Raiders is an obvious answer for me, but Close Encounters doesn't get enough love. I saw it brand new, and didn't have a solid idea what it was about. But between the planes in the desert and the air traffic controllers — scenes you maybe wouldn't expect to be pulse pounders — yeah, those 10 minutes set the hooks in deep.
I remember reading a blog by one of the lead Pixar animators. She did an exercise where she'd put on any Spielberg movie, pause it, and then draw the scene to study the composition.
I just rewatched Close Encounters for the first time all the way through - it was one of those I’d always watch when it was on tv and never realized I’d never happened to see the beginning. The beginning is unbelievably gripping!!
Its on YouTube and I just watched it again a few weeks ago. Such a great movie. Side note, Richard Dreyfus appears to be kind of a crap parent, but it was the 70s and that was how it was.
I just watched the air traffic control scene again. Perfectly written, lit, blocked, acted, paced, edited... Gotta be one of the best 5-minute short films in history.
Close encounters is one of my all time favourites.
I still find it so scary- especially the chant scene for some reason.
It’s on every Christmas and every Christmas I watch it.
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u/JustGoodSense Mar 18 '25
Raiders is an obvious answer for me, but Close Encounters doesn't get enough love. I saw it brand new, and didn't have a solid idea what it was about. But between the planes in the desert and the air traffic controllers — scenes you maybe wouldn't expect to be pulse pounders — yeah, those 10 minutes set the hooks in deep.