Film Review: Super 8 (2011)

Star Trek (2009) director J.J. Abrams’s long-awaited monster flick has arrived and it hardly disappoints.  Meant to be a tribute to Steven Spielberg’s early Amblin movies and some of his other productions, the film evokes child-like wonder and excitement that summer blockbusters hope to elicit in audiences but often fail to achieve nowadays.  Abrams’s latest directorial effort not only is imaginative entertainment but also has a heart to it.  While the dramatic climax may underwhelm or miss the target somewhat, the film has more emotional depth than most summer fare and features great performances from its leading young, mostly unknown actors.  Besides, it isn’t a sequel, prequel, reboot, or spin-off; it is a largely original science-fiction flick mixed with a sweet coming-of-age tale.  In short, Super 8 (2011) is spectacular entertainment that should please all audiences, especially the credits scene; it is one of the best summer blockbusters 2011 has to offer given its sense of nostalgia, wonder, suspense, and emotion – they simply don’t make many movies like this anymore.

Monthly Watch List: June 2011

Not all of the following movies are highly anticipated or worth a viewing at all, let alone in theaters.  Still, the purpose of these monthly watch lists is to present what is available and offer a conclusion of whether or not to see the film, usually based on the filmmakers’ pedigrees and current consensus about it.  Also important to note while reading or skimming the list is that not all will be released in a theater near you on the mentioned date; take note of the “Limited” label.

Overall, though, June 2011 does not seem to offer a ton of promising or highly anticipated films.  The cream of the crop seems to be X-Men: First Class and Super 8, as far as blockbusters go, while Cars 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Bad Teacher have some hope, at least to be highly entertaining, unlike Green Lantern which looks awful with its copious amounts of CGI.  For one of the biggest months of the year for Hollywood, June 2011 seems underwhelming, especially in comparison to 2012’s summer blockbusters, but half of this month’s movies have yet to be screened/reviewed and could exceed expectations.

As a reminder: Terrence Malick’s latest epic masterpiece The Tree of Life (2011) continues to get released to more and more theaters, so be on the lookout for this one near you (it gets a full release on/by July 8).

Top 10 Trailers of 2010

The following list of previews may be either teaser trailers or full-length theatrical trailers. To qualify, the preview had to have been initially released in 2010; the movie itself did not have to be released in 2010. Furthermore, the trailer does not necessarily have to represent the movie that well; it may be far better than the actual film. I chose and ranked the following previews based on a few different factors. For instance, the trailers should excite or intrigue viewers and possibly convince them to go see the film. Also, I took into account how well the trailers have been made, from their soundtracks to editing and so on. Whether or not the previews spoil the plot is a factor too. I tried to choose the top ten based on a combination of my favorite trailers and the best made ones. I provide more analysis for each of the top ten listed and give a few notes about certain honorable mentions.

At the end of the post, you can vote on which preview is your favorite of 2010.