Anybody else looking forward to seeing Cloverfield? I wanna see how they handle the CGI work.
- John
Based on the preview I saw over the weekend it looked good (lots of action, lots of tension, lots of spectacle) BUT in the preview you never once saw the monster ... or monsters ... or whatever it is that is gonna tear up New York. I wondered if maybe this meant that the filmmakers have yet to decide on what the creature is gonna look like. Maybe that aspect of the film is still being worked out in post-production.
Either that or the creature turned out looking super-lame and they figured they'd be better off not showing it in the preview!
But I'm sure somebody else here knows what the deal is.
This movie has an amazing marketing campaign behind it, not unlike the Blair Witch Project, hopefully it pays off.
I am excited for this movie but I am also terrified that it's gonna blow.
I only go to the movies 2-3 times a year so it's usually gotta be something really good like Wild Hogs or Rush Hour 3.
Quote from: MegoGeek on January 02, 2008, 11:57:51 AM
I only go to the movies 2-3 times a year so it's usually gotta be something really good like Wild Hogs or Rush Hour 3.
Ah, a lover of the art film.
Still waiting for the theatrical release of Police Academy 23, huh?
I've been talking it over with my Godzilla bretheren, and they seem guardedly excited about it. Common opinion is that it will definitely be better than the US Godzilla (in name only) and at least equal to The Host.
I just hope it doesn't get too Hollywoodized.
Same with The Wolfman.
- John
I'm looking forward to it. I'll be there opening day.
There is nothing like seeing a new monster movie on the big screen ! Good or bad I love it !
Only drive in movies were better ! ::)
Tom
Oh, allright, I get it now. The filmmakers are trying to drum up excitement and speculation about what sort of creature it's gonna be. And here I was thinking that they didn't want to show the creature cuz it'd turned out looking lame! Evidently I was not the target audience of that marketing scheme.
Anyway, the idea that this might be a Godzilla movie got me thinking along the following lines:
A lot of the shots in the trailor echoed the real life footage shot by news crews and amateurs on 9/11/01. People running in panic amid chaos. Large buildings in Manhatten destroyed. The whole jerky camera cuz the person holding it doesn't know where to look amidst the unfolding chaos thing. While watching the preview it did occur to me that maybe it was in bad taste, or exploitative. It made me a little uncomfortable for some reason. But then somebody mentioned Godzilla and I remembered reading that the Japanese monster films of the '50's & '60's were, for Japanese audiences, clearly reminescent of the bombings they endured during WWII. And for that matter, American Sci-Fi films tapped into/played off of/exploited(?) the fears that Americans had regarding the Cold War and the Atomic Age.
I don't have any sort of point to make about any of that. Just thinkin' out loud here.
I'll be there! Don't have high expectations but I'll give 'em credit for trying something a little different.
I can't wait for this one! I hope it lives up to the hype. AND, it will have the first teaser to Star Trek on it. Ok. I know I'm a geek and I'm cool with that!
Chuck
Quote from: Phantasm on January 06, 2008, 03:35:54 PM
I can't wait for this one! I hope it lives up to the hype. AND, it will have the first teaser to Star Trek on it. Ok. I know I'm a geek and I'm cool with that!
Chuck
Most awaited movie since Grind House.
HHW
Yeah, I'm in for this for sure! Been waiting ever since I saw the first trailer before the Transformers movie.
I'm very curious as to what it's going to be about. Even if it sucks, I like the way they are marketing it. Hope it's good!
I read something along the lines of the director and his son were in Japan looking at a big rack of Godzilla toys and decided that we need a big monster like that for the US and that Kong just doesn't quite fill the bill. I guess it's a new monster of some sort...
There is a viral Cloverfield video here...
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=40746
Also, here are a few Cloverfield related sites (not sure how they're related though)...
http://tagruato.jp/
http://www.slusho.jp/
http://www.tidowave.com/
I'm just hopeing that the monster dosen't turn out to be a giant toddler thats takeing a tantrum!
รก la Gorgo?
I'm psyched! Going to the midnight showing tonight so I can post a review on it tomorrow. Looks like a monster flick for the digital age. Bet it will be fun.
John
Definitely want to see this movie..I hope it lives up to the hype
Caught the afternoon matinee...effects and story are great, and movie is shot in almost a personal documentary style, which adds to the fear....
A giant monster of some kind (and no, it doesn't look like Godzilla) come to NYC and start kicking ass...no answers are offered, and the movie has a downbeat ending...
Certainly recommended....
Bizarro Jeff
And yes--the monster is clearly show,
Bizarro jeff
Bring your motion sickness pills! It was a stomach-churner for me!
Does that mean you liked it, or didn't?
Bizarro Jeff
I saw it and like it. A Godzilla movie seen through the eyes /camera lens and POV of everyday people.
Tom
I saw this tonight and loved it. Yes, there are nits to pick, but the movie does sweep you along. The characters are developed just enough to keep you interested in them and to move the story along, but without their personal lives overwhelming the spectacle that you came to see, unlike, say, the American "Godzilla" which seemed more interested in the marital woes of Matthew Broderick's character than in giant monster mayhem. Hud, the character doing the filming, is a perfect narrator as he is an amusing, loveable dope.
This movie does what surprisingly few giant monster movies do (for the record, the others are the original "Godzilla," "Godzilla Raids Again," the 1990s Gamera trilogy, and "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack!" and "The Host" if you consider that a giant monster) that bother to deal with the impact giant monster attacks would have on the lives of the ordinary citizens of the cities the monsters destroy, and "Cloverfield" does it very effectively.
I highly recommend it.
I too highly recommend this movie to lovers of giant monster attack movies. Showing it from the point of view of average folks with a video camera really was a fresh approach worth doing, as opposed to being merely a gimick done just for the sake of being different.
And I really loved the characters and the story. Some may've seen them as either corny or epic. The hero on a noble quest. The bumbling but devoted sidekick who stays with the hero to the end. The beautiful maiden in distress in the high tower. Redemption! True love! The ultimate sacrifice! And that whole business about the other day recorded on the tape getting erased was beautifully poetic. Beautiful I say!
Yeah, I really, really, really enjoyed it. Of course I saw it at the end of an incredilby stressful week so I really needed the escapism.
I have to say - this movie was flippin' awesome. HOWEVER - if you are prone to motion sickness, you aren't going to like this movie. The camerawork is really distracting (faux handheld, purposely bad camera work) but you get used to it after about 20 minutes.
The monster was ho-hum but the movie really is more about what it would be like to be stuck in the middle of a giant monster movie.
The movie is really tense and a bit draining (in a good way). I was exhausted by the end but I really thought it was something special.
Anyway, I highly recommend it (although you guys don't know me - I'm mostly a lurker here. :) )
Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.
I'm one of those prone to motion sickness and had to close my eyes a few times to keep my lunch down. The last time I felt that queasy was on a boat ride. As far as a giant monster movie goes I'd say it was OK but I don't think there's much of a monster to work with for merchandising... but I could be wrong.
Monster Blanket- A defensive covering to shield your eyes from the horror being depicted on the Television, Movie theatre or drive-in screen.
Greetings
Our family Monster blanket is a perfect one. It's a knitted quilt made by my wife's grandmother. It's old and heavy and the best part is, when you hide under it you can still see through the woven knitted threads. It's perfect. It shields your eyes, and yet allows you to see...Tammy used it when she was a little girl as a monster blanket. The monster blanket was used last night by my son.
My family and I (yes, Edward my 6-year old son too) saw Cloverfield last night and it was amazing! It was his VERY FIRST MONSTER movie seen in the cinema.
My wife and I thought that the film was truly a masterful manipulation of camera and as filmmaking SHOULD be it shows you exactly what the director wants when he wants it.
And what he shows us are truly terrifying and the Cloverfield Monster is a nasty piece of work.
It was thrilling and exhilarating and stomach knotting. There's STILL a lot of questions, (what is it? How did it appear? Can we stop it?) but really it doesn't matter. For once fellow monster kids, we are realistically on the ground with the fleeing people as the giant monster attacks. For the first time, we are one of the masses in terror, wondering what the hell is going on? There is no information...no clues, we are as LOST as the characters. We BECOME one of them, we truly feel like we are there on the streets of a major metropolitan city (THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS) and we are terrified by what we see. And what we can't see...we HEAR and THAT as we all know is much much worse.
"Something terrible"
My son Edward loved it, but it was a gut-punch for him. Wisely, we brought the monster blanket from home so we could hide under it when it got too scary and he insisted I join him under the blanket when he went in...and I did.
Gladly.
At one point as we cowered together under the safety of the Monster Blanket, but still watching... he turned to me and whispered, "I'm going to have to sleep with you and mommy tonight!"
He did , and we didn't mind at all!
Speaking of Sound, If Cloverfield doesn't get an Oscar nod for best SOUND...then something is seriously wrong.
"Something else...also terrible"
It's a real treat to see a GIANT MONSTER movie that works. For the first time in a LONG time...a disaster film, a rescue film, and a honest to goodness MONSTER movie! See it!
-Prof. Griffin
PS: OH, and stay through the end credits for a fantastic musical tribute to every Monster Movie and Sci-Fi film ever made...(yes, there is theremin usage!) AND a little audio clip that may bring a shudder to you or give you hope.
Hey Professor, that was a beautiful review/recommendation/account of your experience with your son. I'm glad he wasn't too scared by it. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to sleep for a month if I'd seen something like "Cloverfield" when I was six! But then I was too scared to watch the '31 "Dracula" at about that age. Methinks that kids today can handle a lot more.
And now that I think of it, the "Cloverfield" really doesn't have an enormous amount of gore. And very little cussing. And there isn't any gratuitous sex. Quite family friendly really, expect for the scares.
I'm glad to see that the movie was a huge box office hit over the weekend. Biggest January weekend release ever or something like that.
Also, I was just reading the FAQ's at the IMDB page for this movie. Interesting stuff there.
We finally got to see it today. From the premise of Abrams looking at a rack of Godzilla toys with his son in Japan to the realization of his stated goal of providing the US with a big monster of it's own... it totally succeeded. Just as Godzilla was a symbol of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Cloverfield is a symbol of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent war with terrorists. A terribly clever, but simple, effect was used to contrast the difference between life before that day and life since. The handheld camera angle was believable throughout most of the movie, with only a couple of scenes that seemed forced. The dialoge was believable as well, it did not seem like a script, it seemed like a group of 20somethings trying to survive a disaster. Their terror comes through, as does their bravery, but at it's heart it's a roller coaster ride through a giant monster attack as told through the lens of a handheld video recorder. It's nailbiting fun and my wife, son, and I all really enjoyed it.
This one is definitely on my list of films to see. I'm one of those motion sickness guys too. I think I'll bring a monster blanket and a vomit bag just in case.
Ha, ha! Looks like the Cloverfield's motion sickness effects are making news:
http://www.koco.com/news/15112533/detail.html
We could be returning to the William Castle days of signing insurance forms and nurses stationed in the lobby. It would have been cool to have been handed an official Cloverfield barf bag before the movie... instant collector's item!
I understand the new Diary of the Dead was filmed the same way. What's next to be "cinema verited"?
OK I admit it I watched it on line, but the likely hood of me getting to the theater for it is pretty small (they'll get my money when it hits video). And truth is I'm glad I saw it as the fictional filmmaker intended. I'm not one to get motion sick, but that on a big screen I can see giving me a killer headache. The kicker is although it's an interesting touch, I'm not sure it adds that much more to the film than traditional camera work would have achieved. IF you were right there with them you wouldn't be shaking around and spinning like a maypole dancer on mushrooms. Besides most modern video cameras have some degree of image stabilization and IR capabilities. They could have still got the desired effect and less of the nausea if they toned it down somewhat IMO. Beyond that I really loved the unique take of the movie.
I just want to note that I wasn't in the least affected by the camerawork. In fact, I thought that after the first ten or fifteen minutes they considerable lessened the gimic. And I'm a guy who's actually gotten a bit ill on roller coasters, at sea, and in the air.
Go figger.
My wife is usually the first to get carsick and stuff, and she was worried going in because she forgot her dramamine, but she didn't have any problems.
I saw it....totally loved the movie....definitely a must see.
And I had a headache for about 3 days (I get migraines)...the one day it starts to die down, my wife and I go see it. I tell her from the beginning of when I started to hear about the movie, I wanted to know nothing about it.
After the first 20 minutes and her seeing my face contort and migraine come back she leans and whispers:
"You told me not to tell you anything"
It was a funny moment!
I saw it Sunday night and thought it was great. The camerawork didn't bother me at all, either by making me sick or as a gimmick. I liked the giant monster well enough, but the little ones not quite as much. I didn't like the people much, but that's not a prerequisite for me liking a movie. If something like that really went down, you probably wouldn't be able to pick and choose who you're running for your life with anyway. The action and suspense was great. Good times.
Oh and for what it's worth, Hasbro has already announced that they will be releasing a toy of the monster. Of course, it would be nice if you could actually see the toy before dropping $100 on the pre-order...
http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?BR=863&ID=21030
Hey everybody, been so busy with school and this was my 1st chance to check on the forum. I am so glad to hear the great reviews of this movie. I went to the midnite show with my sister and we both loved it! My only criticism was that it was too short. I thought we were going to get at least a couple of different perspectives. Either way, it was great. I've heard rumors that there are plans for a part 2--anyone else hear that? Also, my brother called to tell me that in the scene where the hero is filming the sunrise from the the girls apaprtment--you see the tanker in the water and something fall from the sky and land in the water. I did not catch that--now I have to go see it again!
************ EVEN THOUGH NOBODY ELSE HERE HAS DONE THIS, SPOILER ALERT ***********************************************************************
Well I saw this tonight after walking out after about 30 minutes of Diary of the Dead (painfully bad all around). The camera work didn't bother me much once the action got going. It did bother me a little during the whole party scene but I think that's just because I didn't care about those people and just wanted the monster to show up. The comic relief character Hud actually didn't bother me either which surprised me. There were a few times where it was a stretch that they would have held onto the camera but I guess that's ok. I thought the smaller creatures was a stupid idea that was very unnecessary and I think the movie should have just ended with the crash of the helicopter. Other than those small complaints I enjoyed the ride. And I think the length was perfect at 84 minutes. I say enough of these damn 2 and a half hour movies, bring back the 80 minute movie !!!
This seems like a toy designed for kids to play with, but priced for adult collectors.
Quote from: NekroDave on January 30, 2008, 02:17:05 PM
Oh and for what it's worth, Hasbro has already announced that they will be releasing a toy of the monster. Of course, it would be nice if you could actually see the toy before dropping $100 on the pre-order...
http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?BR=863&ID=21030
The price of the toy is ridiculous, IMHO. Guess it's a test to see if it really is true that "a fool and his money are soon parted."
That price is ridiculous and while the monster design works fine in the movie where you don't see it much I think it makes for a lame toy.
Quote from: ZOMBOPHOTO on February 18, 2008, 12:19:05 AM
........................ I say enough of these damn 2 and a half hour movies, bring back the 80 minute movie !!!
HERE HERE! There're too many movies which are WORTH an hour and a half of my time but which TAKE way over two hours instead.
Quote from: The Drunken Severed Head on February 18, 2008, 10:06:00 AM
The price of the toy is ridiculous, IMHO. Guess it's a test to see if it really is true that "a fool and his money are soon parted."
I agree. But if this were made by Amok instead of Hasbro, people would be calling it a bargain.
While browsing thru ebay last week, I found a "Cloverfield" mouse pad...they were asking $10+ for it.
Bizarro jeff
Hasbro has a deal till the end of the month.. 10% off and free shipping, and the cloverfield monster is included in that deal.
When I look at amok toy's prices, or sideshow's clover field is right in line with them, and he looks pretty damned big. If he was from sideshow, they'd be charging $250.
I saw it in a theatre and loved it. It felt nothing like the Blair Witch Project to me, and the camera angles hardly ever annoyed me. I agree that it essentially captures the 9/11 panic/survival theme very well, and wrapping it up in a kaiju movie is really icing on the cake for me.
Just rewatched it at home, and on a plasma tv, it is MUCH more enjoyable.
Plasmas have a brighter image, and I think because the screen wasn't so large, the camera jiggle wasn't as overwhelming.
We finally go to see the "splashdown", tiny as it was, and in some of the making of commentary, they did confirm the monster is a baby.
Quote from: Gareee on April 11, 2008, 03:19:24 PM
We finally go to see the "splashdown", tiny as it was, and in some of the making of commentary, they did confirm the monster is a baby.
Does this mean the monster in the final on-screen monster scene is the baby of the one seen previously? Because that's the only way I can rectify the appearent grotesque slip in scale for it.
The big guy is the baby! Hopefully The sequel will have momma coming for him...
Quote from: Gareee on April 11, 2008, 05:25:43 PM
The big guy is the baby! Hopefully The sequel will have momma coming for him...
That would be one BIG momma! Like, Long Isle size!!
Makes you wonder based on the baby's appearance, what the momma would look like. Feathers? Fur?
If the creature really was disturbed from the ocean's floor by SLUSHO off-shore drilling (I don't see this as likely, but that's what I heard) then it should be smooth or scaley
No, at the end, you see the creature (or something huge) plunge down into the ocean in videotape taken a month earlier.
I've only seen it once so far, so I assume you mean the scene when the story runs out and we go back a month to the Coney Island trip...?
yeah it's on the middle right in the ocean in that scene
I think you can see it online by now
Never got the chance to see it on the Big Screen, am definitely picking it up on the 22nd when Cloverfield comes out on DVD.
In case anyone is interested, the cloverfild monster toy is at hasbrotoyshop.com for $99, and is now shipping.
But WAIT! There's MORE!
Free shipping on items over $50, AND using the coupon code "HOLIDAY25" will make him only $74.99 shipped!
I'm fence sitting with him in my cart now.
M Crawford just got his, and reviewed him last night here:
http://www.mwctoys.com/ (http://www.mwctoys.com/)
I guess I am in the minority here based on what I have read.
I actually sat through to the end Yor, Hunter from the Future.
But this movie I walked out on and for the first time ever demanded my money back.
In my opinion telling bits of a story through hand held video recorders like in Aliens is brilliant and ads to the story, however telling a story completely through hand helds and having them jerk and bounce all over the place so you can't even see what is going on is not a gimmick but a plain and utter annoyance. I hated this movie for the entire 45 minutes I tried to sit through it. It sounded like this could have been a good story if only told through normal camera work and means. Whoever told this director that this would be a good idea was incredibly stupid.
Does anyone know if this film made money and was financially successful. I may be in the minority on how much I hated it but I would be interested in the financial story which truly represents the films acceptance or not. Perhaps I am wrong on this and most of those who watched it loved it.
I wasn't thrilled with the shakey cam stuff, but it did make a ton of money, because it's budget was also fairly low.
I'm "iffy" on the monster design, but rewatching it at home on dvd I enjoyed it more. (The wife really liked it.)
The toy figure comes with a cool diorama box, and I have a feeling it'll end up under the tree for the wife soon..
(http://i7.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/21/d2/dab0_3.JPG)
Never watched "Cloverfield", afrain it was going to bee like "Blair Witch Project" from the commercials. Monster looks decent, so maybe I'll give it a try after all.
I see Gareee has my link up - thanks!
I enjoyed Cloverfield quite a bit. But then I don't have an automatica aversion to the 'hand held' concept. When done right and for the right theme (as it was here), I think it adds a nice dimension of realism and viewer involvement.
Yep.. ;) The moe I see that pic with the box, the more I'm jonesin for him. I'm a sucker for big monster toys or um.. big monsters.
Maybe it'll be santa's gift to ME instead of the wife.. ;)
I like both THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and CLOVERFIELD. They definitely are NOT for everyone though. I liked that there are filmakers out there that try to think outside the box when it comes to making movies. Too often I watch a movie and the ending comes as no surprise to me. So many movies are the "same-old-same-old" when I see them and I am often disappointed. It's risky though, but I guess the payoff, if successful, is worth it. Other movies that I enjoyed that were creative (IMO) are DONNIE DARKO and IDENTITY.
Rob
The toy on its own doesn't thrill me. But as part of the box diorama, it's very cool. Not $100 cool, though. Maybe $50 cool. I bet after Christmas that price point will become realistic. This is Hasbro, a mainstream company, not Sideshow or Amok Time. Whatever doesn't sell in December will be clearanced in January.
Did anyone else think that the monster looked like Max Schreck with no clothes on ?
Can you dig "Cloverfeld II : Naked Nosferatu Rampage" ?
Actually, right now they have a 25% off store coupon on purchases over $50.. so I got free shipping on him, AND 25% off.. $75 for him seemed about right, and on a box that larger and heavy odds are shipping alone would be almost $20.
If anyone wants to order one, it's hasbrotoyshop.com and the discount coupon code is holiday25
I have to tell you CLOVERFIELD wowed me! yeah, it was a gigantic monster but I loved the persepctive. For once we got to see what the victims experienced in all of those Godzilla movies and not the guys on the outside trying to stop it. The movie made me feel there was hope for the future of monster movies because it was simply different.