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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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Travolta Hairspray

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USA Today's Suzie Woz flew to Toronto to watch John Travolta in a drag fat-suit sing and prance around to "You Can't Stop The Beat", a musical number in Adam Shankman's Hairspray. "It's good," Travola told her. "The effect that I caused is fun and all, but it's a lot of work, man." The film costars Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Nikki Blonsky. The filmic re-do of the Broadway musical (based on the '88 John Waters film) will continue to shoot through early December, and is slated to open next July.

John Travolta as the "generously proportioned" Edna Turnblad -- the role created by Divine in the non-musical original film and by Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway show

Not a bad film<< previous | next >>Valiant death

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 30, 2006 at 7:16 PM

comment #1

D.Z. says ...

Sorry, but I don't buy Travolta as a drag queen like Divine. He's just going to put the final nail in his career with that awful get-up. And the original film didn't make much money to begin with, so I don't see the point of a remake.

Posted by D.Z. at October 30, 2006 7:18 PM

comment #2

breadlymoore says ...

It's not a remake. It's a film version of the Broadway musical.

And that musical has made a killing.

Posted by breadlymoore at October 30, 2006 7:22 PM

comment #3

TKC says ...

A film version of a smash-hit Broadway musical based on a cult-classic film. Mmmm. Smells like "The Producers" all over again.

Posted by TKC at October 30, 2006 7:25 PM

comment #4

crabbieshollywood.blogspot.com says ...

Travolta's got some balls, I'll give him that.

Posted by crabbieshollywood.blogspot.com at October 30, 2006 7:38 PM

comment #5

Burbanked says ...

Unfortunately, Slanting, that picture damn near shows the exact opposite.

Posted by Burbanked at October 30, 2006 8:08 PM

comment #6

p.Vice says ...

Judging from this photo, the beat was stopped a long fucking time ago.

Posted by p.Vice at October 30, 2006 8:08 PM

comment #7

Josh Massey says ...

Two words immediately dull my anticipation for this flick: "Adam" and "Shankman."

Posted by Josh Massey at October 30, 2006 8:48 PM

comment #8

Roddy Reta says ...

Give Travolta some credit for trying something different. Unlike Jeffrey Wells, the man doesn't repeat himself over and over again.

Posted by Roddy Reta at October 30, 2006 9:09 PM

comment #9

Nick Rogers says ...

To D.Z.: Judging from every single word I've read about it, "Wild Hogs" might be that final nail. Of course, watch it make a ridiculously large amount of money and spark an unholy resurrection of the careers of Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence.

Of course, Fox is plenty afraid of Allen this weekend.

Posted by Nick Rogers at October 30, 2006 10:15 PM

comment #10

The Winchester says ...

Why is Fox afraid of Tim Allen this weekend? Because Santa Clause 3 goes against Borat? I think that the 17-28 year olds out there might be able to set aside their love of Christmas sequels to 12 year old movies in order to show Mr. Cohen a little love.

Of course, the 3 year olds who can't get into Santa Clause this weekend might wind up "apilling over" and boosting some numbers for the fox folk.

Posted by The Winchester at October 30, 2006 10:55 PM

comment #11

The Winchester says ...

Oh, but getting back to topic, does Waters have any involvement in this movie aside from "Based on a screenplay by"? It seems like he would, but you never know.

And I have a feeling this may be the Producers all over again. Yet, and I mean this in the loosest way possible, at least Shankman has directed movies before, so it shouldn't in theory turn out nearly as god-awful as The Producers experience.

Posted by The Winchester at October 30, 2006 10:58 PM

comment #12

goodvibe61 says ...

I wonder how many stories we've seen on Jeff's various pages over the years that have something to do with John Travolta and weight.

Be it about him putting on weight for a roll, or dressing up in women's clothes and a fat suit, or just letting himself go and gaining weight, etc. And I wonder what the percentage is of overall Travolta mentions on his sites compared to the times the weight thing comes up?

This is always good for a laugh. Jeff's got it hot and heavy for Travolta. I just can't decide which way Jeff prefers his sexual fantasices about him, for the thin John or the more corpulant John. Either way, he's so fixated on Travolta that it's truly amusing now.

It's best when the old bitterness and rage kicks in though, over a guy making 20 million a pic gaining the weight and all, when poor Jeff struggles to keep the weight off and is bitter about having to eat chicken salads instead of having a private chef serve him Kobe beef every night.

Good stuff!

Posted by goodvibe61 at October 31, 2006 7:17 AM

comment #13

Nick Rogers says ...

Well, Winchester, cutting the theater count by more than half mere days before opening means they're afraid of either Tim Allen or Aardman's rats, neither of which got the cover story in Entertainment Weekly.

Or maybe the studio is just too tickled with the blockbuster grosses they're pulling in from "Flicka" and "The Marine" to give up those theaters.

Please.

If Fox had any balls, it would have just stuck with its original plan for 2,000 screens. Apparently they have short memories of counterprogramming (ahem, "Devil Wears Prada" against "Superman Returns").

Instead of contending against two children's titles this week, "Borat" next week (in its true wide release) will have to compete with "Stranger Than Fiction" and the expansion of "Babel," which, according to Box Office Mojo, will be at more locations on Nov. 10 than "Borat" will on Friday. And yes, there are people in the 17- to 28-year-old range who will want to see "Fiction" and "Babel."

If Fox is worried about middle America going to see "Borat," don't trot him out on "SNL" to tout his movie for Nov. 3 and then expect them to wait another week to be able to see it.

Posted by Nick Rogers at October 31, 2006 7:23 AM

comment #14

The Winchester says ...

Nick Rogers, I don't think the fear has anything to do with Santa Clause or with Aardman's rats (if anything, why are thos two going up against each other? That's the release that makes no sense to me. they're going after the same audience). If anything, I think the fear has to do with people not getting it, either in the "middle states" or elsewhere. I think Fox thought they might have had another Jackass type hit on their hands (though Borat looks inifnite times better than Jackass, and I LIKED Jackass), but then got cold feet. It could also be an awareness thing. Example, I've heard nothing about Borat for weeks now, and yet I go back home, and see Departed with my Dad, and he had no clue what the hell Borat was. He laughed his ass off at the trailer, but I think this may have lead to a few shaking execs. (Not my father's literal reaction scaring them, but many fathers and such).

There's also the Snakes on a Plane dilemma, where the movie's core fans (mostly young and internet prone) talk it up and can't wait, but upon release... well, we know what happened there. And don't forget that Snakes was also on the EW cover.

And while I have no doubt that 17-28 year olds will want to see Babel and Fiction, name one who would rather see those than Borat? (who are aware of who Borat actually is, I mean).

Of course, if Wells has his way, nobody will see Fiction, and he can brag about contributing to another "death" of a movie, like Munich.

Posted by The Winchester at October 31, 2006 8:41 AM

comment #15

Dixon Steele says ...

Damn, this picture is scarier than anything in the SAW movies. If this guy showed up at my door tonight Trick or Treating, I'd call the police.

Re BORAT, I don't blame Fox for pulling back. You can always expand a run, and it's all about the per-screen-average, which will now be higher with less screens.

Do the math, Nick, and check the hostility.

Posted by Dixon Steele at October 31, 2006 10:10 AM

comment #16

Gabriel says ...

Winchester - I'm 23 years old and I want to see all three of those films. I've liked "Borat" since before he had a movie. And yet, "Babel" is far and away my #1 choice for not only that group, but for just about anything else this year that isn't titled "The Fountain".

Generalizations are fun.

Posted by Gabriel at October 31, 2006 10:33 AM

comment #17

rr3333 says ...

Travolta sure has a number of wigs handy. First is the 'Slick Back' toupee ... then there is the 'flat top' toupee ... now this.

Soon he's going to challenge Rip Taylor & Elton John for most wigs by a has-been entertainer ...

Posted by rr3333 at October 31, 2006 11:24 AM

comment #18

actionman says ...

Aside from Shawn Levy, Adam Shankman is the biggest hack working in Hollywood. He has NO talent whatsoever as a director and I detest the fact that ALL of his movies have made buckets of cash. This movie will be a COMPLETE PIECE OF SHIT, as evidenced by the above posted pictures.

Posted by actionman at October 31, 2006 12:52 PM

comment #19

Dixon Steele says ...

Actionman, you must've really loved CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2, directed by Shenkman and produced by Levy

Posted by Dixon Steele at October 31, 2006 1:27 PM

comment #20

Cadavra says ...

PRODUCERS flopped because there's no longer much of a market for that kind of old-fashioned, laff-riot musical. HAIRSPRAY will flop even bigger, not only for the same reason but because, unlike PRODUCERS, the makers didn't even have the stones to use the original star, instead casting a high-priced and totally unsuitable has-been.

Posted by Cadavra at October 31, 2006 1:35 PM

comment #21

D.Z. says ...

Um, the original star for Hairspray's been dead for 18 years...

Posted by D.Z. at October 31, 2006 2:24 PM

comment #22

Dixon Steele says ...

DZ, you really are brain dead.

They obviously meant Harvey Fierstein, who originated the HAIRSPRAY lead on stage

Posted by Dixon Steele at October 31, 2006 3:46 PM

comment #23

tholl-yung says ...

He's not wearing underpants.

Posted by tholl-yung at October 31, 2006 3:49 PM

comment #24

Cadavra says ...

Yes, I did, Dixon, thanks.

Posted by Cadavra at October 31, 2006 10:26 PM

comment #25

The Winchester says ...

Gabriel, 2-chez

(And ditto your feelings towards the Fountain, which we had to wait this long for due to the loss of Brad Pitt, who is in Babel, which we are both excited for. Weird).

But let me ask you this: Are you ready to put all those other movies aside and bow down before the majesty of Santa Clause 3?

But getting back to topic, is John Waters involved in any capacity with this production of Hairspray?

Posted by The Winchester at October 31, 2006 11:52 PM