Spotlight on the Stars: Robert Zemeckis

For this week’s spotlight piece, I wanted to take a look at an A-list director, one who’s really influenced the industry in a big way. The filmmaker in question? Why, Robert Zemeckis, of course. He’s known for his work with visual effects, for sure, but his talents go beyond that. He’s been responsible for so many iconic moments in cinema, with only some involving special effects at all. When you see how many outright classics he’s been responsible for, your head will spin that we don’t talk about him even more than we already do. As such, he’s a perfect director to shine this particular spotlight on. Zemeckis had his start on a relatively small scale, as you’d expect. First he made the musically tinged romantic comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand as well as the comedy Used Cars. Those were downright independent films compared to what would come next for him though. They got his foot in the door, leading him to make a real success next with Romancing the Stone. Those flicks established him for sure, but it was what was still to come that would make him the legend that he now is. He went on to really make a name for himself (along with his frequent co-writer Bob Gale) with Back to the Future and its subsequent two sequels, of course. Absolute classics, especially the first one, he utilized Michael J. Fox like no one else ever did on the big screen, making something immensely quotable (it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay too), as well as something that worked on multiple levels. It’s one of the my all time favorite films, with the sequels being real guilty pleasures as well. Between the Back to the Future installments, he also basically revolutionized how animation and live action could be blended together with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. With the late great Bob Hoskins providing an able straight man, Zemeckis let a multitude of cartoon characters loose, making for organized chaos in the best way possible. Much more than just a kids flick, it’s something rather special. Trust me, if you haven’t re-watched it in a while, do yourself a favor and pop this one in. The filmmaker made his most critically acclaimed work with Forrest Gump, which not only won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but a Best Director Oscar for Zemeckis as well, among many other statues. Tom Hanks [...]