John Williams

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q131285: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by Wikidata joins them to Empire of the Sun, which Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri credits them on.

Counted as composer. The films the hosts said they scored, which the two lists below run through too: Jaws (1975); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977); Superman (1978); 1941 (1979); Heartbeeps (1981); Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); Empire of the Sun (1987); Home Alone (1990); JFK (1991); Schindler's List (1993); The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997); Saving Private Ryan (1998); A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001); Catch Me If You Can (2002); Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019); Fiddler on the Roof; Harry Potter; Harry Potter (first film, per Rickman's diary). Count them as writer (1 film) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Chuck Jones: 3 lines

  1. craft (craft) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Chuck Jones ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). Spielberg's staging has a Chuck Jones element, going back to Chuck Jones as a cartoon influence.
    “how important Chuck Jones was to Steven Spielberg at the time”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:36:15 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through 1941 (1979), which they scored: Chuck Jones ⇒ 1941 (the host's read). 1941 is Chuck Jones trying to come to life; Raiders uses the same storytelling with narrative discipline.
    “that is a Chuck Jones cartoon trying to come to life.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:36:24 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Chuck Jones ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). The wordless anticipation and subversion of Wile E. Coyote shows up in Indy's silent action beats.
    “the importance of anticipation, and how to visually, uh, sort of indicate to the audience, what the character thinks is going to happen”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:39:05 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

James Bond films (the franchise): 3 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: James Bond films (the franchise) ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the maker said so: Spielberg's account of the Hawaii conversation with Lucas). Lucas pitched Raiders to Spielberg as a better, American take on the Bond idea Spielberg had been wanting to do.
    “I have the I have the same basic idea, but better, and it's this Raiders of the Lost Ark idea.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 0:49:39 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: James Bond films (the franchise) ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). The Cairo plane fight with the burly Nazi is called a straight James Bond henchman scene.
    “that's that's a flat out James Bond jaw scene.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:50:56 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: James Bond films (the franchise) ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). Raiders borrowed the Bond villain structure: a refined man in a lair with separate gimmicky henchmen to fight.
    “that's a clear thing they lifted from James Bond very wisely, right?”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:50:59 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Dune (1984): 2 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read). The Dune book's messaging is credited as one of the things that inspired Star Wars.
    “And not only that, the messaging of this is one of the things that inspired Star Wars.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 0:22:22 · John Hodgman (0.70 sure it was them)
  2. theme (theme) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read). Dune's Fremen/revolution material is the denser source that Star Wars abstracts; the Force is Dune without the drugs.
    “the Force in Star Wars is like doom without the drugs.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 1:17:01 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)

Empire of the Sun (1987): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. contrast (method contrast) · through Schindler's List (1993), which they scored: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). On Schindler Spielberg refused to storyboard, almost as a reaction to criticism of the puppet-show control in Empire.
    “Schindler, the infamous thing, is that he was like, I won't storyboard this.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:31:40 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (dry run) · through Schindler's List (1993), which they scored: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). Schindler's List is the more successful grown-up film that erased Empire of the Sun from memory; it was seen as the dry run.
    “Look back as this was the dry run before he totally cracked it on Shell.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:30:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Jurassic Park (1993): 2 lines

  1. lineage (sequel-comparison) · through The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which they scored: Jurassic Park ⇒ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the host's read). The hosts judge the sequel as normalizing the dinosaurs too fast and dropping the wonder-before-terror structure of the original.
    “This movie normalizes the dinosaurs way too much.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 1:03:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (technology showed it was possible) · through A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which they scored: Jurassic Park ⇒ A.I. Artificial Intelligence (the host's read). The speaker says Kubrick, who first asked Spielberg to build a robot, saw Jurassic Park and reconsidered.
    “And then he sees Jurassic Park and he's once again like, well, wait a second.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eyes Wide Shut with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:31:56 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Stanley Kubrick: 2 lines

  1. unmapped (developed from unmade screenplay) · through A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which they scored: Stanley Kubrick ⇒ A.I. Artificial Intelligence (the host's read). A.I. is the Kubrick screenplay that Spielberg made.
    “AI is the is the cubic screenplay that Spielberg made.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:34:08 · unknown (0.45 sure it was them)
  2. career (inherited project) · through A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which they scored: Stanley Kubrick ⇒ A.I. Artificial Intelligence (the host's read). The speaker wonders whether Spielberg would mind A.I. being called half Kubrick's movie.
    “would he be offended in that kind of way of like, that's half Stanley's movie?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eyes Wide Shut with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:13:25 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Fabelmans (2022): 2 lines

  1. theme (theme) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: The Fabelmans ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). Marion's monkey scenes mirror Spielberg's mother's relationship with the monkey shown in The Fabelmans.
    “the relationship Marion has with the monkey, in that brief amount of screen time, feels so mirrored to his mother's relationship with the monkey”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:28:09 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. theme (theme) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: The Fabelmans ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). Marion is partly Spielberg's mother, which keeps her from being an idealized tough-girl fantasy.
    “it does feel like to some degree she's like his mom.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:28:40 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

Apocalypse Now (1979): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Saving Private Ryan (1998), which they scored: Apocalypse Now ⇒ Saving Private Ryan (the host's read). Two decades of Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Born made Ryan's grit necessary.
    “By the time Saving Private Ryan was released, moviegoers have spent two decades being confronted by the likes of Apocalypse Now in Platoon and born in the Fourth of July.”
    The Big Picture · 8. I Love America | Do We Get to Win This Time? · 1:00:36 · Brian Raftery (0.90 sure it was them)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): 1 line, within their own work

  1. theme (theme) · through E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which they scored: Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the host's read). Close Encounters sets a template for science fiction and for stories about families and divorce.
    “It sets a different kind of template for science fiction storytelling, for stories about families, for stories about obsession, for stories about divorce”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:19:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)

Dave Toschi: 1 line

  1. unmapped (namesake) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Dave Toschi ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read). Star Wars has a Tosche station, named after Dave Toschi.
    “It does. named after Dave Kosk.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:39:12 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

David Lean: 1 line

  1. lineage (origin of project) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: David Lean ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Lean asked Spielberg to check on the rights, then lost interest and handed the novel to him.
    “He asks Spielberg to check in on the rights for him.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:57:53 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): 1 line

  1. unmapped (dry run) · through Home Alone (1990), which they scored: Ferris Bueller's Day Off ⇒ Home Alone (the host's read). Rooney getting beaten up by the house is Hughes's dry run for Home Alone.
    “Hughes has like a dry run for home alone when when Rooney goes to the house.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:19:48 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)

Flash Gordon (Republic serial): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Flash Gordon (Republic serial) ⇒ Raiders of the Lost Ark (the host's read). Lucas conceived Indiana Jones as a B-picture at A-picture scale, like the old Republic serials.
    “let's make a sort of B picture at an A picture scale, right?”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 0:46:47 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Godzilla (1998): 1 line

  1. unmapped (intent) · through The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which they scored: Godzilla ⇒ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the host's read). A host suggests Spielberg wanted to make a Godzilla-style fun monster movie, which explains the San Diego ending.
    “I've always wanted to make like a Godzilla movie.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 0:26:03 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Gone with the Wind (1939): 1 line

  1. unmapped (scene reference) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Gone with the Wind ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Jim stands before the Gone with the Wind poster, echoing Spielberg's remark to Alice Walker that it is one of his favorites.
    “I mean, you have that moment where he's standing in front of the giant gone with the wind poster, right?”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:31:05 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

J.G. Ballard: 1 line

  1. lineage (source) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: J.G. Ballard ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). The novel is darker than the film, which sanitized it and condensed characters.
    “There is definitely a lot of sanitizing happening and a lot of kind of condensing of characters and turning them into more of a more of a Hollywoody plot element.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:01:53 · Bilge Ebiri (0.75 sure it was them)

Jaws (1975): 1 line, within their own work

  1. craft (shot design) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Jaws ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Spielberg reveals Malkovich in pieces like Jaws and Indiana Jones, withholding the hero shot.
    “he introduces him both like he's Jaws and like he's Indiana Jones”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

King Kong (2005): 1 line

  1. theme (plot trope) · through The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which they scored: King Kong ⇒ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the host's read). The T-Rex escaping a boat into a city is called a predictable King Kong move.
    “We've all seen King Kong.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 1:24:22 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Pinocchio: 1 line

  1. unmapped (template) · through A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which they scored: Pinocchio ⇒ A.I. Artificial Intelligence (the maker said so: Kubrick to the short story writer (Brian Aldiss), as the speaker tells it). Kubrick told the short story writer he wanted to combine the story with Pinocchio, per the speaker.
    “he was like, I want to take your story and combine it with Pinocchio.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eyes Wide Shut with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:30:27 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 1 line, within their own work

  1. craft (shot design) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Same slow reveal as Indiana Jones in pieces before the hero shot.
    “which similarly has the like Spielberg taking 5 minutes to show you Indiana Jones in pieces before you really get the hero shot”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Seven Samurai (1954): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Seven Samurai ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read). Mallory notes Lucas drew on Joseph Campbell, Seven Samurai, and Hidden Fortress, and the cycle of influence is now returning in Mulan.
    “Obviously, Joseph Campbell, as mentioned a moment ago. 7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)

The Hidden Fortress (1958): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: The Hidden Fortress ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read). Mallory lists Hidden Fortress among Lucas's influences.
    “7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)

The Lost World (1912): 1 line

  1. lineage (homage) · through The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which they scored: The Lost World ⇒ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the host's read). Crichton's sequel novel pays homage to Doyle's 1912 Lost World about an island of dinosaurs.
    “the novelist has also decided to sort of pay homage to Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 or whatever book, The Lost World.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 0:25:44 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Dune (1984): 2 lines

  1. programming (programming) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Dune (the host's read). Dune was positioned and released as the studio's answer to Star Wars, the next big space epic.
    “Uh, this movie is released with the energy of, here you go, here's the new Star Wars.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 0:22:17 · John Hodgman (0.85 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (tentpole hope) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Dune (the host's read). Dune was meant to be the new Star Wars franchise, Lynch writing the sequel, coloring books on shelves.
    “I thought it was going to be the Star Wars.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Starman with Katey Rich · 2:18:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Empire of the Sun (1987): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. craft (shot design) · through Jaws (1975), which they scored: Jaws ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Spielberg reveals Malkovich in pieces like Jaws and Indiana Jones, withholding the hero shot.
    “he introduces him both like he's Jaws and like he's Indiana Jones”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. craft (shot design) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Same slow reveal as Indiana Jones in pieces before the hero shot.
    “which similarly has the like Spielberg taking 5 minutes to show you Indiana Jones in pieces before you really get the hero shot”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): 2 lines

  1. contrast (contrast) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (the host's read). Willie Scott was built as the anti-Marion, which means doing the opposite of what works.
    “the anti-Marian means you're doing the opposite of what works.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:53:35 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (the host's read). Temple of Doom was a prequel partly to avoid doing the Nazis again.
    “part of the calculation of making a Temple of Doom, a prequel was that he didn't want to just do the Nazis again.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:59:23 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Schindler's List (1993): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. contrast (method contrast) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). On Schindler Spielberg refused to storyboard, almost as a reaction to criticism of the puppet-show control in Empire.
    “Schindler, the infamous thing, is that he was like, I won't storyboard this.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:31:40 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (dry run) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). Schindler's List is the more successful grown-up film that erased Empire of the Sun from memory; it was seen as the dry run.
    “Look back as this was the dry run before he totally cracked it on Shell.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:30:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens: 2 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (the host's read). The Force Awakens maps almost exactly onto A New Hope.
    “Force Awakens, which will maybe come up later on this podcast is in almost every respect.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:24:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (the host's read). It ports over Death Star, Tatooine and R2-D2 as Starkiller Base, Jakku and BB-8.
    “in place of the Death Star, you have star killer base.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 1:24:09 · Mallory Rubin (0.50 sure it was them)

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984): 1 line

  1. unmapped (tip of the hat) · through Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which they scored: Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ 2010: The Year We Make Contact (the host's read). Casting Balaban reads as a nod to Close Encounters; the speaker finds 2010 more in its shadow than 2001's.
    “And the Balaban casting feels like a real tip of the hat to that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2010: The Year We Make Contact · 0:28:46 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

Alien (1979): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Alien (the host's read). In Star Wars' wake came Alien and Blade Runner rather than more 4-color space operas.
    “the Star Wars Halo effect are like alien.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 1:13:21 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Arachnophobia: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Jaws (1975), which they scored: Jaws ⇒ Arachnophobia (the host's read). Arachnophobia is Jaws with spiders.
    “it's sort of like Jaws, but with spiders”
    The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 1:34:36 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Arthur C. Clarke: 1 line

  1. lineage (why the sequel got written) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Arthur C. Clarke (the host's read). The speaker thinks the post-Star Wars sci-fi rush is what kickstarted Clarke finally writing the follow-up.
    “I mean, I'm realizing the other thing that probably kickstarted Arthur C. Clark finally writing the follow-up novel is the mad post-Star Wars sci-fi brush of like, oh, now Star Trek, the motion picture is getting made.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2010: The Year We Make Contact · 0:22:43 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Battlestar Galactica: 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Battlestar Galactica (the host's read). Star Wars' direct influence landed more on television, e.g. Battlestar Galactica.
    “And of course, on television, you had Battlestar Galactic.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 1:14:15 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Chris Pratt: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Chris Pratt (the host's read). The wrong lessons from Indiana Jones were taken by later action heroes like Pratt.
    “the lessons that we took from that character that like Chris Pratt took maybe from that character are not the ones that I think we should have been taking”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:09:40 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

Danny Elfman: 1 line

  1. craft (craft) · them, directly: John Williams ⇒ Danny Elfman (the host's read). Elfman's score for the theatrical cut of Justice League reuses his own Batman theme and Williams's Superman theme; the speaker can't tell if it's clever or fan service.
    “I'm going to use my Batman theme. I'm going to use the Williams Superman theme.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:19:39 · unidentified host (0.30 sure it was them)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982): 1 line, within their own work

  1. theme (theme) · through Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which they scored: Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the host's read). Close Encounters sets a template for science fiction and for stories about families and divorce.
    “It sets a different kind of template for science fiction storytelling, for stories about families, for stories about obsession, for stories about divorce”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:19:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)

Flash Gordon (1980): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Flash Gordon (the host's read). Flash Gordon and The Last Starfighter are a grounded-in-reality category of post-Star Wars space movies.
    “Flash Gordon, I want to put as this category of things like Last Starfighter, like the Masters.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 1:13:54 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Friday the 13th (1980): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Jaws (1975), which they scored: Jaws ⇒ Friday the 13th (the host's read). Friday took Jaws' device of music for a villain you cannot see.
    “the Jaws music for the villain you can't see.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:46:35 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

George Lucas: 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ George Lucas (the host's read). Lucas's Star Wars deal (giving up salary for merch and control) enabled the Raiders deal of owning the negative.
    “he gives up his salary and his points as a director on Star Wars to retain the control and the merch.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 1:01:43 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): 1 line

  1. career (career) · through Schindler's List (1993), which they scored: Schindler's List ⇒ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (the maker said so: Spielberg's statement while making Crystal Skull). After Schindler's List Spielberg refused to do cartoon Nazis in Crystal Skull.
    “I'm not going back to doing cartoon Nazis post Schindler's list.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:58:54 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.60 sure it was them)

James Bond films (the franchise): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ James Bond films (the franchise) (the host's read). Star Wars pushed Bond into outer space.
    “James Bond went to went to the moon because of Star Wars.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 0:55:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Masters of the Universe (2026): 1 line

  1. lineage (origin) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Masters of the Universe (the host's read). He-Man (and the 80s toy boom) was a response to every company having passed on Star Wars merchandising.
    “so much of He-Man and the 80s for toys is a response to every major company passing on Star Wars that Star Wars is the whiff that no one can live down.”
    The Big Picture · The Top 10 Fantasy Films, The Toy Movie Hall of Fame, and ‘Masters of the Universe,’ with Griffin Newman! · 0:23:25 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Minority Report (2002): 1 line

  1. unmapped (stylistic shift) · through Saving Private Ryan (1998), which they scored: Saving Private Ryan ⇒ Minority Report (the host's read). Saving Private Ryan was the biggest shift in Spielberg's signature style, letting him change languages for films like Minority Report and Munich.
    “Saving Private Ryan is, in my opinion, the single biggest shift in his signature style up until that point”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 2:18:41 · Griffin Newman (0.70 sure it was them)

Nope (2022): 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · through Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which they scored: Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ Nope (the host's read). Sean says Nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any he has seen in a long time, with Close Encounters the usual touchstone, and notes the shared theme of looking up and trying to see.
    “nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any movie I've seen in a long, long time.”
    The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 1:31:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)

Soderbergh's silent Raiders remix: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Soderbergh's silent Raiders remix (the host's read). Soderbergh re-cut Raiders silent, black and white, over The Social Network score.
    “It's basically his silent film remix of Raiders, black and white film with the social network score playing over it”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:10:25 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the host's read). Star Trek the Motion Picture happened because Star Wars scooped the studio.
    “Like Star Wars scooped our ass.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Dune with John Hodgman · 1:12:22 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), which they scored: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (the host's read). A second, bigger Death Star is called a lateral remake of the first.
    “We're kind of, it's like a lateral remake.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:04:32 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Starman (1984): 1 line

  1. industry (studio rivalry / shadow) · through E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which they scored: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ⇒ Starman (the host's read). Columbia chose Starman over Night Skies, which Universal turned into E.T., so Starman carried the stigma of the one that got away and then looked like a ripoff.
    “Uh, so they let go of night skies and let Universal acquire and turnaround.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Starman with Katey Rich · 0:24:25 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Stranger Things: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which they scored: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ⇒ Stranger Things (the host's read). E.T. has been so imitated, in films and TV like Stranger Things, that the original feels less rewarding.
    “so many people have like basically based entire film franchises or television shows Stranger Things off of that”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:33:46 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

The Color of Money (1986): 1 line

  1. craft (camera-movement coverage) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Scorsese covers scenes with morphing moving master shots, like Spielberg's quick efficient coverage, to stay under schedule.
    “But he's doing like all this Spielberg, like coverage with camera movement.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 1:21:44 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Horizon Experiment (comic): 1 line

  1. contrast (contrast) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ The Horizon Experiment (comic) (the host's read). A current comic flips Indiana Jones into someone taking things out of museums back to adventure.
    “a comic book out right now called the Horizon experiment by the guys that did the good Asian”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:24:12 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.80 sure it was them)

The Thin Red Line (1998): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through Saving Private Ryan (1998), which they scored: Saving Private Ryan ⇒ The Thin Red Line (the host's read). Ryan spearheaded a WWII revival that included The Thin Red Line and others.
    “It also spearheaded Hollywood's World War II revival.”
    The Big Picture · 8. I Love America | Do We Get to Win This Time? · 0:59:33 · Brian Raftery (0.90 sure it was them)

Tropic Thunder (2008): 1 line

  1. lineage (inspiration) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they scored: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Tropic Thunder (the host's read). Ben Stiller, on the Empire set as a young actor, was inspired by actors playing at suffering to make Tropic Thunder two decades later.
    “Which, of course, this is one of this movie's greatest, like, lasting legacies is that this, this is what inspires Tropic Thunder.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:49:05 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

Twister (1996): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Jaws (1975), which they scored: Jaws ⇒ Twister (the host's read). Jonas is the Jaws-mayor archetype, a money-motivated antagonist that became a stock character in every movie.
    “The mayor in Jaws is the character that kind of pushes against our lead person.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Twister’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:54:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024): 1 line

  1. craft (plot structure) · through Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (the host's read). The film fails to tie its Indiana-Jones-style MacGuffin to the Wallace-Gromit relationship.
    “They fail to make the, um, the plot, the sort of like Indiana Jones-S McGuffin of what they're up against directly relate to Wallace and Gromit's relationship.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 2:11:21 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Music (26) everyone in music

Writing (1) everyone in writing

What was said about them, by kind

career (3)

  1. career (career): John Williams → Steven Spielberg. Williams is part of Spielberg's people, who apply what they know about assembling a movie and tip it darker for Empire of the Sun.
    “it really is Spielberg and his people, including John Williams, trying to take like what they know about how to put together a movie.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:30:20 · Bilge Ebiri (0.70 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): John Williams → Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Williams delivered a career-defining score every few months: Jaws, Close Encounters, Star Wars, Superman.
    “Jaws, close encounters, all the Star Wars, and then Superman”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:37:11 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Hans Zimmer → John Williams. Zimmer's F1 soundtrack is pictured as Zimmer closing in on John Williams as the top film composer.
    “Coming at John Williams now. Has John Williams in his sights?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘F1’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:44:26 · unclear (one of the hosts) (0.30 sure it was them)

contrast (1)

  1. contrast (contrast): John Williams → Elliot Goldenthal. Williams should have won for Catch Me If You Can but lost to Goldenthal's Frida score.
    “he lost to Elliot Goldenfall, the great LA Goldenfall. For Frida”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:42:21 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

craft (9)

  1. craft (score): John Williams → Empire of the Sun. Williams' score is his most classical, with a big motif that is a hymn he did not write.
    “One, the biggest motif in it is one that he did not write.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:30:04 · Bilge Ebiri (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): John Williams → A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The A.I. score is beautiful on its own but is not always well used in the film and overwhelms the ending.
    “And also, I would argue that the score isn't always that well used in the movie.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:41:41 · Bilge Ebiri (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft): Raiders of the Lost Ark → John Williams. Williams' Raiders score is lighter and jauntier than expected, with ten perfect alternating themes, Marion's theme only the fifth most important.
    “I also think like John Williams score is so much lighter than you would think.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:35:58 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. craft (craft): John Williams → 1941. 1941's score is argued to be among Williams' very best.
    “you can argue 1941 is among his very, very best”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:38:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. craft (craft): John Williams → Heartbeeps. A speaker remembers John Williams' Heartbeeps score as good, though the exchange is garbled.
    “I remember the heartbeat score being good.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:38:59 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. craft (craft): The Lost World: Jurassic Park → John Williams. A host credits Williams for holding back his main Jurassic Park theme in the score until the end credits.
    “Williams, to his credit, does not use his theme until the credits.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 0:52:24 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. craft (craft): JFK → John Williams. Williams wrote six pieces without seeing the film and Stone cut to them.
    “Oliver Stone cut the movie to the music that John Williams provided”
    The Big Picture · Objection! Top 10 Courtroom Dramas | The Big Picture · 1:19:35 · Sean Fennessey (0.75 sure it was them)
  8. craft (craft): Jaws → John Williams. Jaws on a big HD set is helped by the booming sound of John Williams's score.
    “And the sound that John Williams scored booming, you know?”
    The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:46:01 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  9. craft (craft): Danny Elfman → John Williams. Elfman's score for the theatrical cut of Justice League reuses his own Batman theme and Williams's Superman theme; the speaker can't tell if it's clever or fan service.
    “I'm going to use my Batman theme. I'm going to use the Williams Superman theme.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:19:39 · unidentified host (0.30 sure it was them)

industry (2)

  1. industry (industry): John Williams → Schindler's List. Williams has not won an Oscar since 1993 (Schindler's List) because the Academy keeps treating his work as another good job.
    “And it's like, he hasn't won an Oscar since 1993.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:14:24 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. industry (industry): John Williams → The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Williams, nominated for A.I. and Harry Potter in 2001, was never going to win because Lord of the Rings won best score.
    “He probably was never going to win in 2001 because Lord of the Rings wins.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:41:16 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

people (2)

  1. people (people): John Williams → Brian De Palma. John Williams scores led Bendis to other filmmakers like De Palma.
    “John Williams works with him, then he must be equal to Spielberg.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:37:59 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. people (people): Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker → John Williams. Rise of Skywalker earned John Williams his 52nd nomination.
    “John Williams, who we talked about on our last podcast earned his 52nd nomination”
    The Big Picture · The Snubs and Surprises of the 92nd Academy Award Nominations | The Oscars Show · 0:13:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)

theme (1)

  1. theme (theme): John Williams → Harry Dean Stanton. A movie with John Williams cannot be entirely bad, like the Ebert rule about certain character actors.
    “there is no entirely bad movie with a John Williams score.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis · 2:38:28 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (1)

  1. what-if (Oscar what-if): John Williams → Home Alone. Williams should have won for Home Alone over Dances with Wolves.
    “I think he should have won for Home Alone over Dances with Wolves.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:38:53 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

None.