From the Huffington Post:

It's always thrilling when a filmmaker emerges -- to see the movie that truly marks his arrival as someone to watch and pay attention to because he not only has something to say but he knows how to say it.

So it is with J.J. Abrams' Super 8, a great leap forward for someone who already has proven himself as a formidable TV auteur, capable of making the leap to movies by shaking up old franchises (Mission: Impossible, Star Trek) with a new vision.

But Super 8 is something else again: the arrival of a director who's made a movie with the confidence and sensitivity to remind you of the first time you saw E.T. It's a movie that will put you on the edge of your seat, even as it puts a lump in your throat.

From the Kitsap Sun: 

Joel Courtney, making his major-movie debut, will remind film-goers of a young Henry Thomas in "E.T."

From Manny the Movie Guy:

The movie is helped in a big way by the chemistry of the cast. Chandler and Courtney are extremely believable as they try to repair their broken father and son relationship. I also enjoyed the dynamics between the child actors.

Kyle Chandler will appear on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight, 7 June 2011 at 11:35 pm ET/PT.

From The Film Pie:

Despite having no previous acting experience, Joel Courtney is wonderful as the film’s central character, Joe Lamb. He starts out as a shy, reserved kid trying to cope with the death of his mother. As the story develops, Joe will be forced to “come out of his shell”, confront an unbelievable situation and fight for the people he loves. The list includes the pretty Alice Daniard (Fanning), his long-term crush from school. The scenes shared by these two are adorable.

Joe (Joel Courtney) instructs his dream girl Alice (Elle Fanning) on how to be undead.