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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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Lubezki at the desk

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Taken at the conclusion of a sit-down interview last night with Children of Men cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki at Westwood's W hotel -- Tuesday, 1.30.07, 8:40 pm. Lubezki's work in this Alfonso Cuaron film (particularly those three extra-long unbroken shots, which became the stuff of instant legend as soon as the film started to screen) is, I feel, monumental. I'll post the audio interview plus a write-around up later this afternoon.

Dull Oscar show<< previous | next >>O'Toole rants

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 31, 2007 at 7:35 AM

comment #1

bachelorcool says ...

Nice pic. Done in one take?

Posted by bachelorcool at January 31, 2007 8:30 AM

comment #2

gruver1 says ...

Wells to bachelorcool: Thanks. We tried two or three different lightings in the lobby of the W hotel, and this shot (one of two) came out the best. Lubezki took the camera from me at one point, adjusted the settings and took two or three shots of me lit only by a small candle...one of them turned out pretty good. An honor.

Posted by gruver1 at January 31, 2007 8:46 AM

comment #3

corey3rd says ...

a quality shot.

Posted by corey3rd at January 31, 2007 8:53 AM

comment #4

Mr. Peel says ...

If Children of Men had gotten a significant number of nominations, like it should have, I'd be one of those people annoying others with his constant posts about how much he loves it. But I'm at peace with it all. The film will survive.

Posted by Mr. Peel at January 31, 2007 9:06 AM

comment #5

EDouglas says ...

Did he set up the lighting for the shot?

Posted by EDouglas at January 31, 2007 9:12 AM

comment #6

hiviper says ...

jeff, post the pic!

Posted by hiviper at January 31, 2007 9:35 AM

comment #7

OddDuck says ...

Watched Ali for the first time in a long while this weekend after learning that Lubezki was the DP on it. I've been a huge Mann fan for awhile, but was always a little ambivalent about this film. But watching it again, perhaps with an overabundance of good will engendered by COM, I was just astounded! Highly recommend giving Ali a chance or 2nd chance based on the cinematography alone.

And yes Wells, post the pic he took of you!! And put up the audio so I can listen to something fun at work!!!!

Posted by OddDuck at January 31, 2007 9:50 AM

comment #8

RoyBatty says ...

Only thing, that last single take shot (with the apartment building) isn't a single take shot. The fact that the blood droplets disappear gives away at least one cut and considering the amount of practical special effects in it there's probably more. But they are cleverly hidden I admit.

Posted by RoyBatty at January 31, 2007 10:07 AM

comment #9

Josh Massey says ...

This guy deserves an Oscar more than any single person, in any field, does this year.

Posted by Josh Massey at January 31, 2007 11:24 AM

comment #10

jeffmcm says ...

He's overdue, and he's only in his early 40s! He's just entering his prime as a cinematographer right now.

Posted by jeffmcm at January 31, 2007 12:00 PM

comment #11

Thrudvangar says ...

Maybe he is why I love Meet Joe Black so much. I guess I'll see Ali for the second time.

Posted by Thrudvangar at January 31, 2007 12:18 PM

comment #12

Alan Cerny says ...

"This guy deserves an Oscar more than any single person, in any field, does this year."

I'll second that. That's the award I'll be paying attention to the most.

Posted by Alan Cerny at January 31, 2007 1:01 PM

comment #13

JD says ...

I think it's unfortunate that this Children of Men fad was necessary for people to recognize the skill of Emmanuel Lubezki. I remember praising his work in Ali -- which is far more intricate and varied than his work in COM -- to high heaven, but that fell on many deaf ears that are now singing his praises. His incredible work in The Assasination of Richard Nixon was also unfairly ignored. As much as I respect Lubezki, I think he's getting too much credit for the long takes (which are typically credited to directors anyway; who ever refers to "Michael Ballhaus's great Copacabana shot in Goodfellas"?) in COM. He also seems to be getting credit for the film's extraordinary production design. For my money, what he's photographing is even more impressive than how he's photographing it. Then again, I'm sure he had a hand in that.

Posted by JD at January 31, 2007 2:16 PM

comment #14

Circumvrent says ...

RoyBatty, I brought it up in another thread, but here's a snippet from an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on all of the big tracking shots:

"'The blood was great, but after a while, it started to feel like it was on your face,' Cuaron says. 'It started to feel distracting.' So he hired a computer-effects artist to digitally erase the blood from the final image, a very painstaking job."

So yes, that nine-or-so minute shot is in a fact, a nine-or-so minute shot, that took twelve days to set-up (!) and two days to shoot.

Posted by Circumvrent at January 31, 2007 2:31 PM

comment #15

actionman says ...

he is one of the best cinematographers ever and his work on THE NEW WORLD is still some of the best cinematography in the history of cinema

Posted by actionman at January 31, 2007 3:35 PM

comment #16

Breedlove says ...

this guy is just a brilliant artist. a master.

Posted by Breedlove at January 31, 2007 4:21 PM

comment #17

Josh Massey says ...

I don't believe Children of Men is a "fad." Of all the movies released in 2006, it will be the most discussed 50 years from now.

Posted by Josh Massey at February 1, 2007 5:32 AM

comment #18

gatsby1040 says ...

I second that shit, Josh. COM is just terrific. I can't wait to get the DVD and pore over every detail in the production design, and all the visual details and motifs. It has everything I could want in a movie -- landmark direction, excellent performances, a ripping script, knockout action sequences, and powerful, rich sociopolitical themes. Love it. Lubezki deserves as much credit for COM as Toland deserves for Kane - that is to say, a lot.

That said, it's been said before that while a great director can redeem an otherwise average movie, a great cinematographer cannot.

Posted by gatsby1040 at February 1, 2007 9:28 AM

comment #19

erniesouchak says ...

Nice chat, Jeff, but I wish you'd asked him about the rumored longer cut of COM. I heard a 2 1/2-hour version was screened early on that was just terrific. I also hope Chivo managed to temper your unabashed enthusiasm for digital video and Michael Mann.

Posted by erniesouchak at February 3, 2007 8:03 AM