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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The red-band trailer for the Coen Bros.' Burn After Reading (Focus Features, 9.12) tells you it'll almost certainly be -- surprise! -- a dry, deadpan thing mixed with broad slapstick, and probably hilarious. My favorite aspect, though, is the photography by Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezski, whose legendary work on Children on Men was passed over last year for the Best Cinematography Oscar. A larger version.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 29, 2008 at 9:01 PM

comment #1

The Bandsaw Vigilante says ...

Guess this means Clooney finally gets to nail TIlda onscreen, "Carlito's"-style.

Posted by The Bandsaw Vigilante at May 29, 2008 9:54 PM

comment #2

The Winchester says ...

That certainly was a larger version.

Posted by The Winchester at May 29, 2008 9:55 PM

comment #3

soap-and-water says ...

has anyone watched The Ladykillers lately? remember how absolutely everybody called it a fumble?
put it on last night and it's sublime... comfortably among their best.
for starters, the score mixes gospel, hip-hop and renaissance (plinky, plunky harpsichord sort of stuff).
how irma hall missed out an oscar nom, fuck that, an oscar win, is a mystery.

honest to god, put it on again and watch closely... you'll freak.

the funny thing is, without LKs as the obvious 'worst Coens' film' to point to, their output is essentially made up of this perfect run of five stars films, like kubrick.
(everybody knows hudsucker + cruelty are ace, right?)

i guess lebowski would be the least accessible (hence weakest) of the bunch.

Posted by soap-and-water at May 29, 2008 10:02 PM

comment #4

Roman says ...

Pitt looks hilarious.

Posted by Roman at May 29, 2008 10:03 PM

comment #5

btwnproductions says ...

Partly filmed on State Street in Brooklyn. We were "neighbors" with the crew. (THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3 remake crew has been around recently.)

Posted by btwnproductions at May 29, 2008 10:11 PM

comment #6

jason4235 says ...

I think they are the greatest movie makers of their generation, but they aren't perfect. I'd probably group their movies like this:

Clunkers - Ladykillers, Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty

Hit and miss - Blood Simple, Hudsucker, Barton Fink

Classic - Miller's Crossing, Lebowski, Fargo, No Country, O Brother, Raising Arizona

Posted by jason4235 at May 29, 2008 10:12 PM

comment #7

David Ehrlich says ...

how anyone can't see that MAN WHO WASN'T THERE and INTOLERABLE CRUELTY are both absolutely brilliant in their own fashions... is beyond me.

Posted by David Ehrlich at May 29, 2008 10:15 PM

comment #8

jason4235 says ...

Just watched the trailer. Brad Pitt is gonna kill.

Posted by jason4235 at May 29, 2008 10:20 PM

comment #9

John Y says ...

Am I the only one who thinks that looked awful?

Posted by John Y at May 29, 2008 10:47 PM

comment #10

Walter Sobchak says ...

I hope there'll be extreme wide-angle close-ups of fat people laughing and/or women screaming.

Posted by Walter Sobchak at May 29, 2008 11:39 PM

comment #11

Roman says ...

Anyone who puts "The Man Who Wasn't There," among "clunkers and "Hudsucker's Proxy" among "Hit-and-miss" is a friggin' moron beyond any hope of repair.

That is a statement of fact.

Posted by Roman at May 29, 2008 11:40 PM

comment #12

hiviper says ...

Intolerable Cruelty was just flat-out terrible. Self-conscious, trying too hard to be funny, CZJ usual bad acting, etc. Not a good Cohen Bros movie.

From the trailer on this one, I see a lot of familiar Pitt mannerisms - let's face it, without great directing, he's not Olivier - but I'm hoping it's going to be good.

Posted by hiviper at May 30, 2008 12:19 AM

comment #13

rgmax99 says ...

LADYKILLERS is sorely underrated. CRUELTY is their worst. And BURN looks fantastic.

Posted by rgmax99 at May 30, 2008 6:45 AM

comment #14

Breedlove says ...

Cannot wait for this. Pitt's run of Jesse James, Coens, then Fincher, then Malick is so badass.

I've been wanting to give The Ladykillers another try. Intolerable Cruelty is a fantastic movie in which Billy Bob Thornton gives one of the laugh-out-loud funniest performances I've ever seen in a movie.

"I love you! I trust you! I love you like a sunuvabitch!" (as he eats the prenup dipped in BBQ sauce)

Posted by Breedlove at May 30, 2008 7:37 AM

comment #15

Rich S. says ...

Reminds me a little of Ruthless People. If Pitt's half as funny as Bill Pullman was in that, it should be terrific.

Posted by Rich S. at May 30, 2008 8:21 AM

comment #16

actionman says ...

That is quite a roll Pitt is on, Breedlove.

This looks great, can't wait.

Posted by actionman at May 30, 2008 9:56 AM

comment #17

Redmond says ...

Jesus, was that Sledge Hammer himself David Rasche?!

SOLD!

Posted by Redmond at May 30, 2008 10:06 AM

comment #18

lipranzer says ...

I definitely would not include MAN WHO WASN'T THERE as one of their "clunkers." It's one of my faves of theirs.

Having said that, while this trailer looks great, I was disappointed in both movies the Coens have made with Clooney, which is strange because I like them both apart (I even liked LEATHERHEADS more than most people did). O BROTHER and CRUELTY both have good parts (for the latter, the "carnivore" exchange and the hitman death scene near the end), but they didn't come together for me. I'm hoping the third time's the charm here.

Posted by lipranzer at May 30, 2008 10:26 AM

comment #19

115thDreamer says ...

Looks awesome. Great cast - bless the Movie Gods for getting both Malkovich AND Swinton into a Coen Bros. movie. And Pitt does look like he's going to be a riot - the iPod strapped to his bicep is a perfect detail. Can't wait.

Also, I must agree that "The Man Who Wasn't There" is certainly not to be placed anywhere near the "clunker" file......please.

Posted by 115thDreamer at May 30, 2008 11:16 AM

comment #20