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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If anyone has a copy of Brad Ingelsby's The Low Dwellers, the script that Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio plan to make into a film sometime down the road, please shoot up a flare. The combination of the words "heated bidding war" and "echoes of The History of Violence and No Country for Old Men" in Steven Zeitchik's 3.21 Hollywood Reporter story have triggered the usual intrigues.

"Set in Indiana in the mid-1980s, the story centers on a man (DiCaprio) trying to assimilate into society after he's released from jail, only to find someone from his past pursuing him to settle a score," Zeitchik's summarizes. (If this had been made in 1950, it would have been a Robert Mitchum movie.) "In addition to the pursuer, a third male character and a female love interest are said to figure prominently," blah, blah.

I love the part about Ingelsby being "a twentysomething working as an insurance salesman in Pennsylvania" who "[worked] on the script in his spare time and has yet to step foot in Hollywood...but he has hit the spec jackpot, with the project selling for mid-six against low-seven figures." Hah!

DiCaprio and Scott will co-produce, with the latter obviously directing and Leo starring. They recently wrapped Body of Lies for Warners. DiCaprio will next make Shutter Island with Martin Scorsese directing. Scott's next film is (ugh!) Nottingham, the Robin Hood drama that will portray Russell Crowe's Sheriff of Nottingham as a cool good guy. (As long as he loses 50 pounds.)

Funny White Folk<< previous | next >>Wright at W.H.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 20, 2008 at 6:16 PM

comment #1

MiraJeffAICN says ...

See, what I don't get is, how does an insurance salesman in Penn. get his spec into Team Leo's hands, or even broach the inner workings of Hollywood in the first place? It can't be magic, can it?

Posted by MiraJeffAICN at March 20, 2008 6:49 PM

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

No bitching about the bad title?

Posted by BurmaShave at March 20, 2008 7:17 PM

comment #3

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Ah, I see. Variety has more details than HR. The dude's repped at William Morris and studied at AFI. So it looks like he HAS stepped foot in Hollywood before.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN at March 20, 2008 7:17 PM

comment #4

Rothchild says ...

He had one friend in LA that read his script and got the train going. That's how it always works, MiraJeff.

Posted by Rothchild at March 20, 2008 8:38 PM

comment #5

abuseintake says ...

The script sounds like a deleted, faux-pitch from "The Player." Next thing you know we will be hearing about a script with a ruthless amoral software tycoon from the mid 70’s sadistically rising to the top like an asperger-addled Daniel Plainview played by Vince Vaughn.

Posted by abuseintake at March 20, 2008 9:43 PM

comment #6

D.Z. says ...

Is this any relation to Cave Dwellers?

Posted by D.Z. at March 20, 2008 11:51 PM

comment #7

Richardson says ...

"The script sounds like a deleted, faux-pitch from "The Player.""

Not as much as 'Nottingham', though.

Posted by Richardson at March 21, 2008 9:21 AM

comment #8

dangovich says ...

Was Mr. Ingelsby, at any time, employed as a stripper?

Posted by dangovich at March 21, 2008 10:16 AM

comment #9

hatchling says ...

THR ought to do a little research. It's "A" History of Violence, not "The".

I don't understand the negativity for Nottingham... the idea behind this project appeals to a lot of people, but since the final script isn't even ready, much less filming begun, it's all a bit premature.

Let's wait until the film gets made... then diss it.

Posted by hatchling at March 21, 2008 1:00 PM

comment #10