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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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Diminished Capacity

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A Man Named Pearl

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A Very British Gangster

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Boy A

First "Pheonix" review

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You have to wade through six paragraphs of stalling before getting to the meat of Leo Lewis's first-anywhere-review of Harry Potter and The Order of The Pheonix (Warner Bros,., 7.11) in the London Times, but he finally gets around to calling it "a solid, occasionally spectacular set-piece that struggles unsuccessfully to give us thrills and fun we have not already had in previous installments."

In short, it's another big lumbering under-achieving tentpoler in a summer season that has seen two or three of these before...shocker!

Lewis also notes that Pheonix "is far crueler than its predecessors and begins to introduce properly the idea that we are no longer in an amusing magical playground, but are en route to an epic confrontation with real victims. But overall there is a shortage of those joyful little glimpses of the wizarding world's furniture that punctuated and perked up the previous films. The fifth -- and longest -- book on which the film is based plays a crucial but faintly turgid role in the saga."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 28, 2007 at 01:13 PM

comment #1

Bocephus says ...

I don't think anyone sees the Harry Potter movies as anything but cliff-notes for the books. And even in the books, 5 and 6 were basically just setups for the finale.

But guess what? Order of the Phoenix will make a gajillion bucks no matter how good, bad, or mezzo mezzo it is. It will be riding on the high that all of us Potter fans will be getting from the release of Deathly Hollows.

And I'll take the Harry Potter movie franchise over all the Narnias, Eragons, and Pirates combined. Besides Pixar, noone is putting out kid flicks that come close to rivaling the craftsmanship of the Potter movies.

Posted by Bocephus at June 28, 2007 01:46 PM

comment #2

Aladdin Sane says ...

I think the reviewer liked it well enough. The trailer certainly has more than enough eye candy. I am looking forward to this film.
I never expected any of the films to take the place of the respective books - but they're definitely enjoyable in their own right.
I wanna see this on IMAX and see the 3D bits. It ought to be something to behold.
And The Deathly Hallows can't come quickly enough.

Posted by Aladdin Sane at June 28, 2007 02:08 PM

comment #3

Michael says ...

"...and begins to introduce properly the idea that we are no longer in an amusing magical playground, but are en route to an epic confrontation with real victims."

I would have thought that happened right around the time Cedric was murdered.

Posted by Michael at June 28, 2007 03:18 PM

comment #4

RoyBatty says ...

Interesting that no one comments on the fact that since the movies have started coming out the book sales have plummeted, exactly as I predicted I sadly have to say. There was no reason other than ego and greed for Rowling to want to see these books turned into a film franchise. She stabbed every librarian and bookseller squarely in the back by doing it.

I am obviously obsessed with films and would much rather sit down in front of my half-assed home theater & watch something from my obscenely large DVD collection than stretch out on the couch to read a good book. But I do read and am very aware that fewer and fewer kids were. Then came Potter and a goddamn bloody miracle happened to turn the whole thing around. Not only were they lining up at midnight (to buy a fucking book! Not a CD or game console, a BOOK), but they then began to actively seek out other tomes to read while waiting on Ms Rowling to peck out another one.

While I think too much of this country is child-proofed for the rest of us adults, this was one time I do wish somone had forgoed the greed to actually "Think of the children!"

Posted by RoyBatty at June 28, 2007 04:43 PM

comment #5

RoyBatty says ...

And Wells, you really do need to read my comments under the post about the W hotel thing (the first one where you threatened me and jeffmcm).

Posted by RoyBatty at June 28, 2007 04:48 PM

comment #6

Josh Massey says ...

Personally, I'm glad to be rid of the "joyful little glimpses of the wizarding world's furniture" and find it interesting that it is "far crueler than its predecessors." Of all the summer tentpoles, Potter is on the biggest roll - the last two were by far the best of the series, and having read the books, I can tell you the story only gets better from here.

Posted by Josh Massey at June 28, 2007 07:52 PM

comment #7

scooterzz says ...

SPOILER ALERT (KINDA/SORTA)--------------------just back from a potter screening on the wb lot and the london times guy pretty much nailed it....like the book, this one is dark with a capitol 'd' and wee harry (who's not so wee anymore) is just pissed-off at everything and everybody....whimsey has been kicked to the cobbled curb....but i think the studio needs to reallllly think about shooting the last two books at the same time because these kids are getting seriously long-in-the-tooth (think 'dawson's creek' long-in-the-tooth)......

Posted by scooterzz at June 28, 2007 10:17 PM

comment #8

Bocephus says ...

I can deal with Dawson-old, lets just hope the last movie gets shot before they are 90210-old.

Posted by Bocephus at June 29, 2007 09:12 AM

comment #9

Ian Sinclair says ...

"Interesting that no one comments on the fact that since the movies have started coming out the book sales have plummeted, exactly as I predicted I sadly have to say. There was no reason other than ego and greed for Rowling to want to see these books turned into a film franchise. She stabbed every librarian and bookseller squarely in the back by doing it."

RoyBatty,you will doubtless be delighted to know that your "predictions" are a bunch of ass. The Goblet of Fire sold 3 million copies in two days, Order of the Phoenix sold 5 million copies in 24 hours and Half-Blood Prince sold 6.9 million in 24 hours. Worldwide sales for Harry Potter novel stand at 325 million. The preorders for the new and final Potter number 12 million, and one of those is earmarked for me.

Posted by Ian Sinclair at June 29, 2007 06:56 PM

comment #10

scooterzz says ...

i'm at an age when time is very valuable to me but i would gladly just take a nap until 7/21.....the anticipation is killing...if, however, in the last chapter of 'deadly hollows' there is a guy in a trucker hat, a troop of boy scouts and a man in a 'members only' jacket i'm gonna hunt that rowling bitch down.......

Posted by scooterzz at June 29, 2007 09:41 PM

comment #11

cobhome says ...

on the beach - EVERYONE - kids, adults, are re-reading books 5 and 6 to prepare for the movie and #7 - the Potter series continues to be the best thing to get kids and yeah - adults - to read - my question is - after the final book arrives - will there still be an interest in films number 6 and 7?? especially if folks don't like the ending?

Posted by cobhome at July 2, 2007 12:51 PM

comment #12

scooterzz says ...

i'm guessing/betting yes...after a pleasurable investment of this many years, i think most folk are in for the long haul (no matter the outcome).....

Posted by scooterzz at July 2, 2007 08:53 PM

comment #13

RoyBatty says ...

Ian Sinclair - Actually, my predictions were born out by a tally recently in the LA Times of TOTAL sales for all Harry Potter books and they sadly take a nose dive after the films started coming out. My lemonade stand used to sell out as a kid, don't mean I cornered the citrus market that year. As to who now looks like an ass or talking out of one, I'll leave to the readers.

Guess some folks on here need a refresher course in how early returns don't mean shit in book sales, movies (THE HULK anyone??) or politics. I grow so tired of hitting homers in the bush leagues, where are the major league smarty-pants to make me earn my run of the bases...?

Posted by RoyBatty at July 3, 2007 12:45 AM

comment #14

RoyBatty says ...

(Last book only has 15.5 million copies in print in the US, whereas the last book released before the films had 19 - get the picture now or do you need a quick lesson in or = ?)

Posted by RoyBatty at July 3, 2007 01:14 AM

comment #15

david says ...

Hollywood Elsewhere

Upcoming

First "Pheonix" review

Bocephus says ...

Aladdin Sane says ...

Michael says ...

RoyBatty says ...

RoyBatty says ...

Josh Massey says ...

scooterzz says ...

Bocephus says ...

Ian Sinclair says ...

scooterzz says ...

cobhome says ...

scooterzz says ...

RoyBatty says ...

RoyBatty says ...

david says ...