On the couch

Super 8
*****
Directed by: JJ Abrams
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths

Captain America
****
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones
For a flick that opens with a fight at a funeral and moves on to a loud, graphic and explosive train crash, Super 8 is a surprisingly, wonderfully gentle movie in many ways.
JJ Abram’s tale of a gang of teens who witness a shocking accident and the subsequent strangeness that plagues the blue collar burg combines elements of childish innocence, teen rebellion and supernatural goings-on in a manner unmistakably influenced by a little-known, beardy fella who made such films as ET, Close Encounters and Empire of the Sun named… something Spielberg or Steven something.
Suspecting that there’s more to missing electrical equipment and the army presence in town than either their parents or the authorities know or are telling them, the five pals and the new addition to the group – the girl – use the town’s upheaval as a backdrop to the zombie film they’re making and make some shocking discoveries.
That the cast features a few familiar faces – Kyle Chandler, for example as the town’s deputy – but nobody of headline screaming note is both a blessed relief and a shrewd choice as the relative anonymity of the actors allows the film to feel that bit more organic and “real”.
That’s not to say that the performances aren’t tip-top. They are. The central pairing of reluctant hero Joe (Joel Courtney) and abrasive, tubby auteur Charles (Riley Griffiths) is a great combination with the two young fellas playing well off each other for more than just cheap gags. The rest of the younger actors are equally well cast and Abrams seems to have either Spielbergs’s good fortune or nous when it comes to defying the old adage about never working with children or animals. They’re cute without being cloying, gifted without being scary and annoying in just the right amount to convince you they’re actually kids and not just adults regressed through some feat of special effects.
Whether any of the boys go on to greater things is debatable – the kid who played Elliot in ET didn’t exactly take Hollywood by storm, did he? – but one thing is for sure – whatever Ma and Pa Fanning are doing back at the old homstead is some mighty powerful stuff because Elle, sister of Dakota, is a phenomenal performer destined for great things.
It’s difficult to discuss the story in any great depth for fear of spoiling the surprises, twists and turns it takes. The production managed to make it to the cinema without too many details being blown and the rare pleasure of going into a film confidant that it is good but unsure of what sort of flick it is exactly is a rare one in this day and age.
If you imagined The Ice Storm combined with The Twilight Zone you probably wouldn’t be too far off base.
Succumb to Super 8’s charms – you’ll be thrilled and delighted, enthralled and entertained. A quality film through and through.
The last stage in Marvel studio’s ambitious and far-reaching plan to bring heroic super group The Avengers (think Travelling Wilburys if Orbison, Dillon and Petty all wore spandex and had super powers) to the big screen, Captain America is exactly what you’d want a comic book movie to be – exciting, entertaining and entirely disposable.
Differing slightly from its predecessors, Joe Johnston’s directorial effort is a period piece (it takes place mostly during World War 2) telling the story of Steve Rogers, a nine stone weakling too small and too sick to be allowed to join the army and go fight on the front lines. A chance encounter with a military scientist sees him get a chance to fulfill his dream at the cost of becoming a lab rat and in a flash of science, scrawny Steve becomes, ironically, taller, blonder and more muscular than even uncle Adolf’s wildest Aryan dreams.
Initially a tool of propaganda, Captain America becomes a real live hero when he takes on Nazi super soldier, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) who plans on deposing Hitler and using an ancient Norse artifact to rule the world.
While the story makes about as much sense as an episode of Spongebob, it barrels along at such a fantastic pace and is told with such enthusiasm and vigour that it’s hard not to just go along with it.
Chris Evans is probably the only actor to play two high profile Marvel heroes in recent years and the twinkle-eyed charm that  made him stand out in the sub-par Fantastic Four is brought to bear as the titular Captain in a far more controlled form.
More than just a square head and a smile, however, Evans’ Cap is believably awkward and nerdy is his opening scenes as a nine stone runt and he keeps that character with him even after the Vitarays pump up his pecs.
Tommy Lee Jones features as (surprise, surprise) a gruff but kind-hearted colonel and Stanley Tucci shows up for five minutes of brilliance as the brains behind the super soldier programme.
On the side of the Nazi’s (kinda) specialist bad guy Hugo Weaving brings the requisite venom, but nothing extraordinary, to the Red Skull and, as Dr Zola, Toby Jones performs evil sidekick duties, again with capable but unextraordinary effect.
As was the case with the first Iron Man movie, it is amazing what you’ll put up with when a film is made with care and a competent cast. It more than works as a standalone flick and, as an appetiser for The Avengers, it is a marketing triumph.