I read a Spielberg biography a while back that said something about the director that really stuck with me, and made me realize why a lot of people like his films so much. Steven makes every one of his pictures because of some interest or event that happened in his life. In addition to that, he always made pictures that the inner boy in him would want to see. This is why we have amazing movies about sharks, aliens, dinosaurs, treasure hunters, soldiers, and Nazis. (Ok that last one is a joke. But you get the idea.)

The reason that these pictures resonate so well with the child in all of us is because they are all helmed by a…

Holy Hell. Why has it taken me this long to watch this masterpiece?

I dug the Hell out of this movie. Hell, I loved it. Definitely one of Spielberg's best and more underrated films. It works as both a stunning sci-fi tale and a compelling drama. Seeing Take Shelter beforehand, it seemed to be inspired by this film since both deal with a man on the brink of madness as well as playing with the theme of paranoia and saying this did a fantastic job doing that (and everything else) would be sorta an understatement.

The performances are terrific, especially from Richard Dreyfuss who really blew me away. The visuals, to this day, still look amazing and breathtaking. Very impressive…

Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.42

I usually like my Science Fiction on the lean side, something Spielberg isn't really any good at. This is no exception as it isn't subtle about its themes drenched in almost religious overtones and its inescapably epic finale.

And I don't care really, as it is a symphony of sight, sound and superb storytelling.

What Spielberg's film does incredibly well is engage you in what is an intelligently structured three-parter, which essentially boils down to mystery/emotion/wonderment.

The way this film slowly sucks you into its central mystery is absolutely fantastic, driven by a stunning central performance by Dreyfuss. He gives us a great Everyman to identify with, which is a sure fire guarantee…

Aliens are just about the scariest subject matter you can do in this day and age in my opinion. One of the great things still left to fear by mankind is what is out there, is it sentient, and does it want to put things up my butt? It takes very little for us humans to clash with each other so imagine how well we would react to those from the far reaches of space.

Saying all this, the aliens in this film manage to not intimidate and strike fear, they exhibit more of a tranquil buzz whenever present in their ships. It manages to be sort of heartwarming when all is said and done, even the aliens can't deny…

There was once a time when Spielberg was regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. That title is questionable these days with the release of films like War Horse or Minority Report but one cannot deny that in his early career he did some truly extraordinary things on celluloid and Close Encounters is no exception to this.

It's a carefully structured, visually breathtaking story about an ordinary group of people being affected by an extraordinary event. What makes Close Encounters so brilliant is that it takes it's time to flesh out these characters and holding back on the inevitable outcome until the very end, making these last 15-ish minutes utterly beautiful and enchanting in a way very…

The Close Encounters Blu-Ray I received had three versions. I just watched the "Director's Cut". It had some interesting additions, though perhaps not crucial to moving the story along. In that sense, I think the original theatrical release is the more perfect version. The pacing was just spot on.

Some scenes, like finding the ship in the Gobi Desert, were pretty unnecessary story-wise (we already know abandoned vehicles were popping up in remote deserts from the opening scene) but still, it was visually stunning seeing it out there. Is that a life sized ship, or a model, I wonder? If it's life sized, how did they get it out there? It must have cost a fortune.

What I quite liked…

Impressions on viewing this for like the third time.

First time I saw it, was when I was very young, and I think I saw it outdoors at the actual Devil's Tower in Wyoming, at a camp site. It was a pretty *different* film, and I remember thinking not many people have seen it because they must only show it at the Devil's Tower, and it's so far removed from everything. So I thought it might have been a unique thing.

The second time I saw it was a few years ago, at a friend's house. I was really struck by how good the *filmmaking* was in it. Just silent film stuff, especially at the railroad crossing when Rich Dreyfuss…