Sunday, December 04, 2011
One of the cool things about New York is that there are lots of places that show old movies on the big screen. Yesterday, I went to the Museum of the Moving Image to see one of their presentations from the “See It Big” series, or movies meant to be seen in a movie theater and not at home.
Yesterday’s show was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I loved this movie when it first came out. I was more of a science fiction fan back then, and yes, I was a trekkie. I don’t feel too bad about that because I used to watch the show in the first run when I was a kid. I think that gives me the right to be a fan of the series for the rest of my life. I remember in college when Star Trek first started showing up in syndication how much I loved the idea of seeing it again. I used to watch it with a friend of mine who really was one of those trekkies whom William Shatner told to “get a life.” Trek conventions were new and not very well attended back then and he went to every one. He even bought a Star Trek uniform shirt, and I think he had ears. I can’t recall his name, I am not sure I ever knew his name, but we all called him “Trekman.” We would separate our fingers and tell him to “live long and prosper.” He probably has a million dollar collection of Star Trek memorabilia.
I used to go to all the science fiction movies. I went to Star Wars on the first day of its release. Not the first showing (which was at normal time, they did not do the midnight frenzy thing in those day), but I think the second. Of course, I loved it.
When Speilberg brought out Close Encounters I was more into the idea of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. I even bought a Close Encounters movie poster and hung it my apartment. Of course this has been lost, which is too bad because I think it would be worth hundreds today.
I have seen Close Encounters on video at home and I own it, but like most movies this is better on the big screen. So I was excited to take the almost two-full hour journey from Stamford to Queens to see it. The Museum of the Moving Image is worth a trip by itself. It is devoted to the history of film and television, containing a great deal of historical artifacts like old motion picture cameras, and antique televisions. The movie was included in the price of admission. The theater is large, about the size of a big multiplex theater and it was maybe 75 percent full, including a large contingent of children.
I remembered the movie had some slow portions in the middle, but originally the special effects and creativity of the story won me over. Unfortunately, this film does not age well. Not only do the special effects look almost childish, the characters are really not every appealing , and the family drama between Richard Dreyfuss and Terri Garr is quite uncomfortable. Their arguments are loud and shrill, and Garr’s repeated threats to beat her children are creepy. Then Dreyfuss gets fixated on Devil’s Tower, takes off on his unstoppable quest, and seemingly loses all interest in his wife and children. He willingly walks into the spaceship of comical-looking aliens without a second thought of leaving his family behind on the planet he used to call home. Me, I would wonder if the spaceship can get the ballgame on video and whether they have French fries, but Dreyfuss just gets a goofy expression and strolls into the mothership.
I never did get the whole thing with the musical notes, and watching it again I still didn’t. I did enjoy watching it again, but really more for nostalgia than entertainment. This has happened before. I dragged Meg to a big-screen showing of Star Wars a while ago and again, I loved it, but Meg was nonplussed. I tried to explain how the special effects of Star Wars paved the way for modern CGI, but to her the entire movie was lame. Strangely, other films have held up well. Meg and I loved Rear Window on the big screen when we saw it. Although she was bored with Gone With the Wind, while I still relished it.
Still, the idea that I could see a movie like Close Encounters on a movie screen is pretty cool. I watch for the listings of these in New York, one of the few places in America where these showings take place.
Yesterday’s show was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I loved this movie when it first came out. I was more of a science fiction fan back then, and yes, I was a trekkie. I don’t feel too bad about that because I used to watch the show in the first run when I was a kid. I think that gives me the right to be a fan of the series for the rest of my life. I remember in college when Star Trek first started showing up in syndication how much I loved the idea of seeing it again. I used to watch it with a friend of mine who really was one of those trekkies whom William Shatner told to “get a life.” Trek conventions were new and not very well attended back then and he went to every one. He even bought a Star Trek uniform shirt, and I think he had ears. I can’t recall his name, I am not sure I ever knew his name, but we all called him “Trekman.” We would separate our fingers and tell him to “live long and prosper.” He probably has a million dollar collection of Star Trek memorabilia.
I used to go to all the science fiction movies. I went to Star Wars on the first day of its release. Not the first showing (which was at normal time, they did not do the midnight frenzy thing in those day), but I think the second. Of course, I loved it.
When Speilberg brought out Close Encounters I was more into the idea of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. I even bought a Close Encounters movie poster and hung it my apartment. Of course this has been lost, which is too bad because I think it would be worth hundreds today.
I have seen Close Encounters on video at home and I own it, but like most movies this is better on the big screen. So I was excited to take the almost two-full hour journey from Stamford to Queens to see it. The Museum of the Moving Image is worth a trip by itself. It is devoted to the history of film and television, containing a great deal of historical artifacts like old motion picture cameras, and antique televisions. The movie was included in the price of admission. The theater is large, about the size of a big multiplex theater and it was maybe 75 percent full, including a large contingent of children.
I remembered the movie had some slow portions in the middle, but originally the special effects and creativity of the story won me over. Unfortunately, this film does not age well. Not only do the special effects look almost childish, the characters are really not every appealing , and the family drama between Richard Dreyfuss and Terri Garr is quite uncomfortable. Their arguments are loud and shrill, and Garr’s repeated threats to beat her children are creepy. Then Dreyfuss gets fixated on Devil’s Tower, takes off on his unstoppable quest, and seemingly loses all interest in his wife and children. He willingly walks into the spaceship of comical-looking aliens without a second thought of leaving his family behind on the planet he used to call home. Me, I would wonder if the spaceship can get the ballgame on video and whether they have French fries, but Dreyfuss just gets a goofy expression and strolls into the mothership.
I never did get the whole thing with the musical notes, and watching it again I still didn’t. I did enjoy watching it again, but really more for nostalgia than entertainment. This has happened before. I dragged Meg to a big-screen showing of Star Wars a while ago and again, I loved it, but Meg was nonplussed. I tried to explain how the special effects of Star Wars paved the way for modern CGI, but to her the entire movie was lame. Strangely, other films have held up well. Meg and I loved Rear Window on the big screen when we saw it. Although she was bored with Gone With the Wind, while I still relished it.
Still, the idea that I could see a movie like Close Encounters on a movie screen is pretty cool. I watch for the listings of these in New York, one of the few places in America where these showings take place.
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