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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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Brandenburg Face-Off

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Berlin's liberal, openly gay mayor Klaus Wowereit favors the idea of Barack Obama giving a speech at the Brandenburg Gate when he travels to Berlin later this month, although the conservative-minded German chancellor Angela Merkel, famed on this side of the Atlantic for getting a creepy back rub from George Bush in 2006, is against it.

Wowereit, Obama, Merkel

The Brandenburg Gate is the "most famous and history-rich location in Germany," a Chancellery source told Der Spiegel's Carsten Volkery in a piece posted today. "In the past, it has only been used on very special occasions for addresses by politicians, and when, then only by elected American presidents. More clearly stated: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would be better off looking for another location in the German capital to hold a speech."

Wowereit, however, "appeared unimpressed by the warning from Merkel's office and said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would be pleased if Obama were to address the public at the Brandenburg Gate.

A spokesperson for the local government told Der Spiegel that "the decision over where Obama should make his appearance was in the hands of the city council of Berlin and not the chancellor's office or the federal government.

"Some suspect Mayor Wowereit's remarks may be self-serving," the article says. No!

Jurgen Trittin, deputy floor leader of The Green Party in the German parliament, has predicted that Obama would end up getting his JFK moment at the Brandenburg Gate. "Do you think that Wowereit would miss the chance to appear alongside Barack Obama?," he reportedly asked an interviewer on the German news channel N24. "I believe Wowereit is thinking [Obama] should appear [and] I will come into the picture and everything will be great."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 8, 2008 at 2:16 PM

comment #1

Amazing Larry says ...

The pictures came up in my browser before I RTFA and I swear I thought, "Is Lars Van Trier making a movie with Obama and Nicole Kidman's mom???" Wow, that was a close one.

A JFK moment, huh? I'm not so sure the sitch is exactly comparable to when Johnnie Boy spoke to the Germans more than 40 years ago -- at that time, their country was divided, their economy was still in fairly terrible shape, and they needed some cheering up from a young, good looking guy who was nailing Marilyn Monroe. Maybe somebody from Germany should come HERE and give US a rousing speech this time.

Merkel looks like the Emperor from the Star Wars movies around the eyes.

Posted by Amazing Larry at July 8, 2008 3:07 PM

comment #2

cinefan says ...

Sadly, that creepy back rub given by Bush might be the finest and most memorable thing he's done in regard to his presidency's foreign policy.

Posted by cinefan at July 8, 2008 3:28 PM

comment #3

D.Z. says ...

"In the past, it has only been used on very special occasions for addresses by politicians, and when, then only by elected American presidents. More clearly stated: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would be better off looking for another location in the German capital to hold a speech."

I wonder if it's an Aryan/Euro xenophobic thing, considering the fuss that Beatles cover wannabe singer from Oasis made about Jay-Z playing at Glastonbury.

Posted by D.Z. at July 8, 2008 5:04 PM

comment #4

Mgmax says ...

Obama needs to stop making the big goony smile. It takes 20 years off his age, which leaves him constitutionally ineligible for the presidency.

Posted by Mgmax at July 8, 2008 5:11 PM

comment #5

MAGGA says ...

"I wonder if it's an Aryan/Euro xenophobic thing, considering the fuss that Beatles cover wannabe singer from Oasis made about Jay-Z playing at Glastonbury."

Uhu... An out of touch old-school rocker thinks hip hop is wrong for a rock festival and we're right back in WW2-era Germany. FYI Obama is insanely popular in Europe, and as the very text you quoted stated, if he did in fact make that speech it would be a historically exceptional event. My guess is Merkel doesn't want to appear to give any bias in the elections, since she will have to get along with whoever wins.

Posted by MAGGA at July 9, 2008 1:03 AM

comment #6