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[topsyturvy]

Like I said before, it's easy to criticize when you're in a theater watching them. If you were in their shoes, you'd be doing the exact same stupid crap.

no you won't....although i agree with you to an extent, you possible can't say that EVERYONE would go back for your spouse or girlfriend with a giant monster running loose down the street.

Yes, "just wow" is the appropriate response. Trying to analyze a movie showing a horrifying day for a bunch of ordinary people as some kind of "message" is totally correct.

but your analyzing? aren't you? if you just watch this film per say, their is no way on fucking earth that you'll leave this movie satisfied. Especially if you didn't read the viral marketing before hand. :/

 

[DaMan121]

My only gripe would be the interaction between Hud and Marlene and how she kind of 180s and was like lol i luvz u

Spoiler

LOL it wasn't like she was head over heals with him, more like a stesful situation brings people closer. A bigger plot hole was that Marlena was even there in the first place. The other characters tagging along with Rbb made sense, not her.

He's going to work at a company named Tagruato, which is involved with the monster.

Ok, where does this come from?

 

[Phoenix]

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but there's one moment, early-ish (after they leave the convenience store), when the 4 of them are running in one direction, and they run by another group of ~4 running in the other direction. I wasn't positive, but it looked like one of the people in that other group had a video camera in their hand.

It reminded me of the scene in Shaun of the Dead when they run into the group that is a mirror image of their own.

I even thought to myself at the time "I bet if there's ever a sequel, it'll take place on the same night and we'll see glimpses of the original cast."

And if there is a sequel we might even see some of the other people at the party (like the passed out girl) and people who we expect are dead given the point of view of the camera but we might find are actually alive.

 

[Bebpo]

You can be non traditional like that and still maintain a gripping narrative though. I didn't particularly love Blair Witch either but that at least had some character development.

If anything the years, and years, and years, of Reality television since then should of shown people that. There's no scripts, its all people being forced into extremely stressful situations and reacting, yet they manage to develop as characters over a season and develop as the viewer gets to know them.

I know Rob's name is probably Robert, and he really dug this chick lily... and he was going to Japan. Thats about it.

It's a fucking 10 yard field goal. Here's some characters, their world falls apart, go.

But somehow I never got to know who they were as people, and thats a damn shame.

I don't really buy that. Character development wasn't super high on the list, but the cast we got was leagues above the teenage group you'd get in a normal horror or monster movie. Sure if you compare them to say the cast of Jurassic Park, the Cloverfield group is more shallow, but I think they did a good job making the main group likable.

The party scene really was a nice way to introduce and start developing the characters and their ties. The main camera guy might not have been the star of many scenes on film, but from the party until the end his comments and the way he reacts to everyone develops his character into someone likable.

In retrospect I don't think I was ever scared as a viewer, but rather I was scared at a few parts for the cast because I liked them and didn't want to see them die.

To me the cast felt like a halfway point between real people you'd know and movie characters. I could relate to some of the stuff they did or said, and so I could care about them and their survival enough to hold the movie together for its runtime.

 

[Vark]

Beth.

He's going to work at a company named Tagruato, which is involved with the monster.

Then which one was Lily? Beth was the rhebar chick in the impossible building, right.


Serious question, Have you guys ever heard the Orson Wells 'War of the Worlds' broadcast, and what did you think?

 

[Crushed]

but your analyzing? aren't you?

No. Do you know what an analysis even is?

if you just watch this film per say, their is no way on fucking earth that you'll leave this movie satisfied.

Well thanks for telling me and thousands of other people who did just that they're all crazy and it's impossible that we actually enjoyed it.

Then which one was Lily?

Hawk's (Rob's brother) girlfriend.

 

[Phoenix]

Ok, where does this come from?

Yeah, I'd like to know the same I feel like I forgot to pick up my copy of the script and background research at the concession stand since I was supposed to read before the film started.

 

[Reilly]

And if there is a sequel we might even see some of the other people at the party (like the passed out girl) and people who we expect are dead given the point of view of the camera but we might find are actually alive.

I'm sure there's more to the story than just "a big monster attacked the city."

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

Serious question, Have you guys ever heard the Orson Wells 'War of the Worlds' broadcast, and what did you think?

:lol

no, no one on gaf has ever heard of arguebly one of the most famous broadcasts of all time.

....wtf

 

[Vark]

Who says it needs a message? I won't buy it on DVD but I really enjoyed it.

And what do you mean won't give him the time of day? They both loved each other for a long time, they just weren't together. Only his dumbass friends said she was too good for him.

I'm specifically talking about the chick HUD was into.

 

[Crushed]

Yeah, I'd like to know the same I feel like I forgot to pick up my copy of the script and background research at the concession stand since I was supposed to read before the film started.

You weren't "supposed to." They just put out there if you wanted to know, not cluttering up the movie.

 

[Vark]

:lol

no, no one on gaf has ever heard of arguebly one of the most famous broadcasts of all time.

....wtf

Heard, not heard of, there's a difference. That shit still gets to me, which is my point. It's a very similar concept and I'm just curious what 'kids these days' think of it.

 

[topsyturvy]

Well thanks for telling me and thousands of other people who did just that they're all crazy and it's impossible that we actually enjoyed it.

Alot of people like spidey 3 too. :/

all this just proves that movies is a love hate media. you loved it, i didn't.

 

[Phoenix]

I don't really buy that. Character development wasn't super high on the list, but the cast we got was leagues above the teenage group you'd get in a normal horror or monster movie. Sure if you compare them to say the cast of Jurassic Park, the Cloverfield group is more shallow, but I think they did a good job making the main group likable.

More importantly they did a good job of making the main group BELIEVABLE. They felt like regular ordinary boring people with no special skills or attributes who managed to be thrown into this situation. There isn't some 'I was a ninja cook' or 'I was in the army as an explosives expert' person in the group and they were leading their normal boring everyday lives. That was one thing I got early on and it was definitely appropriate given the type of film that they were trying to create.

 

[Crushed]

Alot of people like spidey 3 too. :/

Well see?

Spider-Man 3 is loved by lots of people, that's at least 3x more stupid that running into a giant monster attack to save a girl.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

Heard, not heard of, there's a difference. That shit still gets to me, which is my point. It's a very similar concept and I'm just curious what 'kids these days' think of it.

im sure most people have "heard" it as well.

asking that kind of question, especially on a board that revolves around "media" is kind of silly.

and these "kids these days" aren't all "kids"

and I thought it was genius, groundbreaking, and entertaining... especially for its time and the technology available back then. that had to be really difficult to pull off.

 

[Nicodimas]

I went to the best theater in the state with the largest screen/best sound system to see this movie.

It had to be above 105 dbs+ easily. This movie is the new sound test. My ears are ringing still after sitting five rows back. I thought captured what a monster movie should be. However, I am a monster movie fan. Damn he was a scary tough SOB. I really feel like it had to be from the very depths of ocean to shrugging off the molten copper rounds from the tanks.

People where saying stuff was after the credits but they killed the movies afterwards and no go..Wtf ? is this true?

 

[Jamesfrom818]

Just came back from the movie. A couple of my friends couldn't handle the shaky cam but I didn't think it was too bad. I enjoyed it and I am glad I watched it because now I know about Odette Yustman.

 

[Phoenix]

You weren't "supposed to." They just put out there if you wanted to know, not cluttering up the movie.

Well, where is it so the rest of us who missed out can get to it?

 

[Crushed]

Well, where is it so the rest of us who missed out can get to it?

A compendium of most of the stuff (it's been distributed among various websites and boards).

 

[topsyturvy]

Well see?

Spider-Man 3 is loved by lots of people, that's at least 3x more stupid that running into a giant monster attack to save a girl.

the concepts for both movies are good, but the execution was just poorly done for each. :/

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

I thought the movie was great. The best part being the sound mix. That really made the whole experience for me.

And for the tenth time

Spoiler

does anyone have a shot of the thing falling into the ocean?

i feel like an idiot for having missed it.

 

[Vark]

im sure most people have "heard" it as well.

asking that kind of question, especially on a board that revolves around "media" is kind of silly.

and these "kids these days" aren't all "kids"

and I thought it was genius, groundbreaking, and entertaining... especially for its time and the technology available back then. that had to be really difficult to pull off.

I may be wrong but I'm going to assume a large majority of this board has never heard it which is a shame. Radio drama isn't as captivating as it used to be

 

[border]

How about an enemy I can't identify, how about not having bad alien knockoff tarantula monsters?

Not sure if you wanna go with the "cliched monsters" angle if you are going to simultaneously pimp the 5th (or is it 6th now) George Romero zombie flick.

 

[Scrow]

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

FOX News just said Cloverfield reenacts 9/11


:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

re-enacts? absolutely not.

elicits memories and emotions of that event? sure.

 

[ParticleReality]

Okay, let me ask this to those who didn't like the movie.

Let's say a giant mutated whale monster thing attacked your city and the love of your life is stuck on the other side of the city. Logic is telling you to get out but would you really? Would you really leave the love of your life stuck waiting to get killed? Or would you risk it all to save her/him?

This is what that film is. It's about a guy who in the middle of an earth shattering crisis who decides to risk everything hes got to save the person he cares about the most. He friends decide to help him so its really about love and the power of friendship.

 

[KidGalactus]

Awesome.

Man, some of you guys sound like elitist twats. Take that shit back to the gaming side, where you and it belong. Not every movie has to be self-referential and post modern. There's still room for regular fucking stories. We are all aghast at how fucking smarterest you all sound. Now GTFO. Seriously.

King Kong and Godzilla both bring into question humanity as a larger problem. "Who is the real monster".

I know it'll seem odd to you, but THE MONSTER IS THE FUCKING MONSTER.

LOL it wasn't like she was head over heals with him, more like a stesful situation brings people closer. A bigger plot hole was that Marlena was even there in the first place. The other characters tagging along with Rbb made sense, not her.

I kind of figured she was just scared. It seems to me like I'd rather die with friends/family than alone/with strangers, and they were the closest thing to friends she had at the time.

To me the cast felt like a halfway point between real people you'd know and movie characters. I could relate to some of the stuff they did or said, and so I could care about them and their survival enough to hold the movie together for its runtime.

Also this.

 

[Crushed]

so its really about love and the power of friendship.

please never say the words "love and the power of friendship" ever again

ever

 

[Deku]

re-enacts? absolutely not.

elicits memories and emotions of that event? sure.

and only briefly at the beginning. Which is good.

 

[Nicodimas]

Also to the people who said they kept making bad decisions have never had to work in a group in a high-stress situation. That why things get beat and beat into people that go into these. You make all sorts of shitty decisions. After the bridge, I just saw the characters minds "go away".

 

[Meier]

Beth.

He's going to work at a company named Tagruato, which is involved with the monster.

Where'd you get this impression from? That anyone had anything to do with the monster even.

 

[Dead Man]

In some instances it works, but sometimes having the audience ahead of characters just creates a sense of "just get it over already" or make characters seem like idiots, like in Heroes...

Eh, I reckon you should be able to attribute their actions to their knowledge at the time. See 'false belief' tasks. It is pretty fundamental stuff.

I know Rob's name is probably Robert, and he really dug this chick lily... and he was going to Japan. Thats about it.

If that's all you got then you really weren't paying attention. Ron has been friends with Beth for years, and they slept together 1 time. He then blew her off because he was going o/s. She showed up at his going away party with... ah hell, just go watch the damn thing again.

 

[ParticleReality]

please never say the words "love and the power of friendship" ever again

ever

love and the power of friendship
love and the power of friendship
love and the power of friendship
love and the power of friendship

 

[Vark]

Not sure if you wanna go with the "cliched monsters" angle if you are going to simultaneously pimp the 5th (or is it 6th now) George Romero zombie flick.

I'm commenting on the design of the monsters. It's hard as hell to do, which is why I really liked their hesitance to showing to the creature. I was just sad it looked like an enemy from Resistance FOM.

 

[Scrow]

Man, some of you guys sound like elitist twats. Take that shit back to the gaming side, where you and it belong. Not every movie has to be self-referential and post modern. There's still room for regular fucking stories. We are all aghast at how fucking smarterest you all sound. Now GTFO. Seriously.

honestly, you sound like you'd fit in just fine over at the gaming side.

 

[Spotless Mind]

If that's all you got then you really weren't paying attention. Ron has been friends with Beth for years, and they slept together 1 time. He then blew her off because he was going o/s. She showed up at his going away party with... ah hell, just go watch the damn thing again.

:lol I'm guessing you couldn't write that out with a straight face.

 

[Crushed]

I'm commenting on the design of the monsters. It's hard as hell to do, which is why I really liked their hesitance to showing to the creature. I was just sad it looked like an enemy from Resistance FOM.

what would you suggest

ghosts

bees

ghosts that shoot bees

 

[Scopebob Sniperpants]

IMO Cloverfield is the best monster movie to come out in the past 30 years (Excluding that movie I heard about that was from Japan that I can't recollect the name of) Every single frame that the monster was in focus (and sometimes when it's presence was just felt) had me sitting on the edge of my seat.

The only gripes I have with this film is that HUD seemed more interested in filming his friends then the monster. I'd also would have appreciated some tv news footage of the monster as the credits rolled.

But let's start talking about what DVD bonus features you would expect. Perhaps, the ARG isn't over and we can expect to see more things pop up soon. I want ALL of that crap on the DVD in a nice compiled form.

Also, if we are talking about a sequel, why don't we ask ourselves "Are there more monsters like this thing? And if so, what city should they fight in, if NY is destroyed" Personally, I'd like to see Hollywood fall to it's knees to a double monster fist fight on the hills.

 

[fallengorn]

I was just sad it looked like an enemy from Resistance FOM.

:lol That was the first thing that came to my mind.

That whale monster concept that was making the rounds early on was great.

 

[Firestorm]

nah, it doesn't. Rob and Beth have been friends since childhood, it's not like he just hooked up with some random girl at all. I cared about the characters by the end of it at least.

I think a lot of people missed this somehow. It was said at the party as Hud was telling everyone how they slept together.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

IMO Cloverfield is the best monster movie to come out in the past 30 years (Excluding that movie I heard about that was from Japan that I can't recollect the name of)

if you are talking about "the host" then that's korean

 

[Crushed]

Also, if we are talking about a sequel, why don't we ask ourselves "Are there more monsters like this thing? And if so, what city should they fight in, if NY is destroyed" Personally, I'd like to see Hollywood fall to it's knees to a double monster fist fight on the hills.

You know what I've been wanted lately?

A monster movie where the monster isn't set among skyscrapers as a way to emphasize how big it is.


A giant monster movie set in the suburbs, or a mid-sized town where the tallest buildings are only up the monster's chest.


The hiding options are suddenly cut by quite a bit.

 

[Dead Man]

:lol I'm guessing you couldn't write that out with a straight face.

Busted!! But the point still stands. There was more to the movie than Varks hyperbole.

 

[Sallokin]

So what exactly happened to Marlena?

Spoiler

Did she explode or was that her vomiting blood? Shot by one of the guards?

 

[Vark]

Man, some of you guys sound like elitist twats. Take that shit back to the gaming side, where you and it belong. Not every movie has to be self-referential and post modern. There's still room for regular fucking stories. We are all aghast at how fucking smarterest you all sound. Now GTFO. Seriously.

Who said anything about being self referential or post modern? I agree there's room for regular stories, I just want them to be good. Good stories make a point. I'm not saying Cloverfield had to make the same point that Godzilla made, in fact I'm pretty sure I'm said I was okay with it not going that route. What I'm saying is the point it was trying to make (and it was attempting to make one) fell flat, I gave some reasons why. If that makes me an elitist prick then pop open the scotch and bring me my pipe and slippers.

Eh, I reckon you should be able to attribute their actions to their knowledge at the time. See 'false belief' tasks. It is pretty fundamental stuff.



If that's all you got then you really weren't paying attention. Ron has been friends with Beth for years, and they slept together 1 time. He then blew her off because he was going o/s. She showed up at his going away party with... ah hell, just go watch the damn thing again.

Yea, I'm sorry, that makes all the difference. Wow, how could I have been so foolish.

 

[fallengorn]

So what exactly happened to Marlena?

Spoiler

Did she explode or was that her vomiting blood? Shot by one of the guards?

The former. That was pretty cool.

 

[Vark]

what would you suggest

ghosts

bees

ghosts that shoot bees

That they continued to not give the viewer a clear view of the monster. They did great for the first hour or sol.

 

[Crushed]

That they continued to not give the viewer a clear view of the monster. They did great for the first hour or sol.

That would have been stupid. The monster needed to be clearly seen eventually.

 

[Sallokin]

The former. That was pretty cool.

Too bad. She was my favorite. She had a Zoey Deschanel vibe.

 

[MiamiWesker]

Just got back from it, I was very hyped to see it, all I had seen before were the trailers and the 5 minute clip they put online. Right now I have been reading multiple reactions to the film and I am quite surprised at the ones saying its excellent, I liked it but I was left with this empty feeling. Its hard to describe cause I enjoyed the movie, I was having fun with it but at the end I felt nothing, I guess I am indifferent to it.

I love the big budget mega flicks where you see things on an epic scale but I also like the films that take a huge event and put it in the view point of the regular people. Something just didn't connect, I never felt tension, I never felt like I cared for any of the characters, I didn't feel that much awe like I thought I would. I think I was more awed at the original trailer than the whole film. You know the first major scene in the new War of the Worlds, where you are put on the middle of the street as the aliens destroy everything, that was "OMG HOLY CRAP RUN!!!" to me, this movie had none of that. I know I am comparing some random director to one of the greatest but thats where I feel it lost me, no real tension scenes, or scenes of dread. I saw New York being destoryed but I never felt it, if that makes any sense.

Spoilers ahead!!!

Spoiler

That said I still thought the movie had some great moments. The monster was awesome, best way to describe it for me is a giant chimera from Resistance, which made it extra awesome. The scenes of the military fighting it were great, the news cast were you first see the little ones was great, the subway too but predictable. But one scene really stood out and that was the girl who got bit freaking exploding, that was one of the few holy shit moments for me. But that was it, they just moved on without explaining it any more. Did a smaller monster come out, is it some poison that blows you up, damn it that was interesting tell me more. The monster popping out of the helicopter was great as well, I think everyone will love that shot. So it had stuff I liked, it just didn't engage me like I thought it would.

The way the movie is shot its almost impossible to make the ending payoff, I felt like the whole theater audience was waiting for the big payoff that would make the movie, I dont know, satisfing. You could hear the general displeasure with the movie when it was over, but there was no avoiding it, the main characters had to die, nothing else could be explained, so there wouldn't be that ending that so many are used to. I felt kind of empty by the end too, I wanted to know more, but again the style the movie was in prevented that from happening.

So yeah I am confused, I liked it but was disappointed I guess. Something was off.