In mid-May, I noted that the trailer for the science fiction thriller “Super 8″ was well-done and that the film, which features a strong cast and great talent behind the scenes, looked promising. Now that I’ve seen the finished product, I can honestly say that “Super 8″ lived up to my expectations and will likely be one of the best films released this summer. It could even be one of the best films of 2011.

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The story takes place in the quiet Ohio town of Lillian in 1979. The main character is Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), who loses his mother in a mill accident as the story begins. After her death, the story jumps ahead four months and shows Joe being raised by his single father (Kyle Chandler), the town deputy. As Joe’s father grieves for his wife, his son spends his time making a zombie movie with his buddies including his best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths). Late one night, while the group is filming, a train crashes nearby in a spectacular action sequence. That crash releases a creature that was being held captive on the train and that creature soon begins to cause havoc in the small town.

I don’t want to ruin any surprises in the story, so I won’t divulge the plot any furthe,r but I will note that one of the biggest surprises is how this story balances so many different elements beautifully. The cast is particularly well-chosen, especially the young people who are at the heart of the story. According to the Internet Movie Database, both Courtney and Griffiths are making their big screen debuts and they both do a tremendous job.

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What’s to Like: Fans of J.J. Abrams (the creator of “Lost” and the director of “Star Trek”) and Steven Spielberg are likely looking forward to this new sci-fi film. Both men produced “Super 8″ and Abrams directed it.  The trailer begins with a traditional Steven Spielberg feel to it and then veers off when a train accident lets something loose. From missing pets to missing people, this trailer entices the audience without showing them what has been freed.

What’s to Dislike: The weakest part of the trailer is the shot of the man being grabbed and sliding across the floor. This scene has been done many times before including in 2007’s “The Mist.” The scene may work but I hope it doesn’t foreshadow “Super 8″ becoming just another typical monster movie.

The Verdict: I have high expectations for this film. With actors like Kyle Chandler, an ideal setting, and J.J. Abrams behind the camera, this is one of the movies that I am most looking forward to this year. (more…)

Elite critics and the “I don’t watch TV except for [insert list of shows here]” crowd love-love-love Friday Night Lights, but they always say things like, “It’s not really about football.” I hate conceding that point because it assumes that football isn’t awesome, when in fact, it’s the most awesome thing ever invented. I’ll concede that in the larger scheme of things, the show is about passion, but that passion could only come from football.

I believe football inspires more widespread passion than any of the other major sports in America. Dismissing football when praising Friday Night Lights, therefore, is a bit disingenuous in my opinion. Yes, it’s really about passion, but I don’t think there’s another sport or activity that could replace football and allow the show to remain as honest and relatable. And you don’t have to like football to agree with that, you simply have to recognize football’s place in America in the 21st Century. Especially in small towns, and even more especially in Texas.

To say the fictional town of Dillon, Texas loves them some football is beyond understating. They live it and breathe it. Dillon’s not a big city, not really a small town, either (it’s never really defined, though it doesn’t seem to be a replica of Odessa, the town from the book and movie that inspired the show). Regardless, the show brilliantly captures the highs and lows that come with  living vicariously through the local team, perhaps more brilliantly than did Hoosiers or any other sports related entertainment.

While the show’s qualities – directing, writing, acting, etc. – are many, the best things it has going for it are its characters, brought to life by an achingly good cast. The writers know the archetypes, and so do we, and we know when we meet stud running back Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) that there is a great chance he will blow any and all opportunities to excel and will become one of those guys whose love of the glory days will haunt him forever. Riggins may become a stereotypical small town loser, but FNL takes great pains to show how that comes about. Still, other characters defy our expectations, like Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki), who in addition to being hotter than Texas asphalt on the Fourth of July, seems doomed to surviving off of tips from The Landing Strip. But her choices prove there’s more to her than we first realize. Her rivalry with another character, Lyla Garrity (you hear that name and you know she’s cuter than a person should be, and you’re right), transcends the typical bad girl/good girl scenario. (more…)

In a recent interview with Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler from “Friday Night Lights,” Chandler discussed his onscreen marriage to Britton. According to Chandler, executive producer Peter Berg told him and Britton “that the relationship wasn’t going to break up from divorce…It was going to be a regular marriage, with two people who were dedicated to each other and loved one another.” Even though other dramas often feature divorces and marriages collapsing, “FNL” took a stand and attempted to show a strong and realistic marriage with two committed adults in it. In fact, one of the best aspects of “FNL” is how the show is able to create realistic situations where characters are allowed to make both good and bad choices. Because of that and the show’s focus on both sides of the controversial debate, “FNL” has managed to overcome a recent controversial storyline about abortion.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the “Friday Night Lights” pregnancy storyline that ended with Becky, a pregnant teenager, aborting her child. She did this partly because her mother strongly advocated that decision and because she felt that her mother always regretted giving birth to her. The episode ended with Becky talking to Luke, the baby’s father, and telling him that she had taken care of the situation. Although he was aware that Becky had contemplated having an abortion, he didn’t realize that she was definitely going to do it until procedure was completed.

In the three episodes that have aired since that episode, the pregnancy storyline has focused on Tami (Britton), a local school principal, dealing with the political ramifications of the situation. After becoming pregnant, Becky had approached Tami and asked for information about getting an abortion. That conversation proved controversial as some individuals, including Luke’s mother, called for Tami’s resignation after the abortion. In the show’s season finale, Tami planned to publicly apologize for her role in the situation but opted against it at the last minute. Instead she said that she “had always put the welfare of the students ahead of everything else” and that “every action that [she] made was with that intent.”  Tami was then put on administrative leave. Instead of suing the school to get her old job back, Tami said that she would accept a lower-profile position serving as the head counselor of a local school where her husband coaches the football team. The season ended after she offered to make such a deal. (more…)

In the pilot episode of NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” after a star football player suffers an injury on the field, the new coach in town, Coach Taylor, narrates the end of the episode while members of the football community visit the hospital where that player has been moved. In a voiceover, he states, “Life is so very fragile…We must carry this in our hearts: that what we have is special–that it can be taken from us. And that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls.” Several weeks ago, the third season of “FNL” was released on DVD and if you have not seen this program, this summer is a great time to catch up on this phenomenal show which showcases the daily tests that the characters in the community of Dillon, Texas face on and off the football field.

I only started watching the critically acclaimed program last year and since then I have purchased all three seasons on DVD. Readers and viewers might be familiar with the overall idea of the show because before there was a television show, there was a popular book and a feature film (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) with the same name. Even if you have not read the book or watched the film (and even if you do not like football), the show is well worth seeing. (more…)