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Summer of 1982 - Nordling's Seeing E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL This Weekend!
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Nordling here.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL is my favorite movie of all time. It likely always will be. That's not to say that I'm closing myself off from other movie experiences, but too many personal things are wrapped up in E.T. for me to think otherwise. If you're curious, you can read my take on it from back in 2007, when we did a 1982 retrospective - it's all right here.
This weekend, the Alamo Drafthouse is playing E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL as part of its Summer of 1982 Celebration. 30 years ago this weekend, my life changed. Honestly, it changed before that, when I saw JAWS for the first time, but that weekend solidified it for me - if I did nothing else in life, I was going to figure out how to turn my love of movies into something more. I'm obsessed with movies, and it's due to the work of Steven Spielberg.
I have no idea if any special guests are coming to Austin's screening on Friday, and I don't care - seeing my favorite film of all time, in my favorite movie theater of all time, is something I cannot pass up. I'll be in Austin on Friday, savoring every last moment of this movie that means more to me than almost anything, with the exception of my family. I'll likely cry - hell, it's a certainty, because I always cry at E.T. The day I stop crying at it is a day I hope never comes.
Texas, check your local Alamo Drafthouse listings - it's playing at both the Houston and Austin locations, and leave your cynicism at the door. If you've never seen this movie, you should make an effort to go and see it in the theater. E.T. is childhood writ large and I can't wait to see it again.
There's one thing that my E.T. review did for me, something that I'll cherish forever and it's something I have hanging at my office at work. It's gotten me through some rough patches (and when Talkback gets particularly nasty, I look up at it and smile), and I'll probably have the damn thing buried with me. Thank you, Mr. Spielberg, for the movie that's changed my life forever. Hope to see you all this weekend.
Readers Talkback
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E.T. was the first movie I saw theatrically. It shaped my childhood in ways I can't calculate. Thanks for putting it into words for us!
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June 5, 2012, 10:34 p.m. CST
Perfect Organism Part 3 and Part 4 before the U.S. Prometheus midnight release, please.
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
And thank you, I enjoyed Perfect Organism: Alien Resurrection. Ever since Firefly debuted, I saw Alien: Resurrection as the unofficial shiny pilot.
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"ET over JAWS is just idiotic." Quit it. Quit the asinine assailing. Stipulate to yourself that both films are of renowned, respected quality, that their stories are apples and oranges to each other (thank you Fincher for that particular quote), and exult in the pleasure that both films give to people. Stop with the 8th-grade mentality. Just stop it. And I know, just after my post, you'll begin hurling your childish epithets for me calling you on the carpet to grow up. Understand that everyone else reading this talkback will see you as the crybaby.
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I just don't get it. Cool letter from Steven Spielberg though.
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June 5, 2012, 10:35 p.m. CST
ET is a family drama that also plays well as pure science fiction
by glue
That's not an easy combination to get right.
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Spielberg in top form....not making a movie aimed for kids....or making a serious movie aimed for adults...just made a really good movie with great characters..and viewed its audience as intelligent.... I cant even imagine any writer/director that could even come close to making this type of movie..... IF 3500-4000 theaters were available in 82....ET would shatter all box office records for good......
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is great. Good job, Nordling, be proud of that.
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Like you, E.T. is my favorite movie. Although I was from the late 80's, I watched the heck out of that VHS. My grandma told me later that I would re-watch it over and over, never growing tired of it. Ironically- I would have nightmares/waking-nightmares of E.T. for years, afraid of glowing red lights, etc.,- so I can't quite say I liked the little fella for quite some time. Haha. There's so many feelings and memories with E.T. It feels just so personal to me and I don't mind if other people don't get it. It's what I grew up with. It's something that can't be taken away. I'm always happy to see others who have such an interest. Back in '09, I got to take a trip cross country to Cali. I made sure to visit some locations where it was filmed. It was surreal. Here's some clips: http://youtu.be/36r8Y5pYy_4 -Love that Alamo advert poster, btw.
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redwhitenegro is a crybaby.
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I haven't seen E.T. for awhile. Looking forward to it on blu without the changes that Spielberg made when he did that director's cut about a decade ago. I know it is your favorite movie Nordling, but I gotta go with Close Encounters for my Spielberg alien movies. CE3K just takes the prize by a hair. It would be cool if they did an E.T. and CE3K double feature theatrical rerelease this year.
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June 5, 2012, 11:23 p.m. CST
@eloy. YES, Supes is great, too...more recognizable main theme, but I feel ET is overall better.
by dead youngling
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In twenty years I'll write about how much I hated War Of The Worlds
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Awesome....fucking awesome letter btw.
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June 5, 2012, 11:51 p.m. CST
I shall be there. Really want to get my little boy that poster.
by zillabeast
The other day at KHAN I had the "Where's the Beef?" Burger they are running for the Summer of '82 series. It's a freaking hoss. 14oz of greasy, grilled goodness.
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June 6, 2012, 12:02 a.m. CST
Grr....damn defective website - I tipped my hat to you for your letter, Nordling, but your boss' website deleted it
by Jacob Underhill
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June 6, 2012, 12:19 a.m. CST
E.T. is an over rated, poor movie that I saw in theaters as a kid and was never affected by. I'm still not.
by MENTALDOMINANCE
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June 6, 2012, 12:20 a.m. CST
But either way, getting a letter from Spielberg does rock. He's one of my favorite directors, even though I don't really like E.T. at all.
by MENTALDOMINANCE
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June 6, 2012, 12:23 a.m. CST
E.T. was like Avatar... Popular, marketed to hell, and dumb as shit. Mass hysteria.
by MENTALDOMINANCE
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June 6, 2012, 12:24 a.m. CST
How can E.T. fucking LEVITATE SHIT AND FLY but he doesn't use those powers to get away from the feds in the first place? The whole story is so contrived and stupid.
by MENTALDOMINANCE
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Love this movie, and can't wait for the blu this fall. However, someone please tell me why neither that, or the original DVD, contains the deleted scenes that were on the laserdisc, including the one with Harrison Ford as Elliot's principal.
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That letter is incredible. How'd you get the jizz stains out?
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June 6, 2012, 1:14 a.m. CST
@greg7797: The 2002 E.T. DVD release took a *20th anniversary* approach, with then-new EPKs, omitting extras from the LD.
by justmyluck
I remember picking up the *ultimate gift set* for the third bonus DVD, but even that didn't have the LD extras. The Digital Bits* has a summary of the yet-to-be-released Blu-ray, which also doesn't mention the 1982 deleted scenes: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa204.html#053012 The LD stuff not appearing on the upcoming Blu *is* definitely unusual.
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Great read,made my day!
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June 6, 2012, 1:26 a.m. CST
E.T. and Back to the Future are films that seem to scream Science Fiction, but are decidedly more 'down-to-Earth.'
by Kamaji
They're both stories of ordinary people, that through some bizarre quirk of fate, encounter something strange that will take them on a journey that changes them.
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ET isn't the only film that has some extras exclusive to them. The Annotated STAR WARS discs and the GODFATHER SAGA, which is a huge epic recutting of all three movies and many MANY added scenes are a few others. Still have all my discs and DVDs. Eventually will try to replace what I can with Blu-Ray, but if the Blu-Ray doesn't have the same extras, I'll hang onto the Laserdisc and/or DVD version. If the Blu-Ray version content matches, I donate my standard DVDs to our local library. Please don't laugh about Laserdiscs, CAV discs are amazing, especially the freeze-frame capability (How about the WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT and JURASSIC PARK one-frame bloops gems only Laserdiscs can show). But then I still have and play my precious Betamaxs (although I am going to eventually try to convert them to DVD) so I embrace the new technology and the old!
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ET was probably the first film I ever saw that truly exemplified the magic that is film making. Wonderful film, that and Jaws both!
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June 6, 2012, 1:46 a.m. CST
'82 was a great year to be a kid and a fan of fantasy/sci-fi.
by Bedknobs and Boomsticks
Except for the World's Fair in Knoxville. That sucked. Well, the painting robot arm was cool, and the big Rubik's cube, but the rest...
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Cynical. Arrogant. Devoid of any empathy. That pretty much sums up many of the AICN Talkbackers. E.T. is and will remain a masterpiece of movie making. It is now a time capsule that will forever demonstrate was life was like back in the early 1980's, and how great a movie can be uplifting and really change the lives of millions of people for the better. We don't have many movies like this anymore. E.T. was a film about home. Courage. Love. Friendship. Family. And many of the dipsh*ts here don't get it cause they don't really care about the history of great films. Or good story telling. Or emotional resonance. It was a movie that helped solidify why I wanted to makes movies in Hollywood. And not sit around for hours on forums every day complaining about everyone and everything else - when the problem is the person you see in the mirror... every morning you wake up.
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because my parents didn't allow me to go to the movies, and they threw out our b&w television. jedi was the sole movie i saw in the theater (and i remember going to see chariots of fire exhibited in a church- woohoo). i am actually moving to austin this summer, but not until july 10th! so no E.T. theatrical experience for me. :(
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STAR WARS OT (9-disc CAV box) STAR WARS OT (2-disc CLV sets) RAIDERS (single disc, no snake reflection erasure, theatrical Dolby surround mix) SE7EN (Criterion CAV box with many unique extras) AKIRA (Janus CAV - animation tests and more) E.T. (CAV box with deleted scenes and original JW isolated score) NAPOLEON (CLV Abel Gance/Coppola ... apparently a Blu-ray soon) ...and a few other music video ones for retro nostalgia. I really should get a high end video card and suck all the bonus materials into 4x3 matted for HD.
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June 6, 2012, 2:29 a.m. CST
While I love E.T., saying people who don't like E.T. must have personality disorders or hate their lives is utterly ridiculous.
by justmyluck
Though to really get E.T. and its pop-cultural impact *you had to be there.*
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June 6, 2012, 2:36 a.m. CST
@Nordling - Right on!I just went into the past to see the piece you wrote and now I'm back from the fut..err I mean past to say...
by kenchun24
...great piece sir.You really captured what it was like growing up in not only 82' but that era in general (hell I'm 36 and have great movie memories till 92').Like Spielberg's letter said (and like his film E.T.) the article brought me back... Sincerely, kenchun24 (from the present) P.S. Like Steven said,you really are a good writer.
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June 6, 2012, 2:36 a.m. CST
@Nordling - Right on!I just went into the past to see the piece you wrote and now I'm back from the fut..err I mean past to say...
by kenchun24
...great piece sir.You really captured what it was like growing up in not only 82' but that era in general (hell I'm 36 and have great movie memories till 92').Like Spielberg's letter said (and like his film E.T.) the article brought me back... Sincerely, kenchun24 (from the present) P.S. Like Steven said,you really are a good writer.
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June 6, 2012, 3:01 a.m. CST
The haters should just go back to watching muscly men in tight spandex superhero movies.
by ChickenStu
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...he does send those letters out all time. I got a very long and sentimental one just for sending him a note saying 'Saving Private Ryan was better than I thought, skilz Steven skilz'.
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It completely overshadowed two vastly superior films in the summer of '82; Blade Runner and John Carpenter's The Thing. Moreover, in a roundabout way it ruined Carpenter's career by being the complete antithesis of his film and turning critics and fans alike against him. It lead to Carpenter being fired from Firestarter, and becoming persona non-grata in Hollywood. I'll never forgive Spielberg's mediocre at best little kids movie for derailing a career that could have been so much more.
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One can both like huge muscly men in spandex and E.T. Just sayin.... :)
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June 6, 2012, 5:12 a.m. CST
not saying they can't, it's just most E. T haters here think they're cool and manly for not liking ...
by ChickenStu
... something for being sentimental and heartwarming. They call the fans gay or whatever yet love films about muscly men in spandex. see my point? This movie is a masterpiece. Fuck the haters.
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June 6, 2012, 5:37 a.m. CST
The only emotions I have EVER experienced are RAGE and SEX...
by Tom-Paul Smith
...and even I cried at E.T. Although I then had to regain my manhood by punching an entire fucking ARMY for looking at me funny afterwards. Fuck the haters.
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What is there to 'hate?' Feels like a pose. If you truly 'hate' E.T., then you more than likely 'hate' a LOT of other things, and that's a shitty way to go through life, I feel sorry for you.
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It amazes me that so many people on these boards find the need to be so vindictive against movie making and makers. It's like their lives have been shattered beyond repair by an artist's comment. All I can imagine is that their lives must be pretty brittle to start with.
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Or a mangled, 30 year old film print?
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If any talkbacker gives you a hard time, just point them to that letter and tell them to "Suck it -- hard!!"<br> <br> <br>
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"Jaws is better than ET because it's got blood and doesn't have gay little kids." Give me a break. ET is a masterpiece, incredibly personal filmmaking, wonderfully acted, shot, written, scored, etc. I've had the pleasure of seeing both Jaws and ET (original cut) on the big screen (not in their original runs, of course; I was born in '86) and they're both perfect pictures. Some of you guys need to grow up; you're not cool for bashing ET, you're just a phillistine. With the possible exception of Empire of the Sun, ET gets my vote for favorite Spielberg picture.
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June 6, 2012, 7:59 a.m. CST
Did you send a letter to Justin Beiber too after you saw his movie?
by DonkeyBalls
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people queuing round the block when I went to see E.T. with my Dad. I was 10 years old at the time and it was well worth the wait to get in.
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I was a fragile and easily-frightened four-year old when my Dad took me to see the 1984 re-release. The first time E.T. popped that head up and screamed, I was gone. My Dad removed me from the theater and we went home. I love the movie now but that's one of the earliest movie memories I have, the first being the trash compactor scene from a network-TV showing of Star Wars sometime before that.
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...he got bullied mercilessly as a result. I hope you do too you pansy.
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June 6, 2012, 8:32 a.m. CST
I did not like E.T. on first view, for personal reasons...
by sapno_krei
My dad was several states away for work for an extended period -- over a year, I think -- so the divorced parent thing really cut close to home for me (I was only 6 in 1982). Yeah, my parents were not divorced, but in my mind they may as well have been. I may not have understood its thematic resonance at the time, but E.T. not getting to stay with Elliott was a huge downer ending for me. I wanted a happy ending, not one where E.T. goes away. Didn't watch the movie again until the home video release ~1988 or so. Only then did I fall in love with the movie, not because the movie's ending felt any happier, but rather because it had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart so successfully without my even realizing for all those years.
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The way the creature walks, discovers new things, his temperment...it's all based on toddler behavior. Elliot learns a lot, of course, but he also teaches a lot too. The sibling dynamic is so rich, so spot on. The mother character is incredibly complex. Her mix of horror and wonder is amazing. So yeah. This film is a masterpiece. Great job Nordling.
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June 6, 2012, 8:33 a.m. CST
Never forget going to see E.T for the second time while visiting family. Walked right out into the theater next door and watched the Thing again!
by UltraTron
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June 6, 2012, 8:37 a.m. CST
Hey, I love John Carpenter's The Thing as much as the next guy
by Mattyboy122
But on what planet is it a better film than ET? Blade Runner is arguable, although I'd say its original cut is inferior to ET. But John Carpenter's The Thing? A great film, no doubt, but it's not ET.
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June 6, 2012, 8:38 a.m. CST
What is the Jurassic park 1 frame bloop? I got my cav laserdisc right here
by UltraTron
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June 6, 2012, 8:45 a.m. CST
E.T. is a horrifying burn victim from pandora. I went on the ride recently and I had forgotten that his home planet is basically pandora
by UltraTron
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By the way I'm the biggest E.T. nut. Back in 1982 I drew a comic of the first parts of the movie in full pencil shaded frames that showed the flashlight rays. I sculpted an E.T. bust that looked completely accurate (like a little maquette) and I even scavenged blue eyes from my little sister's doll and put em in there. Can't wait for the blu-ray. Saw E.T. and Poltergeist 5 times each (alternating each time) back in the summer of 1982. I had the vinyl soundtrack rotating nonstop along with Star Trek II.
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June 6, 2012, 9:16 a.m. CST
E.T. is the greatest family film ever made. And that letter! Have that shit professionally mounted!
by kidicarus
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ET was like the visualization of some of that Bradbury mood. Bradbury even talked of how CE3K was one of his favorite movies.
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.....THIS Speilberg.
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My daughter and I saw them at a local Toys-R-Us this past weekend. They're very detailed and put the originals to shame.
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. . . especially back in 2007. That 1982-fest was the bomb! But I saw E.T. 3 times in the theater that summer. And I must have set a record for balling out loud the first time. I cried the second he was screaming and running back to his ship at the beginning. Then I went into hysterics as a racoon climbed over his pale body. Then I balled the entire time he was supposedly dead. A kid from my class laughed at me the entire time. I was such a wuss . . .
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I went from warm nostalgia to cold depression in seconds!!!!
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June 6, 2012, 10:43 a.m. CST
Your favorite movie is E.T.? Really? REALLY?? Your all-time FAVORITE?? I had no idea you were a six year old girl.
by jawsfan
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June 6, 2012, 10:44 a.m. CST
The letter from SS is cool, though. I have something similar from Milos Forman.
by jawsfan
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In the beginning of the film ET is trying to not be seen. At the end of the film he's been in federal custody for about a day, so trying to get off Earth discreetly is no longer in the cards. Also, it's possible he just didn't think of flying. The film goes on AT LENGTH about how ET and Elliot have developed a telepathic bond. Elliot is the one trying to get ET away from the feds on his bike. If Elliot is thinking 'Oh shit man I gotta get over this roadblock' that might inspire ET to use his telekinesis to make them fly - but he might never have considered that option on his own, without Elliot thinking of it first. BTW I'm not obsessed with the movie or anything but it was on some obscure cable channel the other day and I watched it with my 6 year old. It really stands up. There are a few minor problems I have with the transitions between now that I'm seeing it as an adult, but nothing major. (There's a scene where we see the feds clearly walking up to the house to find ET, but then ANOTHER couple of scenes where the kids and the mother go in and out of the house and hours pass, BEFORE the feds finally make it up the driveway. Must be one long ass driveway.) It's a little sad that I found myself thinking that the plot of ET doesn't work anymore in 2012 America, because as soon as there was any suspicion at all on the part of the feds they'd have SWAT teams kicking down every door in that neighborhood and drones chasing down anyone who ran. There'd be none of this 'Let's try to clandestinely figure out where ET is while respecting the rights of these homeowners' shit. They'd produce 100 warrants saying they were looking for weed or Al-Qaeda #3 and just kick every door down, and if someone in a house with no ET in it got hurt they'd be shit out of luck. And as soon as they FOUND ET, Elliot and his whole family would be at Guantanamo getting waterboarded or in a supermax prison getting shot full of anti-psychotic drugs so fast that Act III would go by in an eyeblink.
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June 6, 2012, 11:49 a.m. CST
The Peter Coyote character also would not exist any more.
by FluffyUnbound
That's something else I found myself thinking.
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June 6, 2012, 12:37 p.m. CST
I truly believe it is the film that is closest to Spielberg's heart. The suburbs. The lonely child of divorce. The middle child syndrome.
by openthepodbaydoorshal
The outsider. All cylinders were clicking when Spielberg made this.
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June 6, 2012, 1:24 p.m. CST
I'm with @dead youngling on this. E.T. is probably Williams' best score.
by Christian Sylvain
Before the characterizations, the directing, or even the acting, it's John Williams that draws me into the film everytime. The music for E.T. is nothing less than astonishing.
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I didn't get into it. As a kid I was like awesome an alien movie and when I saw it I was like where's the lasers where's the fighting! Then again I was 7 when it came out and was hoping for something like Empire Strikes Back. It took a couple viewings for me to understand the movie. Of course I love it now that I'm old!:)
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I was 16 in 1982. I remember as a going as a family on either Thanksgiving or Easter weekend to see E.T. I do not recall the month of its release. I thought I would hate it and wasnt really jazzed and like an ungrateful 16 year old I decided to sit away a few rows down from my family I guess cause I thought it would be uncool to sit with them. I loved Raiders a great deal but ET looked boring. Its a good thing I did sit away from my family because for the first time I cried in a theater from what I was seeing on screen. Up until that point I was a typical boy and doing what typical boys did in that era and before we would do horrific things like play frog baseball just like B and B. We would fire bomb ant hills with gasoline and matches. We would run around the yard and neighborhoods with our Red Ryders and Crossmans shooting squirrels and song birds without thinking anything of it. After ET I swear to god something about that film changed all of that for me. I honestly havent had the thought, desire, or heart to cause direct harm to another creature with certain exceptions of course. Mosquitos and such. But that film instantly brought about in me a respect and wonder for life that exists to this day. And I aint no panty waste PETA member or vegan either. Although I cant say that ET is my favorite or even one of my favorite films, I would say probably not and Ive not seen it completely through from start to finish since that afternoon in 1982, but I can say that no other film has ever had as profound an impact on my view of the world and my place in it as did E.T. and that is something pretty damned special in my book. SO yeah Ill always have a place in my heart for this film and maybe ill get the blue ray and watch again after so many years. Thank you Mr Spielberg
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DUDE...I totally understand. My ET obsession started when I was a wee toddler (my first memory was seeing ET in the theater when I was 3!) I still sob like a 3 year old when I watch it, hah. And have ET memorabilia scattered in my office Have the ET poster at home...JAWS at work - I work at an aquarium - what can I say :) Kudos for an awesome retrospective. Have a BLAST at the showing!
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