I stand duly corrected about the time period. Ooops. In that case, I think the Rubik's Cube is a lazy error that should have been avoided. But what really took me out of the time period, almost right away, was one of the kids saying "whatever" with a clear '90's inflection as one of his first lines.

That kind of stuff bugs me. Oh, it's ALL over X-Men: First Class, which is horribly lazy about its early 60's time period in just about every way.


But I suppose things like that creep in, and it's rare period piece that's totally free of anachronisms. Super 8 sure isn't bad in that regard. It in no way detracts from its considerable charms.


It was undoubtedly easier capture the era of the late '70's/early 80's when Speilberg made his films IN that time period - - but one of his greats of that day, Raiders of the Lost Ark, does not - to me at least - reveal any jarring anachronisms of it's pre-WWII period setting.


And all in all, what I take away from Super 8 is that Abrams is no Spielberg, and he should not try to be. But his obvious affection for the source material of this and his last film (Star Trek) does work in his favor in establishing a fantastic mood and overall feeling that serves him well in these nostalgia projects.


I'd like to see him move on to something more forward looking though.

Whatever you do, DO NOT watch Titanic II. Trust me on this. It's an hour and a half you will never get back.

Saw Super 8 tonight. Loved it! I thought it was even better than I expected it would be. The only thing I could complain about was that stupid lens flair. It's something that good photographers and film makers avoid, for good reason. Alex, please kick JJ Abrams in the balls for me too, won't you?

That and the odd fact that Zach Mills got so little screen time. He's a pretty good actor, and you'd hardly know he was in this film. Most of the time he only had single word lines.

The bit after the end of the movie is great:

Wait. They made a sequel? The damn boat sinks, what else is there?

Zombies!

Titanic II takes place in 2012, and is a "history repeats itself" story. It's from the "Mockbuster" studio, Asylum, which tells me everything I need to know. (They're the ones who made such knock-offs as "Snakes On A Train" and "Trans-morphers." These direct-to-video features are beyond pointless, not even entertaining in the so-bad-it's-good way.)

Oh, another thing about Super 8. I was surprised to see a guy I used to work with as the town sheriff. Brett Rice has only a handful of scenes, but he is a really fun character actor presence. (He used to work at the Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theater here in Orlando, where I continue to appear a few times a week. So maybe someday I'll have a role in a major motion picture!)

Cool!

Finally saw A SINGLE MAN.

Loved the performances and the use of color to highlight specific moments, feelings, and reactions. In a way it was tackling themes similar to AMERICAN BEAUTY but with a greater amount of subtlety. I am wrestling with how I feel about the ending.

Rewatched 500 DAYS OF SUMMER with Erik, who was watching for the first time. I enjoyed it much more the 2nd time around. I think my expectations were too high the first time, and my reaction to the characters somewhat unfair. It's not a perfect film but it's hardly the disappointment I thought it was when I saw it in the theaters.

Earlier in the week I watched NEVER LET ME GO, and I had the same lukewarm reaction to the film as I did the book (in general, with regards to how the general story is conveyed), but had a very different reaction to the characters on film than I did in the book. So even though I didn't think it was particularly good, I kind of sobbed through most of the film. Something about it touched a chord. Blergh.