Cloverfield Hell Yeah!

[DiscoJen]

Saw the sneak preview wednesday night here in The Lou and all I have to say is OMG I LOVE it!!! At least the first 45 minutes of it. I get motion sick very very easily, I can't even play video games, so needless to say the Blair Witch handicam style of filming nauseated me beyond belief. Plus the theatre was jammed packed so we were sitting off to the side in the 2nd row which didn't help things. So we had to leave before it ended. :banghead:

#1 Take Dramamine!
#2 Take a Tylenol!
#3 Get in your car and go see this movie!
#4 Your favorite blankie or teddie bear is optional but highly recommended!

I usually don't like horror movies, I prefer sci-fi and action/adventure. And while Cloverfield isn't a new take on the genre by any means, everything about the movie makes it intense from beginning to well, at least the first 45 minutes. I was jumping and screaming and twitching all over the place. Even the two guys in front of us were holding their heads and snuggling into each other for comfort (yes they were straight)! lol

Some folks we knew who made it through the to the end said the rest of the movie was great, too. Can't wait to go back and try to make it all the way through!!!

I'll just go a rewatch my Resident Evil Extinction DVD to get the rest of my horror fix until then. Especially since I just bought a 37" LG LCD t.v.! Can I get a "hell yeah" for Milla all nekked in a water bubble in widescreen glory? HELL YEAH!

 

[Chris-St Louis]

Even the two guys in front of us were holding their heads and snuggling into each other for comfort (yes they were straight)! lol

Maybe BEFORE the movie they were. :rofl:

 

[KngTgr]

I've been waiting for it since "transformers", even been to the forums. Just one question, do you actually get to see the creature?

 

[sven]

Isnt it a remake of Godzilla?

 

[NHESS81]

Well, hopefully it is good for the entire length passed where you left at 45 mins. I liked I Am Lengend...but ONLY for the first 30-45 mins. It was suspensful in that you were not sure WTF was going on...once they showed the 'enemy' it was cartoonish and boring. Hope Cloverfield is not the same way.

BTW, who else is tired of the cliche 'bright flash + loud noise=scary?' That is NOT a horror film. That is a BS tactic used in place of real suspense. I hate how every movie that tries to be spoooo0o00o000ky throws a million of those in...yes, it startles you, but that is not fear...sorry for the rant.

 

[cyoc62]

The Crush was pretty suspenseful.

 

[DiscoJen]

The Crush was pretty suspenseful.

Mmm psychotic hot young teenager, she can scare me anytime!

SPOILER ALERT!!!

You do get to see a little bit of the monster. Nothing really exciting there and it really isn't anything new except for the "lice" that the monster sheds when he is really pissed off. You get to see these guys up close and personal. Those are some nasty varmits! Of course they never really explain what the monster is, where it came from, and why it's attacking the city. And sure, how many times do we really have to see horror productions destroy NYC? Yeah, Godzilla did this how many years ago? There is the typical bright light+loud noise=scarey formula that is also overdone as well, and it's used in Cloverfield as well. But at least it's not a cat hissing in a dark alley or the dumb blonde that goes upstairs to ask "is anyone there?"

But a combination of so many things in this movie really draw you right in and you feel like you are there running with these people through the city as the massacre occurs. My heart was racing but in a good way. All the psychological murder thrillers out there scare me too, but they also make me paranoid that some nutbag could really be hiding in my basement. Cloverfield is just a good monster movie...and you don't have to worry that the big nasty is gonna get you in your sleep.

 

[Drillbit]

Not a bad flick, but X2 on the dramamine. I never get motion sickness and i started getting a touch quesey half way through. The guy who is making the "video" is rather amusing, in that laugh at the doofus sort of way.

 

[cullenm]

I havent seen the movie yet but i heard that it was awesome. Apparently the monster looks an awful lot like Cthulhu

 

[Leslie]

Alex and I went to see it last night. Different. It wasn't like a usual box-office smash, where you have this suspense of reality going on, with an awesome soundtrack, etc. etc.

To me, it almost didn't seem like a monster movie, but more of a disaster movie, focusing on the people reacting to what's going on, with the monster attacking the city as a backdrop.

With the lack of a soundtrack, and being from a home-video perspective, it does come across more as a real disaster than as a movie.

What I think is cool is that the cost of the production of this one was low, somewhere around $30 million or so. For I Am Legend, Will Smith was paid $20 mil plus profits... I think it's good that they're trying to find ways of breaking the blockbuster costs for film.

Interesting w/ the audience, most acted startled when it suddenly reached the end of the movie (when the tape ran out). As folks got up and moseyed out, I overheard one lady grumbling, saying that she thought they ought to sue the moviemakers... expecting a blockbuster format, instead of taking it as it's given and enjoying the different perspective.

I enjoyed it. Not quite what I expected, but good. Maybe not in my top ten favorites instantly, but worth seeing.

Alex, though, was a bit queasy after it. Dramamine would be good, if you're prone.

 

[Mantaray]

Isnt it a remake of Godzilla?

no, not at all. i disagree with Jen, though because i think it is a fresh take on the giant monster movie. not a reinvention of the hand-held genre, but a very good use for it. you do get to see the monster. far more of it than i expected, but not in such a way that detracts from the tense atmosphrere the movie creates. as Leslie said, it plays out as a disaster movie. it just so happens that this disaster isn't your normal kind. the movie will keep you on edge to the end. great movie. i'd highly recommend it.

my brother that the creature looked similar to the ones in the movie "They", which i have not seen.

 

[scottjal]

This was interesting, not fantastic but refreshingly different and worth seeing. Made to be something like an actual playback of a camera found at the scene. Nice there were no cut scenes to the president/douche in charge of a response.

Marketing wise there aren't a lot of questions answered in the film, this generates a shit ton of "buss" on the tv, radio and net.

 

[Mantaray]

Marketing wise there aren't a lot of questions answered in the film, this generates a shit ton of "buss" on the tv, radio and net.

there were a lot of websites created by the filmakers that help give some backstory for the film. you have to go hunting around a bit to find things. i've not been to all the sites, but i've been to a few and heard things from people who have looked into it more than i. kinda neat.

my brother thinks they could create a sequel from the same movie, but taken from a different perspective, like from the military unit sent in to deal with the creature. i'm of the opinion they should just let it stand on its own and not do any sequels. would be a shame to see one turn out like Blair Witch II.

 

[chrisvonc]

Cloverfield is just a good monster movie...

While I'm usually am a sucker for these kinds of movies, I thought Cloverfield sucked. The only redeeming highlights of the entire experience was that I didn't have to pay for the ticket and the popcorn was fresh. That film left me just as puzzled and filled with as many questions as that horrid film "30 Days Of Nights".

 

[chrisvonc]

there were a lot of websites created by the filmakers that help give some backstory for the film. you have to go hunting around a bit to find things. i've not been to all the sites, but i've been to a few and heard things from people who have looked into it more than i. kinda neat.

my brother thinks they could create a sequel from the same movie, but taken from a different perspective, like from the military unit sent in to deal with the creature. i'm of the opinion they should just let it stand on its own and not do any sequels. would be a shame to see one turn out like Blair Witch II.

It would be a shame to see it turn out like Cloverfield 1. Maybe someone would think to explain some crap rather than assuming everyone in the world will be hunting down dummy websites before the movie just to have an understanding of whats going on.

 

[Leslie]

lol, I don't think I'd be *that* harsh about it Chris, lol.... but, yeah, it wasn't what I expected....


Been thinking about it, and, to give a better description of it, I'd call it a star-crossed lovers story. A story about the beginning (and end) of a doomed romance.

It just happens to have an enormous sea-critter smashing about Manhattan in the background.

It's not really a story about the monster.


I'd seen the previews, but I'd not seen any of the myspace pages or viral sites (except for the slusho site).

I don't think you really needed them, though. Just take the thing at face-value.


No, not an instant favorite. It's one that I might recommend to save it for DVD rental, or catch it on cable eventually on the OnDemand channels.... unless you know that you're walking into something different and are okay w/ that. I'd still have gone and seen it, but, I can see it not being for everyone.

 

[Mantaray]

It would be a shame to see it turn out like Cloverfield 1. Maybe someone would think to explain some crap rather than assuming everyone in the world will be hunting down dummy websites before the movie just to have an understanding of whats going on.

you don't have to go to the websites, it's just an interactive part of the experience if you choose to pursue it. why should a movie have to explain everything to you? a sense of mystery about not knowing where the creature came from or why it attacked lends to the tense first hand acount style of story telling they're going for. the movie wasn't about the monster, it was about the people trying to live through it. if this happened in real life, what you'd get is the news stories and recordings by people caught in the mess. answers would come later after the dust had settled.