11. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is Spielberg's Peak (Glaring Admissions)

11. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is Spielberg's Peak (Glaring Admissions)

Author: Nicholas Abouhamad June 7, 2026 Duration: 54:15

Close Encounters of the Third Kind or: Full Disclosure, this rips harder than just about anything else Spielberg “I’m Mr. In Contention for being the Greatest Filmmaker of All Time” Spielberg has ever cooked up. Take that Jurassic Park! 




On this episode of Glaring Admissions, Nick and Raekwon sit down to review and provide an analysis/retrospective on 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the iconic science fiction film that was helmed by the iconic director of Jaws, ET: The Extra Terrestrial, and Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg! In the process, they ponder whether anyone else could’ve made a movie that’s quite as good (in spite of its few flaws) as Close Encounters. Including Steven Spielberg himself!

Their conversation also discusses the way that Spielberg seems to love making movies about aliens, how his humanist touch to storytelling elevates the material, and how he may be trying to evoke his iconic alien movie once again with 2026’s Disclosure Day, another film about aliens coming to Earth and the attempt of several human characters to make sense of it.


Digging through the dusty archives of pop culture, Media Obscura-Retro and Obscure TV/Movie Reviews is a conversation among friends who love to unpack the forgotten and the formative. Host Nicholas Abouhamad, a video editor and content creator, is joined by Sierra Watson, Raekwon Davis, and Michael Capurso for deep dives that are equal parts analysis and good-natured debate. The focus here isn't just on the celebrated classics, though they're certainly part of the discussion. This podcast thrives on unearthing the curiosities: the big-budget misfires that vanished from memory, the oddball features that never found an audience, and the shows that somehow defined a moment despite their obscurity. Each episode feels like pulling a strange VHS off a shelf and figuring out what it all means, with plenty of bickering and laughter along the way. You'll hear genuine reviews that come from a place of affection, even for the flawed gems, making it a perfect listen for anyone who thinks the best stories are sometimes hidden in the margins. Tune in for a regular dose of cinematic archaeology, where every forgotten film or television show gets its day in the sun.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Media Obscura - Retro and Obscure TV/Movie Reviews
Podcast Episodes
1. Jurassic Park (This Is Somehow Underrated) | Glaring Admissions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:51
Introducing Glaring Admissions, a show dedicated to watching/discussing iconic, famous movies that we've somehow missed out on! Join us on our inaugural episode as we sit down and discuss Steven Speilberg's iconic 1993 a…
99. Rad (Thunder in Your Heart is the greatest song of all time) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:14
Check out the full-video edit of this episode, complete with cutaways, on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCscDbMTovs2Zww6by8HSDMg 1986's BMX, underdog, feel-good, teen, coming of age cult movie "Rad" is coming back to t…
98. Wild Wild West (Damn) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:24
Media Obscura's back and, on this week's episode, we're tackling Wild Wild (ficka) Wild Wild West, the 1999 Will Smith Box Office bomb! Join Nick, Sierra & Raekwon as they reminisce about this (not so) classic 90s action…
96. Dragon Ball: Fight Son Goku, Win Son Goku (Abraham Lincoln) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:55
Team Obscura reassembles to watch the 1990 unlicensed Dragon Ball movie, Dragon Ball: Fight Son Goku, Win Son Goku. The film centers around Son Goku's first adventure to collect the seven magical Dragon Balls and feature…
95. Monkeybone (Piggy) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:34
Team Obscura checks out the 2001 Brendan Fraser comedy "Monkeybone," directed by Peter Sellick.
92. Slacker (The Boyhood Express) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05:35
Team Obscura chats about Richard Linklater's seminal 1990 film "Slacker," and spirals off into conversations about Linklater movies in general, education and the value of good conversation.