Close Encounters of the Alien Kind

 

I worked Friday and Saturday night at home, I know it is the weekend, sigh...  However during my unfortunate incarceration (Anthony Bouvier-Designing Women) at home, I managed to discover a variety of interesting movies. The theme was aliens.  I went between HBO, and  AMC.  There were actually 5 movies about aliens in a short Amount of time.  Most of these I have seen before, all were thoroughly enjoyable.

Two of these were my part of my all time favorite movies. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Cocoon.  I think Cocoon needs to be covered in my other blog as I had a spiritual experience after watching it. For this blog however I just love it!

I stumbled on to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  This is a wonderful movie came out in 1977 and was done by Steven Spielberg. It starred the very popular (at the time) Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillion. Their characters, Roy and Jillian are part of a group of people in Indiana that have a UFO encounter one night.  Afterward they are driven by visions of this mountain.  Jillian is a young mother who after that night, has another visit from the aliens and they abduct her small son.  Roy, a handy man type who lives in the suburbs of Indiana with his family (his wife is played by Terri Garr-also popular actress of the time). He is so driven, he loses his job, and his family abandons him.

Roy and Jillian are driven to go to the mountain, they are start to make some connections,  after seeing it on TV.  Roy says, "I want answers." That is his drive through out this movie. From their shared UFO encounter on an Indiana highway, to connecting on their way out of town. The two have a bond to find out the truth. The government has a role, and actually sets up a place to meet with the aliens in Wyoming.

This movie draws on all the popular culture of time; abductions, the Bermuda Triangle, little grey men, music as communication, and government conspiracy. The encounter is wonderful. The aliens return the abductees, including Jillian's little son and Roy is allowed to go on an exchange program with the aliens. I think it was inspiring and beautiful.  The interactions with the aliens were about mutual exchanges, not war, and invasion.  I love Spielberg's movies.

 

While I was watching/ taping Close Encounters, also on was Cocoon. It is a Ron Howard film It came out in 1984.  It left me with this desire to go out and!! The cast of this movie is incredible, Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Brian Dennehy, Gwen Verdon, Maureen Stapleton and Steve Guttenberg. Alot of these people are now deceased, but they were at that time, broadway stars, old time movie actors, really respected people.  It seems Antareans who were peaceful race from another planet (Antares) set up a presence here during Atlantis. As it fell, they had to leave, not all of them could so they stored them in cocoons in the Gulf of Mexico.  The movie is set in Florida, and love the Tampa Bay/ St. Petersburg area.  Each time I see this movie I feel the potential of what could be, positively, instead of the invasion premises that are so prevalent today.

I am a huge fan of the Alien films and shows. I do believe in life outside of our existence.  I am also remember a time of more positive expectations, now our aliens are bent on invasion for a seek and destroy mission.  Though are graphics are superb, I fear the aliens of District 9 or Falling Skies.  Which of course I watch anyway.  Modern day alien films serve up my alien visitations with the depravity of human beings turning them into persecuted minorities living in the slums of Africa or having them taking over the world to destroy us. The best part occurred on Saturday when the mother of all alien movies from Steven Spielberg came on, ET The Extraterrestrial.   Starring the beautiful Drew Barrymore. I personally take my aliens with a pinch of hope, instead of a dash of doom.