Raiders of the Lost Ark

Steven Spielberg's valentine to the lost art of the movie serial is my nomination for the most exciting action film ever made! Set in 1936, the film chronicles the adventures of Archaeolgy professor Dr. Indiana Jones' globe-trotting attempts to recover the mythical ark of the covenant -- a chest which is supposed to contain the remnants of the original ten commandments -- before the Nazi army beats him to it. Though the film and its protagonist have passed into the realm of instantly recognizable movie myth and have been recycled and imitated in a thousand lesser films, books and video games, the film remains as fresh as it ever was and still has the power to excite like no other. To see this film is to become a child again and revel in good old-fashioned swashbuckling. This is the movie that made me realize that there could not possibly be anything more fun than making movies.

Oscar Winner for: Visual Effects, Editing, Sound Effects Editing and Art Direction/Set Decoration.