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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Uncertainty Persists

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"When Changeling was translated into French as L'Echange, many folks liked The Exchange better. Director Clint Eastwood was noncommital at the press conference, but [producer Brian] Grazer thinks it will stay Changeling in the U.S." -- from Anne Thompson's Variety column, posted a little while ago.

If Grazer "thinks" it will stay Changeling, that means he's not 100% sure, which means the title is in play. I think The Exchange mildly sucks myself. It sounds dry and underdescriptive -- close to meaningless . It suggests an allusion to some sort of financial-barter transaction rather than a switch. And even something that clearly refers to one young boy replacing another doesn't sound right to me, having now seen Eastwood's film.

Changeling without a "The" is probably the one to stick with.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 21, 2008 at 6:07 AM

comment #1

Rich S. says ...

I think "Wineville Chicken Coop [mild spoiler]" would be a good title, but it would kind of give the ballgame away. (Don't Google it if you don't want to know why.)

Seriously, Changeling is much more elegant than The Exchange, which also kind of gives the ballgame away. At least with Changeling, the person has to do some digging to figure out how it relates.

Posted by Rich S. at May 21, 2008 6:36 AM

comment #2

Mgmax says ...

Changeling is a horror movie title to me and always will be.

Posted by Mgmax at May 21, 2008 7:49 AM

comment #3

Wrecktum says ...

Changeling is the name of a Star Trek episode to me and always will be.

Posted by Wrecktum at May 21, 2008 7:56 AM

comment #4

corey3rd says ...

The Changeling is also the name of a play by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley that was a BBC special in 1974 featuring Brian Cox and Helen Mirren. it's featured on the recently released "Helen Mirren at the BBC" boxset.

Posted by corey3rd at May 21, 2008 8:20 AM

comment #5