Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Written and directed by Steven Spielberg over 30 years ago, this is a timeless, classic, masterpiece. You can see several themes which are seen again 5 years later in E.T.. Spielberg loves to play with light and shadow. He understands that telling stories does not have to include constant dialogue. He uses music, imagery, facial expressions, and action to tell a story in addition to very smart dialogue.

Richard Dreyfuss is brilliant here in his third Spielberg project. He leaves nothing in the dressing room when he acts. Directors love him as do the audience.

French screen legend François Truffaut makes what is his only appearance in an American film to date, but is great as the other Lead is this script.

If you have never seen this movie, I suggest you give it a try to see how good sci-fi can be without today's computer graphics. Don't get me wrong, I love good CG. But I also like film-making on real celluloid. This is good story-telling at a very high level. You can see things in this movie that Spielberg uses in most of his projects since.

If it has been a while since you last watched this movie, I suggest you take some time and do a little cinema appreciation project.

Better yet, watch this movie with someone who has not seen it yet, and help them get into it.

Mongol

After being on my rental list for a very long time, I was happy to see that it was well worth the wait. Epic in scope. Grand in scale. Simple is message. This movie is very much a work of art. Filmed in parts of China that were so remote crews had to build roads before equipment could be transported in.

Totally in Mongolian with English subtitles, it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008. A very worthy nod.

Based on historical records with a great deal of fictional license, this is an interesting look into the early life of Genghis Khan. It is a war story. It is a love story. It is a personal discovery drama. I'm convinced everyone will take something different away from this movie.

Every character is totally believable and most are lovable. This is not so much different from movies like Braveheart. Just in a language very few of us understand.

Watch this movie with someone who will enjoy the battle scenes as much as the love scenes.