The Movie Filter by Jeff Roedel – ‘Super 8’ thrills

If you recall last week, I was taking aim at Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, but as I mentioned, there was one very bright spot in that film. Her name is Elle Fanning. After tiny roles in Reservation Road and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this preternaturally gifted 13-year-old sister of actress Dakota Fanning has blossomed into a tour de force performer in the past year. If you haven’t yet seen Super 8—director J.J. Abram’s love-letter to Steven Spielberg’s early coming-of-age Amblin Entertainment films like E.T. and Empire of the Sun—do so to see Fanning’s heart-tugging anchor of a performance. Read more…