Sunday, January 20, 2008

Obligatory Cloverfield blog entry

I tell friends and family back in Michigan that when you become a Californian, you must
1. Get a personalized license plate
2. Eat guacamole
3. Ski one day and sun yourself at the beach the next day.

What little I know about blogging tells me that if I am to consider myself a contributor, I must post an entry about Cloverfield. So before my license to blog is revoked, here goes.

1. Reiteration of the already-stated:
a. Evocative of 9/11. Blair Witch Project, and Godzilla. I was also reminded of the recent box office flop, The Mist. I liked The Mist, but it didn't fare well at the box office primarily because it lacked a happy ending. OK, it had an unhappy ending. I can't be the only one who's OK with that.
b. If you're prone to motion sickness, take some Dramamine or eat some ginger snaps before the show. And sit in the back row.

2. It's really just a simple love story with a bunch of distractions thrown in. Most reviewers are so gripped with the distractions they don't point out the overall genre of the narrative. So there you are: it's a love story. I imagine many guys dragging unwilling dates to this movie and the dates being surprised by how much they liked by the time the credits roll.

3. Things to watch and listen for
a. The last scene of the film. It's the last shot from the Coney Island date. Take your eyes off the lovely Beth and watch the sky behind her for... a clue?
b. Stay through the credits. Where you gotta be so fast? What's that last audio-only statement? Someone says something. Hard to hear/decode it.

4. Advice to producer J.J. Abrams: let it live as a one-off. Resist temptation, pressure, etc., to make Cloverfield 2. Leave it as is and concentrate on Star Trek (and Star Trek sequels).

Obligation to the blogosphere: met.

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