We Are Not Alone...(But We're Not Especially Excited About It)

Last night BrainyBoy and I watched, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I'd talked this movie up quite a bit, and I finally rented it.

Ok, you know how sometimes when you look back through the haze of time things seem much better as you remember them, rather than how they really are?

Case in point.

I enjoy a good Spielberg flick as much as the next guy, but oh my, I'd forgotten how long, tedious and ponderind CE3K really is.

The final Devil's Tower/Contact scene lasted around 30 minutes, and BB's eyes were drooping by the time Richard Dreyfuss disappeared into the Mothership.

And another thing, the DVD version I rented was the original, the one without the view inside the ship and the soaring orchestral rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star". Bummer. But it was in the score as he's being led into the ship by the "alien children", so there's that at least.

And BB and Tink did get a kick out of the little boy in the movie being named, "Barry."

It was a masterpiece for what it was, in its day. And there are a number of parts that are still very good. But it just doesn't hold up well over time. Ah well.


Casting Quirks, or "I love IMDB.com"

Little Barry's mom, Jillian, was played by Melinda Dillon, whose face tugged at my memory the whole movie - I could swear I've seen her before. Or since. Turns out she was the mom in A Christmas Story.

Bob Balaban was the cartographer/translator for the French scientist on the project. Balaban had a notable guest spot on Seinfeld as an NBC exec, but was also a big part of three of my favorite movies, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He was also the great Dr. Chandra on 2010.