Spielberg bleak

Schindler’s List (1993): The horrors of the Holocaust are vivid as Spielberg renders the story of a German man (Liam Neeson, with Ben Kingsley) who saved the lives of more than 1,000 Polish Jews.

Amistad (1997): A newly captured slave (Djimon Hounsou) leads a rebellion on a slave ship and winds up a defendant in a Supreme Court Case, argued by former President John Quincy Adams.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001): A disturbing journey through the chill at the heart of modern life, as an artificial boy (Haley Joel Osment, with Jude Law) longs for a mother’s love.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): This thrill-a-minute throwback to the Saturday matinee serial introduces Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), an archeologist adventurer searching for a one-of-a-kind religious artifact.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982): Warmth and humor abound when a 10-year-old suburban boy befriends a charming outer-space creature who’s stranded and trying to get home.

Jurassic Park (1993): Cute kids and white-knuckle escapes from the jaws of velociraptors and T. rex as cloned dinosaurs run amok at a private amusement park.

-- Elaine Dutka