Lincoln was extremely well put together, but despite Daniel Day Lewis's excellent performance, I found it a little worthy-but-dull. It also should have ended about two minutes before it did, with that perfect shot of Lincoln walking away, just before the assassination (which we didn't really need to see).

I actually built up a far greater sense of visceral outrage at slavery from Spielberg's earlier Amistad, flawed though it was, and from Django Unchained, which was out around the same time as Lincoln.

The Terminal was almost on this list. It's terrific.

As for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, that film grows on me with every viewing. I love how it wears cynicism at itself on its sleeve - everything from the hilarious cut to Jeff Goldblum yawning at the start, to him saying: "Yeah I know, Ohh! Aah! But later there's running and screaming." You can practically hear Spielberg staying "I'm just making this one on autopilot because I want to make Saving Private Ryan" yet even Spielberg on autopilot produces genius: There are at least two classic Spielberg moments; one involving glass, the other grass.

Even though it has a stunning John Williams score, War Horse doesn't quite gel as a film as the story is too episodic. It works far better on stage (those puppets are incredible - I highly recommend catching it if you ever get the chance).

John Williams is also on outstanding form in Hook, delivering a stunning score for a film which is a wasted opportunity in almost every other respect. I like the menacing Hook marks on the walls in London at the start, but it degenerates into silly pantomime in Never Land, and - with the notable exception of the superb flashback sequence near the end of act two, which frustratingly hints at what might have been had Spielberg stuck to a straighter adaptation - lacks the Edwardian melancholy of the play.

Good point about Ben Stiller too, and thank you for reading and commenting. :)