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'Worlds' of his own

Steven Spielberg, the consummate professional

By Todd Leopold
CNN

Tom Cruise looks to the skies in "War of the Worlds."

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(CNN) -- There's a reason certain stars get eight figures to appear in a film, and it's not talent.

It's because they can "open" a movie. They're bankable. Their appearance supposedly guarantees that a film will make money.

You know who they are already: Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Jim Carrey, Will Smith and a handful of other leading lights.

In the past few years, this idea has stretched -- sometimes to absurd lengths -- to include directors, writers and producers.

It's one thing to tout a movie as "from the writer of 'Adaptation,' " since Charlie Kaufman has a distinctive voice and his name is as much of a draw for his fans as whomever appears in the films he writes. And there is a history in Hollywood to promote certain creative types: writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Alfred Hitchcock, to name two, were so well-known they got their names above the titles (Chayefsky in playwright form: " 'Network' by Paddy Chayefsky").

But obviously more and more contracts are being written to highlight resumes in ads and on movie posters, no matter how slim. I mean, does anyone go to see a movie "from the writer of 'Explosion-Addled Action Film 2' " or the director of "Formulaic Soppy Romantic Comedy"?

Which leads back to a director whose films practically guarantee movie-making excellence: Steven Spielberg. His new film, "War of the Worlds," opened Wednesday and is expected to be one of the summer's blockbusters.

Eye on Entertainment pays tribute.

Eye-opener

The thing about Spielberg's films is how quietly dazzling they are.

He seldom calls attention to his camera moves, the way Martin Scorsese does. (*) He gets good performances from his actors, but they're often so naturalistic they don't seem like they're acting. (Even Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List.")

If Spielberg has a flaw, it's that he likes happy endings a little too much. "E.T." crossed the line into mawkishness; "Catch Me If You Can" would have been more effective if the film had ended with the mesmerizing scene of Leonardo DiCaprio's character staring into that house, effectively cut off from life. And we're not going to get into "A.I." and its three unsatisfactory endings.

But the sheer bravura of some scenes is enough to make you want to see a Spielberg movie. The dread created by the aliens' arrival at Melinda Dillon's house, with her phonograph playing "Chances Are," her kitchen appliances whirring uncontrollably, her phone playing that five-tone contact sequence and lights shining everywhere as she desperately hisses, "Go away!"; the mall scene in "Minority Report," as Samantha Morton guides Tom Cruise away from pursuers, leading him out as it starts raining and umbrellas go up ... brilliant.

It's like filmic ballet, and few do it so well and so effortlessly.

"War of the Worlds" appears to be more of the same excellence. The film, adapted from H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, has been set in the present day, but the story is the same: a man (Cruise) witnesses an alien invasion of Earth, and tries to save himself (and, in this adaptation's case, his children).

Critics are already praising some scenes as being remarkable, from the toppling of the Bayonne Bridge to Cruise's mad dash down a highway. As of Wednesday afternoon, the film is pulling a sturdy 80 percent on Rottentomatoes.com's Tomato Meter critical assessment, earning raves from the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan ("arguably one of the best 1950s science fiction films ever") and CNN.com's own Paul Clinton ("Spielberg's exceptional talents -- as both a filmmaker and a storyteller -- are on full display throughout the film").

If only it didn't have that crummy ending.

"War of the Worlds" opened Wednesday.

(* In an earlier version of this story, I made a reference to having been made dizzy by the end of "Talk Radio," which I claimed was directed by Scorsese and photographed by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. "Talk Radio" was actually directed by Oliver Stone and photographed by Robert Richardson. I regret the error, as well as the dizziness, which is obviously still affecting me 17 years later.)

On screen

The only film brave enough to take on "War of the Worlds" this holiday weekend is "Rebound," with Martin Lawrence as a junior high basketball coach. Opens Friday.

On the tube

ABC offers an airing of "Toy Story," for the handful of people who don't own it on video. 8 p.m. Thursday.

Turner Classic Movies -- like CNN, a unit of Time Warner -- is presenting a new documentary on old science fiction films, "Watch the Skies!" The program airs 8 p.m. Tuesday, and will be followed by five science fiction films.

Sound waves

Missy Elliott's new album, "The Cookbook" (Atlantic), comes out Tuesday. In keeping with this week's theme, its subtitle is "To Serve Man." (Just kidding!)

The Pet Shop Boys' new album, "Back to Mine" (DMC), comes out Tuesday.