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Cloverfield Hype & Movie Thread *Spoilers Ahoy!*
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DeathbyVolcano
Banned
One of the most intense movies I've ever seen. Holy fuuuuck
Speschal K
Member
Just got back. I think liking it comes down to expectation and maybe how much you knew about it beforehand. I knew little, saw the teaser a year ago and stayed away from all the other stuff. Although I did read an interview in which one of the producers explained how JJ came up with the idea from his trip to Japan during MI:3 promotion and it's essentially his version of an American Godzilla. Going into the film with this in mind, and not that it would turn out as some sort of miraculous achievements in story telling and film, I was thoroughly surprised and enjoyed it.
Stuff I liked (not really spoilers, but spoiler tag just in case):
1)
2)
3)
Stuff I didn't like:
1)
2)Length. I think it could have stood to have been longer, but I feel for those who might have motion sickness from it.
3)The people who booed at the end of the film. I've seen plenty of boo-worthy films. This wasn't one of them.
Stuff I liked (not really spoilers, but spoiler tag just in case):
1)
Getting to know the characters at the beginning was really well done and did a better job than most films of the horror/thriller genre at identifying and creating characters that exist beyond stereotypes (ie. jock, hot girl, geek, tough chick).
They really had unique ways of presenting the action and didn't repeat themselves often. Different settings helped this, like the street w/ the smoke at the beginning, the bridge scene, the tunnel, the apartment buildings, the helicopter, central park. The diverse setting really gave it that city-wide scope that needed to be portrayed, since the entire city was being affected.
Most of the humor was surprisingly refreshing and was certainly not expected.
Stuff I didn't like:
1)
Not knowing more about the monster. This of course would be difficult to do in the film since no one knows anything, but it still bugs me.
3)The people who booed at the end of the film. I've seen plenty of boo-worthy films. This wasn't one of them.
DeathbyVolcano
Banned
It's because of the ending. Some people feel as though they need a definite ending to feel satisfied. They're wrong, yeah, but that's why they boo.
professor_t
Member
Buttonbasher said:
Awesome. :lol
Imagine if this happened with The Usual Suspects or The Crying Game . . .
Just saw the midnight showing........It was very intense and had me on the edge almost the whole time, until the end. Yes, I was one of the people disappointed at the ending. J.J. left me with too many questions and decided not to answer any of them. The movie was good, don't get me wrong, but the way they went about ending it was so very Lost-esque it made me mad.
Just got back and I have to say that the movie was great, albeit not too different from what I was expecting. If you love monster movies or shaky cam, you'll dig this. I loved the monster design and thought that the film was much more effectively done in the disaster movie style that it was in. In case anyone was wondering, you do get a VERY good look at the monster.
Fantastic movie. Really, I totally loved every bit. My only complaint might be that at times the characters seemed more obsessed with yelling each others names instead of running for their lives. Still, that's a minor quibble in what was a totally engrossing experience. I plan on seeing it again while it's still in theaters because the audio mix is incredible. I totally felt like I was was watching a legitimate tape of something that happened.
Also, I want to know what brand of camcorder that was that can survive all that. :lol
I shouldn't poke fun, though. The movie was great. Better than I anticipated and I had really high expectations.
Also, I want to know what brand of camcorder that was that can survive all that. :lol
I shouldn't poke fun, though. The movie was great. Better than I anticipated and I had really high expectations.
Are you kidding me? Wow, some people must have shit standards. It's is unfortunate somewhat that the movie has silent openings and endings because it gives jackasses in the theater an opportunity to be heard... but I'm glad they made those parts silent. It made it more authentic.Speschal said:
Absinthe (Permed)
Banned
I regret tagging along to see it. I regret watching it at all. Save yourself some money because if you've seen the teasers then you've seen pretty much the entire film. First of all, it was too short and it felt like a side project rather than an actual film. It looks and feels like something that someone worked on whenever he had spare time. Secondly, I didn't find a bunch of attractive yuppies running around screaming at the top of their lungs fun whatsoever. Thirdly, the dialogue was absolutely atrocious. I tend to agree with this guy:
It may be the most shallow and gimmicky film I've ever had the displeasure of watching.
It may be the most shallow and gimmicky film I've ever had the displeasure of watching.
ConfusingJazz
Member
God, that was awesome.
Absinthe (Permed)
Banned
avcables said:
Felt like an eternity to me.
Chiggs
Gold Member
Just got back from seeing it.
1.) The large monster was absolutely first rate. Genuinely creepy, which is hard to pull off with a monster that big. Again, that monster was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Intimidating, mysterious, disturbing, etc, etc. Excellent design and excellent f/x work.
2.) Smaller monsters sucked. Just flat-out sucked. Awful in every way. All I could think was "why?"
3.) Human characters are miserable. Every other scene with them was a triumph of shitty writing, and Hud's levity was really starting to piss me off after a while. Also, the party stuff at the beginning is damn near unbearable, in my opinion.
4.)
Bad-fucking-ass.
1.) The large monster was absolutely first rate. Genuinely creepy, which is hard to pull off with a monster that big. Again, that monster was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Intimidating, mysterious, disturbing, etc, etc. Excellent design and excellent f/x work.
2.) Smaller monsters sucked. Just flat-out sucked. Awful in every way. All I could think was "why?"
3.) Human characters are miserable. Every other scene with them was a triumph of shitty writing, and Hud's levity was really starting to piss me off after a while. Also, the party stuff at the beginning is damn near unbearable, in my opinion.
4.)
Stealth bomber sequence was incredible.
Now for a question: Did anyone else see something crash into the ocean in the last shot before the credits come up? It was on the right hand side of the screen. I couldn't stay all the way through the credits, so forgive me if it was answered there.
I still have to see the movie (it comes out Feb 1 here...), but i've read some spoilers...
1) from what i've seen, i find the monster design kinda lame. It doesn't look like an animal at all, it seems much more like some sort of evil alien creature from comics that was probably created to look like an evil motherfucker (which is not a real problem for me...). Plus i really don't feel its overall appearance, IMHO the whale thing pictured in the first fake spoilers was way better... but of course i'll need to see it in action for some thoughts about it...
2) ok, the movie keeps creating question in the viewer's mind and does NOT answer them... Now i'm seriously in fear for LOST, if they are putting up a 5 years show full of mysteries they're never going to explain... well FUCK THEM.
I'll be there on Feb 1 anyway!
1) from what i've seen, i find the monster design kinda lame. It doesn't look like an animal at all, it seems much more like some sort of evil alien creature from comics that was probably created to look like an evil motherfucker (which is not a real problem for me...). Plus i really don't feel its overall appearance, IMHO the whale thing pictured in the first fake spoilers was way better... but of course i'll need to see it in action for some thoughts about it...
2) ok, the movie keeps creating question in the viewer's mind and does NOT answer them... Now i'm seriously in fear for LOST, if they are putting up a 5 years show full of mysteries they're never going to explain... well FUCK THEM.
I'll be there on Feb 1 anyway!
Chiggs
Gold Member
Mdk7 said:
Honestly, that blue whale design is dogshit compared to what's in the movie. That .GIF does it no justice. The monster is fucking creepy. The way it moves is excellent, and it just fucks up things left and right. I actually wanted to come into this thread and trash this overhyped movie, but I can't...and that's because the monster is excellent. Best I've seen in a long time.
Nemesis_
Member
Saw it last night and was absolutely blown away by it. I went in KNOWING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE! All I knew was that SOMETHING was attacking New York and that's it.
The first time we saw "it" I missed it, and the first time I ever saw it was on the bridge scene.
The weird thing about this was that the monster was genuinely scary. Usually shit that's THAT big isn't scary, but by throwing us into the middle of it - seeing it for the first time when the characters see it for the first time, as well as seeing it HOW the characters see it made it genuinely unnerving. The scene where the Mean Girls chick
added to that general feeling for me. The way you see "pieces" of "it" makes you wonder what it could look like in actuality, until the final scenes, where you do.
In terms of tension, the movie was full of it. One scene where the
was extremely intense for me, as it was the first time
and you feel as if you are the one running and YOU are trying to get into the subway. The whole entire first person thing worked extremely well.
The humour was also pretty good, and well implemented in most of the scenes. The opening scenes with Marlena and Huc/Hud/Whatever were pretty funny though typical.
To be honest, I was expecting the Japanese company Rob worked for to be the DHARMA Intiative though I was just going off the fact that Abrams made it.
In LOST vein though, does anyone know what the Japanese man in the alley was saying? Also, what of the horse on carriage? Any relevance?
Lastly, I've got a friend who hates this movie cos "nothing happens" and "it's stupid". Anyone got any good "come backs" I can throw at him. I've used most of my post against him and he's so goddamn ignorant that I just can't convince him otherwise - he thought 300 and Transformers were the best movies ever too, btw.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE Cloverfield. Any ideas of a HD release in the near future?
The first time we saw "it" I missed it, and the first time I ever saw it was on the bridge scene.
The weird thing about this was that the monster was genuinely scary. Usually shit that's THAT big isn't scary, but by throwing us into the middle of it - seeing it for the first time when the characters see it for the first time, as well as seeing it HOW the characters see it made it genuinely unnerving. The scene where the Mean Girls chick
inflates and explodes
In terms of tension, the movie was full of it. One scene where the
missiles are going off and they get into the subway for the first time
we see the monster's face for a bit
The humour was also pretty good, and well implemented in most of the scenes. The opening scenes with Marlena and Huc/Hud/Whatever were pretty funny though typical.
To be honest, I was expecting the Japanese company Rob worked for to be the DHARMA Intiative though I was just going off the fact that Abrams made it.
In LOST vein though, does anyone know what the Japanese man in the alley was saying? Also, what of the horse on carriage? Any relevance?
Lastly, I've got a friend who hates this movie cos "nothing happens" and "it's stupid". Anyone got any good "come backs" I can throw at him. I've used most of my post against him and he's so goddamn ignorant that I just can't convince him otherwise - he thought 300 and Transformers were the best movies ever too, btw.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE Cloverfield. Any ideas of a HD release in the near future?
Nemesis_
Member
I've heard alot of people say that too, but I myself didn't see it, probably because I wasn't watching it as I was talking to people about how good it was AND trying to convince them to stay at the end. =PChiggs said:
But yeah, I hear that's what happened and if so that's PROBABLY the explanation for the creature, it's merely an alien.
Mind you, wtf is the relevance of Cloverfield?"
Prince of Space
Banned
I saw it! It's awesome! It's gonna be HUGE!
Greatness Gone
Member
lulzMdk7 said:300 is fucking ace, don't even dare.
brandonh83
Banned
Ok you assholes now I won't be able to sleep tonight and class tomorrow will be fucking miserable. ARGH.
Patrick Klepek
furiously molesting tim burton
If you've been following the ARG, you pretty much know the monster
.
Also, the midnight showing I had featured the same bits of boos at the very end. The ending would have been a bit more effective if it had simply ended
Still, I absolutely loved it, and the creature design was fantastic. Here's hoping they release some better shots of the monster post-release, so we can check it out some more. I know there's supposed to be a toy of the creature released at some point. Oh, and how fucking COOL was that when
isn't an alien, but somehow related to a secret ingredient that Slusho mines deep in the ocean
Also, the midnight showing I had featured the same bits of boos at the very end. The ending would have been a bit more effective if it had simply ended
with the tunnel exploding, rather than the last few seconds of lovey dovey.
Still, I absolutely loved it, and the creature design was fantastic. Here's hoping they release some better shots of the monster post-release, so we can check it out some more. I know there's supposed to be a toy of the creature released at some point. Oh, and how fucking COOL was that when
you thought the creature was dead, and it lunged at the helicopter?!?!?
ScientificNinja
Member
Saw it 30 minutes ago.
Shaky-cam FTL. Trying to figure out what was going on was half the experience. The other half was predictable, stupid and boring. The only remotely interesting part is when the army come roving in with rockets just before they hit the subway. Apart from that, it's all MEH.
Shaky-cam FTL. Trying to figure out what was going on was half the experience. The other half was predictable, stupid and boring. The only remotely interesting part is when the army come roving in with rockets just before they hit the subway. Apart from that, it's all MEH.
Spotless Mind
Member
That was obviously a clever marketing gimmick to build hype and nothing more. Secret Slusho ingredient? Come on. :lol I wouldn't take any of that seriously in relation to the actual movie.eXxy said:
I just blogged some thoughts on the parallels between Cloverfield and video game story telling. The post is slightly spoilery.
Patrick Klepek
furiously molesting tim burton
Spotless Mind said:
I'm not saying it's some mutated sugar monster. :lol Just that it's clearly not an alien pod.
Nemesis_
Member
What's the ARG?
Something I also remember enjoying alot, and something that really emphasises me being pleased with the perspective with which this movie was shot on.
In the pre-daytime scene,
, it kinda falls and just reaches for the closest building, and as it falls brings down the whole building with it. The way it reaches somehow, for me at least, gave the monster more character since it's the first time you really see the monster attempt to survive what it's going through - something I don't recall seeing in movies like this. In my opinion, it just gave the monster MUCH more character than Godzilla or anything else like it.
Furthermore, I genuinely
after that point, and this is where the viewpoint makes this movie so much better -> when it
and it is a fucking scary scene just imagining yourself in that position.
Another good example of how the viewpoint works is the bridge scene when the characters are lost. Since you are seeing what Huc is seeing, you feel the same frustration he's feeling.
I dunno why but I really loved this movie. =P
Something I also remember enjoying alot, and something that really emphasises me being pleased with the perspective with which this movie was shot on.
In the pre-daytime scene,
when the monster was shot down by the stealth bomber
Furthermore, I genuinely
thought it was dead
jumps out of the smoke and lunges towards the helicopter, you actually see what the characters are seeing - you see RIGHT DOWN the creatures mouth
Another good example of how the viewpoint works is the bridge scene when the characters are lost. Since you are seeing what Huc is seeing, you feel the same frustration he's feeling.
I dunno why but I really loved this movie. =P
SlickWilly223
Time ta STEP IT UP
This movie sounds like a blast.
Mr. Pointy
Member
I liked it a hell of a lot. Though I did get motion sick.
I went with a large group to see a well attended midnight showing. Unfortunately, Cloverfield was so cinéma-vérité that I wanted to puke. I was okay with The Blair Witch Project and once I'd moved towards the back of the I was fine with Bloody Sunday, but this almost killed me. By the end of the opening sequence I was reduced to closing my eyes for large portions of the film and looking up at key sequences, trying not to barf the entire time.
Now, that said, I thought Cloverfield was a very clever, very well done movie. Fortunately, as large swaths of the film involve the camera running around I could find something off-screen to focus on for most of the movie (a large, dimly lit star, thanks to the theatre decorations), allowing me to look up in time to watch the cool bits, which were pretty freakin' great. I don't hold my stomach's rebellious nature against the flick.
It's a credit to Cloverfield that, even with the characters' dialogue generally consisting of (perfectly realistic, I imagine) "Oh my god!"s and the like, you can follow it rather well with your eyes closed. So, kudos to the script writer for giving me plenty of cues for when it was time to look up. Also, kudos for giving Hud plenty of great lines.
I thought the critter was perfect for what it was: the giant monster in a film that asked "What would happen if something like Godzilla really did go after New York?" Analyzing it in detail beyond that is probably a lost cause, but boy howdy was it perfect for it's role.
While I was too nauseous to really consider the film intense, I have to give it credit for doing something I wasn't really expecting: the audience sat there quietly virtually the entire film. Everyone was caught up in it and generally managed to shut up. I'm not used to this happening at the particular theater I went too and was quite impressed. Likewise, the audience seemed quite fine with the ending and quite a few folks hung around during the end credits, rocking out to the Cloverfield overture, which got applause when it was announced all by itself. Said overture was wildly inappropriate for the film itself, but in the context of a monster movie was just plain great.
Finally, structurally the film was very similar to Miracle Mile. Very, very similar. I'd consider it a direct influence. That said, Cloverfield was a clever idea well executed, and if nothing else it can help wash the taste of the Godzilla remake out of my mouth. I'll be recommending the flick to my friends, with the motion sickness caveat. Of the dozen or so folks I went to see Cloverfield with, three of us were pretty ill the entire time and the rest loved it, so it's worth warning your buddies before dragging them to the theater.
FnordChan
Now, that said, I thought Cloverfield was a very clever, very well done movie. Fortunately, as large swaths of the film involve the camera running around I could find something off-screen to focus on for most of the movie (a large, dimly lit star, thanks to the theatre decorations), allowing me to look up in time to watch the cool bits, which were pretty freakin' great. I don't hold my stomach's rebellious nature against the flick.
It's a credit to Cloverfield that, even with the characters' dialogue generally consisting of (perfectly realistic, I imagine) "Oh my god!"s and the like, you can follow it rather well with your eyes closed. So, kudos to the script writer for giving me plenty of cues for when it was time to look up. Also, kudos for giving Hud plenty of great lines.
I thought the critter was perfect for what it was: the giant monster in a film that asked "What would happen if something like Godzilla really did go after New York?" Analyzing it in detail beyond that is probably a lost cause, but boy howdy was it perfect for it's role.
While I was too nauseous to really consider the film intense, I have to give it credit for doing something I wasn't really expecting: the audience sat there quietly virtually the entire film. Everyone was caught up in it and generally managed to shut up. I'm not used to this happening at the particular theater I went too and was quite impressed. Likewise, the audience seemed quite fine with the ending and quite a few folks hung around during the end credits, rocking out to the Cloverfield overture, which got applause when it was announced all by itself. Said overture was wildly inappropriate for the film itself, but in the context of a monster movie was just plain great.
Finally, structurally the film was very similar to Miracle Mile. Very, very similar. I'd consider it a direct influence. That said, Cloverfield was a clever idea well executed, and if nothing else it can help wash the taste of the Godzilla remake out of my mouth. I'll be recommending the flick to my friends, with the motion sickness caveat. Of the dozen or so folks I went to see Cloverfield with, three of us were pretty ill the entire time and the rest loved it, so it's worth warning your buddies before dragging them to the theater.
FnordChan
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