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One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn’t play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)–images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one’s eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who’s something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote–a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. –Tom Keogh

Director: Matt Reeves
Actors: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas (ii), T.j. Miller, Michael Stahl-david, Mike Vogel
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD

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Hud’s Cam

Last year when “The Bourne Ultimatum” was released several reviewers commented that the hand-held camera movement made them dizzy. Well, I wasn’t even aware of the camera in “BU” as the story and performances were so solid. But from the minute that “Cloverfield” began I was more than aware that the character Hud (would parents really name their son after a disrespectful, often vile cad?), who was capturing all the action with a digital camera, was indeed filming. By that I mean the Hud’s camera jerks, flips, flops…just as it would when an amateur is filming. So far so good. The camera movements make sense on a real-life level but all the putzing around of the camera made me physically ill…to the point that I had to look away several times as I thought I would barf.
On the positive side: the physical production is amazing and the use of pretty much unknowns sets up a situation in which the moviemakers have to do their homework with the script, character-development-wise in order for us to invest our interest and time.
There is nothing earth-shaking about the story per se: a monster attacks and goes about demolishing New York City while focusing on a small group of good looking young Lower Manhattan types who take flight as the monster goes about its rampage: everyone is beautiful, everyone is sensitive, emotional and humane which sets this film apart from others of its ilk: these people are young but they are smart, upwardly mobile and more importantly care for each other. It’s refreshing, really.
“Cloverfield” is extremely well thought out and plotted. It is also stylistically sophisticated and well written. It’s definitely worth the 10 bucks and an hour and a half of your time. Check it out. ...read more

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