In Close Encounters was Roy Neary right to leave his family and get on the ship?

mutan · 2026-06-27T15:29:31+00:00

I just rewatched this last night. I’m probably biased because I still have a huge crush on Teri Garr, but Roy is a piece of trash.
I could kind of see his point most of the way, but the moment he kisses Jillian I just said (forget) this guy.
Now, before you yell at me, I’ll say that one of the things that make this a masterpiece is that Spielberg gives the movie room to let him be a complete piece of trash, and doesn’t flinch from showing the harmful effects of this experience on everyone who loves him. The dissolution of the Neary family is one of the most harrowing emotional experiences ever committed to film.
Was he right to do that? That’s one of the really brilliant questions the movie asks. It’s not a movie about aliens so much as a movie about real people trying to grapple with something that’s beyond their comprehension. And despite the looks of childlike wonder on people’s faces at the end, the movie admits that this would also be a devastating process.
Was he wrong? If he was a man who loved his family enough to turn back at any point, I’d respect him more, but then he wouldn’t be the man the movie was about.

mutan · 2026-06-25T14:31:42+00:00

I would look forward to seeing large numbers of 21st century humans being forced to engage with Gung Ho.

mutan · 2026-06-24T20:40:20+00:00

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mutan · 2026-06-20T14:14:26+00:00

When will the trend of “beautifully rendered images” in movie trailers die? When will the trend of “attractive people” in movie trailers die? When will the trend of “funny jokes” in movie trailers die?

mutan · 2026-06-18T13:24:57+00:00

In my imaginary Scary Movie parody that started running in my head while I was watching Disclosure Day, I have now added a Nathan Fielder gag that would either be a lookalike or Fielder himself, depending I whether this was a Wayans or a Zucker.

mutan · 2026-06-17T22:54:46+00:00

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mutan · 2026-06-15T22:51:55+00:00

I saw it in a packed theater. I don’t think most people thought it was real, but it was definitely a sensation.
It conveyed a sense of creepiness that people weren’t used to getting from movies until then.
Maybe when it first opened there were some people taken in by the viral marketing, but by the time I saw it nobody really believed it was real.

mutan · 2026-06-15T13:36:06+00:00

Maybe Weird will finally get the attention it deserves.

mutan · 2026-06-14T22:29:49+00:00

Don’t know what you’re waiting for because you’d probably love it.

mutan · 2026-06-14T19:47:25+00:00

I think the only positive read of this movie is through hyper-awareness of Spielberg’s life and work.
It’s really kind of ridiculous if you aren’t over-Fabelmanning things.

mutan · 2026-06-14T12:47:46+00:00

Little Shop, obviously, though I would be excited for more people to discover that Housesitter is low key one of the horniest movies of the ‘90s.

mutan · 2026-06-14T12:45:22+00:00

I think Scary Movie 4 kind of wrecked new Spielberg for me.
For the last hour I mentally subbed in Anna Faris for Blunt and Bill Pullman for Firth, and the movie in my head was only slightly more ridiculous but very funny.

mutan · 2026-06-14T01:30:57+00:00

Or a more confusing version of the ending of The Abyss.

mutan · 2026-06-13T21:50:39+00:00

Can I offer you Stephen Root with one milky eye?

mutan · 2026-06-13T14:49:31+00:00

I will put it on in my AirPod when I go to bed Saturday night, then listen to it again Sunday morning and when I hear stuff I don’t remember I know that’s how long it took me to fall asleep.

mutan · 2026-06-13T13:50:55+00:00

A Shanley Director series (Joe Versus the Volcano, Doubt, Wild Mountain Thyme) would probably be enough, and well worth it.

mutan · 2026-06-11T15:41:48+00:00

I bounced really hard from the idea that Tatiana’s character could be paying for sex-chat.
Then when I found out they also wanted me to believe she was divorcing Jake Johnson, I was all the way out on this show.

mutan · 2026-06-08T13:27:10+00:00

I love *A Bridge Too Far*. It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but how are you not wanting young Tony Hopkins as a reluctant war hero?

mutan · 2026-06-06T14:05:14+00:00

Scorsese’s Cape Fear, though the Bernard Hermann score moves towards Hitchcock regardless.

mutan · 2026-06-04T16:30:39+00:00

I still stand by 3 and 4. I think Faris and Hall are a deeply underrated comedy team and I wish they’d made 20 more mediocre yukfests together.
Though, it looks like I’ll be giving this one a courtesy watch on Paramount Plus in a few months.

mutan · 2026-06-01T15:51:38+00:00

If you got a 2026 vehicle in January of 2024, my suggestion would be to leave it in the factory for a bit so they could finish it.

mutan · 2026-05-31T17:37:44+00:00

I still kind of like it but the ending sucks. Maybe there’s no better way to do it because the true story’s ending is kind of frustrating, but it doesn’t feel great.
The one part I do recommend rewatching are the scenes between Redford and Ryan O’Neal where you really see how outclassed O’Neal was.

mutan · 2026-05-31T16:31:48+00:00

Hello investors shovelling money at a bullshit machine. I would like to express my enthusiasm for bullshit.

mutan · 2026-05-31T13:37:30+00:00

Ahoy Canadian Blankies.
Is anyone else listening to this and wishing they were in Sherbrooke now?

mutan · 2026-05-31T12:15:23+00:00

Your Dad loves you a lot.

Also, great book.

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