Close Encounters of the Third Kind rereleased to theaters

Yeah, I'm certainly aware that there's a 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition coming out. My point, I suppose, was questioning whether or not I *need* another Blu-ray since I don't have a UHD TV nor a UHD player. So existing in a 2K world, my question is whether or not any new Blu-ray could possibly better what I already have on Blu-ray.

 

I didn't know that it was out, but I knew that it had been remastered at Sony Colorworks sometime ago in 4K, so the masters definitely existed.

 

If you don't have a UHD setup, then any picture quality benefits would be marginal, at best. There may be some benefits, like better color matching, sharpness (even on a 1k display) and/or grain stabilization, etc, but these differences will not make it a transformative experience on a non-UHD setup. There may also be other differences in the editing and scene inclusion, etc.

 

Hopefully no "tealization"... I don't think Spielberg goes in for that, does he?

 

The current blu-ray is fine for me. It looks like the movie I saw in the theater as a 13 year old, film grain and all.

 

No showtimes in our area.

 

We decided to sit down and watch our Blu-ray of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND this evening. I hadn't watched it in a few years, probably skimmed the Blu-ray when I got it. But tonight we opted for the full movie, choosing the third cut, Spielberg's director's edition. It's still a great film after all these years.

Embarrassed to admit, but this Trekkie never noticed the Enterprise model hanging in the Neary's living room.

 

Great movie. We even studied it in film class, but I'm not dying to see it again right now.

 

You should see it again. It's a nice relief after all the high flying CGI alien saucer spectacle of late. There's just something cool about them being built out of light. And it feels more real than anything I've seen in recent years.

 

There's a Klingon ship there too - both are painted silver. While both ships are there, I really remember the Klingon ship as it shows up swinging on a string when Roy starts ripping all the articles down the morning after he makes the small mountain in the middle of the train set - but before he tries to take the mountain down, and only ripping off the top...

 

Just a head's up that the URL at Fandango is different than the one I posted earlier in the thread as I have found a few listings for this tonight.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 40th Anniversary Times - Movie Tickets | Fandango

The title they're billing it as is Close Encounters of the Third Kind 40th Anniversary.

 

Too bad about the new trailer. The best aspects of Close Encounters are its pacing, its aura of anticipation and mystery and the way it all comes together in the end. That trailer is a spoiler to me.

So, avoid the trailer, and if you've never seen it, don't even hesitate to go. You're in for a treat! Still a favorite. My wife will sometimes say This means something.

We saw a showing earlier this summer of 2001 with the Seattle Symphony playing the soundtrack live. I was amazed at thenumber of people I overheard saying they had never seen it. What a treat it must have been for them!

 

Here's a pretty detailed article on the 4K restoration, and I was glad to see that my old co-worker, Sheri Eisenberg, did all the mastering over at Deluxe/Culver City. Sheri is a first-class pro who does excellent work, and I bet the film will have never looked better.

'Close Encounters of the Third Kind': Secrets Behind the New 4K Restoration

I was surprised to see that they were able to convince Spielberg to let them do an HDR release, which will change the dynamic range to some degree. As long as it's approved by the director and still within their intent, I think it can work even for older films like this. The negative absolutely has the exposure range to handle it -- we usually crush the living crap out of it for normal video and even film release.

 

When I was a kid, an adult family friend told me, to my green envy, that he'd seen this in 70mm at the Zigfield in NYC. And that it was loud as heck. And he was actually bragging, the bastard. (Actually I love him and his family - he was a Godsend to me).

Why were you surprised that they convinced Spielberg to let them change the dynamic range?

 

Thanks for sharing this look into the 40th Anniversary 4K Restoration!

 

I was hoping to see this somewhere. No listings in Oklahoma. Only one in Texas? Seems odd.

Not finding may placings that are showing it.

 

You might have to travel closer to a metropolitan area. When I punched in Oklahoma City there are four theaters and when I looked for Tulsa there are two listings. Fandango doesn't list everything outward from a city or zip code for miles and miles, it does seem to limit its listings at around 20 or so miles. Unfortunately there isn't a drop-down menu choice for miles radius as a part of their search so you'll have to keep putting in cities and zip codes to find something within your preferred area.

 

The Fandango listings are useless. I live in Podunk, FL and there is a theater showing it about 20 miles away that doesn't show up on a search. I put in the zip code for Studio City, CA and it didn't show anything either. I'm pretty sure it's showing in Los Angeles somewhere.

 

I just put "Los Angeles, CA" in at this page (not the top Search field in the banner, but the second one above the calendar under the movie title marquee):

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 40th Anniversary

And it lists 16 theaters playing Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

 

My wife and I saw it today. I saw it originally when as a first run movie when it was released forty years ago. To each their own, but here is my experience:

1) They did something that was "stupid dumb." The movie doesn't start immediately -- instead, tagged on the front, is a semi-documentary about the movie. It has Steven and J.J. Abrams, and Denis Villaaneuve talking about various subjects. The documentary is peppered with clips of the movie, which serve to function as an incoherent, prolonged trailer. So if you forget certain parts, don't worry, they will review them so that you won't be "surprised" with what is going to happen. And then there is the footage of Steven's home movies he shot during the making of the movie. They are truly awful, and not particularly insightful. Neither my wife nor I cared for this, and keep wonderin' why this isn't at the end of the movie -- so we could both skip out.

2) The movie itself -- looked fine, but though my wife finished it and enjoyed it, I just got bored. It looked like a tired old movie, a great movie "in its time", but nothing special now.

I hope those who go like it, but it just didn't fill my cup . . . maybe the lesson for me is to cherish the memory, don't try to relive it.

 

Why were you surprised to see that Close Encounters Of The Third Kind got an HDR pass? Isn't Spielberg an HDR advocate? Maybe he thinks HDR may tamper the picture of his films in ways he doesn't want?

 

Spielberg is notoriously against technical changes like this, and the article basically says Sony had to give the director a demo before he would even consider allowing an HDR version. It's definitely not the kind of thing he asked for. Spielberg is also not a fan of 3D. Heck, he's only shot one movie in digital (Tintin), and I think that was simple because it was animated. Everything else has been film for the most part.

 

How long was the Semi-documentary?

I may just get our seats, drop a coat on the chair and hit the bathroom while this playing prior to the film beginning, or the snack bar...

 

9 minutes

It will also be on the upcoming UHD / Blu release.

 

I have to say, there are quite a few Spielberg films set in contemporary times (in the year in which they were made) that do not necessarily age well. I think CE3K and Jaws (as two examples) are classic films in a lot of ways, but there are elements that are tired and dated. But I see that with a lot of films of that period. I think when Spielberg makes films that are of other eras -- the Indiana Jones films or historical films like Saving Private Ryan or Lincoln -- those don't feel as dated to me, since they're of another time. It's not so much a Spielberg problem as kind of the way films are sort of "of a specific time and place," so they're locked to that era.