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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2015 12:16 pm    Post subject: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Reply with quote




I was both impressed and puzzled when I first saw "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". I was impressed by the special effects and the sweeping scope of the film . . . but I was puzzled by the aliens' reasons for being on Earth.

What the hell were they doing here?

However, this second blockbuster sci-fi movie from Steven Spielberg doesn't have that fatal flaw. The aliens are here for very logical reasons: scientific studies of Earth's flora and fauna.

Perfect.

Ya gotta hand it to good old E.T., it was the sci-fi movie that rocked the world almost as much as "Star Wars", but in a whole different way. People who wouldn't be caught dead going to see Luke Skywalker fly around the Deathstar went to this one two and three times — and they took dates!

That rarely happened with "Star Wars", because . . . well, nerds are like Jedi knights — they live solitary lives of quiet dedication.

And of course, the music by John Williams was a cosmic symphony that lifted us right up to the stars. If you're not too busy at the moment, take flight with Johnny one more time, compliments of YouTube.

"Y.T. . . . fly home!"






And have you ever wondered what that music would sound like is somebody wrote lyrics for it — and sang them?

This guy did. Here's a version that will make you cry for a whole new reason — tears of laughter! Very Happy




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Phantom
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A stunning achievement that has intrigued children and adults for over a quarter of a century and never grows old.

I know people who really dislike this movie, and they are always people who never had a pet dog when they were children. After all, what is ET but a highly evolved pet dog to Elliot, and probably (subliminally) to most of the audience, as well.

There have been only two or three times I've sat in a theatre and listened to everyone, men, women and children, just bawling their eyes out over what was happening on the screen.

The first was the conclusion of Chaplin's City Lights, the second was the final scene in The Plague Dogs as Rowf and Snitter are swimming to the island, and ET and Elliot at the space ship.

"Come," "Stay." may be the two most tragic words ever spoken in a moving picture. If you can get through that scene without breaking down, you are made of some really hard bark.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HDMV channel showed E.T. on Oct 24th, 2015, and it included the unpopular scenes that were added to the 2002 Anniversary DVD.

I didn't even know about those scenes, and I was surprised when I watched the DVR I'd made of the movie. I didn't care for the CGI version of the little alien — and neither does Spielberg now, so you can't buy that version any more.

Ironically, as much as I love this movie, I still don't own it. Will somebody talk sense into me, please?
Shocked
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I found this IMDB trivia item pretty interesting.
________________________________

The end of the film was one of the most significant musical experiences for composer John Williams.

After several attempts were made to match the score to the film, Steven Spielberg took the film off the screen and encouraged Williams to conduct the orchestra the way he would at a concert.

He did, and Spielberg slightly re-edited the film to match the music, which is unusual since normally the music would be edited to match the film. The result was Williams winning the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

________________________________

Like millions of other viewers, I found that last scene to be emotionally devastating, and Mr. Williams' music is a big part of the reason why.

Here's a fine clip of that dramatic climax.


_____________ E.T.,The Extra-Terrestrial ending


___________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Brent Gair
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like STAR WARS, this is another sci-fi blockbuster that I have never been able to sit through.

I tried to watch it and made it to about the 20 minute mark before giving into boredom. That's the same amount of time that I spent trying to watch STAR WARS.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I posted a fan-made trailer for The Last Starfighter (1984) on the thread for that movie, and the trailer had this amusing message at the beginning.






I wondered just how true the claim at the bottom was, so I made a list of 1980s science fiction films that I thought were good, just to see if that decade really did produce a significant number of “the best” sci-fi movies.

This movie is on the list I made. I know what I like about the film (and a few things I don’t like), but I’d like to hear the pros and cons from the rest of you folks.

So, what do you think, guys? Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I guess I'm one of the few people on the planet who don't really get the massive popularity, appeal, and high rating of this one.

I know there's a contingent out there who think that the alien here is grotesque and it even gives some nightmares, but that's not really my issue (though I agree that it's repulsive).

No, I just think the film is on the dull side and mediocre. It's not bad, just nothing to get excited about — an innocuous piece of film-making from Spielberg, who rode a wave of spin & hype in the wake of Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We all know the story. A little alien gets stranded on Earth near some suburbs, hides out in someone's garage, befriended by one of the local kids (Henry Thomas), the government and army eventually intrude (including "keys" i.e. Peter Coyote), and kids fly over the threatening humans on bikes. Zippa-de-doo-da and awa-a-a-a-yyyyyy....



The other mystery for me here is Dee Wallace, first-billed as the mom. This was the biggest film of the decade, it did Star Wars-like numbers... yet it did nothing for her career. Weird. She next starred in the Stephen King horror pic Cujo.

Also an early role for Drew Barrymore as the little sister who screams at first sight of the monster, er, alien, but also befriends him.

Of course, the concept of friendship is a bit too sophisticated for this fare — it's not as if the extraterrestrial can speak full sentences to the kids. They regard it/him as a pet at first and later they seem to pity it, so they help it. For whatever reason, I got the impression that this was a story Spielberg filmed as one of his films during his kid years and he just upgraded it for his latest blockbuster.

BoG's Score: 6 out of 10




BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Well, no one can accuse Andrew Bogdan of being overly sentimental.

His comments about E.T. surprised me, even though I already knew that Andrew's character was a bit on the dark side. He had very high praise for Alien and The Thing, but he didn't care much for the more upbeat The Thing from Another World.

And he praised A Clockwork Orange to high heaven.

But for E.T., Andrew had no words of praise whatsoever. It just goes to prove that there's no accounting for taste.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Eadie
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Commemorative poster:


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/comcast-e-t-extra-terrestrial-advertising-1203419083/

E.T., that beloved movie alien, has returned to Earth – to do a commercial.

Comcast, the owner of the Universal movie studio that distributed the creature’s blockbuster 1982 film, has placed him in a new longform commercial for the company and its broadband, cable and satellite products. In the ad, which debuted during the Thursday broadcast of the annual “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on Comcast’s NBC, E.T. returns to see his friend Elliott. The character is once again played by Henry Thomas, the same actor who portrayed him decades ago.

“The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people’s minds and hearts,” said Thomas, in a statement provided by Comcast.

The ad – more than four minutes long in some versions – marks a bold bet by the Philadelphia entertainment giant that it can use its revered intellectual property for commercial purposes without upsetting some fans who might blanch at the notion.

To be sure, a new generation of consumers does not have the same connection to the Steven Spielberg movie as some people who saw it in the early 1980s. Hearing the famous phrase “E.T. phone home” may prompt a current audience to ask why the alien won’t text. And E.T. has never been immune from marketing. After all, the placement of Reese’s Pieces in the original movie helped boost that then-new product to untold heights. But he’s never been explicitly used in this fashion in prior appearances.

The new ad, crafted by Omnicom Group’s Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, shows E.T. back on Earth once more, in a grown Elliott’s front yard. He hangs out with the man’s family, who show him how to surf the web with Comcast’s Xfinity and use an Xfinity remote to call up holiday movies on a big-screen TV. He helps Elliott’s kids fly on their bicycles, a nod to one of the most memorable scenes in the original. A graphic on-screen urges viewers to “Reconnect for the holidays.”

“Our goal is to show how Xfinity and Sky technology connects family, friends and loved ones, which is so important during the holidays,” said Peter Intermaggio, senior vice president for marketing communications at Comcast Cable, in a prepared statement. “The classic friendship between E.T. and Elliott resonates around the world, and their story became a very meaningful way to bring our company’s consumer technology to life.”

The spot will get prominent airing around the globe. Comcast said the ad will run through January 5th in nine different versions for the United States and in different versions that tout the company’s Sky satellite service rather than Xfinity in Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.

In the U.S., a two-minute commercial will also appear Thanksgiving Day on Fox during its 12:30 p.m. eastern NFL game, on CBS during its 4:30 p.m. eastern NFL game, and again NBC during the 8:20 p.m. NFL game. Comcast’s Syfy cable network will run the entire four-minute short between airings of “E.T.” on Thanksgiving night. Comcast also plans to run it across broadcast network and national cable networks, online, in social media and in cinemas. It can also be seen by Xfinity customers who utter “E.T. Phone Home” into their voice remote.

The producers of “E.T.” were always very careful about how the property was marketed and managed. Director Spielberg pulled the film from release after a year, and did not make it available immediately via videocassette or cable, then re-released it in 1985. Stanley Newman, the executive who headed the consumer products group of Universal’s owner at the time, MCA Corporation, told The Los Angeles Times in 1985 that the company had purposely tried to limit licensing of the movie for merchandise. “Every licensee tried to add more products, everybody wanted a piece of the pie,” he said as the film was being re-released. “The demand was so incredible–we did not license half what we could have.”

In a world when nearly every piece of intellectual property from Sesame Street Muppets to Bob Dylan songs seems ripe for marketing and sales, some people still resist. Bruce Springsteen’s songs have never been used in commercials, for example. But other stalwarts are giving in. Neil Young, who in 1988 famously declared in a song that he “ain’t singing for Pepsi / ain’t singing for Coke,” recently turned up in a web ad for Amazon Music.

Comcast’s project appears to have Spielberg’s backing, according to another statement from Thomas, the actor.

The company launches the ad at a competitive time. As consumers migrate to streaming services, cable and satellite distributors have come under new scrutiny.

Comcast said video subscribers declined 0.9% in the third quarter and 0.7% for the first nine months of the year. Getting subscribers to keep Comcast broadband service or traditional cable or satellite in the home is of new importance to the company, particularly during a season when streaming-video hubs like Netflix or Amazon Prime are touting new selections like “The Irishman” or a new season of “Jack Ryan.”

Comcast is counting on E.T. to keep viewers focused on Xfinity and Sky, rather than those new-tech competitors Can the alien pull it off? He will have to do a lot more than help kids fly in the night.

E. T. — A Holiday Reunion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdgk3ERKdug&feature=emb_logo

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

IMDB has 127 trivia items for this movie. Here’s a few of the ones I found the most interesting, in the blue text. Very Happy
________________________________

~ The Halloween scene, where E.T. sees a child in a Yoda costume and seems to recognize him, suggests that they are from the same galaxy. In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), in the galactic senate scene where all the senators are on their feet shouting, you can see E.T. species among the senate pods in the lower right corner.

Note from me: This is a clever observation, and it actually makes sense! Very Happy

~ The end of the film was one of the most significant musical experiences for composer John Williams. After several attempts were made to match the score to the film, Steven Spielberg took the film off the screen and encouraged Williams to conduct the orchestra the way he would at a concert. He did, and Spielberg slightly re-edited the film to match the music, which is unusual since normally the music would be edited to match the film. The result was Williams winning the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Note from me: That magnificent conclusion is indeed quite powerful because of the way the shots are energized by the marvelous music. I admire the fact that Spielberg and Williams found a way to maximize the effect on the audience.

~ At one point during filming, Drew Barrymore was consistently forgetting her lines, annoying Steven Spielberg to the point where he actually yelled at her. He later found out that she had reported to work with a very high fever. Feeling guilty, he hugged her and apologized repeatedly as she cried and cried. He then sent her home - with a note from her director.

Note from me: This sort of makes me wonder why Drew's mother would send her off to work with a fever. She probably didn't know. At least I hope not. Sad

~ The script was largely written while on location filming for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) during filming breaks. Steven Spielberg dictated the story to screenwriter Melissa Mathison who was there with her then-boyfriend and future husband Harrison Ford.

Note from me: This says a lot about Spielberg's talent. He was able to "multi-task" in a very impressive way.

~ When it was test-screened at the Cannes Film Festival as an unofficial entry, it brought the house down, receiving a standing ovation that had eluded most of the official entries.

Note from me: This film doesn't move everybody to the same degree (see Bogmeister's negative review above), but I'm sure the reaction of the folks at Cannes was very gratifying to Spielberg.

~ Steven Spielberg stated in an interview that E.T. was a plant-like creature, and neither male nor female.

Note from me: What a weird idea! I can't think of anything in the movie that might support the idea that E.T. was physiologically similar to The Thing from Another World! Shocked

~ According to the film's novelization, E.T. is over ten million years old.

Note from me: I'm sorry, but that sounds a bit extreme. I might accept a few thousand years . . . but not ten million years for Pet's sake!

~ At one point, Gertie looks down at E.T. and says, "I don't like his feet." This was ad-libbed by Drew Barrymore and was actually her referring to the grouping of wires coming out of the E.T. puppet. She also ad-libbed the line, "Give me a break!" after Elliott tells her only little kids can see E.T.

Note from me: The "Give me a break" line was hysterical! Laughing

~ The gag where the mother looks in the closet and sees the alien surrounded by toys was dreamed up by Robert Zemeckis.

Note from me: Another great moment is this enjoyable movie. Very Happy

~ ET's plants included some made from inflated condoms with polyester blooms.

Note from me: Gee, I guess on E.T.'s planet the rubber trees actually grow rubbers! Laughing

~ The role of Mary, the children's mother, was first offered to Shelley Long but she had already signed to film Night Shift (1982) and was forced to decline.

Note from me: Miss Long is enjoyable in comedy roles, but I don't think she would have suited the role of Elliot's mother.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From what I've read about Drew's mom (and dad) I am not at all surprised they sent their toddler off to work with a fever ,Bud.

Ozzie and Harriet they weren't...not even close.

Years later when Drew did her pictorial for Playboy she sent a copy to Steven. He had a visual effects artist digitally put clothes on all her poses and sent it back to Drew.

They remain good friends to this day.
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The Spike
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 5:39 pm    Post subject: Dream work indeed. Reply with quote

An alien is stranded on Earth and a bunch of suburban kids attempt to help him get home.

It's amazing to think that such a simple and standard story would go on to become a global phenomenon. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, blasted its way into pop culture and simultaneously became one of the most cherished films of all time. It's not hard to see why, for E.T. appeals to every member of the family, from the joyous set ups as E.T. stumbles around middle America suburbia, to the doses of magic so gleefully constructed by Spielberg's inner child. Those wishing to scratch away at the surface (and there are many who have previously) will find Spielberg affecting his picture with divorce subtexts (his parents divorce was known to upset him deeply), whilst the government "villains" show an astute aside to paranoia of the times and suspicions of political operatives.

Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore and Peter Coyote star. The score, now famous and likely to bring about goose bumps with at the opening bars, is from John Williams, with cinematography coming from Allen Daviau. Shown in the main from a child's perspective, the film is still a wonder that charms and informs on repeat viewings. So much so that as it approaches its 40th birthday, its longevity and all encompassing appeal shows no sign of abating. Something that Spielberg and his crew can rightly feel very proud about. 9/10

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The "E.T." sequel that we never got...Thank God!

"E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears" was a ten-page story treatment from E.T. writer Melissa Mathison and E.T. director Steven Spielberg.

The fact that this proposed sequel came from Melissa & Steven stuns me considering they created the original classic movie.

The sequel has a very dark and edgy tone.

Synopsis: Another alien space craft arrives on Earth after having picked up the distress call sent out by E.T. in the first movie.

These aliens are similar looking to E.T. They are albino in appearance and are a mutated faction of the same species as E.T.

The aliens are of a hostile nature and are carnivorous. They are able to produce a hypnotic hum which can paralyze others species. They mutilate cattle.
Various alien species would be seen held captive on their vessel.

This group and E.T.'s race have been at war with one another for decades.

They are currently hunting for E.T.

The albino aliens end up capturing Elliot, Michael, and Gertie.

They subject them to intense interrogation sessions that leave all three mentally and physically drained.

Their mom Mary has been dating Dr. Keys who we saw in the finale of the first film. Their dad has returned from New Mexico to file for divorce.

E.T., whose name is revealed to be Zrek, shows up towards the end of the movie and rescues the three kids at the same time Mary & Keys arrive.

Spielberg said that in retrospect this was a bad idea because you could not improve upon the purity of the original movie.

I'm just astonished that he did not realize that fact at the time, or that this grim idea for a sequel had any merit at all!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Mike, I'm not fibbing when I say that I pulled up your post, read the first few lines — and then had to take a much needed bathroom break.

During that time of deep reflection while comfortably seated, I amused myself with an idea I figured was the least likely premise for the E.T. sequel.

It goes like this.

E.T.'s race turns out to be seriously bipolar, and their "down period" turns them into savage creatures! Sharp teeth sprout in the mouths, and they become hungry for the soft flesh of little kids — who, unfortunately, trust the aliens completely, based on E.T. previous visit when the aliens come back to Earth . . . for a grisly feast! Shocked

The tag line on the poster would be . . .


E.Teeth — gnaw bone!

However, the 2019 video below presented the perfect premise for a sequel. Very Happy

The four-minute video stars Henry Thomas (the original Elliot, 37 years later) and his fictional family, who receive a visit from that annoying little alien who had the unmitigated gall to make grown men (like me) cry in movie theaters during his first visit! Confused

Merry Christmas in June, guys.
Cool

____________ A Holiday Reunion – Xfinity 2019


__________

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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