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Westside Steve
Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol
Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters
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Posted
Cloverfield
Paramount
PG 13 84 min



CLOVERFIELD is one of the season’s buzz movies. Not Oscar buzz (though I’ve included a couple of those) but originality buzz.
Before you read further I gave it a C.
Why do I say this at the outset?
Well, it’s not to keep from spoiling any surprise ending, only that my grade jumped from B- to D about every ten minutes. So I’ll start with a C and explain why.
First of all it is a novel concept. A terrible disaster befalls a group of happy young people; in fact all of New York City, and one of the kids just happens to have a video camera so the whole thing is seen through the eyes, or eye, of that camera, not unlike THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Then again BLAIR WITTCH sucked.
The downside to that shaky hand held look is you’ll need a Dramamine to ward off motion sickness.
The actors are all no-names, which usually means horrible acting. But these kids are not bad. Oh Daniel Day Lewis isn’t losing sleep, but at least these guys can still look down their noses at the casts of the Jason and Freddie flicks.
To the good side it’s an actual GODZILLA style monster movie, a genre that seems to have been forgotten with the onslaught of computer generated goons, complete with helicopters shooting at a giant beast bent on destroying the city on a backdrop of screaming fleeing citizens.
The down side to that is that GODZILLA movies, well, suck.
I won’t tell you what the ending is but I could and it would make little difference. The film telegraphs it during the opening credits.
Basically the entire plot is the monster smashing the hell out of NYC, but the sub plot is an action journey through the city as the main character embarks on an improbable trek to find his girlfriend among the widespread panic.
The bad is that there isn’t nearly enough story to hold your interest for very long.
The good? Well, it isn’t very long.
So a novel idea, a rarely used genre and not terrible acting go in the plus column while the unimaginative plot, mediocre FX and annoying camera jitter go in the minus.

Adds up to C for me.

C
WSS
westsidesteve@aol.com


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Posts: 2966 | Location: Norton Ohio USA | Registered: Mon September 15 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
The Gipper
High School Baller
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Yea, this was basically Blair Witch meets Godzilla meets Alien meets Starship Troopers. At least the Monster seemed to concentrate on Trump Towers for its mayhem. Perhaps the Aliens came here to avenge the broadcasts of The Apprentice that we have been sending out into space.

The Gipper
 
Posts: 19 | Registered: Mon July 19 2004Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Westside Steve
Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol
Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters
Picture of Westside Steve
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quote:
Originally posted by The Gipper:
Yea, this was basically Blair Witch meets Godzilla meets Alien meets Starship Troopers. At least the Monster seemed to concentrate on Trump Towers for its mayhem. Perhaps the Aliens came here to avenge the broadcasts of The Apprentice that we have been sending out into space.

The Gipper


LOL
WSS


Keep drinking.
The show doesn't get any better.
www.westsidesteve.com

www.myspace.com/westsidestevemusic
 
Posts: 2966 | Location: Norton Ohio USA | Registered: Mon September 15 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
shepwrite
Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters
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I give it a B plus just for effectively making a "big monster movie" for 25 mill.

I figure the dough means little.
They're still competing with real movies.

I was impressed with Blair Witch on the money scale but it still sucked.

WSS
 
Posts: 13932 | Registered: Sat September 13 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Th Amazing
High School Baller
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well i give it a thumbs up even tho there were no bare breasts!
 
Posts: 3 | Registered: Fri January 11 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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