Michael Nobbs

Tag: 150SciFiFilms

  • Watching while I’m waiting to feel better

    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover, with a box of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons visible beneath it. A black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing a close-up of a young boy's face, wearing a yellow Boston sweatshirt. To the left, large green lettering against a pale pink background reads “Starting to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. On the right, handwritten notes recall seeing the film in 1977 at the Odeon cinema in Camberley, accompanied by a friend and his mother, who brought along a flask of tea. The date, 15 October 2026, and time, 7.50 am, are written in a narrow brown panel along the right-hand edge.

    Yesterday, I started watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A film I seem to remember more about the watching of — in the back row of the Odeon cinema in Camberley, aged ten — than the contents of the film itself.

    Remembering a 50 year old treat that didn’t felt like a treat

    I was taken to see it as a treat by a friend’s mother, who I think was more excited about watching it than her son or I were. She brought along a flask of tea and a picnic, together with packs of sweets for us to eat while we watched. We arrived early to ensure we got the aforementioned back seats. We were in those seats for what felt like a very long time.

    I remember flashing lights, tinkling music and a mountain made out of mashed potato — oh, and a man whose face was half sunburnt — but little else.

    Somehow, I’ve not managed to see it again in the intervening nearly fifty years. In fact, whenever I’ve thought about it, I’ve remembered the boredom of sitting in that back row, wishing and waiting for it to be over, along with the discomfort of not wanting to reveal these feelings to someone who thought she was giving me a treat. (The sandwiches and sweets were appreciated, though!)

    A list of films to get lost in

    Interesting, then, that when I recently came across Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 150 Greatest Sci-Fi Films of All Time and decided to see if I could collect and watch them all, it was Close Encounters that I decided to begin with.

    I bought a secondhand copy of the DVD, along with one of Arrival — the second film on my rather ambitious watch-list, and one that feels thematically linked to Close Encounters. They both arrived a couple of days ago, and my current ME-crash-induced long days on my bed felt like a good opportunity to start watching.

    Unexpectedly drawing

    I hadn’t especially planned to draw as I watched, but once I started, I found it difficult to stop. So far, I’ve watched the first 41 minutes and made seven drawings.

    If I continue at this rate, watching is going to feel just as long as it did back in the back row of the Odeon in 1977, but I don’t think I’m going to feel as bored as I did then.

    An ongoing project?

    If I keep drawing through the complete watch-through of the Rolling Stone list, I might have set myself a lifelong project — or at least one that will see me through this interminable ME crash!

    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover, with a box of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons visible beneath it. Across both pages is a black ink and coloured crayon drawing of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary in an early scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, sitting behind the steering wheel of a car and wearing a red jacket. Broad strokes of dark brown fill the background, contrasting with the white of his face and the textured red of his clothing. On the right, green handwritten lettering against a pale pink background reads, “We sat in the back row. I think we had sandwiches and probably sweets.” The drawing is dated 15 October 2026, at 8.30 am.
    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover, with a box of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons visible beneath it. A black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary during his first close encounter, wearing a red jacket, his eyes wide and one arm raised towards the right. Large areas of dark brown fill the background, with a pale pink wash behind the handwritten text. Across the top, green lettering asks, “Was I scared?” On the right, black handwritten notes read, “I don't remember being scared. Mostly I think I was bored and wondering how long it was going to last.” The drawing is dated 15 October 2026, at 8.50 am.
    A photograph of a drawing and film-watching setup on a bed covered with a colourful crocheted blanket in blue, pink, grey and cream. A MacBook Pro is playing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, paused on a close-up of Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss, showing the distinctive sunburn across his forehead caused by his encounter with a UFO. In front of the laptop, an open homemade pocket sketchbook rests on a larger red-and-white patterned A4 sketchbook, showing a colourful ink and crayon portrait inspired by the scene. To the right are the film's DVD case, a white container of coloured pens, a stainless steel flask, a mug, and an open packet of sugar-free chocolate chip cookies. The photograph shows the film, drawing materials and refreshments gathered together for watching and drawing from bed.
    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover. A bold black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing a close-up of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A vivid red patch across his forehead and down one side of his face depicts the sunburn caused by his encounter with a UFO. Bright turquoise blue and yellow fill the background, with dark red clothing at the bottom of the drawing. Handwritten notes against a pale pink background read, “I remember the sunburn” and “I remember thinking that I needed to pretend this was a treat.” The drawing is dated 15 October 2026, at 9.10 am.
    A photograph of a film-watching and drawing setup on a bed covered with a colourful crocheted blanket in blue, pink, grey and cream. A MacBook Pro is playing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, paused on a scene showing Teri Garr as Ronnie Neary, with long blonde hair and a yellow top, looking over her shoulder in front of floral wallpaper. In the foreground, an open homemade pocket sketchbook rests on a larger red-and-white patterned A4 sketchbook, showing a colourful ink and crayon portrait inspired by the scene on the screen. A black fountain pen lies above the drawing. To the right is the film's DVD case and a white container of brightly coloured brush pens, while an open tin of Neocolor II crayons is visible to the left of the laptop.
    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover. A black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing a close-up of Teri Garr as Ronnie Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Her long blonde hair falls around her face, with a loose bun on one side of her head. She looks towards the left with wide, expressive eyes and a slightly open mouth. Her yellow-orange clothing contrasts with the dark brown background, while patches of turquoise, pink and green suggest the floral wallpaper behind her. A black fountain pen rests above the drawing.
    A photograph of a film-watching and drawing setup on a bed covered with a colourful crocheted blanket in blue, pink, grey and cream. A MacBook Pro is playing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, paused on a close-up of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary looking intently at a rough, mountain-shaped mound. In front of the laptop, an open homemade pocket sketchbook rests on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover, showing a black ink and coloured crayon and brush pen drawing of the same scene. Handwritten notes recall memories of people making models of the mountain. A dark blue fountain pen lies above the drawing, with a box of drawing materials visible beside the laptop.
    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover. A black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing a close-up of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. His brown hair, wide eyes and slightly open mouth are outlined in loose black lines, with brown crayon adding colour to his hair and grey to his jacket. A glimpse of checked fabric shows at his collar. Dark brown fills much of the background, while on the right is a large, roughly outlined mountain-shaped mound. Above it, green handwritten lettering against a pale pink background reads, “I don't remember much of the film, but I do remember people making models of the mountain.” A dark blue fountain pen rests above the sketchbook.
    A photograph of a film-watching and drawing setup on a bed covered with a colourful crocheted blanket in blue, pink, grey and cream. A MacBook Pro is playing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, paused on a close-up of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, looking upwards with a concerned expression. In front of the laptop, an open homemade pocket sketchbook rests on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover. The drawing shows Roy's face in black ink and coloured crayon, with bright blue eyes, grey hair, vivid red sunburn across one side of his face and a deep blue background. Several pens, crayons and a water brush lie above the drawing, with the film's DVD case and a white container of coloured brush pens visible to the right.
    An open homemade pocket sketchbook resting on a larger A4 sketchbook with a red-and-white patterned cover. A bold black ink and coloured crayon drawing stretches across both pages, showing a close-up of Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. His wide blue eyes look upwards, with grey colouring in his hair and a vivid red patch of sunburn running from his forehead down one side of his face, caused by his earlier encounter with a UFO. His grey jacket and checked shirt collar appear at the bottom of the portrait. Large areas of deep ultramarine blue fill the background, with a diagonal white space on the right containing the handwritten words, “Time to stop for today?” The drawing is dated 15 October 2026, at 11.50 am. A dark blue Kaweco Sport fountain pen and several drawing materials rest above the sketchbook.

    Posted in:

    ,