Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I think my brain was going through one of those infrequent bouts of needing a long R&R period. Also, I was pretty exhausted after this year's Advent Calendar, and what was only intended to be "a few days off" turned into...well, however long it's been.
However! I've actually been working on a "real" article on and off for the past week. I generally don't do that, because if I can't knock an article out in one or two sittings, it usually means that I'm not really all that into it. I think I'm into this one, but I just can't muster the gusto to shut the world off for the six hours it'd take to finish it, polish it, publish it and be done with it. But, that'll happen sooner or later. It's a really dumb one, too. Something maybe 5% of you will be at all interested in. But hey.
This post is just my way of saying that I haven't been hit by a train or anything, but there's one other thing I should talk about before it gets too late to do so with purpose:
Went into the office today to kick off a couple of new gigs, which I was happy about for several reasons. One, I got to see my work buds for the first time in over a month. Two, this will eventually lead to paychecks. Three, I was starting to go a bit stir crazy. Four...I got to see giant Cloverfield billboards.
You know, I'm just going to come out and admit that I'm a total 100% Grade A Cloverfield fanboy, and have been since Day 1. I've only mentioned it once or twice on the site, but truth be told, I've been tracking this film like a teenaged loon, day in, day out.
Even if you haven't actively followed it, you've probably heard about the film's screwy viral campaign. I mean, if you're online a lot, it's been kind of hard to miss. I know many of you balk at the thought of such campaigns, and generally speaking, I'm with you: When it's vagueness in place of content and mystery in place of intrigue, that's a bad thing. I don't think Cloverfield falls under that umbrella, though. Having followed the madness, with its many fictitious personalties, faux companies, Flash websites and clues that lead to nowhere and anywhere, I'd feel almost compelled to buy a ticket to the film even if I knew it was going to suck. I've certainly gotten more than ten bucks worth of enjoyment just from the shit they've done to make me want to buy that ticket.
It's a little late to try to explain the movie's marketing to the uninitiated, but Christ, I can't remember the last time I was this amped up for something. I'm not just talking about the usual anticipation of a big movie: I'm talking about anything. Can the film possibly live up to the hype, especially for those of us who spent months digging around endlessly for every tidbit we could find?
I doubt it, but that's not going to be the movie's fault. Hell, I've had dreams about Cloverfield. Completely fleshed out dreams with swooping pans over black seas, towards magnificent shots of monsters-of-my-own-design. How could any movie compete with that?
On the other hand, I have a pretty good idea about what I'm going to see, and I can't imagine leaving that theater without wanting to see the film at least one more time. Cloverfield is going to be remembered chiefly for its marketing, but I don't think we're dealing with another Snakes On A Plane. It's a film featuring a giant monster that kicks the shit out of New York City in a totally unfriendly, uncharming and unforgiving way. No amount of bad dialogue or acting can hamper something that grisly or primal. And given some of the other "aspects" of the film that I'm pretty certain of, good God...it's gonna be visceral.
I'm not worried about having to eat my words. Like I said, the movie can totally suck balls. It doesn't matter. I've already gotten my fair share of happiness from it. Still, as someone who believes that there really isn't such a thing as a bad monster-destroys-the-city movie, my hopes stay high, and January 18th can't come soon enough.
That seems like a good segue into a survey: What are you looking forward to in the coming months? Doesn't have to be a movie. If you're getting a new car or something, that counts.
PS: Yes yes, I'll take down the site's Christmas decorations this week.
Posted by Matt on 01/09/2008. E-mail me!
Chestnuts roasted by 
But hey…it’s RAY!
Guise, I just love the UK-centric perspective you (and a few others) have been bringing lately. What with the yobs and chavs and Trinny and Susannahs and all
WRT Eli Roth and Trailer Trash, I’ve never really been attracted to his work but his performance in Grindhouse (directing Thanksgiving and especially acting in Death Proof) endeared him to me so I’m happy he’s got a movie coming out that actually sounds appealing to my sensibilities. Hopefully Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright all make contributions too, that would be really awesome.