Episode 525: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Sci-Fi Month rolls on with a deep dive into Steven Spielberg’s iconic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). This film weaves together three gripping tales: first, cartographer-turned-investigator David Laughlin (Bob Balaban) and French scientist Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut) chase the mystery of alien contact; next, single mother Julian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) faces the unimaginable when her son, Barry, is abducted by otherworldly visitors; and finally, Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), a man lost in the monotony of life, finds his world forever changed after a close encounter that leaves him haunted by visions of an alien invitation.

Mike is joined by Suzen Tekla Kruglnska and El Goro to explore this sci-fi masterpiece. The episode features exclusive interviews with production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter Matthew Robbins, second assistant director Jim Bloom, and special effects legend Douglas Trumbull.