A Few Words About A few words about...™ Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I just got my copy from Amazon yesterday and now they lowered the pricing down to $16.99. Why couldn't I hold out for a few days more. People need to jump on this price as I'm afraid it won't last long.

https://www.amazon.com/Close-Encoun...65953&creativeASIN=B073LWR8XD&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[SAhmed]

It's going for $16.99 at Amazon right now - don't know how long for though. I just picked it up even though I swore up and down that I wouldn't buy again but ...

Regards,

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I cancelled my order with Deep Discount DVD, as it was on back order, and jumped on this deal. Thanks for posting!

 

[WillG]

I just got my copy from Amazon yesterday and now they lowered the pricing down to $16.99. Why couldn't I hold out for a few days more. People need to jump on this price as I'm afraid it won't last long.

https://www.amazon.com/Close-Encoun...65953&creativeASIN=B073LWR8XD&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Yeah, they did the same thing with ET too. Lowered the price by $5 just days after release. This is really sticking it to people who pre-order. I complained to customer service about it with ET and they did give me a $5 promotional credit on my next order. I could try again for CE3K but I’m guessing they might shoot me down so soon after giving me a previous credit. I wouldn’t mind going on the record though as being frustrated over this and maybe let them know I might reconsider pre-ordering titles in the future.

 

[ToEhrIsHuman]

I just got my copy from Amazon yesterday and now they lowered the pricing down to $16.99. Why couldn't I hold out for a few days more. People need to jump on this price as I'm afraid it won't last long.

https://www.amazon.com/Close-Encoun...65953&creativeASIN=B073LWR8XD&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Check with your credit card benefits. My Citi card gives you a two-month window after purchase for most items where if a lower price is found within that timespan - even from other vendors - you'll get the difference back. I use it all the time.

 

[zoetmb]

My recent theater viewing of this is almost impossible to recapture in terms of sheer dazzlement, but the UHD comes close. I love the look, sound and movie.

That's interesting because I saw this when originally released at the Ziegfeld in NYC in 70mm for which they re-did the speaker mounting with baffles (like THX would do later) and added extra surrounds and "baby earthquake" woofers; the special edition in 70mm, also at the Ziegfeld but without the extra b-chain equipment and most recently, the supposedly remastered version, seen at the AMC Empire 25 on their Dolby Vision screen and I've never been more disappointed.

It was far grainier than I remember, as if this was scanned from a print generations from the original. Some of the scenes looked like they were shot underwater. And the sound mix had none of the impact of the original and was mixed differently. It seemed to me to have virtually no highs and lows and everything sounded thin and mid-rangey. As just one example, when I saw the original, when the glass breaks in the tower, it was so loud, crisp and realistic, everyone in the audience turned their heads because it sounded like something crashed in the theater. At the recent screening, it was almost background noise. Everything just seemed so passive. This is a film that really could have made great use of Dolby Atmos. It's a shame that it wasn't remixed.

It also seemed to be a strange cut. Not sure if it matched the third cut on the 30th Anniversary Blu-ray. It obviously didn't have the extended scene at the end of the special edition, but it seemed to have the shorter "mashed potatoes" scene of the special edition. There were other differences that I can no longer remember.

When I saw the original at the Ziegfeld, it was one of the top five presentation experiences of my life. When I saw it recently, it was "meh".

 

[Bryan^H]

That's interesting because I saw this when originally released at the Ziegfeld in NYC in 70mm for which they re-did the speaker mounting with baffles (like THX would do later) and added extra surrounds and "baby earthquake" woofers; the special edition in 70mm, also at the Ziegfeld but without the extra b-chain equipment and most recently, the supposedly remastered version, seen at the AMC Empire 25 on their Dolby Vision screen and I've never been more disappointed.

It was far grainier than I remember, as if this was scanned from a print generations from the original. Some of the scenes looked like they were shot underwater. And the sound mix had none of the impact of the original and was mixed differently. It seemed to me to have virtually no highs and lows and everything sounded thin and mid-rangey. As just one example, when I saw the original, when the glass breaks in the tower, it was so loud, crisp and realistic, everyone in the audience turned their heads because it sounded like something crashed in the theater. At the recent screening, it was almost background noise. Everything just seemed so passive. This is a film that really could have made great use of Dolby Atmos. It's a shame that it wasn't remixed.

It also seemed to be a strange cut. Not sure if it matched the third cut on the 30th Anniversary Blu-ray. It obviously didn't have the extended scene at the end of the special edition, but it seemed to have the shorter "mashed potatoes" scene of the special edition. There were other differences that I can no longer remember.

When I saw the original at the Ziegfeld, it was one of the top five presentation experiences of my life. When I saw it recently, it was "meh".

The audio in the theater I watched it in was perfect. It was one of the reasons I rated my experience so highly. Dialogue was fresh, and crystal clear, and the bass was so tight, but impressively loud that I was shocked. The picture quality was also great. It was just impressive all around and worth more than the $9.50 I paid.
I was worried the minute I saw the UFO shadow fly over Roy's truck near the beginning of the movie. I thought, great I'm getting the "special edition" my least favorite of the cuts. But it turned out not to be the case. A different mix altogether. Which I really liked by the way.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yeah, they did the same thing with ET too. Lowered the price by $5 just days after release. This is really sticking it to people who pre-order. I complained to customer service about it with ET and they did give me a $5 promotional credit on my next order. I could try again for CE3K but I’m guessing they might shoot me down so soon after giving me a previous credit. I wouldn’t mind going on the record though as being frustrated over this and maybe let them know I might reconsider pre-ordering titles in the future.

I have stopped pre-ordering most titles for this reason. Just a few weeks waiting usually results in a cheaper price. If not, I can be patient and wait a little longer.

 

[Jeff F.]

I have watched this film over the years at least a dozen times, and I, for one, always enjoy a film that retains its correct grain structure. However, the 4K version has so much grain in the picture that it’s distracting and just pulls me right out of the movie. I find it almost unwatchable. I’ve never had this issue with a 4K disc before. Very disappointed.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Vilmos Zsigmond. 'Nuff said.

 

[ScottJH]

The Best Buy exclusive Steelbook is on sale through tomorrow(9/30) for $19.99. Just got a price adjustment.

 

[Doug Otte]

After all the discussion about the 40th anniversary and the new release, I decided to watch my 30th BD again last night. Of course, I watched the Director's cut. I hadn't seen the film for several years, and it's the first time I watched it since I changed from a Sony BDP-S590 to S790. It still hung at the point where Neary is chasing the first UFOs on the highway toward the tollboth. I thought it used to hang when he runs out to the swing set and cries "Why?" but this time it didn't.

If I ever decide to upgrade to 4K, I'll definitely try the 40th edition. Sorry for the slightly off-topic post.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

the 4K version has so much grain in the picture that it’s distracting... I find it almost unwatchable. I’ve never had this issue with a 4K disc before. Very disappointed.

That's too bad, Jeff. I don't feel as you do. I love seeing film grain on UHD. It gives me a warm, fuzzy, analogue experience that I've never felt before when watching a movie. I feel like I've got a film projector running behind me without the reels. In fact, I'm more excited about rebuilding my film collection in UHD than I am about new titles shot on video cameras. And this is only the beginning. As great as it is now, technology has always proven that titles on the format always get better as time goes on once the people behind the scenes get a great grasp on how to work it.

 

[Lord Dalek]

That's too bad. I love seeing film grain on UHD. It gives me a warm, fuzzy, analogue experience that I've never felt before when watching a movie. I feel like I've got a film projector running behind me without the reels.

Yeah honestly what the hell were you guys expecting? It's a Zsigmond-shot movie from the 70's. It looks like every other Zsigmond-shot movie of the era. That means grain. GRAIIIIIIIIIIN!

 

[Rodney]

Check with your credit card benefits. My Citi card gives you a two-month window after purchase for most items where if a lower price is found within that timespan - even from other vendors - you'll get the difference back. I use it all the time.

My Chase card doesn't offer price protection for internet ads:

The Price Protection benefit does not apply to advertisements for close-out sales, flea markets, fire sales, cash-only sales, limited quantity promotions, liquidation sales, going-out-of-business sales, seasonal sales, or advertisements on the Internet.

 

[PMF]

Just a random thought, but...I'd enjoy seeing Spielberg and Dreyfuss working together again.

With the working title of "Mr. Holland's Oxford".

 

[Mark Booth]

We showed CE3K 40th anniversary (via the standard Blu-ray included in the 4K package) in the Booth Bijou Garage Theater last night (along with Wonder Woman). I also own the 30th anniversary standard Blu-ray. So, before our guests arrived, I spent a fair bit of time comparing scenes between the two standard Blu-rays. I did this both on our 4K Sony TV and via our Epson Home Cinema 8350 1080p projector in the garage.

I know there has been some controversy about the new standard Blu-ray being overly enhanced or too dark. But after my comparison (followed by watching the entire film), I feel the 40th anniversary standard Blu-ray is a BIG improvement over the 30th anniversary standard Blu-ray. The older Blu-ray feels WAY too bright by comparison. Further, I saw defects in the 30th version, including some splotchiness in the night sky as well as a (brief but noticeable) strange red glow along the left edge of the frame when there was no reason for it to glow there. Maybe some blacks are getting crushed on the 40th anniversary version. But I never saw anything that suggested I needed more visual information in dark areas. As I watched the entire film I tried to keep a critical eye to try to spot any problems and there simply weren't any.

Frankly, I think the 40th anniversary version looks so much better than the 30th anniversary version, I'm at a loss to explain why anyone would complain.

Mark

 

[Lord Dalek]

The 30th Anniversary is too bright? Have you seen the 2001 dvd?!?!

 

[Mark Booth]

I pulled 8 frames from both the 2007 Blu-ray and the 2017 Blu-ray (standard Blu-ray, not 4K). I've loaded them into screenshot comparison, they can be viewed here:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/119317/picture:4

That #5 image clearly demonstrates that the 2007 release is too bright. I've been to Devil's Tower and the 2017 image is much more faithful in reproducing the coloration of the Tower. Look at shadows in the image. The right side of the tower would be in shadow, NOT brightly lit like the 2007 release. The backsides of those posts should be in shadow as well, not brightly lit.

The 2007 release is definitely sharper. But I believe artificially so. While watching the 2017 release (standard Blu-ray) in motion there was never a moment that I felt the image wasn't sharp enough.

Thank you, Sony Pictures, for giving us this marvelous 2017 release of Spielberg's classic!

Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

From AVS Forum:

"Close Encounters was shot on 35mm stock that was from the 70's that didn't have the exposure latitude of newer stocks for night shots. Further, many studios were mastering on cheaper film stocks that weren't meant to be used for mastering to save money. The result is, there are a lot of grainy and soft masters from that era. Add to that all the FX shots which, while shot at least partially in 70mm, required a lot of layering of film to achieve them.

The result? A lot of 70's movies had a good deal of softness to them. To make matters worse, some directors liked the look and deliberately induced the softness. It's kind of a 70's trademark."


The sharpness of the 2007 Blu-ray release is revisionist.

Mark