This summer marks the tenth anniversary of this Spielberg/J.J. Abrams gem. It made it onto my Saturday watchlist while doing business this afternoon. Nothing draws me to a movie more than one that is artistically inspiring and makes me want to make movies. It’s hard not to fall in love with this ragtag group of small town kids who have no other care in the world than making a zombie movie with their Super 8 camera. I wish my friends and I had been this ambitious. But these friends are dealing with family trauma and grief, not to mention the presence of something from another world wreaking havoc on their small town in Ohio, circa 1979. The cinematography by Larry Fong is gorgeous, with that signature Abrams light flare, but the blue and yellow combination in some of the shots just hits my eyes the right way. One of my favorite moments is during the credits when you get to see all of the shots the kids were working on come together into its finished form. This film was a definite inspiration for the show Stranger Things and many others I’m sure.
Other popcorn perks:
-ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” and The Knack’s “My Sharona”
-Charles and Joe’s messy rooms filled with lots of Easter Egg posters, monster toys, and model making kits
-Kids running free but making it home by dinner
Classic Car Watch:
-1968 Yellow Buick Skylark
If you were going to make a movie with your friends, what genre would you choose?