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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Fantasy Moguls' Steve Mason is reporting a higher weekend figure for Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light -- $2.15 million -- than what I've been told it's likely to be, which is something in the vicinity of $1.4 million. Even if Mason turns out to be right, it's still lower than it should be. You can use terms like "limited success" or "IMAX hit," but the bottom line is that it fizzled. And nobody under 40 cared what the boomer-aged critics had to say.

If Fox Searchlight's Young @ Heart, which is also about performing rock standards, is the year's most heartwarming film, Shine a Light is easily '08's most purely enjoyable -- rousing, beautifully shot and cut, clap your hands and say yeah. And yet it didn't do very well outside the IMAX theatres. The reason, of course, is that the Stones don't mean much to younger GenXers and GenYers. It's an older person's rock concert film. The excitement, the charged energy levels and the Stones' sublime aura of authority are transcendent -- it's one of the best films of this type ever made -- and younger moviegoers didn't want to know.

Jett saw it with a date in Syracuse last night (i..e, the flat version -- no IMAX in Syracuse) and says he was mainly taken with the great photography and the editing. He said he didn't like Mick Jagger showing his stomach (I argued with him about this) but said he was gratified that his forearms were more muscular than they seemed to be during th Stones' half-time Superbowl performance in Detroit two years ago.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 6, 2008 at 10:43 AM

comment #1

Wrecktum says ...

Complaining about stomachs and biceps. The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

Posted by Wrecktum at April 6, 2008 11:27 AM

comment #2

actionman says ...

Jagger looks like the devil....or an undeveloped woman...but he knows how to kick ass on stage

All of the guys look like antiques but for me, that was part of the charm of the movie. Here's four guys who are best friends, all doing what they love, and doing it really, really well.

My only complaint of the film is that Scorsese wasn't on screen enough.

But yeah, it's easily the most entertaining two hours I have spent in a theater this year so far. It's not gonna win awards, it's not as all encompassing as No Direction Home, but it kicks a lot of rock n' roll ass.

Overall, it was the experience of seeing it on the IMAX screen that made the film really stand out. When the image fills the screen for the first time, I got goose bumps.

Posted by actionman at April 6, 2008 11:28 AM

comment #3

VoiceOfReason says ...

IMAX films have a long life. U2-3D was still selling out a month after its release.

Posted by VoiceOfReason at April 6, 2008 12:10 PM

comment #4

Terry McCarty says ...

I don't think concert films with A-list directors in the last quarter-century have been boxoffice successes--except for Jonathan Demme's STOP MAKING SENSE.

Previous examples of this genre include Michael Apted's BRING ON THE NIGHT (Sting) and Richard Lester's GET BACK (Paul McCartney). I saw both of these films in sparsely attended theaters.

Posted by Terry McCarty at April 6, 2008 12:11 PM

comment #5

Aris P says ...

Love Scorcese. But the Stones? yeah i've seen them, yeah they're legends, but yawn. Now if Marty had done a movie about Green Day for example, i'd go, and many others would too. Just sayin'.

Posted by Aris P at April 6, 2008 12:22 PM

comment #6

The Winchester says ...

The prospect of a seven story Keith Richards scares the crap out of me.

There. I said it.

Posted by The Winchester at April 6, 2008 1:09 PM

comment #7

Edward says ...

Winchester, that's funny! I saw the Stones back in the day (late 70's, I think. Lot of enhancement back then, so I might be off half a decade). Fantastic. Not sure I can handle Keith on IMAX.

Posted by Edward at April 6, 2008 1:24 PM

comment #8

Wrecktum says ...

"Now if Marty had done a movie about Green Day for example, i'd go, and many others would too. Just sayin'."

Ha, too funny.

I've come to the conclusion that the only two types of people who wank off to "The IMAX Experience" are 1) IMAX stocxkholders and 2) people who don't know any better. I saw Shine A Light at the Arclight Cinerama Dome, and I can tell you that my experience was better than any IMAX in the country.

Posted by Wrecktum at April 6, 2008 3:04 PM

comment #9

actionman says ...

Sorry dude, there's no way it's better in the Dome. The Dome is amazing, no doubt. But if you saw it in Imax you'd never contemplate that thought.

Did you see the film in Imax as well?

Posted by actionman at April 6, 2008 5:30 PM

comment #10

T. Holly says ...

Voice of Reason says it all. I took my teenage girl dates for the shock and awe. They gaped, they laughed, they thought it was ridiculous, but very mezmorizing. They thought Ronnie Wood was hot. They saw freaks in the audience, I saw a lot of pretty girls. I caught a glimpse of Steve Bing and Ron Burkle when Bill walked in. $109 million. I could never vote for a women, supposedly as smart as Hillary, who claims she doesn't know her husband's been making a lot of money.

Posted by T. Holly at April 6, 2008 6:13 PM

comment #11

T. Holly says ...

I told them "now anyone of them can drop dead," they said that what I didn't get was the point of the movie, that rock and roll lives forever. Damn yuts.

Posted by T. Holly at April 6, 2008 7:23 PM

comment #12

Terry McCarty says ...

The Winchester wrote:
The prospect of a seven story Keith Richards scares the crap out of me.

There. I said it.

Saw SHINE A LIGHT in IMAX this afternoon and, due to the clarity of picture and sound, recommend it without reservations.

Re a seven story Keith: if you saw the "Love Is Strong" video from 94, you're prepared to see SHINE A LIGHT.

Posted by Terry McCarty at April 6, 2008 7:54 PM

comment #13

Wrecktum says ...

"Did you see the film in Imax as well?"

I don't need to. It'll pale in comparison, the way all IMAX DMR conversions do.

Posted by Wrecktum at April 6, 2008 8:58 PM

comment #14

corey3rd says ...

Stop Making Sense made $5 million when it was first released - which while good is less than the gross brought in by the 2 million soundtrack copies sold.

Posted by corey3rd at April 7, 2008 7:02 AM