THE CONSTANT GARDENER and PLATOON is fricking legendary.

I honestly can't take Cate Blanchett seriously in that get-up. All I can think of is Natasha from the live-action Rocky and Bullwinkle movie.

My dear boy, it's not that we want to take her seriously, it's that we want her to take US seriously, and repeatedly.

She's alright, if you have a mime fetish...

"What is up with ... Lincoln?"

Tony Kushner only turned in the first draft shortly before the strike began(if indeed it even made it in).