Seen in July

Some kinds of encounters are better than others.

July had torrential rain, extreme heat, wildfire smoke and these entertainments.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Crave
After seeing Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, I thought it would be fun to revisit his previous version of close encounters. Close Encounters of the First Kind is a classic Spielberg film full of broken families, curious kids and inquisitive adults, along with government conspiracies and car chases. The film focuses on Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), Jillian (Melinda Dillon) and her young son Barry (Cary Guffey), who have experiences with UFOs that leave Roy and Jillian with visions of a mysterious mountain. Meanwhile, two government experts (curiously enough played by François Truffaut and a very young Bob Balaban) are chasing down connected phenomena that lead them to believe an alien race is attempting contact with humanity. The whole thing is wrapped up in human consciousness (artworks created by those who can’t get the images out of their heads), wonder (the mesmerizing special effects), and human connection (scenes of a mass gathering in India). Interestingly, Spielberg likes to recreate genuinely scientific-looking moments alongside the arts like paintings, sculpture, and music as equal explorations into the unknown. It’s not just a nostalgic trip to enjoy this older film but one that is also simply a great piece of filmmaking.

The view from the summit.

The Summit of the Gods
Netflix
A beautifully animated film of a mountaineering mystery based on a graphic novel by Jiro Taniguchi, which is based on a novel by Baku Yumemakura. The story blends the fictional with the real. A photojournalist, Makoto Fukamachi, tracks down a reclusive but talented climber, Habu Joji, who may be in possession of the camera of George Mallory. Mallory, along with Andrew Irvine, may have been the first to have reached Everest’s summit, but both disappeared and were believed to have perished during the attempt in 1924. It’s a tale of feats of daring, of man versus nature as the film attempts to capture the obsession of climbers who tackle the world’s tallest mountains. It is stunning and captivating in its beauty.

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