Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Kimmo Mustonenen, Kimmo on Kino, Super 8, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyel Chandler, Ron Eldard, Amanda Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Amanda Foreman, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Gavin, Jay Scully, Michael Hitchcock, James Hebert, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Kate Yerves, Caitriona Balfe, Koa Melvin, Tom Williams, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Robert B. Quiroz, Jason Brooks, Tim Griffin, Marco Sanchez, Emerson Brooks, Jonathan Dixon, Patrick St. Esprit, Greg Grunberg, Katie Lowes, Bryan Burk, Udi nedivi, Ben Rosenblatt, Larry Fong, Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, David Scott, Ian Calip, Clark Credle, Christine Danahy, Andy Chung, Dawn Gilliam, Eva Quiroz

Super 8 [REVIEW]

Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Kimmo Mustonenen, Kimmo on Kino, Super 8, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyel Chandler, Ron Eldard, Amanda Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Amanda Foreman, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Gavin, Jay Scully, Michael Hitchcock, James Hebert, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Kate Yerves, Caitriona Balfe, Koa Melvin, Tom Williams, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Robert B. Quiroz, Jason Brooks, Tim Griffin, Marco Sanchez, Emerson Brooks, Jonathan Dixon, Patrick St. Esprit, Greg Grunberg, Katie Lowes, Bryan Burk, Udi nedivi, Ben Rosenblatt, Larry Fong, Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, David Scott, Ian Calip, Clark Credle, Christine Danahy, Andy Chung, Dawn Gilliam, Eva QuirozSuper 8

With Wit, Reviewed By Kimmo Mustonenen

From the title, Super 8 ad spectacular: we’ll travel through (and in) time.

Indeed, when the Amblin logo fills the screen, supported by a bombastic score and air, we’re back in the early 80s, when Steven Spielberg directed, and edited stories for teens bursting of monsters and wonders (the stories, not the teens so much).

The reference to the glorious era of Gremlins or Back to the Future is fully assumed by JJ Abrams, who grew up before these movies long before he became the instigator of the series Alias and Lost (what the hell – just me, or you, too?), then offer breathe new life sagas Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.

Officially sponsored by the director of E.T., he declares his love here cinematic without ever falling into the trap of slavish imitation or wink supported (with a nudge maybe).

For Super 8 has its own personality and obviously draws much of his inspiration from childhood memories of the filmmaker (which are his).

Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Kimmo Mustonenen, Kimmo on Kino, Super 8, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyel Chandler, Ron Eldard, Amanda Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Amanda Foreman, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Gavin, Jay Scully, Michael Hitchcock, James Hebert, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Kate Yerves, Caitriona Balfe, Koa Melvin, Tom Williams, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Robert B. Quiroz, Jason Brooks, Tim Griffin, Marco Sanchez, Emerson Brooks, Jonathan Dixon, Patrick St. Esprit, Greg Grunberg, Katie Lowes, Bryan Burk, Udi nedivi, Ben Rosenblatt, Larry Fong, Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, David Scott, Ian Calip, Clark Credle, Christine Danahy, Andy Chung, Dawn Gilliam, Eva QuirozWe are in 1979, at the end of the school year, in a quiet village in Ohio (my city was gone!  See that?).

A small group of teenagers, who runs a cheese eating zombie film in Super 8 under the influence of George Romero, is witnessing a train wreck extremely spectacular.  Following this accident, the townspeople begin disappearing and strange phenomena are increasing.  While the army began to occupy the place and the police seem powerless, our young heroes seem the only ones who can undercover the truth.

While most seem kind of compulsory figures at the rendezvous, JJ Abrams deftly slaloms between all the clichés strewn in his path, refusing archetype (take that, Joseph Campbell!) and a caricature (flights very overrated The Goonies) in favor of a strong dramatic structure protagonists and extremely touching (not like that).

Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Kimmo Mustonenen, Kimmo on Kino, Super 8, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyel Chandler, Ron Eldard, Amanda Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Amanda Foreman, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Gavin, Jay Scully, Michael Hitchcock, James Hebert, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Kate Yerves, Caitriona Balfe, Koa Melvin, Tom Williams, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Robert B. Quiroz, Jason Brooks, Tim Griffin, Marco Sanchez, Emerson Brooks, Jonathan Dixon, Patrick St. Esprit, Greg Grunberg, Katie Lowes, Bryan Burk, Udi nedivi, Ben Rosenblatt, Larry Fong, Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, David Scott, Ian Calip, Clark Credle, Christine Danahy, Andy Chung, Dawn Gilliam, Eva QuirozThe hair-raising action sequences (the crash of the train is a piece of anthology that will probably date and harm your ear holes) do not ever thus on the characters, vehicles with humor (what?), tenderness and emotion. 

Super 8 affirms the move as a real balancing act, halfway between the sincere nostalgia (those who have experienced the joys and frustrations of short films in 8 mm will have their memories refreshed), the constant quest for originality (the scenario does constantly take us by the nose to a climax of beauty – yes!) and assumed tribute to the cinema of Steven Spielberg, whose omnipresent shadow seems to hover over the entire film.

Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Kimmo Mustonenen, Kimmo on Kino, Super 8, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Kyel Chandler, Ron Eldard, Amanda Michalka, Andrew Miller, Jakob Miller, Jade Griffiths, Britt Flatmo, Elle Fanning, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Amanda Foreman, David Gallagher, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Beau Knapp, Bruce Greenwood, Dale Dickey, Jack Axelrod, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Gavin, Jay Scully, Michael Hitchcock, James Hebert, Thomas F. Duffy, Teri Clark, Tom Quinn, Kate Yerves, Caitriona Balfe, Koa Melvin, Tom Williams, Bingo O'Malley, Tony Guma, Robert B. Quiroz, Jason Brooks, Tim Griffin, Marco Sanchez, Emerson Brooks, Jonathan Dixon, Patrick St. Esprit, Greg Grunberg, Katie Lowes, Bryan Burk, Udi nedivi, Ben Rosenblatt, Larry Fong, Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, David Scott, Ian Calip, Clark Credle, Christine Danahy, Andy Chung, Dawn Gilliam, Eva QuirozAlternately, Close Encounters Third Kind, E.T., The Jaws, Jurassic Park and even The War of the Worlds (Scientology!)there are visual and thematic correspondences, while the sumptuous soundtrack written by Michael Giacchino pays tribute to the symphonies of John Williams.

However, Abrams keeps the style of its own, both in writing his dialogues in his visual bias (the famous “lens flare” of Star Trek are always of the party – where the guest stay too long and make sick on the toilet).

So this is a work in a state of grace, which almost miraculous alchemy stems both from its authors at its magnificent cast of young actors vying for accuracy and spontaneity.

Apparently there are two Fannings.  The world is a better place yet.

Manka Bros., Khan Manka, Behind The Proscenium, Kyrle Lendhoffer, Reese Witherspoon, Water For Elephants, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton, Hal Holbrook, Mark Povinelli, Richard Brake, Stephen Monroe Taylor, Ken Foree, Scott MacDonald, James Frain, Sam Anderson, John Aylward, Brad Greenquist, Tim Guinee, Donna W. Scott, E.E. Bell, Kyle Jordan, Aleksandra Kaniak, Ilia Volok, Bruce Gray, Jim Jansen, James Keane, Ivo Nandi, Karynn Moore, Andrew Connolly, Doug McDougal, Tracy Phillips Rowan O'Hara, Water for Elephants, Tai, Uggie, Ice, Sita Acevedo, Danny Castle, Michael Coronas, Aloysia Gavre, Francis Lawrence, Andrew R. Tennenbaum, Erwin Stoff, Gil Netter, Kevin Halloran, Alan Edward Bell, Ana Maria Quintana, Chad Holmes, David Crank, Denise Chamian, Molly Allen, Sasha Veneziano, Kimmo MustonenenKimmo Mustonenen – Behind The Proscenium

9 comments

  1. Bobby Sox · June 9, 2011

    And not one but two dads that suck!

  2. ezmegreen · June 9, 2011

    dear kimmo,i am an english language teacher and that rarest of breeds, a bilingual brit. i hate to criticise but you need an EDITOR sweetheart,not just spellcheck. this is doing the rounds on the net as an object of fun and if it was just funny then that would be ok but it is also incomprehensible – your undoubtedly razor sharp wit is wasted. just trying to help….

    • Anon · June 9, 2011

      @ezmegreen

      You’re an english language teacher? Way to fail at grammer and capitalization.

      • ennui · June 9, 2011

        grammer ??????

        • Grammar Hawk! · June 9, 2011

          Grammar. No grammer.

  3. Hollywood Producer · June 9, 2011

    I have no idea what you are writing but I think you like it okay. I’m thinking $25 million opening with really good word of mouth. Eventually $150 million domestic. That’s a sleeper.

  4. Heavy G · June 9, 2011

    Nice Pretenders reference Kimmo. I hoist a beer to you.

  5. fail · June 9, 2011

    Never submit anylonger of this stuff.