Towards the end of last week, we learned about three brand-new specialty screenings headed our way as part of the Alamo Drafthouse's ongoing Alamo20 celebration, a year-long block of insanely cool programming meant to celebrate the Drafthouse's 20th anniversary.
As you know, the Drafthouse has partnered up with SYFY (celebrating its own 25th anniversary this year) for some of these events, and there's one in particular this writer would like to shed a little more light on, one that feels like it could turn out to be one of the greatest, most mind-blowing specialty screenings we've ever put together: Close Encounters Of The Third Kind at the base of Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.
Here's further details straight from the Drafthouse blog:
"For the first SYFY25 / Alamo20 event, pack up your wood paneled station wagons and prepare to roll out to the rugged wilderness of Wyoming. This September 2nd, SYFY and Alamo Drafthouse are teaming up for a one-night-only campout celebration of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND at the base of Devil’s Tower National Monument.
“We staged this event long ago, but fan demand helped bring this back in 2017,” explains Alamo Drafthouse V.P. of Special Events, Henri Mazza. “Like Roy Neary, we’ve always felt Devil’s Tower calling, reminding us of something important. With the anniversary and the gorgeous new restoration, we knew it was time to head out there again alongside our partners at SYFY. ”
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s classic, the film has been restored and remastered in 4K resolution by Sony Pictures and will be returning to the big screen in the United States and Canada. The Director’s Cut will receive an exclusive one-week engagement in theaters across the country starting September 1st."
Speaking as someone who loves these events and as someone who considers Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind to be one of the greatest films ever made, I am so, so excited to hear how this one turns out and am supremely jealous of everyone who gets to attend (I am unfortunately unable to attend, but we will have a photographer on hand that evening, so expect an in-depth visual report sometime after September 2nd).
If you're able to make it, be aware that you can pick up tickets (and learn many more details about what we've got planned for this screening) right here. Go in my stead, and eat plenty of mashed potatoes for me.