Before 'Ready Player One,' Spielberg dazzled film-goers with 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

On April 16, the Rialto Theatre in Raleigh is screening Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” as part of the Monday at the Movies series.

Over 40 years before his current box office smash, “Ready Player One,” Spielberg tackled sci-fi for the first time in the classic that won an Oscar for Best Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. Richard Dreyfuss stars as Roy Neary, a Muncie, Indiana, electrical lineman who gives up his life and family to pursue the truth about alien contact after sighting UFOs. T

he movie also stars Melinda Dillion, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and François Truffaut in the French filmmaker’s only acting role in a film he didn’t direct. 7 p.m. $5. Details: 919-856- 8683 or ambassadorcinemas.com.

Other Highlights

▪ On April 13, the N.C. Museum of Art is showing Henry Cornelius’ 1949 comedy “Passport to Pimlico,” starring Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren and Barbara Murray. It starts at 8 pm at the Museum Auditorium in the East Building with an introduction by NCMA film curator Laura Boyes. Tickets are $7 ($5 for students and NCMA members). Details: 919-715-5923 or ncartmuseum.org.

▪ On April 13, the Carolina Theatre in Durham is presenting a double feature of Martha Coolidge’s “Real Genius” (1985), starring Val Kilmer, and Rowdy Herrington’s “Road House” (1989) starring Patrick Swayze. The double bill begins at 7, and admission is $9. Details: 919-560-3030 or carolinatheatre.org.

▪ On April 15, The Cary theater is showing Barrie Kosky’s 2016 production of French composer Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera “Carmen,” at 2 p.m. On April 17, Raoul Peck’s 2016 documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” screens as part of the Heart & Art Series at 6 p.m.

On April 18, the Cinema Overdrive series is presenting Sergio Corbucci’s 1980 action comedy “Super Fuzz” at 7:30 p.m. On April 19, it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 thriller “The Man Who Knew Too Much” at 2 p.m., followed by Rawson Marshall Thurber’s 2004 comedy “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” at 7 p.m., and Hitchcock’s 1941 mystery “Suspicion” at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $3-$5 for each film except for the “Carmen” event which is $12-$15, and the “I Am Not Your Negro” screening, which is free. Details: 919-462-2051 or thecarytheater.com.

▪ On April 16, at Duke University in Durham, the Screen/Society’s Dance Films at the Ruby Series is presenting Tomer Heymann’s 2015 documentary “Mr. Gaga” at the Rubenstein Arts Center Film Theater. On April 19, the AMI (Art of the Moving Image) Showcase screens a rare 35 mm print of Sergei Paradjanov’s 1964 musical drama “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” at the same venue. Both night’s programs begin at 7 p.m. Free. Details: 919-660-3030 or ami.trinity.duke.edu/screensociety.

▪ On April 8 and 11, Michael J. Fox's 1985 sci-fi comedy “Back to the Future” will show at various Triangle locations as part of the Flashback Cinema series. It shows at Wakefield 10 in Raleigh at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Silverspot Cinema in Chapel Hill at 1:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; and Park West 14 Cinemas in Morrisville (call for times). Details: flashbackcinema.net.

This story was originally published April 13, 2018 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Before 'Ready Player One,' Spielberg dazzled film-goers with 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'."