CLOVERFIELD!

[maggie~hamilton]

Tonight Lee and I went to see the new sci-fi film Cloverfield. I won't say a whole lot about it, neither to critique it nor to spoil any plot points. I'll just say, it's the sort of thing that will appeal to those who like that sort of thing. And I =do= like that sort of thing! Love the old B science-fiction movies; the cornier and cheesier the better! And this film very much was made in that spirit -- a brilliant homage to the old "giant monster destroys city" plot.

One thing that we both did find annoying after a very short time was the fact that the entire film is seen from the perspective of a person carrying a hand-held camcorder. Most of the time the shots are jerky, pan so quickly as to induce nausea or vertigo, out of focus, etc. That effect was WAAAAAAY overdone. It would have been one thing to have cut to that "view" now and then but to do the entire film that way, well, 90 minutes of it were too much!

If you go see it, stay for the closing credits! The STUNNING closing music was composed by Michael Giacchino. Suddenly, what to wondering ears should appear but some "oooooooEEEooooooo" that had both Lee and I focusing our attention on it to figure out if it was a theremin -- we weren't sure at first.

It took a moment, but we did finally figure out it was a woman going "aaah-aaaahh-aaaaahhh" -- it finally became very prominent in the mix and it was obvious that's what it was. And at times there were 2, 3, 4 parts mixed together, sounding rather like Wagner's Valkyrie sisters of Brünnhilde.

Too bad Giacchino didn't use a theremin, because it's a PERFECT part for a theremin, and that touch would have given this very-much B movie just a little extra bit of "sonic cheese" that would have fit right in.

Let me do note, although it definitely is a B movie, it was shot on a big budget and the special effects are INNNNNNNNNCREDIBLE. Especially the, well, "Very Big Very Ugly Very Scary" star of the show!

Oh, and, yeah... it's a pretty scary thrill-ride!

Your roving reporter,

~
M-H

 

[DADoES]

It's VERY loud. When it was given a test-run last Thu night, I could hear explosions while in the office, which is on the opposite corner of the building from the auditorium in which it's running. This is a three-screen venue, not an 8 or 12 or 24 ... but still, it's apparently VERY loud.

 

[DADoES]

Oh, yeah .. there have been complaints about the shaky camera-work ("Blair Witch" style). I was chatting with the employees in concession Monday afternoon, a customer came out asking if it's like that through the whole show. I'd like to see it, but best wait for the DVD, don't think I can deal with the loudness.

 

[DADoES]

And ... a little surprising to me because the local audience is much more for action than drama ... both P.S. I Love You and Charlie Wilson's War grossed better than Cloverfield for Tue-Thu (weekdays vs. weekend, not including Mon as a holiday -- Cloverfield did better on Monday). I suppose the drama-crowd is more likely to come out on weekdays.

 

[tolivac]

sounds laike a movie I would like to watch-but will wait for the DVD.Yes-when I look at the Film-Tech website-a website for theater owners,managers and projectionists-I have tried to link it to this site but it won't work.anyway they mention LOTS of complaints and problems of "Seasickness" among veiwers due to the hand held camera.Again-Please get the cameraman a pedistal for the camera.I love Sci-Fi-horror shows but want to see the creatures on a steady picture,and not like you are trying to watch it from a ship on a stormy sea.
Also the theater operators complain that the mix levels of the explosions was too high-and blowing out subwoofers.They have to adjust the subwoofer levels so they don't get blown while playing "Cloverfeild".I am glad someone from Applianceville has watched "Cloverfeild"but would rather watch it on a smaller screen so as to aviod the seasickness.Or you can FF thru those scenes at home on your DVD player.And oh yes YOU can control the loudness.

 

[rapunzel]

I've already seen it twice and absolutely love it. The presentation is very contemporary and tells the tale from a 'first person' perspective. The shaky camcorder gives the whole story immediacy and a kind of credibility that is usually lacking with these types of films.

I admit the first time I saw the movie I, too, felt more shaken than stirred, as well as physically and emotionally ambivalent. The second time around, knowing what to expect, I got into the story much better. Overall I find that Cloverfield is a good effort by J.J. Abrams. I am also a great fan of 'Lost' and would venture to state that Abrams is one of the most talented people in the industry at the moment, who has yet to make a B grade something.

For reasons obvious to anyone who has seen the movie, there'll be more to come. I will definitely add this movie to my DVD collection in the hope of further installments.

I also urge anyone, who enjoys this movie genre, to go and see Cloverfield on the big screen.

Cheers