The next Spielberg

All of us have seen at least one of Steven Spielberg's films.  Most of us have seen more than one.  The guy has given us some of the best movies over the last four decades.  Here's a list of some of the movies he has directed: Jaws, Indiana Jones films, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and ET. These are some of the most popular and admired movies of all time.  This guy is the best at what he does.  Few directors have come close to him. But some people have made a list of directors that are considered "the next Spielberg." Some of them are James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Michael Bay(yea I gasped too), and JJ Abrams.  Now some of these guys have made some extraordinary movies that have become extremely popular in our culture.  But I'm going to make the argument for one guy I believe is the closest to Spielberg.  His name is Christopher Nolan.

Some of you make recognize his name and some of you don't. All you need to know is that this guy is responsible for the last two Batman movies.  Need I say more? But yea this guy has made some amazing movies over this last decade.  From Memento to Batman Begins to The Dark Knight to Inception.  Not only has he directed these movies, he also wrote them.  Brilliant dialogue mixed with stunning action sequences and visuals have made these movies classics over the last decade.  Mr. Nolan is a director that really loves the audience and knows that they're intelligent and aren't just looking for explosions and entertainment.  He knows they're looking for an experience.  Other directors give us great action and loads of humor, but then there's nothing else.  Nolan's movies have depth. They have characters that people really identify with.  Spielberg accomplished this especially with movies like Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Saving Private Ryan. 

Both of these directors really want to give audiences an experience.  With rising costs in movie tickets people don't want to just sit in a two hour movie watching explosions and listening to mediocre jokes and shallow acting.  They want something more.  Spielberg gave us stories and scenes that have become part of movie history.  Nolan has also given us amazing stories in the Batman films and in the thought provoking film Inception. 

The Dark Knight Rises comes out on Friday and the expectations are arguably the highest ever for a third film.  This could go down as the greatest trilogy of all time challenging the likes of Lord of the Rings and dare I say....Star Wars( I doubt it will though).  It's comforting to know there's a director like Nolan out there who will make good films that will not only entertain us but will provide us with an experience that we will remember for years. 

This weekend I'll give my review of the Dark Knight Rises.

What about the Thunder?

This has been one crazy offseason for the NBA. From Deron Williams deciding to stay in Brooklyn for a hefty 98 million dollar deal to Ray Allen going to the dark side in Miami.  Then came Steve Nash's decision to leave the desert and join rival Kobe Bryant in the quest for a championship(his first).  Yes with the addition of Nash, the Lakers are suddenly a better team.  Nash is one of the best point guards of all time. We all know that.  But what bothers me, and a lot of other people, is that the Lakers are now being labeled as "the big threat in the West" or as the "only team to dethrone the Heat."

Have they completely forgotten about the Thunder? The team that came out of the Western Conference this year? The team that just beat the best West teams of the last decade in the playoffs? The team with the BEST player in the NBA? I could go on and on.  These people on ESPN are saying that the Lakers are the only team who can beat the mighty Heat.  Yes the Lakers are a good team. They have Kobe Bryant who is one of the greatest players of all time.  There's no dispute there.  But the guy is 34 years old and is now teaming up with another legend in Steve Nash, who is turning 38 this year himself.  So yes they do have experience on their side.  A lot more than the Thunder.  But who really expected the young Thunder to be this good? I don't think anyone did.  We all knew they were talented and that Durant could be an amazing player.  But reaching the Finals in their fourth year playing together? That's crazy.  What's even crazier is that most of these guys are in their early 20s. They're very mature for their age, especially Durant.  America has fallen in love with these guys.  They are the future of the NBA.

My point with all this is that I wish the Thunder would get more respect.  Is it still because they play in Oklahoma City and not in some big city like LA or Miami? I don't know.  I just don't think we'll really get the respect we deserve until we win a championship, which will be next year.  I hope these guys on ESPN will realize how good we really are and keep us in the contender talk each year.  Miami is very good and it's going to take a very good team to beat them.  I don't think it's the Lakers.  The Thunder is the team to beat in the West and will dethrone the Heat next year.  That will start the Thunder dynasty.