Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind will forever be one of sci-fi cinema’s most lasting cultural touchstones. One of Spielberg’s best, it’s a beautiful tale of wonder, obsession, and humanity’s relationship with the rest of the cosmos. It’s the kind of movie that posits that, rather than conquer us, all aliens really want to do is be our friends, and it’s coming back to theaters this September in a gorgeous 4K re-release.

While you and I may know July 3rd as “Fasting in Anticipation of Tomorrow’s Onslaught of Grilled Meats Day,” a certain subset of conspiracy-monger recognizes it as World UFO Day. Apparently, one such believer resides at Sony, as the studio released a mysterious new video on the 3rd and included the hashtag #WorldUFODay in the caption on YouTube. In it, a glowing green air traffic controller’s matrix appears on screen with some slightly-garbled dialogue in the background about an enigmatic foreign craft entering their airspace. While some may find its significance confounding, Spielberg fans recognized the clip straightaway.