Steven Spielberg’s films are usually box office hits. It’ll likely be the same for what is for all intents and purposes a Spielberg film, just with a different name on the credits. “Super 8” was written and directed by J.J. Abrams (of “Lost” fame), but Spielberg co-produced and his imprint is all over the film. Think “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” meets “The Goonies.” A group of young teens are making a movie they hope gets into a statewide film festival, but the footage they get is beyond anything they imagined. They inadvertently film a train crash that unleashes some sort of evil upon their small Ohio city. If you like Spielberg’s films — and you aren’t bored by the thought of yet another one — you’ll likely enjoy “Super 8.”
For the rest of us, there’s plenty that’s original in theaters this weekend. “Beginners” is a charming look at giving life another chance. At least that’s what Hal (Christopher Plummer) does after he wife dies and he can finally come out — even if his time is about to run out. The film, though, focuses on his son, Oliver (Ewan McGregor), who’s dealing with his father’s death and his own reluctance to get married after spending his childhood drenched in his mother’s unhappiness. Can Anna, a beautiful French actress played by the beautiful French actress Melanie Laurent, change his mind?
Death is also the focus of “City of Life and Death” — and there’s nothing light-hearted about this look at it. The Chinese film tells in gut-wrenching detail of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during the six-week Rape of Nanking in 1937 and ’38. There’s no disputing the viciousness of what happened, though. “City of Life and Death” is destined to be a classic, gorgeously cinematic even as it portrays some of the worst brutality of modern times.
Looking for something a little lighter? “Submarine” is a sweet, witty coming-of-age comedy set in the Welsh city of Swansea in the early 1980s. Oliver Tate is a teenager experiencing his first love as he nervously watches that of his parents slip away. Some critics are comparing this one to the quirky films of Wes Anderson. But Oliver — and writer Richard Ayoade — has a unique voice of his own that’s not to be missed.
You might be looking for something to take the younger kids to, something a little less scary than “Super 8.” Unfortunately, “Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” might not provide the fun you’re looking for. The movie, based on the popular books about a third-grader written by Megan McDonald,” is getting some of the worst reviews of the year. Kyle Smith of the New York Post seems to sum up the critical consensus in his review: ” ‘Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer’ is sure to appeal to kids of all ages from 6 to 9 who are female and have no taste or sense of humor.”
