edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Paul Greengrass's United 93, the

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Paul Greengrass's United 93, the 9/11 thriller hitting theatres on 4.28, will open Manhattan's Tribeca Film Festival on 4.25. Tammy Rosen's press release says that people whose family members died on Flight 93 will be there. Also attending will be "other 9/11 groups and family organizations and first responders whose lives were forever altered on that day." (After I read this last sentence to a friend, he asked, "Will they be flying them in on United?") It's obvious why this downtown Manhattan film festival is looking to show United 93, but I sense a vague strategy in the presence of the victims' families. There almost seems to be a selling-point message in this: "If these people who really suffered that day can roll with this film, all of you folks out there saying 'no, no...too soon' should be able to roll with it." There are always going to be squeamish types saying "too soon," etc., but artists have never waited for the hoi polloi to take a vote and announce, "Okay, we're finally ready to see a film about a recent tragic event that touched us all." It happened, life moves on...get over it.

David Fincher's Zodiac is absolutely<< previous | next >>Oh, and by the way:

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 29, 2006 at 3:28 PM