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07/27/2007: Summer Megaparty: Cloverfield Mania.

I’m obsessing over this new movie, Cloverfield. I’m not sure what I can say about it without spoiling something or another, so I’ll push the rest after the jump.

If you’ve seen Transformers, you’ve probably seen the trailer. (1-18-08, yadda yadda yadda.) Shrouded in mystery and swirling with rumors, this much would at least seem to be true: It’s a giant monster movie, shot on handhelds with a “realistic” style, and it ain’t Godzilla.

Smartly, the marketing has very intentionally kept everyone in the dark about the film’s nuances. Specifically, we don’t know what the monster is going to be. While various early rumors were totally far-fetched by any stretch (Come on, did anyone really believe this was going to be a live action Voltron film?), others seemed a little more grounded in reality. Some reports have claimed that the monster was named “Parasite.” Others say that “Parasite” was just the production nickname for an as-of-yet-unnamed creature. Others say that the “Parasite” name is totally unfounded on all fronts.

And I kind of hope it is, because I hear “Parasite,” and I think “giant bug.” It’s much, much easier to make a realistic monster-sized movie bug than, say, a realistic monster-sized movie wolf, but I’m really hoping it’s closer to the latter. Giant bugs and giant lizards are great, but I’m praying for something different.

I want that monster to be a mammal. I want it to have a scary lion head, vaguely defined wings and oil-stained paws. None of these wishes will be granted, but this is what has people talking about Cloverfield: Everyone had their own vision of what the big bad guy is going to look like.

It could be dangerous for the film to have this much hype when it’s still so many months away. Look at Snakes on a Plane. It did okay, but people have their limits when it comes to staying amped. I’ve been looking for more info on the movie on a daily basis, but will I be doing that in four months? Doubtful. From what I can gather, it’s a film I’ll like, but I’ll probably never like it more than I do right now — before I have any opportunity to blow money on it.

That aside, I think Cloverfield, or whatever it’s going to be called, is a terrific concept. While the trends and traits of pop culturedom over the past decade have seeped into the horror market and reshaped that genre to a degree, this is something new. The modernized giant monster movie.

The modernized giant monster lion with wings movie.

Click here to visit the official site, which informs you of absolutely nothing but will still manage to get your juices flowing.

A poster’s been leaked with a headless Statue of Liberty and a torn apart New York in the distance with the title, “Monstrous.” Most fans call it that now.

Wow, sorry about that, but my third post here and it’s the second one on a blog post? Awesome!

I read that too, but I read last night (AICN, I think?) that that’s just the first of three posters that will have various deadly words on them, “Monstrous” being the first. Hope so, because that title blows.

Initially I was hoping it would be Cthulhu. But I think it’s going to be something completely new. Matt’s idea sounds cool.

Matt, have you been paying attention the any of the viral marketing for Batman? I saw the trailer last night on the Simpsons.
ps- Simpsons was great!

Besides this and Lost, the writer is also redoing a reimagining of Star Trek set for the holiday â€™09 movie season. Busy guyâ€¦

check out http://www.Slusho.com - It is affiliated with this movie, the guy who says “hey you wanna see this from the roof” is wearing a Slusho t-shirt.

Watching the trailer again, and seeing promos for ‘giant’ slurry drinks. I find myself getting a kind of “Rampage” feeling.

Aww. Monster movies are great and all, but am I the only one who saw the headless statue of liberty and thought we were finally getting a movie version of Deus Ex?

Then again, now that I think about it, Deus Ex was pretty much the movie version of Deus Ex.

Ehh, I don’t know. Not only are monster movies not really my thing, but I find it hard to get really amped about a giant thingie rampaging through New York. The last time a rampaging monster movie got this much hype, the 2000 “Godzilla” remake sucked.

So, does this mean you saw TF? And then, what did you think of it?
I had no idea there was a background to this trailer. I just thought it was suspenseful and that was the end of it. Voltron would be cool, but I think only in theory. I mean, a secret Voltron trailer at the TF movie. Could that make sense?

Giant monsters are all well and good especially when throwing the head of the Statue of Liberty but I have a funny feeling that the monster is going to be too much like the smoke monster from lost, it shows up and is all scary but with no explanation. It works well on lost because more is going on but it won’t work in a movie because the movie is about the monster. I hope upon all hopes though that it’s a giant four armed William Shatner pissed off because he’s not going to be allowed to reprise his role as Capt. Kirk

Cloverfield totally has peaked my interest. On other movie news, I just got back from seeing The Simpsons Movie. Oh. My. Word. Everyone MUST see this film. You MUST.

I am hoping that tomorrow’s SNT will be SIMPSONS MOVIE ladden because I need some Simpsons geeks to talk to about this (Invader Norbert??)

Anyway, yeah, I saw this and I thought GODZILLA but since that has been crushed, I don’t know what to think.
Could a big monster movie that is NOT Godzilla do well? SHOULD there be another big monster movie?

Also, the Statue of Liberty tease is too reminiscient of INDEPENDENCE DAY and one of those big comet movies of late 80’s. Maybe I am too jaded…

Well I won’t be seeing The Simpsons Movie tonight. We drove to the drive-in and that place was A ZOO! I have never seen a drive-in that crowded. Traffic was backed out onto the street and it took us nearly fifteen minutes just to make a u-turn at an intersection (to head back to the drive-in) because it seemed like every car on the road was intending to go to the same place as us. We decided to pass and kept on going. I did get a quick glance into the place, through the exit drive, and it was insanely packed. I’d rather wait a few days and maybe go in the middle of the week.

If what I saw is any indication this movie is going to make a helluva lot of money.

BTW, I did see that trailer before TF as well. It has my interest piqued. Voltron was the first rumor I heard too, even though I am sure that is wrong. I did hear the line, “It’s a lion, it’s huge!” in the trailer though. Some seem to think the word was “alive” vs. “a lion”. I fully expected to hear “alive” when I heard it, but I could swear it sounded more like “a lion”. Boy, mysteries sure are fun.

So that’s what that is!
I’m kind of with starwenn- not really my thing. A Bumblelion rampage would be pretty interesting.

I can’t really invest much interest in this movie AT ALL for now, there’s just nothing to go on- not even a title. Plus this all seems very redundant when compared to The Blair Witch Project and Godzilla ‘98. I wouldn’t be surprised if the monster never actually appears in the movie- just people reacting to it.

However, something I would kill to see is the Walking with Dinosaurs Live stage show. I’ve been watching little clips from YouTube and it looks absolutely amazing, I had no idea stuff like that was even possible.

Maybe they really haven’t even decided what the monster should be yet. Like Snakes on a Plane, they’re getting internet feedback to find out what’s the most popular. So you might have your lion-headed, slightly winged, oil-covered paw monster.

Manimal: The fact that you can even ask such a question suggests that you have not yet seen Gorgo, the greatest Irish movie monster ever to get drunk and start a brawl with the entire British armed forces. Click my name to start the long, hard road to redemption.

The Godzilla remake with Matthew Broderick sucked,but that was in 1998. Godzilla 2000 RULED.

There really is going to be a Voltron movie,there’s been stuff floating around the internet for a while now. It just has nothing to do with Cloverfield.

Oh yeah…the Simpsons movie did come out today. I fully intended to go see it, but we’re going to end up broke because we already planned to go to Medieval Times tomorrow. Ah well, maybe next paycheck.

I am hoping that tomorrow’s SNT will be SIMPSONS MOVIE ladden because I need some Simpsons geeks to talk to about this (Invader Norbert??)

Yes, I did indeed see the midnight show, and it was filled with Simpsons geeks, and laughed at everything.

As for tonight’s was good too, but there were more children there. There were some parts that I won’t spoil that made me laugh Harder the 2nd time mainly because of all of the kids in the audience.

And as for every trailer trailer that creates good hype like Cloverfield (saw it before Transformers as well), there are the 400 trailers that make you not want to see the movie and wonder why it got made with every passing time you watch it.

Case in point: Saw the full trailer to “Daddy Day Camp” within the last 24 hours. Not one thing makes me want to see that movie. Eddie Murphy is actually smart, he backed out of that one.

They profile some of the “campers” aka “One dimensional child characters that will add absolutely nothing to what little story exists here”

During the midnight show, right then and there you knew you were in a room full of Simpsons geeks, because out of the nearly 400 people in that theater, only 1 person laughed at it.

Oh, this is the mysterious J.J. Abrams project! I knew that name sounded familiar. The writer wrote “Outlaws” among some other really kick ass LOST episodes so you can count me in on the obsession express. Assuming the “realistic” style is more Children of Men than Blair Witch, anyway. Although now I see that the director hasn’t done a movie since The Pallbearer, which strikes me as kind of odd at the very least

Happy Friday everybody…I’d like to see The Simpsons Movie this weekend, but I don’t know if I will.
Nice rec Jedoc! I’ve got that episode on this computer, as well as a brand new 19″ monitor so thanks to you I know what I’ll be doing tonight instead of cleaning like I should

There are also rumors of Lovecraft and Cthulhu inspirations. C’mon Matt, wouldn’t you love a guy with a squid head attacking NYC? Or maybe an octosquid? >D

HA! A giant octosquid would be quite the sight. Of course, the fanbase for that movie would pretty much just be X-E readers, so not a wise business move.

I can’t believe they would use the destruction of a NYC landmark (Statue of Liberty) for entertainment purposes only 6 years after 9/11. Just seems odd that everyone is perfectly fine with it.

“I can’t believe they would use the destruction of a NYC landmark (Statue of Liberty) for entertainment purposes only 6 years after 9/11. ”

That didn’t cross my mind for a second. Probably because it was in the context of a giant monster rising out of the sea and ripping humanity a new one.

I’m not saying everyone should be raising hell about it, and I know it’s entertianment. I’m just personally surprised that no media outlets have mentioned it. They seem to be all over a topic the second a controversy can be stirred.

Oh no, my dear Jedoc, you misunderstood me. I wasn’t referring to the old standards (GORGO, REPTILICUS, GAMERA, etc.). I meant is there a need for one of them NOW in the present day.
BTW, you better be prepared tomorrow. I have been catching up on some of my X-E (expect a long post on the SNT) and that Henry Clay angle intrigues me.

Well, they already did it for The Day After Tomorrow. And with the week Linds had, they’ve got plenty of filler material right now without having to resort to that anyway

It would have been orgasmic, Brian, ORGASMIC. Shall we start casting the live action Voltron movie?

The Simpsons Movie was a pretty good movie, but I also kept thinking that if it was made 5 years ago it would have been so much better.

Did anyone see foreign film monster film that recently came out on DVD called “The Host.” Not scary at all (but then again, I can’t really think of a big creature movie that was scary, they usually just end up being fun) but is a nice way to pass two hours.

Honestly, when I first saw the Cloverfield trailor, my first thought was that they were filming feature film version of an old end of the world tv movie called “Without Warning.” It was filmed like it was happening live on the news. That film freaked me out when I was younger.

Well, I was the DD tonight and now I know why I drink. If I was sober then I would never go out. Everyone completely annoyed me. Even the band got on my nerves. But, my good deed is done and now I am home to see that Matt wrote something, the good people of XE commented and the original The Fog is on TV. I love that there is a mix of Halloween 1 and Halloween 3 cast members. Even the cop from Halloween 1 and 2 is in it as Dan. Great movie.

Bill: Yeah, The Fog is on, cool. Funny, I just noticed that Comcast has the year of release for the film as 2005 on their “info” for the movie. In fact all of the “info” details are from the remake.

Mystie: Really? More drink than ever! Well, in honor of that I’ll have another.

Sorry to triple-post, but I just feel inclined to say how happy I am that I finally found one of those “drinking birds”. I got one today at the American Science & Surplus store. He has been drinking heavily for the past 9 hours. He is insatiable.

So I just got back from seeing Sunshine, if anybody saw that instead of The Simpsons Movie… I am happy to report that somebody does go “poof” thanks to the sun.

Also, I apologize about making two Akira references in two days, but when I saw the captain’s name on screen, I couldn’t help but say “Kanedaaaa!” to myself.

This guy kept buying me drinks, and there they were, rum and coke after rum and coke! Suspect I’ve downed half a bottle of Bacardi by now… trying to soak it up with water and meatballs. Capable of typing properly if I try hard enough, so that’s always a good sign.

I went to dinner with some friends, meet new people, played that Settlers of the Catan or whatever it’s called game for the first time, then came home and gave my cat a bath (flea issues).

I’ll see Simpsons tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to this Cloverfield movie for two reasons:
1. I like JJ Abrams stuff and this type of hype
2. It’s coming out on my birthday, hence it was made just for me…

Well it looks like I was wrong about them not doing the Scream Awards again this year.
I just spilled coffee all over EVERYTHING. Stupid…the Best Buy-exclusive Grindhouse DVDs weren’t that exciting. Christ.

The entire Voltron rumor was seemingly founded on the fact that one of the characters in the trailer says something that sort of sounds like (but really isn’t) “It looks like a lion!”.

There is a Voltron movie in the works, though. It’ll probably gain some steam with the success Transformers has seen.

Another rumor about Cloverfield: It was going to be a Cthulu flick, but that turned out to be unfounded as the viral marketing that led everyone to believe that wasn’t even for the movie.

The viral marketing Slusho (www.slusho.jp) site might shed a little light on the subject. In the “history” section it tells about some legend featuring a small fish turning into a giant whale, so that might have something to do with it.

Manimal: Ahh, I see where you’re coming from. Well, watch it again anyway. Just because an Irish monster movie is too precious a gift to take likely.

Magic Toy: Scrooge McDunk? Bobbin Threadbare? You have to admit, naming your drinking bird after a character only three people in the continental U.S. will recognize has a certain charm.

The line up for the Simpsons movie last night were just TOO long to even think about it…plus, I worked until 10, so I don’t think they had a show late enough for me to see anyways.

I know if I wait too long, all the jokes will be ruined, but I think I will wait until August and see Simpsons when I am in Michigan! It would be cool to see a movie in the USA…I wonder what strange theater snack they will have….are their ushers scarier than ours? Do they charge $10 for a movie, too?? Oh, the excitement!

Muppet Baby, while I can’t really say for New England, none of the theaters down here in the grand old state of Texas have ushers. There’s people to give you your ticket, people to tear your ticket, and then you’re on your own. And concessions here are really expensive. Last night I paid $4 for Reece’s Pieces.

According to the short blurb on Wiki about “Cloverfield,” it is not a “colossal Asian robot” (:() or “parasite” movie. So it may be some sort of giant mammal monster….

Keep in mind the main character is going to work in Japan, and how he’s working for the Japanese company “Slusho”.
(Slusho.co.jp is a viral site for the movie), so I think this may be another American remake of a Japanese monster movie. GAMERA MAYBE?ZOMGZOMGZOMG!

Last post for this entry, I swear. Just went to the Slusho site and yes, I did remember that the guy is working in Japan. That’s why I thought Mothra at first. =P It said something about a tiny fish drinking a lot of a special ingredient in the ocean and becoming a giant whale. Are there any giant whale monsters from Japan? But why would a Japanese monster come all the way around the continent to New York…? Anyway, who else is going to get a Slusho t-shirt? You can’t drink just six!

(My reasoning is that if you buy the shirt, you’re somewhat funding the movie.)

Gamera?
GAMERA?
Gamera, who’s really neat?
Gamera, who’s full of meat?
We all love you, Gam-mer-aaaaa!

This couldn’t be any more off topic but I just came across the original Good Morning Miss Bliss intro which later became Saved By the Bell. Man, what a crappy song but I always wondered what it was like. Now I can sleep tonight.

I went to see The Simpsons Movie last night. It was the second-to-last showing of the night, and the theater was still so packed, my two sisters and I had to sit in the front row, dead center. I think I’ll wait to see if Matt does a blog post about the movie before I explain why I personally thought the movie was just okay; good, but noty great.

—-”Did anyone see foreign film monster film that recently came out on DVD called “The Host.” Not scary at all (but then again, I can’t really think of a big creature movie that was scary, they usually just end up being fun) but is a nice way to pass two hours. ”

I really liked The Host, and when I first heard of this, was afraid it was a remake since we’ve been stealing every other good Korean or Chinese film lately (Departed anyone?)

It’s not gamera, because Kodokawa or whatever is still keeping tight reigns on that right off of Gamera: Little Braves.

I do wish SOMEONE would do a Godzilla or Gamera at least on the same quality level as Gamera 3 from 1999 (If you like those kind of movies, and haven’t seen that one, it’s pretty much the standard) But I fear that’s a long way off.

Maybe it’s a remake of Gappa The Triphibian Monster, or Gailala, or Yog, Monster From Space, or something else so obscure that only 10% of the money paying population even knows it’s a remake.

In any case I’m not thrilled, America has never done giant monsters right. King Kong was a fluke, and even with Peter Jackson on it, it couldn’t be duplicated, because it was no longer a giant monster movie.

In all actuality it’s a movie solely based around the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man…

Thomas: I’m expecting the same from the Simpson’s movie. Nothing great but I feel I owe it to one of the icons of my generation.

I don’t know if this was obvious to everyone else. But I have been following 1-18-08 since I saw Transformers opening night. and I just realized that on the website you can Flip the Photos Over!

http://www.1-18-08.com you can drag the photos around, but you can also flip them over and look at the backs.

I think it would be awesome if this was Voltron. Think about it for a second, the trailer has this feel to it like it’s party time and we are just joking around talking to friends and then boom, chaos. Then the statue of liberty head hits and it cuts. What if the next trailer of the movie is something like that, except instead of it cutting and leaving the viewer wondering what is going on, the Voltron music cuts in, DOOO DOO DOO DOO, DOO DOO DOO!!!!!! At the same time we see Voltron flying overhead with his huge badass sword in hand(no homo).

When I saw the trailer with a friend, I caught the words “Bad Robot” during the credit flash at the end of it. We just assumed that was the title of the movie. for whatever its worth.

So Matt, where is your Transformers review? As long of a history as you, and this site, have with the franchise, I kind of expected one by now.

as much as I’d like to see a giant, evil Wuzzle smash New York, I severely doubt that Matt’s idea is gonna be the one in the movie. While I do admit it’s possible, I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Though mostly I just wanted to say “Giant, Evil Wuzzle”.

Hey, I just got back from Comic Con and saw J.J. Abrams talk briefly on this movie. I also got a poster and a Slusho t-shirt, and now I know what the hell Slusho is thanks to this blog! ;D Anyone want first dibs before the items go up on ebay?

As for the 1998 Godzilla movie, some may say it sucked, but compared to other Godzilla movies? Seriously?

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