esrosedotblog

HALF ASSED

Today's movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is really two movies. The first one is a situation comedy with no redeeming qualities. Richard Dreyfuss, who gets implanted or something by the aliens, has a family which anyone would be happy to abandon. Wife Terry Garr is the bitch from hell and the kids are awful. It is just fucking annoying to have to watch.

It is hard to get a spiritual uplift from his cosmic mission when you know that this guy created a family of monsters. And even if he is implanted, his behavior sucks. He is not a good model of homo sapiens to take out for study. Well. Actually, he is a pretty good sample. The film does take place in Indiana. Maybe it is not so far fetched after all.

That having been said, and moving on; the the second film is about space aliens of great kindness and beauty. Sometimes they are a little heavy handed in their contacts with earth but they mean well. I liked the spacey parts of it a lot. But it is still hard to sit through Dreyfuss' elevation to space cadet. Why? Because he is gawking at the thing like some hayseed?

I do not know why Spielberg has been allowed to get away with this kind of half-dreck work. I don't like it very much. I got to the point I will not go see one of his ego trips again. He is way too full of himself and there are far too many people willing to tell the emperor that his clothes look just great.

The film also has Truffaut in a role which mercifully does not require him to act much. This kind of ass-kissing also annoys me. Who is Spielberg to do a living homage to a great director. It pisses me off.

Yeah it is a New York Times 1176Best Film and I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5 but only grudgingly; just for the pretty lights and effects. And the song the goddam thing plays is way boring too. Maybe I should give it a 2. I am getting madder by the minute.

I read that 'Steven' went back and redid this film for DVD. He shows the inside of the spaceship and some other folderol. He must have known in his heart that he had gotten over with it the first time and tried to fix it. He has to have his eye on the history books. Which will find him wanting, I am positive.