Super 8

[angelaudie]

Saw it the other night and throughly enjoyed it! Definitely a homage to Spielberg but not to the point where I felt I was being hit over the head with Spielberg references. It helped the story in Super 8 is a rather different story than E.T.

As others have stated, the kids in the film looked and behaved like real kids. It was nice to see a movie about middle school aged kids where the kids actually did look a bit awkward. Can you see Disney casting an actor in a rather prominent part that has braces?

The banter between the boys was great as well. The scene where the kids are eating at the diner after the train crash, for example, was great. Even though they were clearly digesting all that had happened the teasing between the boys felt real as was Alice's clear amusement of their banter.

Alice and Joe's relationship was really sweet and their bonding made total sense despite Alice's dad being kinda responsible for Joe's mom's death. Both of them lost their mothers (though in different ways) and were being raised by emotionally distant fathers as a result. Yeah, their dads are different in many ways with Joe's being a respectable member of the community and Alice's being the town drunk but at the end of the day neither man had any idea how to parent and their kids suffered for it. I also liked how in the end Joe and Alice held hands instead of making out. You know, that's how Disney would have ended it

Was I the only one wondering if Charles might been a lot like JJ as a kid? It certainly seems like his directing style is like JJ's based on comments Jennifer Garner and others have made.

I do have a few complaints. For example, it would have been nice if there had been some explanation why Alice agreed to make a film with a bunch of boys she didn't know at all or very well. Also, the running gag of the kid enjoying explosions got old pretty fast. It was amusing the first few times but by the end I was like, "I GET IT! He likes explosions! Move on please!"

Anyone else catch the Slusho reference and Greg Grunberg? It ain't a JJ movie without there being a Slusho reference and GG appearing in some capacity!

[huntergrayson]

Where was Greg? I totally missed him. But apparently Star Trek alum Bruce Greenwood did the motion capture for the monster.

Based on that interview, I think Charles drew a lot from J.J. as inspiration.

I dunno, I realize that "film geek" plus "kid mourning the loss of his mother" pretty much puts me in the prime target audience for this, but I think it was very well-done all around.

[Deleted]

Here's something I didn't know before: Bruce Greenwood did motion capture for the alien. Apparently if you look in the credits he's in there with the character name Cooper, which is what the filmmakers nicknamed the alien. And now I know why the alien had big blue eyes.

[huntergrayson]

I thought the alien's eyes were hazel/brown. I have to see this again, but don't want to without my dad.

Salon has a handy guide to all the Spielberg shout-outs/homages/references.

[Deleted]

Hmm, you might be right. In any case they were very human-looking eyes.

[angelaudie]

Where was Greg? I totally missed him.

Greg's voice appeared. He's the voice of the late night comedian that Joe hears while he is wondering around a demolished house. The comedian says something about lipstick on a collar. Greg did something similar in Star Trek. He was the voice of Kirk's stepfather.

Did not know that about Bruce Greenwood! JJ really does love reusing actors!

[Door]

I saw this tonight and really enjoyed it. It wasn't too schlocky or too precious or too blockbuster-y. I felt it hit all its marks pretty well (and, as an aside, I was happy to see Jessica Tuck in the cast, who I've loved since her bit part in Secretary).

[Deleted]

Saw it tonight/last night and quite enjoyed it, though I can't extend my recommendation from "good" to "great". Still, in a field of recent releases best described as "an insult to intelligence", it scores well. The kids were natural, for the most part and the scares legitimately-earned. I'm a sucker for Elle Fanning and find she, like (say) Johnny Depp, makes any film worth viewing, and Ron Eldard's too-small role was a delight, too. Thumbs-up, albeit not a wildly-enthusiastic one.

[jynni]

That felt like a movie! A popcorn crunching, go to the drive in type movie - and I really enjoyed it.

It felt so familiar and new all at the same time. All the action was well done and all of the kid actors were very good. I don't know if it's a "must see again" movie but it's definitely worth a viewing on the big screen. It reminded me of what going to the movies used to be like.

[Deleted]

There were long blue lens flares when there were no lights in the background, which just made me think it was a technical error.

Those things were completely distracting. What was the point?

Saw it this afternoon. OK-enough movie but instantly forgettable. Also, it bugged me to no end that it was supposed to be summertime and the kids were all running around in jackets. And when Joe went to sulk on his mother's grave, his breath was visible in the night air. IN THE SUMMER.