Cloverfield, Godzilla, and 9/11

ATLMalcontent has linked a third (that I'm aware of) Cloverfield trailer; and I'll use that cue to vent a bit. Regarding Cloverfield...The part of me that's used to disappointment wants this movie to be a "Godzilla-done-right" that would atone for Hollywood's nerfing of Godzilla '54. I'd expend my "one movie per year" quota on such a project, in a heartbeat. There's enough to compare between Godzilla ('54) and 9/11, that a new monster--derived from global trade, genetic engineering, or similar 21st century "evil"--would fit the story nicely. If packaged using current techniques, such a movie would reintroduce the Monster Movie to a 21st century audience. I worked out the 9/11 comparison while watching the original Godzilla on the 50th anniversary tour (2004), and if I can find what I did with my notes from that viewing, I'll post a more complete explanation separately. So, if Cloverfield is such a project, it will be a coup of sorts. Then, there's the part of me that recalls the saying "Buy the rumor, sell the fact." I see Godzilla and Alien aspects from the three trailers I've seen so far, and the trailers employ Planet of the Apes' Liberty Head, and 9/11's collapsing (Empire State?) building and ominous dust cloud. So, that's -2 Landmarks, +1 body count (speared on Liberty's crown), and +1 Web 2.0 slam (everyone stop to take pictures), for those keeping score at home. Combined with the "U.S. site #..." pretext, I assume we end up nuking the city, and the intervening 1:45 is divided between running, dying, and arguing. The production team is known for the television hits Lost and Heroes, which are both current shows (barring effects from the Writers' strike). Given that background, and the inrinsic nepotism of media conglomerates, I'll put a 50%+ chance of crossover/tie-in with one of the two shows (namely, whichever show is aligned with the studio's parent company). So, as tempting a prospect as Cloverfield is, I get a headache just thinking about how badly it will suck. I will, therefore, wait for reviews and spoilers before considering watching this movie.

posted at: 13:23 | permanent link to this entry

Today's topic for discussion is:

As it turns out, tomato soup turns into tomato cement after it boils over the pot and drips through the rangetop. I've had to resort to the "soak all day" approach to get the stuff out.

posted at: 04:23 | permanent link to this entry

Screwup.

I, in my cleverness, have dropped the links to archives from June-September. I'll get around to fixing this later.

posted at: 04:21 | permanent link to this entry