Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg's cinematic North Star is and always has been Steven Spielberg. "Looking at Spielberg's career, he did Duel and Jaws, and at that point, you're like, 'Wow, he's a really good thriller, suspense and horror director!' And then he goes and does Close Encounters and E.T., and you're like, 'There's this other part of him, too!'" says Cohen. "We'd love that career. It's a little ambitious, but that's what we're aiming for."
Cohen and Halberg's creative partnership began in film school at USC. "We've been working together ever since, which is longer than I'd like to admit at this point," she says. Together, they founded Six Foot Turkey Productions (named for another Spielberg film, Jurassic Park.) "We write together, we produce together, and we direct together. At this point, we do it all together."
The duo was chosen as the inaugural participants of Sony and Screen Gems' Horror Lab, which resulted in their short horror film Blink. They now make their feature directorial debuts with Tarot, about a group of friends who unwittingly unleash a deadly evil from within the cursed deck of Tarot cards. "We were like, 'Wait a second, tarot cards coming to life. Have we seen that?' And the answer was no," Cohen says. "And it's so hard to come up with something that feels fresh."
"The thing that we got really passionate about was, can we make a movie that's scary and fun at the same time?" he continues. "We want the stuff that we make to be fun to watch, even if you're scared. We want it to be an experience. I think Spielberg does that so well. When you look at Jurassic Park, you're laughing, you're having fun. It's emotional, it's scary, it's suspenseful. We didn't want to just play in one tone. We want to do it all."
Below, the filmmaking duo shares with A.frame five of their respective favorite films, which overlap with Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense. "As a filmmaker, there are so many movies that have been influential in shaping my taste and style," says Halberg, "but when I try to think of the Top 5 movies that have really stayed with me or left a mark, I would choose the following."
Directed by: Steven Spielberg | Written by: Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Anna Halberg: If I had to pick my favorite movie of all time, it would be Jurassic Park. When you watch that movie as a kid, it's hard to believe that dinosaurs don't exist anymore, and that Jurassic Park isn't a real place that people can visit. The special effects and lifelike animatronics are so realistic that, 30 years later, they still hold up. And even though I've seen the movie so much that I can probably recite the entire thing verbatim, I never get bored. The way shots are framed, the way the camera moves, the score and sound design… it's all brilliant.
Spenser Cohen: When I was a kid, I was obsessed with magic. And it wasn't until I was 7 years old that I witnessed the greatest magic trick I'd ever seen. Forget card tricks and vanishing coins, a group of mad scientists had brought dinosaurs back to life. When I sat down in the movie theater to watch Jurassic Park, I had no idea that I would be a different person when it ended. The trajectory of my entire life changed in that theater. And when I saw the first credit at the end of the film, "Directed by Steven Spielberg," I knew at that moment what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Today, I'm constantly going back to this movie. Each time, I take away a new lesson about blocking, tone, theme, etc. I will forever be a student learning from this film and from all of Spielberg's work.
Directed by: Steven Spielberg | Written by: Melissa Mathison
Spenser Cohen: E.T. is a movie that gets better and better as time goes by. I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid and being overwhelmed by the flying bikes and talking alien who sometimes drinks beer. I loved the suburban neighborhood that felt like my own, the messy household, and the way the siblings interacted and fought — just like my siblings. It all felt so much like my life. I was Elliott. Also, let's not forget John Williams' score, which is just perfect.
It wasn't until I was a bit older that I realized how many levels this movie was speaking to me on. At the end of the film, E.T. tells Elliott, "I'll be right here." A line my mom quoted to me before she passed away. What I realized after the fact is E.T. is a movie about a kid losing his best friend. And I was a kid losing mine. That movie gave us a language for saying goodbye. Spielberg's movies have shaped my life and taught me so much about what it means to be human.
Written and Directed by: James Cameron
Anna Halberg: Titanic was my favorite movie when it came out, and it's still one of my favorite movies today. As a kid, I was fascinated by the Titanic. So, when I heard they were making a movie about it, I was fully in. I couldn't wait for it to come out. It's the first movie I can really remember this kind of build-up and anticipation to see. And when I finally saw it in theaters, I couldn't get enough. I was absolutely blown away by the spectacle James Cameron created. Then you have this epic love story between Rose and Jack at the center of everything. And this iconic score by James Horner. Everything about it was mind-blowing.
Actually, Titanic was also the first soundtrack I ever purchased. My friends and I played "My Heart Will Go On" on repeat, and I like to say this was my gateway drug for movie scores. I didn't really think about film music or pay much attention to it until this point.
Directed by: Peter Jackson | Written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson
Spenser Cohen: I couldn't pick just one film, so I cheated and chose the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. These movies had a profound impact on my life and my career. I felt every emotion possible watching these films. I remember seeing the end of The Two Towers in theaters and feeling chills when Howard Shore's music swells and Gandalf returns riding down the hill to Helm's Deep with an army behind him. The combination of visual effects, practical effects, prosthetics, music, sound, and the right camera angles created a perfect moment that was forever imprinted on my brain. Peter Jackson transported me into Middle Earth. I left my seat. I was not in my body watching these movies. And he did this while breaking new ground technologically. His team pioneered incredible visual effects to help tell his story and changed moviemaking forever. I found Peter Jackson's ambition very meaningful as a teenager and aspiring filmmaker.
Beyond being incredible films, the thing about these movies that has stayed with me is probably a bit strange. It's the behind-the-scenes, making-of from the extended editions. There's hours and hours of footage showing every aspect of the filmmaking process. It was a mini film school for me as a teenager. I would put it on every night before bed, falling asleep watching Peter Jackson directing and filling my dreams with the hope that one day I would be able to do the same thing.
Written and Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Spenser Cohen: One of my favorite shows of all time is The Twilight Zone. When I saw The Sixth Sense, I was maybe 12 years old, and when it ended, I had this realization that Night had made a feature-length Twilight Zone. I was floored by the twist ending. But even more, I was emotionally invested in all the relationships. It was during my first viewing of this film that I realized in order for something to be scary, it has to be emotional first. If you don't care about the characters, nothing else matters. I loved the characters in this film. I loved how broken they all were, and that they were all just trying to find a way to communicate. A movie that's scary, emotional, surprising, and original — that's not an easy thing to pull off. Originality is something I'm always striving for, and I owe it to this movie for showing me the power in being fresh, new, and different.
Today, I revisit this film often and am always moved by the scene in the car with Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment. I'm always moved when James Newton Howard's score rises during Bruce Willis' realization that he's dead and, ultimately, when he says goodbye to his wife. And I'm impressed by the restraint in direction, the long takes, those perfect compositions, and the stillness.
Anna Halberg: The plot twist in The Sixth Sense literally made my jaw drop to the floor. It caused me to rethink the entire story. I couldn't wait to see the movie again with this new information and watch scenes and interactions between the characters from a different perspective. I was also a total fraidy cat as a kid and hated movies with a lot of blood, guts and gore. But this movie was scary without relying on any of that. M. Night Shyamalan did an amazing job of creating tension and slowly building suspense. And the ghosts just added to the film's creepiness for me, because they were depicted in such a grounded and realistic way.
Directed by: Michel Gondry | Written by: Charlie Kaufman
Anna Halberg: At some point, everyone has wanted to erase painful memories of a past relationship or experience. It's a universal desire, but Eternal Sunshine explores love and heartbreak and the complexity of relationships in such a unique and inventive way. I found this movie when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life, and it really helped me navigate and process my emotions. It's a standout movie for so many reasons — from the innovative storytelling to the screenplay to the performances — but for me, it's always a reminder of the profound impact movies can have and their ability to help people get through hard times.
Directed by: John Lasseter | Written by: Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow
Spenser Cohen: I saw Toy Story when I was 8 or 9 years old, and my mind exploded. I was completely pulled into this amazing universe with these wonderful characters. I loved every second of Buzz and Woody's journey. I had so much fun watching this film that I went back and saw it five or six more times in theaters. What if your toys were actually alive? What an amazing concept. It wasn't until I was older that I started to see the brilliance of this movie. It has a clean, simple concept and a unique way into a world — something I always look for. But the true magic of this film is that they made us care about computer animated toys. Not just care, but completely invest in every moment. The storytelling in this film is a masterclass from start to finish. I am still in awe every time I put it on. Doesn't matter what age you are or if you watch this movie today or in 50 years, it is timeless.
Written and Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Anna Halberg: A friend got me a copy of Clueless on VHS for what I think was my 9th or 10th birthday, and all of my friends were sleeping over that night for my party. I remember putting the film on and absolutely loving it. Then halfway through, my parents came into the living room and heard some of the dialogue — sexual innuendos that were going over our heads, but regardless, subject matter that wasn't "age appropriate" — and they turned the movie off. I wasn't allowed to finish the movie until years later, but it didn't matter, because I was already obsessed.
From the very beginning, there's a wish-fulfillment factor. Cher was this character who was so relatable, but at the same time, her life wasn't relatable at all. I had an incredible childhood, but I grew up in a small town in Minnesota, so seeing Cher's extravagant life — driving a cool car, living in a mansion, wearing expensive clothes — it was unlike anything I had ever seen or experienced. And her closet! Organizing this insane wardrobe with a computer… I mean, come on. I still want that closet!
