Check This Out: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Gets a Nationwide Re-Release in Honor of 40th Anniversary

Scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

There's no denying that Steven Spielberg pretty much owns the big screen experience. Over the course of his career, he has brought so many dazzling images that are rendered to be seen in theaters, triumphantly stimulating audiences with innovative techniques. What if I were to tell you that there is a way to see one of his biggest hits on the big screen this weekend? That's right. His first foray into alien culture with Close Encounters of the Third Kind is playing in theaters nationwide for the next week to commemorate the film's 40th anniversary. If it's been awhile or you've never seen it on the big screen, there's more than enough reason to check it out and have some fun with one of the best alien movies ever.

The Runner-Ups: Jean-Luc Godard in "Breathless" (1960)

Scene from Breathless

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

Nothing But the Best: "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1979)

Scene from Kramer vs. Kramer

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

A Few of My Favorite Non-Oscar-Nominated Films By Decade

For those who don't know, today is National Classic Movie Day. Started by Classic Film and TV Cafe, today was started as a grassroots movement to celebrate the classics "from the silents to the seventies." While I have no affiliation with the website or its production today to run several articles as part of its blogathon (more information at link), I have decided to take part in my own way by listing two of my favorite films from each decade. The one catch is that instead of picking the familiar favorites, I am choosing to pick those that haven't been nominated for Oscars, if just to give you a better understanding of who I am as a film fan. So please, check out their writing as well as mine and leave your own favorites in the comment section below.

The Directors Project: #44 - Francois Truffaut

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.