Antikarma

Sorry bout the funky title, but I'm not sure how else to put it. Theres a trailer before the new Transformers movie that has a lot of people pretty stoked about a movie that hasn't even been assigned a name.

From this link
J.J. Abrams’ Cloverfield Updates: Casting, Shooting, and More Discovered

July 6, 2007
by Alex Billington

Since that mysterious trailer for a secret J.J. Abrams project currently known as Cloverfield debuted in front of Transformers that we originally posted and have seen an overwhelming response to, everyone is clambering to try and figure out more about it. Many have been throwing out ideas that it could be another Godzilla, the Voltron movie, a “Lost" movie, or plenty more irrational considerations (just read the comments on this post). New official details have been popping up all over including casting details, shooting details, and some more minor updates.

If you haven't already checked it out, the official viral website can be found at www.1-18-08.com with just an interesting picture as the placeholder for now.

First up is some casting details from The Hollywood Reporter, including a couple of names.

The casting process was just as mysterious. No scripts or even scene pages were sent out; agents who were contacted were simply asked if their client wanted to be in the movie or not. Eventually a cast, made up mostly of relative unknowns, was put together; it includes Michael Stahl-David (”The Black Donnellys”), Odet Jasmin, Mike Vogel (”Supercross”) and Lizzy Kaplan (”The Class”).

Other news from trustworthy sources on the internet report that the film is being shot for only around $30 million, much less than most other films in Hollywood nowadays. The film began shooting quietly in New York around mid-June and has a plot that revolves “around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people." According to original details from AICN, the film is being shot entirely on handheld home video cameras, essentially like Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla.

Additional confirmed information is that Matt Reeves is directing a script written by Drew Goddard (who's written previously for Abrams’ “Lost" and “Alias"). You can read a few more details over at SlashFilm, who is following it as closely as we are.

Although the speculations are rampant about it being everything from Godzilla to Voltron to Gears of War, I'm going to stand by my own belief that it's just an original monster movie. This has quickly become the most genius marketing scheme anyone has seen from Hollywood in the last 10 years. Whatever it turns out to be on January 18th, it'll certainly be a money-making blockbuster. Until then, every last dedicated person will try and make any minor discoveries and we'll do our best to keep all of you updated.

The trailer is here
and theres some funky viral marketing scheme going through this webpage, as well as here.

A lot of theories about it being a Voltron movie or new Godzilla, but I dunno. They keep bringing up prophecies and such in the marketing gig, so I'm just thinking its an old fashioned monster movie myself.

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Willravel

Voltron = bad idea.
Godzilla movie = probably a bad idea, especially if Matthew Broderick is involved
A stupid polar bear = stupid. That's right, JJ. It was stupid.
Cthulhu = fucking rad, but about 6 months too late.
Metal Gear Solid = meh.

My idea: Why not make an original movie? Why not make a movie that's based on good science fiction or horror writing? I miss those! Children of Men was a breath of fresh (if depressing) air to this fan of fiction. I want to see good writing.

Frosstbyte

Why is C'thulhu six months too late? Was there an epic old god's movie that I missed that came out six months ago?

Willravel

The "do not fuck with cthulhu" shirt has been out for a while. The cat (with tentacles) is out of the bag. It would have been more interesting before everyone looked up Cthulhu on wiki, that way it would have been a surprise.

filtherton

It's probably the long awaited go-bots movie.

Willravel

Also: http://www.cthulhuthemovie.com/

Frosstbyte

Oh oh oh. I see. That hardly makes it too late, though it does lessen the surprise to those who don't know Lovecraft already. I'd love to see that all come to life, and Abrams could be the man to do it. The man certainly likes his mysteries, so I guess we'll just have to stay tuned.

Willravel

If it were a Cthulhu movie, it'd be interesting, but Lovecraft wasn't about explosions. He was about suspense.

Redlemon

It doesn't feel like Cthulhu to me. It's been over 10 years since I've read Lovecraft, but it always seemed more "sucking the life out of you and instilling deep fear" than "blowing things up".

Probably just the smoke monster.

(edit: Willravel hadn't posted that when I started typing)

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Willravel

Great minds think alike. Also, Lovecraft owns.

Frosstbyte

I do know that the Tori Spelling movie link you posted does not conjure any of the above, so regardless of what Abrams is putting together, I think we can safely say it will be better than that. Haha.

fresnelly

I don't think this movie is an adaptation or update of anything.

What the (freaking awesome!) trailer suggest to me, is an original sci-fi/monster movie that aims to be everything that the Blair Witch Project wasn't: a tightly crafted, first-person, real life nightmare.

I can't be bothered to forage through the online games and viral marketing, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

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Willravel

I've been overlooking the obvious: Lo Pan!

Roark

Now all we need is a girl with dragon green eyes!

I'm definitely intrigued by this trailer. I know there are rumors of it being Lovecraft based but I don't know. All I can say is if it is it better be damned good because I loved all those Cthulhu mythos stories.

Nikilidstrom

I'd pay to see that! One of my favorite flics of all time.

While the trailer looks cool from an action standpoint, so did War of the Worlds, and IMO, that movie sucked overall. I am also worried about basing an entire giant monster movie on a camcorder point of view, guerilla film style. I don't know about you, but I watched Godzilla to see him trash Tokyo and kick the shit out of other monsters, not to understand the personal struggles and experiences of the locals. Kinda like the Transformers movie. I could care less about the plot or the people involved, I just wanted to see giant robots throw down for as long as the budget would allow. I guess I'm simple like that.

MexicanOnABike

me too. I wish they had less characters and more robot action.

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Drider_it

I was hoping for Robotech live lol but it wouldnt explain the screams unless it was a protoss doing sweet love to the lady liberty

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Willravel

The ending of the movie has been leaked, but I'm not going to post it.

Halx

What is the movie anyways?

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Drider_it

well the poster shows lady liberty with her head missing and what is gotta be a 4ish finger claw around the neck as if the "thing" was just strolling by and swiped and under cut poping the head off and sending it where you see it in the teasier. And I agree with NY why not Nebraska or Idaho lol. Then again, I did play the rpg Love craft games alot. Would be nice. Then again most sites i cruiz around show IT and say its a giant octopus .. which in fact in Lovecraft lore its the end all be all of the old evil gods heh.

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It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

analog

They choose NY because it's high-tech and densely packed. There's plenty of large-creature-sized buildings for it to crush for 90 minutes without running out.

And because NY is in the US, and Tokyo isn't.

Troublebot

I don't even care to speculate. I didn't know the trailer would be there when I went to see the Transformers movie and didn't know what I was watching until the very end. The trailer was so good I was excited about it before I knew Abrams was connected (The Bad Robot card at the beginning should have been a bigger clue than it was. Guess I was thinking Transformers).

When it was over, someone behind me said kinda breathlessly, "What WAS that?" Mission accomplished as far as the trailer's concerned.

Just an aside: think there will be any 9/11 backlash? Are people ready to watch New York get knocked around? I think so, but I'm wondering what others think. Maybe even New Yorkers themselves

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Cynthetiq

On Aug 1 they shot this in my neighborhood...

from Gothamist.com
I dunno... his last offerings where not all that great. MI:3 was meh as far as reviewers and box office totals. What About Brian and Six Degrees were flops. I couldn't care less about them.

I am a big Alias fan (with exception to the last season I didn't even watch the whole season I found it that bad), and Lost is kind of floundering as of late.

He's got good abilities to story tell, but I truly like Joss Whedon much much much better.

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ironpham

The Godzilla-like screams in the background make me thing Godzilla (obviously). So that's my guess. Either way, it does look interesting.

Willravel

For all those cthulhu fans....

...the marketing practically writes itself.

Cynthetiq

I will be seeing a screening of Cloverfield tonight.

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Cynthetiq

it was a bit short, but if you like Japanese suitmation monster movies (Kaiju: Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera) it is entertaining. The handheld camera is a bit disorienting at times, and reminded me of Blair Witch more than anything. Cloverfield (I'm assuming that's the name of the monster) is rather cool looking. Of course for some it's about the disaster of seeing NYC in total shambles, that was worth it for some.

It was a good time. Oddly enough the screening I went to the theater held like 400+ and there was only about 30 people. It was raining and cold, but still, not many people at all.

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Redlemon

Hmm. I was hoping for a more glowing endorsement than that. But, thanks for the preview without spoilers, Cyn.

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Willravel

Great movie. 9.6/10

jewels

I'll take the middle ground (so far) here. It was a great ride. 8.5/10

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Cynthetiq

I really enjoyed it. I love giant monster movies.... I just can't rate them very high in comparison to another movie like The Matrix, The Godfather, or The Shawshank Redemption.

As far as for it's own genre, it's up there with Gamera: Defender of the Universe and Godzilla vs. Monster Zero which are my favorites.

So in the scheme of things, it's only a 7/10, but in it's own genre, it's a 10/10. Abrams did a great homage to the whole idea where he wanted to create an American giant monster movie. If you stay for the credits you'll hear a tasty track that is reminscent of the Godzilla theme.

Some of the viral web stuff is pretty cool too from the oil rig off the coast that was destroyed and covered by many "news" outlets in English, Frensh, Japanese, and Russian to the Tagruato Company website.

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Jove

Cloverfield: 8/10

After watching the film, I came up with several tips of surviving a monster attack on your city.

Avoid Bridges

At any time during this disaster or attack, do not follow the flock of people when they say

"Hey, they are evacuating the city, let us use the bridge!"

Bad idea! The first things to be taken out within an hour of the attack are the bridges because they are an easy target to destroy.



Avoid going in to subway tunnels.

If a monster is attacking the city, avoid dark tunnels. Crazy messed up things can see you in the dark, but we can't see them. Oh yeah, try to avoid getting bitten by one of the various things you may see in the tunnel. Why? Because if you get attacked or cut by this thing and survive longer than 20 minutes, you are so fucked. Remember the movie(s), Alien, Aliens, Alien Ressurection, Alien vs. Predator, Alien vs. Predator requiem and The Mist where a citizen was attacked by a very strange looking flying thing and the body didn't react so well? Yeah, same thing is going to happen in any situation involving monsters attacking you.

Avoid the middle of the city

The monster or alien is definitely going to take out the middle of the city and make its domain. Seriously, if you do not have a mental disorder and have a bit of common sense, the way to run is the opposite direction, not towards the fucking monster. For example, if you watched the film War of the Worlds (2005), you noticed Tom Cruise's character's son decided he wanted to help the military by fighting the various aliens and charged over the hill. The kid should have died because he had no chance against the aliens, and I won't ruin the ending of the WOTW for you, but Earth exploded.

Avoid helicopter rides

If you want to escape the city, don't get on the helicopter. It looks safe, but they have a tendency to crash when the military tries to blow up the city or the monster while you are trying to leave. Movie examples of helicopters crashing due to massive explosions are the following: The Predator, Alien vs. Predator Requiem, and Resident Evil 2.

Avoid standing right below, next to, or around the monster/alien

If you come in contact with the monster or alien, do not stare blankly up at the monster or alien and assume it is going to avoid you. It is going to fucking tear out your head and eat it for a snack. I suggest an attempt at running the other way, you might survive, but the chances are very low.

If you any tips on other places to avoid while being attacked by a monster, add them.

Willravel

More:
Leave your girlfriend to fend for herself.
You won't even get to spoon before you die, so what's the point? Are you stupid?

Treat wounded people like they have the plague.
I'm sure your injured friend appreciates that you're helping them waddle away from danger, but danger isn't waddling to catch up. Ditch the gimp.

If you're not the best looking member of your group, find an uglier group
Haven't you ever seen a movie? Brad Pitt will live, and you will die horribly. If you're lucky, he'll be the last to die.

If you're looking the monster/alien in the face, drop trou' and beat off 'cause you're gonna die.
Self explanatory.

casual user

i really liked the movie. it was very exciting and suspenseful, and really sucked you in. it was just a great watch. it had my undivided attention the whole time. despite not developing the characters much, you still cared about them because they felt real. in fact, a lot of the movie felt real, by which i mean as real as a movie about a mutant monster attacking new york city can be. they also did a good job of balancing the story of the main group with some actual scenes of action and destruction. also, the lack of information, while disappointing, really added to the atmosphere of the movie which was basically "oh fuck, what the fuck is going on, i have to get the fuck away"

another monster movie survival tip:

if you're the fat and/or ugly guy of the group, you have to be funny
yep, that's pretty much the only reason you're there. if you're funny and entertaining, people will like you and you'll survive that much longer. you're going to die eventually anyway, though, so that your main character best friend can cry over you

Barstool

I just saw this movie and was horribly disappointed. Everything until the end was great, then the ending ruined it. They also left a lot of things open to interpretation, or furthering it along in a sequel. What's with movies nowadays being a mandatory 2 or 3 part series? It's annoying.

Lubeboy

I thought the movie was great. I loved the ending. I'm glad it wasn't a Spoiler: happy hollywood ending and that no one survived.

Frosstbyte

There are only a very few things about the movie that I would've liked changed and they aren't even really big enough to mention. I was entertained the whole time and thought the ending was exactly what it needed to be. I don't see any part of it that screamed "HEY HERE COMES A SEQUEL" or anything needlessly ambiguous. If you were looking for closure, you went to the wrong movie.

Ok, I will say one thing that I thought was stupid-the Wagner-esque "overture" (can you have an overture at the end of something?) was way too...well, Wagner-esque given the tone of the rest of the music. This wasn't an over-wrought high melodrama; it was a creepy, gritty monster-movie. I think the musical choice for the credits could've better represented that tone.

mixedmedia

My daughter dragged me to see this movie yesterday but I ended up being fairly entertained. Although, my inner asshole just kept asserting that there's no way a person would carry around a video camera taping all this stuff if it were really happening. Especially not that guy, whom I found to be very annoying as a character. But, understandably, the concept hinges on accepting that fact...

I also thought the rescue scene was totally implausible.

But all in all, it was an entertaining flick that was pretty effective at making you feel anxious and present within the action.

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*Nikki*

I am really late jumping in here, but I just saw this movie and agree with MM. The rescue was beyond far fetched.....

otherwise I really really liked this movie.

It kept me interested and I couldn't take my eyes away for a second.

blahblah454

Wait, people were rescued in this?