Super 8 (2011)

Every one remembers the trailers for this movie which did not give any hints about the actual plot. This made for an extremely confusing first hour, though I'm glad the answers were revealed slowly, so as to keep the suspense going (Considering the director J.J. Abrams was the co-creator of 'Lost', one can imagine that he has mastered suspense). Joe and his friends spend their days in Lillian, Ohio filming movies with their Super 8 camera. When they film at the local train station one night, a truck hits a train head-on, causing it to derail. The Air Force arrives immediately, and begin searching the town over for something they are clearly very concerned about getting back. The mystery unravels and fortunately no questions are left unanswered by the end. The foul-mouthed kids in the movie are really the highlight, a group of friends much like the boys in 'Stand By Me'. 'Super 8' has a great combination of explosions and suspense, with a storyline a bit reminiscent of "E.T'. I could definitely see the film's producer, Steven Spielberg doing the same thing with a Super 8 mm camera when he was at the age of the boys in the movie. 'Super 8' is definitely worth a watch. 7 out of 10 stars.

Something Borrowed (2011)

Why does 'Something Borrowed' feel like a sequel to 'Bride Wars'? Perhaps it's because Kate Hudson plays the exact same engaged-to-be-married bad friend all over again. Only this time, she's the worst best friend to Ginnifer Goodwin, not Anne Hathaway. Goodwin plays Rachel, a recent college grad who has become a successful attorney. On her 30th birthday, she drinks too much and reveals to Dex (Colin Egglesfield) that she had a crush on him in college. Dex, who is engaged to Rachel's best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson), reveals that he, too had (and still has) feelings for her. He begins an affair with Rachel, and she struggles to decide between being a good friend, or continue lying to Darcy. She seeks advice from her best friend Ethan (John Krasinski), who is the only character in the entire movie to point out that the real jerk is Dex, who will not leave his betrothed to be with Rachel. As with many a movie, 'Something Borrowed' begins with a solid storyline and genuinely funny jokes and then buries itself in painfully unoriginal scenarios. It gets to a point in which there can be no outcome that the audience will be pleased by, and Rachel certainly doesn't end up with the right guy, I'll say that much. Though not as horrendous as 'Bride Wars', 'Something Borrowed' is just another throw-away romantic comedy that we've seen a hundred times. 3 out of 10 stars.

Thor (2011)

'Thor' is the latest in the never-ending series of comic books-turned-films from Marvel. 'Thor' is slightly different from 'Iron Man' or 'Spider-man' in the sense that Thor is an intergalactic hero who would probably kick the crap out of the Incredible Hulk or the Fantastic Four with his hammer, called the Mjolnir. The film takes place in Asgard, a realm in the far reaches of space, and on Earth, where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is exiled when he disobeys his father (Anthony Hopkins), the king of Asgard. Thor is next in line to the throne, much to the dislike of Loki, a younger, weaker brother. Loki ascends to the throne when the king falls into a coma and Thor is still stuck on Earth, where he befriends Jane (Natalie Portman), an astrophysicist. She helps him conquer an automaton and free his Mjolnir so that he can return home to defeat his brother and the Frost Giants, the arch-enemies of Asgard. The film is perhaps not the best work from Marvel, and definitely won't be winning any awards for acting or Best Picture. It shows sibling rivalry on the grandest scale possible, yet Thor's supposed "journey" on Earth to make himself worthy to be a leader is rather brief, and Thor didn't really appear to have gained too much maturity from his time with the mortals on our planet. On top of all of this, the special effects seemed rather low-budget, and it made several otherwise-awesome action scenes a bit underwhelming. Any comic book fan would probably enjoy the film, but to anyone else not familiar with the comic, it might drag a bit with the excessive dialogue. 5 out of 10 stars.

Spotlight On... September 2011

September 2011: Kate Winslet

Spotlight On... Kate Winslet

This Fall, Winslet will appear in her first two films since her 2008 Oscar-winning performance in 'The Reader'. She has received six Oscar nominations, including one for 'Titanic', and is considered among the best actresses of her generation. This month, she appears in 'Contagion' as a doctor investigating a pandemic who becomes stricken herself. She'll also appear in "Carnage" alongside Christoph Waltz and opposite Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly. In September, she received the Emmy for Best Actress in a Mini-Series for "Mildred Pierce". While she has had enormous success as an actress thus far, I think it's safe to say she'll be experiencing more career highlights in the future.

Contagion

I will admit, the main reason I have wanted to see this movie for more than a year was the exceptional cast. Oscar-winners Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard, and Oscar-nominees Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne star in this thriller chronicling the lives of various people as the world faces a disease pandemic. After returning from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth (Paltrow) comes down with a serious sickness and her husband (Damon) rushes her to the hospital, only to discover that she has become the first victim. Doctor Cheever (Fishburne) and Dr. Mears (Winslet) begin investigating how and where the disease travels. Likewise, Dr. Orantes (Cotillard) travels to Hong Kong to trace the origin of the disease. And finally Jude Law plays Alan, a popular conspiracy blogger who insists he has found the cure for the infection. The film was terrifying and interesting from beginning to end, perhaps due to the plausibility of the story. With scares like H1N1 or chemical warfare, 'Contagion' becomes a little too realistic for comfort. While this film certainly won't be winning any Oscars for acting, the performances were believable and despite the nature of the film, the character development and sympathy for the various infected victims was definitely noticed. Damon's and Winslet's character are both especially good natured, and the audience will certainly root for them against other characters who react in violent and hysterical ways when the disease spreads. Cotillard's French accent is as charming as ever, yet Law and Paltrow unfortunately did not get the most appealing characters. Why does Paltrow always get her head severed in her films? Perhaps the most terrifying angle of the film comes from the idea that anyone can be infected and killed, even the most famous of actors. 'Contagion' is one of the more exciting thrillers I've ever seen, but it's not a film I would go to when I'm feeling the need for a morale boost. 7 out of 10 stars.