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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HE reader Dan Revill has passed along a frame capture of Aaron Eckhart's post-disfigurement Harvey Dent, taken from the high-def Dark Knight trailer. "Judging from the slight scarring seen, I'm gonna say that's not fire-induced," Revill says. "Unless [fire] leaves him charcoal faced." Down with that. I've always been an acid-in-the-face type of guy.

Dumb Guy Thing<< previous | next >>Obiter Dicta

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 4, 2008 at 3:09 PM

comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

Thought I noticed something. The gun certainly indicated it was post. Awesome.

Posted by BurmaShave at May 4, 2008 3:19 PM

comment #2

Mr. Gittes says ...

In the new trailer, doesn't the Joker throw Maggie Gyllenhaal off a building? Anyone else catch that?

Posted by Mr. Gittes at May 4, 2008 3:22 PM

comment #3

Jason says ...

It would never happen, but if ever they rebooted Indiana Jones, I think Eckhart would kill as Indy. He has the same broad-shouldered physicality and roguish affability as Ford. Somebody needs to find this guy a great action role.

Posted by Jason at May 4, 2008 3:32 PM

comment #4

lazarus says ...

Jason, many people have thought that about Eckhart for a while now. In The Company of Men was over 10 years ago, and it's strange that his sensitive-biker dude in Erin Brockovich didn't prove to be a bigger breakthrough. Unfortunately, after that he did Nurse Betty and Possession, two films that failed to break out of the arthouse sector. I don't know if he was offered bigger projects, but I have to imagine he turned down other stuff to continue working with Neil LaBute.

I guess Thank You For Smoking is another one that got full use of his charisma, but that didn't manage to breakout either. And we know how well The Black Dahlia did.

I agree with your assessment, and the difference between him and Harrison Ford is that Eckhart is a MUCH better actor.

Posted by lazarus at May 4, 2008 3:42 PM

comment #5

NickF says ...

I'm surprised that they left they Rachel tossing frame in the trailer. It clarifies why Batman is "sad" according to the Jokerized trailer and why Dent is out for revenge.

Posted by NickF at May 4, 2008 3:42 PM

comment #6

lazarus says ...

A big assumption there, Nick. Just because Rachel may get thrown off a building doesn't mean she's not rescued.

Posted by lazarus at May 4, 2008 3:45 PM

comment #7

Aladdin Sane says ...

Thanks for posting my grab Jeff! Glad it was of some service.

Posted by Aladdin Sane at May 4, 2008 3:50 PM

comment #8

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

To anyone's who read the script, Rachel does indeed die at the hands of the Joker at about half-way through the film.

Posted by Jeffrey Kunze at May 4, 2008 3:52 PM

comment #9

Wiggumx says ...

Thanks Jeffrey! Now please spoil the rest of the movie, too, idiot! Maybe, for your next act, you can come over and tell my kid there's no Santa Claus!

Posted by Wiggumx at May 4, 2008 3:57 PM

comment #10

Jason says ...

Jeffrey, you're like Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker, in the Kentucky Fried Movie. You better run fast, squirrel.

Lazarus, I think Ford is a fine actor, versatile in comedy and drama. My only misgiving about him is his narrow and utilitarian view of his screen persona that led him into his "Wife Force One" rut.

Posted by Jason at May 4, 2008 4:14 PM

comment #11

storymark says ...

I'd like to extend Mr. Jeffrey Kuntze a big Fuck You.

Posted by storymark at May 4, 2008 4:27 PM

comment #12

actionman says ...

I have a feeling that The Dark Knight will be a masterpiece.

Posted by actionman at May 4, 2008 4:32 PM

comment #13

Josh Massey says ...

To anyone who read this thread, Jeffrey Kunze is a royal twat. And damn near illiterate, given his sentence structure.

Posted by Josh Massey at May 4, 2008 4:37 PM

comment #14

alynch says ...

Fuck You Jeffrey Kunze. It's people like you that give child rapists a bad name.

Posted by alynch at May 4, 2008 4:47 PM

comment #15

scooterzz says ...

wells -- why not delete the kunze comment before it ruins things for someone else (you've certainly deleted comments for less)...

Posted by scooterzz at May 4, 2008 5:17 PM

comment #16

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

Take it easy guys, I was obviously JOKING, you fanboys take everything so seriously. I don't even know if the script is out there to read and if I did I certainly wouldn't read it and spoil it for everyone.

Once again, I was just joking, curious to see if you guys would actually take me seriously.

J-O-K-I-N-G

Posted by Jeffrey Kunze at May 4, 2008 5:18 PM

comment #17

Mr. Gittes says ...

OT: Christian Bale needs to bail out of Terminator. I can't believe he's involved with that crap.

Posted by Mr. Gittes at May 4, 2008 5:19 PM

comment #18

Wrecktum says ...

I can't wait for this shite movie to open so that you nerd fanboys (Wells included) will finally stop fucking talking about it.

And when this unremittingly grim, 3 hour S&M fantasy finally underperforms, discussion can continue on the DC comics nerd-forum, where it belongs.

Posted by Wrecktum at May 4, 2008 5:33 PM

comment #19

MeekayD says ...

Getting back to the actual topic of the post, I could've sworn I actually saw in the new trailer a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Eckhart's face being held to the floor with a pool of something he didn't like creeping toward it. The theory would seem to be confirmed.

Posted by MeekayD at May 4, 2008 5:56 PM

comment #20

AHFan says ...

Too bad it was just a joke Jeffrey! I was actually getting even more excited to see this film! Darn! ;p

Posted by AHFan at May 4, 2008 6:11 PM

comment #21

Jack Price says ...

Maybe you all can trigger my memory on this, but has there ever been material specifically shot for a trailer that was only intended to throw off the obsessive frame-by-frame scrutiny of the fanboy demographic? Material so blatantly misleading in alluding to a character's fate, it makes you anticipate one conclusion when the true reality of the film can effectively suckerpunch you?

If not, I'd say that the Rachel-toss would be a terrific intro into this line of mis-marketing. Same for the Harvey Dent/gasoline shot if the acid burn is what really does it.

Like imagine if the trailer for No Country for Old Men ended with an epic standoff between Chigurh and Llewelyn at the motel, or Sheriff Bell firing his gun at Chigurh for that matter.

I'm talking THAT level of manipulation.

Alas, I'm sure that's not the case here, and whatevers in the trailer is in the film. For now, though, I'll treat Ms. Dodson's fall like any one of Mary Jane's innumerable falls... nothing's certain at this point (for us).

Posted by Jack Price at May 4, 2008 6:33 PM

comment #22

Aladdin Sane says ...

Ms Dodson? You mean Rachel Dawes? ;-)

Posted by Aladdin Sane at May 4, 2008 7:42 PM

comment #23

lazarus says ...

Wrecktum, exactly which summer film DOES deserve any kind of extended discussion?

It's probably going to be the most dense thing hitting multiplexes until the fall, no?

Posted by lazarus at May 4, 2008 9:28 PM

comment #24

CarloDennis says ...

Did anyone else spot who's behind the wheel of the car that Batman crashes onto from above?

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m305/daledennis80/Picture1.png

Yeah, it was confirmed he's in the movie long ago, but it's cool nonetheless...

Posted by CarloDennis at May 4, 2008 9:48 PM

comment #25

Jack Price says ...

Alladin Sane - You're right. I was reading the original draft of Batman Begins, and in the first draft her last name is "Dodson." Something didn't seem right about that...

http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Batman-Begins.html

Posted by Jack Price at May 4, 2008 9:59 PM

comment #26

Midwest Doug says ...

Don't see how it's acid. The trailer shows a bottle spill with stuff that looks like gasoline. Eckhart is lying left-cheek down in the stuff, yelling "No!". If it was acid, he'd be screaming in agony. So I go with gasoline, and the "No!" is him screaming for whomever not to drop the match.

Posted by Midwest Doug at May 5, 2008 8:27 AM

comment #27

Leonardcoenbrothers says ...

I also heard that the batmobile will lose a wheel, and the Joker gets away.

Posted by Leonardcoenbrothers at May 5, 2008 8:57 AM

comment #28

thorsen1nk says ...

Oh, fuck you very much Jeffrey Kuntze. I hope your mom gets raped by HIV-positive escaped convicts and your cat gets run over by a bus.

HOWEVER, it is also very uncool for them to include that in the trailer. I am so GD sick of the whole movie being ruined in trailers.

Posted by thorsen1nk at May 5, 2008 11:47 AM

comment #29

thorsen1nk says ...

Oh, fuck you very much Jeffrey Kuntze. I hope your mom gets raped by HIV-positive escaped convicts and your cat gets run over by a bus.

HOWEVER, it is also very uncool for them to include that in the trailer. I am so GD sick of the whole movie being ruined in trailers. I loved the fact that in Batman Begins, you wouldn't even know it was a batman movie until 1/2-way through it.

Posted by thorsen1nk at May 5, 2008 11:48 AM

comment #30

JasonGeyer says ...

HUGE SPOILER!!!! in link below.

Might be acid. Might be gas. Not pretty either way:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/images/litg/2008/0505/dent_tdk.jpg

Posted by JasonGeyer at May 5, 2008 2:56 PM

comment #31

Rich S. says ...

They've pulled the image at Comic Book Resources, but it's still up at AICN. As Jason said, HUGE SPOILER. But it's exactly what Eckhart was describing in the interview.

Posted by Rich S. at May 6, 2008 6:25 AM