Per IMDB – On the night of the discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.

When I first saw Super 8 I was almost certain that it would be my #1 film for 2011, and on repeat viewings that opinion didn’t change.  Then I saw Another Earth, and it’s so easily my #1 film of 2011 I feel Super 8 should be embarrassed.

If you watch the trailer before seeing the film, which I assume pretty much anyone reading this will do, please don’t let the sci-fi elements contained in the trailer turn you off from watching the film.  All in all the sci-fi element within Another Earth takes up a very small part of the film.  In actuality, the film is far more about the connection between Rhoda (Brit Marling) and John (William Mapother), and Rhoda’s feelings about what she did and how she can move on, than it ever is about the discovery of “another Earth”.  Ultimately, the film is about being human, the choices we make, the friendships we develop, and what makes us who we are.

Both Brit Marling (who wrote and produced the film) and William Mapother give great performances, with Marling’s performance making her an actress to keep an eye on.  The film was shot on a very small budget, but has such beautiful cinematography that you wouldn’t really know.  There’s an abundance of wonderful imagery throughout the film and it’s accompanied by a majestic and haunting soundtrack by Fall on Your Sword.  Like a lot of films in my best of 2011 list, Another Earth has a mood and feel to it that sucks you in until the very end.

Given my very strong enjoyment of Another Earth, I’m excited for Brit Marling’s next writing/starring project, The East, which tells the story of a contract worker who is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group, only to find herself falling for its leader. The East also stars Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgård.

On the list of honours for Another Earth, it was nominated for 8 awards, and won Best Actress at Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival, the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance, and the Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

Watching the trailer again sent chills down my spine.  I cannot possibly put into words how brilliant I think this film is.  If I try it just devolves into nonsensical stuttering with a final demand that “you have to watch it”.  Well, you have to watch it.

In Time, starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde and Cillian Murphy, looks pretty decent.

Hopefully the final product will match the trailer.

But they’re not.

No.  We get mindless dumb shit like Battleship.  Liam Neeson should know better.

It’s due out on May 18th 2012, just so you know to stay away from the cinema.

Written by: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Genre: Action, comic, war, sci-fi

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) fights for a place on a top secret research project run by Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Dr Erskine (Stanley Tucci) that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

I should start by saying that whilst I’m not American I do love America.  I grew up in England and now live in Australia but ever since I first visited the US in 1984 I’ve felt a love for the country that simply isn’t there for my native land.  I’ve been back seven more times since then and long for the chance to move to the US on a permanent basis.  All this is a kinda gooey, hokey way to say that I’m not one of these people who dislike America for it’s storybook ideals and “we’re number 1″ attitude.

The most disappointing thing about Captain America: The First Avenger is that it’s going to be (or already is) number 1 at the box office not because it’s a particularly good film, but because it plays to that phony rah rah attitude of American superiority.  I know America is awesome, I don’t need to be hit over the head with nostalgic patriotism.

As for the film as a whole, I found that the first act was my favourite section of the film because we actually got to spend some time with the characters, whereas Joe Johnston sped through the story in the later acts just so he could get to the next action sequence.  I know it’s a delicate balance when it comes to the pacing of a film, you don’t want to skip ahead too quickly or linger too long, but with Captain America I feel that the whole campaign against Hydra begun, proceeded and concluded far to quickly.  Yeah, he’s Captain America, but that doesn’t mean he can’t encounter some kind of obstacle or setback.  We all know he’s gonna win in the end, the hero always does, but the protagonist needs to face an obstacle.  That’s screenwriting 101.

On the actor side of things I think Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Tommy Lee Jones did a decent job, but Haley Atwell as the sexy 1940s pinup-like  officer was a real negative for the film.  I realise they can’t cast some skinny blonde bombshell but my complaint isn’t entirely based on Atwell’s looks.  I think she gave a somewhat OK performance with the material she was given, but that whole romance between her and Captain America was completely manufactured.  There was nothing natural or organic about their relationship, and the “meet in one week” conversation as his plane was going down was laughable.  I’m very hopeful given the way the film ended that Atwell won’t be returning in any form in either The Avengers or the likely sequel.

And speaking of how the film ended, I hope they explain how a guy can be buried in ice in the Antarctic(?) for 70 years and neither age or die.  That seems ludicrous even for a comic movie.

RATING:  6/10

CONCLUSION
I think Captain America: The First Avenger works best as an origin story which sets up Joss Whedon’s upcoming The Avengers.  The first act is decent but the rest feels rushed and paced far too quickly.  Chris Evans is a credible Steve Rogers and Hugo Weaving once again does a good job as a villain.  The special effects are OK and the film is passable.  I wasn’t expecting to be blown away and Captain America: The First Avenger met those expectations.

IMDB says it’s:

An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Sounds similar to the shitty thriller Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman.

Contagion is due for release on 9th September 2011 and could end up being one of Soderbergh’s last films if he sticks to his promise to retire.

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident.  Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth –  something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

J.J. Abrams and Elle Fanning is enough to get me super excited to see Super 8.

Check out the new poster and trailer below.

Title: Los Cronocrimenes

Written and Directed by: Nacho Vigalondo

Initial Flickchart position:  #345 of 1389 overall.  My #29 film, of 63, from the year 2007.

What It’s About:
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour.  Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.

General Comments:
I’m posting this late not because I didn’t watch it yesterday, but because I fell asleep at 4:00pm whilst watching it yesterday and then woke up this morning.  So technically I haven’t broken my string of consecutive days watching films.  Anyway, onto the movie.  Time travel is one of my favourite genres, or sub-genres, and when they’re done well they’re a total mind fuck.  Los Cronocrimenes (aka Timecrimes) is really well done.  The time travel aspect really is a self-contained loop with no explanation as to why it starts.  I guess it’s just destined to play out for Hector at that point in his life, with that smoking hot chick being the only real casualty.

Watch Los Cronocrimenes because it’s a very well done sci-fi/time travel/thriller, and will mess with your mind if you try and figure out the inevitable paradox that all time travel films have, how did the loop begin? Avoid the trailer embedded below if you want to avoid spoilers, since it basically shows every major point of the film.

Rating:  7/10

Title: The Adjustment Bureau

Directed by: George Nolfi

Written by: George Nolfi and Philip K. Dick

Initial Flickchart position:  #334 of 1384 overall.  My #1 film, of 3, from the year 2011.

What It’s About:
The affair between a politician (Matt Damon) and a ballerina (Emily Blunt) is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.

General Comments:
The Adjustment Bureau does a very good job blending the romance and sci-fi elements so that neither one overpowers the other.  The first couple of encounters between David and Elise do a great job of showing the connection that the two have, and the film really builds from this.  I’ve been looking forward to seeing this film since I got my hands on the script around August 2009 and I’m really happy to say that the final product lived up to my expectations.

Watch The Adjustment Bureau because Matt Damon is as cool as ever, and because it does a really good job blending the two competing romance and sci-fi genres.  Also, John Slattery is pretty awesome.

Rating:  7/10

Title: TRON: Legacy

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Written by: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal

Initial Flickchart position:  #319 of 1377 overall.  My #29 film, of 73, from the year 2010 (but this seems too low).

What It’s About:
The son (Garrett Hedlund) of a virtual world designer (Jeff Bridges) goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed.  He meets his father’s creation turned bad and a unique ally (Olivia Wilde) who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid.

General Comments:
It’s far far better than TRON and could even have been a remake because you don’t need to have seen the first film to be able to jump in and enjoy this one.  The look and style of the film is breathtakingly beautiful, and the Daft Punk soundtrack is fucking tits.  Quorra being a miracle of perfection isn’t surprising considering she’s played by the stunning Olivia Wilde.  It was neat to see Cillian Murphy with a tiny little role and I’m confident that if, or when, a sequel arrives, Murphy will have a far bigger role.  James Frain as Jarvis was pretty fucking cool too.

Watch TRON: Legacy because it tells a pretty enjoyable story which looks jawdropping and features the heavenly Olivia Wilde.

Rating:  7/10

Title: Kaboom

Written and Directed by: Gregg Araki

Initial Flickchart position:  #321 of 1375 overall.  My #30 film, of 72, from the year 2010 (although I think it’ll end up ranking higher).

What It’s About:
Smith’s (Thomas Dekker) everyday life in the dorm – hanging out with his arty, sarcastic best friend Stella (Haley Bennett), hooking up with a beautiful free spirit named London (Juno Temple), lusting for his gorgeous but dim surfer roommate Thor (Chris Zylka) – all gets turned upside-down after one fateful, terrifying night.

General Comments:
I’ve already written this up once and the post got corrupted when I tried to publish it.  I’m not doing it again.  Kaboom is batshit weird and ends abruptly.  Whilst it’s probably not as good as Mysterious Skin, it’s mesmerizing the whole way through.

Watch Kaboom because it’s weird, funky, funny, supremely sexy, and dizzyingly odd.  Plus Juno Temple is naked a whole hell of a lot.

Rating:  7/10