Cloverfield

[Pepsi]

So I downloaded it just to see the ending scene again....and that was a waste....

Spoiler: Click here to view

I didn't see anything fall into the water!

But luckily for me, they played the static at the end of the movie on the radio this morning...didn't know you had to reverse it

[The Mask of Norro]

For those wondering, this is the clip they're talking about where the satellite falls at the end of the movie:

Spoiler: Click here to view

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wQtmHnKy61U

LOVED the movie, probably my favorite movie in a long, long time. Definitely getting it on DVD when it comes out. The monster design, the parasites... fucking chilling. And the character development was excellent, there were so many parts that gave me chills.

Amazing stuff, I really wanna see it again actually.

[Ruki]

Norro, you are a dirty bastard.....<_>

[GhostMachine]

Is it sad or cool that I haven't even seen the movie yet but plan on going next week and already can't wait for it to come out on DVD?

[Ananas]

Totally awesome movie. Admittedly I haven't seen a ton of monster flicks, but I can say absolutely that this is easily the most intimate of any of them. The hand-held technique does so much to increase the suspense, and the fact that the performances are delivered so solidly just completely envelop the viewer. How refreshing is it that in an era of torture porn and slasher flicks that we can come across a movie that can be horrifying by creating really likable characters and making us fear for their safety? The film is also a true masterpiece of post-production and budget-efficiency; I haven't seen many people with 200 million dollar budgets create more realistic and frightening monsters than this economically budgeted 25 million dollar thriller. I'm hooked. If a sequel is in the cards, I'm hooked for that too. A great movie in January! Stranger things have happened. I think...

[MyKILLv2.0]

I guess I am in the minority, when I say that I didn't like the movie that much. I found the first 20-30 minutes of the movie to be completely boring, and the movie struggled to keep my attention for a long period of time after that. Personally, I was more interiged by what exactly the monster was, then the people's safety. While I have seen worse movies this year by FAR, and I will give JJ Abrahms for at least attempting something out of the box, for me, it was like watching Blair Witch meets Godzilla, and a movie I wasn't all that interested in for the majority of the film.

[Raw-Iz-Rob]

Spoiler: Click here to view

They didn't spend nearly enough time attempting to get the audience familiar with every character. I had absolutely no clue who Rob was trying to contact on his phone and why he cared about them so much. Not only that, but why the FUCK was she still in an apartment? Did she not see the entire party run down the stairs or something?

Another thing I hated was the fake sound effects. When the statue of liberty's head scene comes up, you hear what sounds like a production clip of some guy yelling "Oh my god!!! Oh my god!!!" It was so out of place. Throughout the movie you can also hear the voices of people who are dozens of feet away as if they were right in front of the camera. The authenticity is one of the most prominent flaws in the movie. Even though the fans of this film flaunt the authenticity as if it's genuine, it's one of the major factors that worsen it.

Also, what the fuck was up with that scene where Rob steals a phone charger? Some black guy ran out with a TV right as they walked in. Kanye West should have gotten a cameo in this shit, talking about looting. I also want to take this moment to ask who the fuck that one bitch was that the camera guy had a crush on. Wasn't she the same one who was all freaked out when the monster portion of the movie started? What the fuck was her problem? Why is it that she was a heartless bitch to the camera guy, but then when she sees the monster she's suddenly the most sensitive person in the entire world? I hated that character, and the way that she treated the camera guy (who in a way, is being portrayed as the person watching the movie, so thats even worse as it simulates US) I felt absolutely no compassion for her and wouldn't care if she got killed on the spot.

Again, WHO the FUCK was Rob so concerned about? Who was he going across town to save? Was she even IN the beginning of the damn movie? Another thing that needs to be asked is, where the hell are the cops when Rob is attempting to go wherever he's going? They were given instructions to move one way, he goes the opposite way, and the cops do NOTHING.

The gun shots didn't look real. I don't know if that was just the screen I was watching it on or what, but it looked like they were shooting white Atari lines like it was a video game. I also want to know why everyone was asking Rob questions, as if he were the be all end all with all of the fucking answers. Why did the camera man need to say "ROB I SAW IT!" Why didn't he just yell out "I SAW IT!"

The only part where I really had any feeling was when Jason died on the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rob, who is Jason's brother, staring blankly at the wall, thinking about it. Sometimes in a movie the only thing you need to portray is a basic feeling of emptiness to get the job done. I also liked the scene in the subway where Rob tells his mom that his brother is dead. This proves the point, though, that there should have been more character building. The main reason why I cared so much about Jason dying was because at the beginning, it seemed like he was the main character before Rob even showed up. He was a funny guy, and suddenly he's killed off. THAT is why I cared. I wouldn't care if whoever Rob was trying to save died, because I have no clue who it is. I also wouldn't mind if that ugly bitch died. The camera guy was talking and she was just staring at him like an ugly zombie.

I'll add more thoughts later.

Edited January 27, 2008 by Raw-Iz-Rob

[thuganomic]

Are you an idiot? He was trying to save Beth.

Seriously, did you go take a crap during the first half hour when they were explaining that Rob loves Beth?

[Raw-Iz-Rob]

It isn't my fault that the movie creator didn't stress that part, or why I should even remember Beth's name, enough. It was a horrible character introduction with a terrible storyline introduction.

[thuganomic]

No, I think everybody in the movie theater got that. It wasn't anywhere near difficult to comprehend.

[Raw-Iz-Rob]

You can't speak for an entire theater, and the fact that I didn't know who he was going after is proof that the character development wasn't good enough. You can go ahead and be childish by retorting to calling me an idiot, but the fact remains that both me and the better part of the group that I watched the movie with didn't know what was going on most of the time.

Edited January 27, 2008 by Raw-Iz-Rob

[Evil Chase K]

Seriously, it was pretty obvious who Rob was trying to save and why. Maybe you have ADD and weren't paying attention?

And the "producer's voice" you kept hearing...that was Hud, the guy holding the camera.

[Raw-Iz-Rob]

No, it wasn't obvious who he was trying to save. If it were... I would have known. Also, I didn't say that the voice was a producer's voice. I said it sounded like a generic production voice that can be used by anyone for movies, television, and other productions like that. It sounded like a lame background sound that the people on that TV show 'The World's Most Amazing Videos' add in.

[Evil Chase K]

No, it wasn't obvious who he was trying to save. If it were... I would have known. Also, I didn't say that the voice was a producer's voice. I said it sounded like a generic production voice that can be used by anyone for movies, television, and other productions like that. It sounded like a lame background sound that the people on that TV show 'The World's Most Amazing Videos' add in.

[reyrey619]

Yeah, it was pretty damn obvious. They showed him talking to Beth at the party for a few minutes, and then she left with her boyfriend. Plus, she was the chick that he was with that was on the tape that Hud recorded over, and you kept seeing cut into the movie. How did you not get that...?

[The Mask of Norro]

Yeah dude... they made it apparent in the beginning and all throughout. During the party scene, Rob was interested in Beth coming. During the party, Rob and Beth had a conflict. Constantly, the video would cut out to a tape he filmed of himself and Beth. All throughout, he was concentrated on trying to reach Beth. It wasn't a phone charger he bought, too, I believe it was a battery for in case his died since he WOULDN'T be able to charge it. He wanted his phone to stay on so he could keep trying to reach her.

Seriously, they couldn't have made it anymore obvious what he was doing and why he was doing it, the character development was actually quite wonderful, and they practically spelled it out for you as to why Rob wanted to go off like he did.

Again, maybe you just weren't paying attention enough, because seriously, it was clear as day.

Edited January 27, 2008 by The Mask of Norro

[Ananas]

Forgive us if we don't share your confidence in your deductive skills. They spent the first 20 minutes hammering home that Rob was in love with Beth. The whole film is inter spliced with clips of Rob and Beth. When they're in the train station Rob says "I keep thinking that the last thing I said to her was, 'Good luck tonight, Travis'.", which he said to her, on camera, 20 minutes into the movie. Why when processing all of this, would you not immediately assume that the girl he's going after is the girl he admitted to loving not 15 minutes earlier? This isn't even subjective; if you didn't pick up on it that's your inattentive viewing, not the fault of directing choices by any means. That you didn't realize Beth had been specifically featured in the first 20 minutes of the film even after you'd arrived home to share your thoughts hammers that home.

Your complains about Marlena are also suspect. Hud puts a camera on her, asks her to do some devotional to someone she barely knows and she's awkward and leaves. How does that make her a bitch? Not only was it a solid character, but Lizzie Caplan gives in my opinion the best performance in the film. She reacted the way you would expect her to react. Horrified at something catastrophic that had just occurred. Then fear and panic as the new reality set in.

[DMN in the House]

Yeah, everything was pretty clear. Rob loves Beth, and is willing to risk his life for her. Rob is the central character, and the only one with a real goal in the movie, so they follow him, because they have no fucking clue what else to do, plus, he's their friend, and they want to protect each other. Hud has a thing for Marlena, who obviously dosen't return it, but there's a moment when it looks like that might change, then bam, she's gone. I don't really see how any of this was hard to pick up on. Hell, everyone had such clearly defined roles it almost wasn't even funny, although thats how it should be done in a 'monster' movie.

Rob is the unlikely hero.

Beth is the love interest, the 'princess' to save, if you will.

Hud is the average guy put in a crazy situation, who cracks jokes to survive. He's both the comic relief and the reflection of the viewer in the movie.

Marlena is the distant, but really not, girl, who shows she actually cares at a point in the movie.

Jason was the 'cool' guy, who gets built up as a main character, then killed off early to add both drama, and for an unsuspected twist.

And his girlfriend (the black chick, I forget her name), is the lucky survivor. (I assume. We never see what happens to her)

Fuck, its simple shit, man. Fine character development, all the people fit the roles perfectly.

Edited January 27, 2008 by DMN

[HeartlineTwist]

Spoiler: Click here to view

When Rob and the gang were walking towards Beth's apartment, I leaned over to my girlfriend and whispered "The princess is in another castle." Immature? Probably. But she thought it was fairly amusing, and it really WOULD have sucked if she wasn't even in HER apartment at the time.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the movie. Toss me onto the bandwagon of people who have no idea how you could miss out on who Rob was going to save. I think at the point where a lot of people are complaining that the first 20-30 minutes were boring (or, in other words, most of the introductory character development), that sort of defeats the notion that they didn't spend enough time devoted to each character in the film. In fact, I think they handled it all pretty well. They handled Jason's and Lily's relationship well. They gave the necessary background to Rob/Beth in the taped over parts and at the party. We get a sense of who Hud is in the overall scheme of things. Finally, Marlena is handled about as well as she could be. After all, she admits it herself, ON CAMERA, that she doesn't really know Rob, and she was just at the party because Lily wanted her to be there.

At the same time, I can admit that I was waiting for all hell to break loose as the party scene continued on. I'm not going to say that it was slow, but I guess in the overall scheme of things, it lasted a tad bit longer than I expected it might. But with everything AFTER it, it certainly didn't damage the movie in the least in my mind.

[Benji]

YOU.HAVE.TO.SEE.THIS.MOVIE.

Seriously, I've just watched it and experienced probably one of the best cinema going experiences I've bore witness to. The film is so original and innovative, but still reminds you of every great monster film you've ever seen. The beautiful surrealism of it all is juxtaposed perfectly by the realism of that actual camerawork, speaking of which, you'll either want to sit at the very front or sit at the back depending on how severely you experience travel sickess. Anybody who says "you barely see the monster" clearly "hasn't seen the film at all", it's very well done, you don't ever see it all at once, but when you do see you're excited, you probably see more of it timewise than any monster in something like Godzilla. The monster in itself, I didn't believe the phrase "indescribable", but that's what it is, it's everything you've ever seen and by the same token it's like nothing you've ever seen. But, the film isn't about the monster, it's about the people, and the film constantly reminds you as such, it's a tender story of friendship and love in what is basically a warzone.

The Blair Witch comparison is so far off, you see the action, you feel the intensity right there, people comparing them are way off, the style is totally different barring the use of a hand held camera, it's like comparing Scarface and Spy Kids for both using a regular film camera.

I do not have one bad thing to say about the movie except for one thing, you'll either 100% 'get it', or you won't, it's just that simple, there doesn't feel like any possible in between.