But before making it big in the States, the German filmmaker had ambitions to ape two very different blockbuster auteurs. Emmerich likely took it as a compliment rather than the insult it was intended as when critics back home responded to his second feature film, Joey, with the term “Spielbergle” (little Spielberg). The opening shot is at his dad’s funeral, and his first words are spoken during an imaginary (or is it?!) This is a film where the world’s most preeminent scientists descend upon Joey’s family home on the basis of one vague phone call. Joey, aka Making Contact, is available to stream on Roku.