Super 8

a movie like this is why people don't like jj abrams.

coated in lazy nostalgia in both its aesthetic, themes and characters.
litteraly could've been set any other decade other then maybe the fact its called super 8 and uses film but even then, people still use film lol.

im not the biggest spielberg fan but he does have sauce, this is abrams trying to replicate that magic (ironic consider spielberg is a producer on this) and its really annoying and largely it makes abrams creative choices in storytelling lacking. it tinkers with little pieces of character work but its all either resolved in a lazy way or the arc was subpar or both. it never actually completes anything with its characters so all they really are, are a bunch of kids and one adult man with no personality besides one liking firecrackers. kyle chandler gives a fine performance but is giving nothing to work with besides maybe one scene and even then, that scene is undeserved as the film doesn't make the relationship between father and son compelling or interesting. its just "yeah we have issues because of death" but the way they deal with it is so shitty and is missing a lot of stuff so when kyle chandler police officer forgives the man who accidentally causes the car crash in which his wife died, it feels unearned.

the cinematography is fine and larry fong does some good work but sometimes the camera but also things like the lens flairs can just be annoying or exhausting, its fun but when those visuals don't really strengthen the core of the film then idk. it still looks good and thats the most important thing but i think my main problem is how over stylized but also annoying it is in its replication of spielberg which includes the score as well.

(watch my feature film, kodak: https://boxd.it/11oJO )

Super 82011

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I like sci-fi films a little, and I like coming-of-age films a lot, so layering Elle Fanning and a gaggle of teenage boys into your sci-fi movie is a win for me. I guess not enough of a win for me to see it within 13 years if it's released, but to be fair I thought it was a found footage film for some reason, and I didn't know Kyle Chandler was in it. Better late than never though. Super 8 balanced the teen stuff with the sci-fi and action very well, and I always appreciate casting a bunch of kids that are actually kids.

Also I loooooved the kids' movie showing during the end credits scene. Oh my goodness. That's the kind of thing I live for.

31 Days of Halloween (2025)

Super 82011

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