#31: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, probably in high school

BEST SEQUENCE

The abduction of Barry, the little boy

BEST LINE

I'd have to sing it for you, but if you know solfège, it's "Re - Mi - Do - Do (down an octave) - Sol"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

91%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind is deeply humane sci-fi exploring male obsession, cosmic mysticism, and music."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"An Indiana electric lineman finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches."

DIRECTOR

Steven Spielberg

MAIN CAST

Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, Cary Guffey

THOUGHTS

• Movie thrills can come in various forms. Sometimes we're reacting to terrifying monsters or sadistic killers, sometimes to frantic shootouts or death-defying stunts. Other times, however, thrills can come from pure spectacle and movie magic, when our jaws drop in wonder and amazement. That's largely the case here. Referring especially to the last half hour of the movie, the meeting between humans and aliens, it's simply wondrous. It's not action packed, it's not even really scary, just eerie at most. And yet, I was enthralled and, yes, thrilled. In fact, while typing that out, I just convinced myself to bump the Thrill Score up by a half point
• I've reviewed other movies that maybe could have benefited from the same argument, movies like The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Spielberg's E.T. (which absolutely shares a lot of the same DNA as Close Encounters), but there's just something really special about what Spielberg does here. He doesn't rush, he takes his time with showing us this colossal mothership, and we end up feeling just like the characters in the movie must have felt. When I reviewed 2001 I saw it in the theatre shortly after, and I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for a big screen showing of Close Encounters as well
• This also contains some of the best uses of light and darkness I've ever seen in a movie, from the very effective shots of whole city blocks going dark (something that's easy for us to imagine, but no less effective to see), to the vibrant and otherworldly beams of light that come from the UFOs. In fact, my pick for the best sequence, Barry's abduction, is the only really scary part of the movie, and it's pretty terrifying. It's entirely done with light, though. We never even get a glimpse of the aliens themselves until very close to the end
• You do kind of need to buy into the visual appearance of the aliens a little bit, especially the short ones wandering around (who were just a bunch of tweenaged girls in costumes), but this didn't bother me so much because Spielberg had already pulled me in by that point so it was easy to suspend my disbelief
• Even though I'm largely focusing on the special effects, the actors are all very good and convincing at making us believe they're seeing what we're seeing, a skill that's much more necessary these days in the age of CGI than it was back in 1977. It's also interesting to note that Close Encounters was Spielberg's direct follow-up to Jaws, a much less fantastical movie
• As always, John Williams' music played a big part in making this movie work so well, and once you've heard it you'll never be able to forget the famous 5-note sequence. Another favourite scene was the one in the Indian village, with massive crowds of people joyfully singing the melody
• Finally, I want to shout out Devils Tower, which looks so bizarre that you might think it was just another special effect Spielberg invented, but which is in fact a very real monolith in Wyoming. It's such a cool setting, and I loved the scenes of Roy constructing his replica, especially when the same landform is shown on the TV right beside his model

Up next: The Deer Hunter, 1978's Best Picture winner

#32: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

10

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Never

BEST SEQUENCE

Both sequences at the carnival, but especially the earlier one, watching Bruno stalk his prey and pounce

BEST LINE

"Each fellow does the other fellow's murder. Then there's nothing to connect them. Each one has murdered a total stranger. Like you do my murder, I do yours."

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

98%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"A provocative premise and inventive set design lights the way for Hitchcock's diabolically entertaining masterpiece."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"A psychopath tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person."

DIRECTOR

Alfred Hitchcock

MAIN CAST

Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock (Alfred's daughter), Kasey Rogers

THOUGHTS

• I thought this movie was fantastic. Terrifically thrilling, and entertaining all the way through, it's my favourite Hitchcock movie that I've reviewed so far, by a long shot. Despite this, I debated giving it a 9.5/10. I figured, I still have a lot of Hitchcock movies left to go, so I wanted to leave some room just in case there ends up being a movie I like better. But then I thought, to what end? Strangers on a Train is a perfect thriller with a brilliant premise and great performances. Even if there does end up being a Hitchcock film I like better, it wouldn't take away from how much I enjoyed this one, so I'm happy to give it the 10/10 I think it deserves
• Remember, I've reviewed three Hitchcock movies so far (Notorious, Dial M for Murder and Rebecca), and Dial M for Murder was my favourite before this one, at 7.5/10. There are still five more to go, and three of them are in the top ten. I do even think there might be a chance that Strangers on a Train could end up being my favourite of the bunch
• I knew about the general idea: two guys meet on a train, and they consider swapping murders to avoid suspicion. This happens in the first ten minutes of the movie. But what I didn't realize, and what really ratchets up the tension, is the fact that only one of the men is actually fully onboard for the plan. Not only does this add layers to the intrigue and tension, but it also gives us a distinct hero and a very distinct villain
• And what a villain! Robert Walker is incredible as the sociopathic, manipulative Bruno. His icy, nonchalant demeanour is chilling, and I love the way his eyes flit back and forth while he's talking to someone. Sadly, Walker's mental health was not good at this point in his life, and he died only a couple months after the movie was released
• Farley Granger is also good, if slightly less memorable, as the protagonist, Guy. Granger had previously appeared in Hitchcock's movie Rope, released in 1948, a movie that I had seen before and remembered liking, and even thought about adding as a supplemental review. In fact, I rewatched it last night, and it's very good! Famous for telling its story in real time, and for Hitchcock making it seem like it was filmed all in one shot, give or take a cut or two. Some critics found this trickery distracting, but I thought it worked very well and added to the tension, including some very effective camerawork. That's about all I have to say about Rope, though, so I don't think a full review is necessary. I would probably give it an 8/10 for thrills
• Back to the movie at hand, though! Watch Strangers on a Train. Undeniably one of Hitchcock's best, and it may wind up being my favourite at the end of this project of mine

Up next: Speaking of directors that are well represented on this list, it's another movie from Steven Spielberg: 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind

#33: THE FUGITIVE (1993)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once. And it was a lot better this time than I remembered

BEST SEQUENCE

I have to go with the iconic jump off the dam

BEST LINE

"I didn't kill my wife!"

"I don't care!"

Runner-up: "The guy did a Peter Pan right here off of this dam, right here!"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

96%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Exhilarating and intense, this high-impact chase thriller is a model of taut and efficient formula filmmaking, and it features Harrison Ford at his frantic best."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal."

DIRECTOR

Andrew Davis

MAIN CAST

Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbé (and I'll include Julianne Moore, even though her role is very small)(also Jane Lynch, with a tiny role)(and Neil Flynn, the janitor from Scrubs, with the tiniest role of all)

THOUGHTS

• I think I was biased against this movie at first because it was based on a TV show, a bias that, in hindsight, makes absolutely zero sense. It was an intriguing concept for a TV show in the '60s, so why wouldn't it still be an equally intriguing concept for a fantastic action/thriller movie in the '90s? Hell, it's still an intriguing concept today, but no need for a remake, this movie really doesn't need to be improved upon (and yet, a remake is apparently in development)
• Harrison Ford plays Kimble's desperation very well, and I love his quiet nobility when he goes out of his way to save people, even when doing so puts him more at risk to be caught. And Tommy Lee Jones is a lot of fun as a man who starts out by doggedly doing his job until eventually he starts to see that there may be more nuance than expected
• The strength of the two leads kind of reminded me of Die Hard, in a way, especially the fact that Jones as the (ostensible) villain might be even more fun to watch than the hero. An appropriate comparison also, as Die Hard and The Fugitive were both cowritten by the same guy, Jeb Stuart
• This movie really doesn't waste much time before it starts cooking, and the first 40 minutes are probably the strongest part of the film, including the most memorable sequences in the bus and train crash and the dam jump. Those were certainly the parts of the movie I remembered most, but it does stay very exciting throughout. Jones chasing Ford down a staircase in a government building was also a great moment. I would say, however, that your mileage may vary with the medical corporate espionage and intrigue. I thought it was a fine catalyst for the movie's plot, but definitely not the most memorable part of the movie
• It struck me as a great Chicago movie, too
• Finally, The Fugitive was an absolute sensation when it came out. It was the 3rd-highest-grossing movie of 1993, behind Mrs. Doubtfire and a little movie we talked about recently, Jurassic Park. It was also nominated for seven Oscars, including a win for Tommy Lee Jones as Best Supporting Actor, and it was a somewhat rare example of an action movie getting nominated for Best Picture. It also holds an even rarer distinction: it's the only example of a Best Picture nominee that was adapted from a TV show, so hey, maybe there was some logic behind my previous bias

Up next: Hitchcock's back, and it's another one that I haven't seen, Strangers on a Train from 1951