At the Box Office: Cloverfield

Cloverfield
Running Time: 85 minutes



*Writer's note: Cloverfield is an uncharacteristically secretive film. The viral marketing that preceded it as well as the secrecy that was deliberately used on everyone--including the actors--were designed so that you would go into this movie knowing nothing at all about it. I experienced the movie with minimal information and as such was able to feel as if new discoveries made by the characters were discoveries made by myself, which may have enhanced my experience. If you wish to get the absolute full effect of this film i encourage you not to read this review. If you wish to have a better idea of whether this is something you will enjoy and don't mind having some of the mystery taken away, feel free to continue. WARNING: THIS FILM MAY CAUSE MOTION SICKNESS.*


"I was in Japan a year ago with my son who is eight, and all he wanted to do was go to toy stores - so I know he's my son. And we went to the store and there were still all of these Godzillas, and I thought we need our own monster. We need a monster movie - not like King Kong. I love King Kong - King Kong is adorable - and Godzilla is a charming monster, but I wanted something that was just insane and intense." That is what J.J. Abrams said six months ago to explain the movie that has had audiences puzzled ever since trailers began to roll last summer. Most people have seen the frantic faces of the unfortunate party-going inhabitants of Cloverfield's Manhattan, the frenetic handling of a camcorder as the person (previously unidentified) sought to document the unfolding terror while avoiding soiling himself. And that's all they've seen.

Well, we've certainly got a monster now, and it's neither adorable nor charming. It has a penchant for ripping heads off of statues and chucking them into crowded streets. And that's before it gets nasty.

The film begins innocently enough: Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving for Japan (he's recently been promoted to vice presidentship) and his soon-to-be sister-in-law has arranged a surprise party for him. As part of his going away present, Lily (Jessica Lucas) asks her boyfriend Jason (Mike Vogel) to take a camcorder around to get testimonials from the guests à la une wedding. Lazy as ever, Jason hands the camera over to Hud (T.J. Miller), who is personally more interested in getting in the sack with Marlena (Lizzy Caplan).

Rob soon arrives and the party gets off to a good start. Since he's been charged with getting a testimonial from everyone Hud pesters Marlena (who claims to not know Rob enough to constitute leaving a farewell for him) to make one, a thinly disguised attempt to spend as much time as possible with a girl who is clearly uninterested. Soon after, Rob's best friend and (according to dialogue) roommate Beth (Odette Yustman) arrives with her new boyfriend Travis (Ben Feldman).

Apparently all these years of friendship with Beth have led Rob to fall in love with her, and his failure to confess this to her is exacerbated by her having a significant other right when he was ready to tell her. The two have an argument (resulting in Beth and Travis departing from the party) and Hud (filming it all) goes outside with Jason to try to console and/or coach Rob on how to deal with the situation. As they talk a huge tremor shakes the building, and they (with all the other partygoers) run to the roof to see if they can catch a glimpse of what caused the commotion. Suddenly a huge fireball erupts, terrifying the group and sending them running for the streets. They arrive just in time to see the (now iconic) severed head of Lady Liberty.

It's Jason that comes in with the clever idea here: "Let's get out of Manhattan."

So begins a havoc-wrought race against creature and chronos as Rob, Jason, Lily, and Marlena try to find Beth and get out of what quickly becomes Hell; all while Hud faithfully documents the unfolding events on the camcorder.

This is the part of the film that truly makes it unique and enjoyable. Cloverfield could have been a generic monster movie, with all the basic special effects and suspense-laden encounters with danger. Instead we see all these special effects and suspense from the perspective of a single person--rather, a single person's hand. Just as being attacked by a monster would cause a real person to drop his camera and/or forget he's supposed to be filming, Hud occasionally flails the camera too wildly to truly get in-focus. And while we might get quite angry at a friend or family member for making such a mistake, this helps convey a true sense of reality to the movie.

The film keeps a great pace throughout its (by modern standards) short duration (only about an hour and a half), but in that time there are a lot of heart-pounding moments. You WILL find yourself occasionally frightened and/or shocked at what is happening to those on-screen. Thankfully, Hud's remarks serve as comedic relief, meaning that time not spent saying to your neighbor "holy crap what was that" will be spent laughing out loud. This makes for a unique viewing experience in a theater, one that is much easier felt than described.

There is one hitch to the film, however, and that's content. The MPAA gave Cloverfield a "PG-13" rating, and admittedly the content is mostly tame. However, the language is noticeable: my younger brother used a pen to put a mark on his hand every time an s-word was used and when we got in the car i saw that his hand was covered in dashes. Also, there is a single scene in which the violence struck both of us as perhaps too intense for the rating the film received. This may be a concern for those with younger children, though it's true that they've probably seen worse already.

Overall, Abrams has pulled off pretty much exactly what he was going for. The use of no-name actors combined with the utter secrecy with which this film was enshrouded resulted in an outrageously effective viral campaign for what should be a quite enjoyable experience for moviegoers everywhere. Just make sure to watch through to the end of the credits.




Links:
~Cloverfield on IMDb
~Cloverfield trailer on Apple Trailers
~Cloverfield official site

At the Box Office: Atonement

Atonement
Running Time: 130 minutes




Writer's note: this review contains content that may be deemed inappropriate for impressionable readers, specifically unpleasant imagery of sexual nature.

Emotions are dangerous. In our anger, confusion, fear or passion we can do incredible things. We can also make terrible, irreversible mistakes, ones that affect not only our future but that of others; and ones that we may spend our whole lives seeking atonement for.

Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement (2007) is the utterly tragic story of two young lovers torn apart by the actions of another, and moreover the story of the other seeking redemption for her heinous act.

Briony Tallis (Saorise Ronan) and her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) live with their mother in a mansion on a beautiful estate full of rolling hillsides and mysterious woods. Briony, thirteen years old, aspires to be a writer; the opening scene finds her completing her first play, gleefully (but maturely) letting the maids and servants know that this evening there will be a performance (supposing the visiting twins are compliant). When asked by her cousin Lola (Juno Temple) what it's about, she replies "It's about how love is all very good, but you have to be reasonable."

One of the servants to whom Briony heralds her play is Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), whose response to the news indicates a greater level of intimacy with the Tallis family than the other household help (he accuses her of no longer giving him "bound volumes" of her work as she used to). She pleads with him to come see her performance with such fervor that one must wonder whether this thirteen year-old who thinks love must be "reasonable" carries an affection for the hired labor.

Such suspicions are confirmed when Briony spots Robbie and Cecilia out by the fountain and is forced to look away, all the while bearing a face of shock, pain, and unquestionable jealousy. What Briony sees from her bedroom window proves to be far more than simply "two figures by a fountain;" from various angles we watch as the two awkwardly walk out to the fountain, Cecilia carrying an intricate vase replete with a myriad of flowers and Robbie trying in earnest to serve her. She has come to the fountain, we assume, to draw water for the vase. Robbie reaches to help her, she pulls away in a brash show of feminine independence, resulting in the severing of a handle from the vase and a rather flush Ms. Tallis. "You idiot! You realize that's probably the most valuable thing we own?" To which Robbie replies "Not anymore."

Cecilia proceeds to strip down to her undergarments and dive into the fountain to retrieve a lost piece of the vase, emerging with her clothes clinging tightly to her figure to the dropped jaw and gaping eyes of Robbie (this is the point at which Briony could no longer watch). Wordlessly Cecilia redresses, picks up the vase, and brushes awkwardly away from Robbie as she tears the severed handle from his hand. Ashamed and embarrassed, Robbie retires to his typewriter and a pocketful of cigarettes and attempts a letter of apology. As he writes we see a transformation overtake him as he begins to realize how deeply in love he is with her.

Robbie goes through many drafts of his letter, ranging from strictly 'sorry' to overflowing with emotion. At one point, reclining in his chair and spouting smoke from his nose, Robbie begins to chortle. The letter he writes here is probably (and understandably) the most controversial part of the film. "In my dreams i kiss your c**t, your sweet wet c**t."

Though deplorable, we must accept this as a simple outing of internal feeling which (were it not in a movie) no one but Robbie would ever have seen. Even before the ink has dried on this pornographic note he has removed the offending letter and begun anew, this time with a far more appropriate (and poetic) phrasing that conveys simply the newly realized affection he has for Cecilia.

Finishing his writing, Robbie quickly dresses for the party he has been invited to that evening, grabbing his letter on the way out the door. As he sets out he spies Briony playing in the nearby woods. He calls to her and asks her to run straightaway with his letter to Cecilia for he'd be too embarrassed to deliver it in person. She takes the letter and runs toward home, leaving Robbie at the bridge in contemplation. Suddenly it hits him: she has the wrong letter. The very wrong letter.

It is too late, however. Briony curiously reads the letter and is terrified at its contents. She delivers it to Cecilia but begins to consider Robbie a "sex freak." She also confides in Lola with this information, and they agree that Robbie is probably dangerous and should be reported.

These feelings are further exacerbated when Briony stumbles upon Robbie and Cecilia having sex in the library (a scene which is gratefully far more intense than explicit). The viewer knows that the sex is consensual, and that both parties are deeply in love with the other; Briony, however, considers it rape.

Thus, confused as to Robbie's true intentions, when Briony goes into the woods to find her missing cousins she spots a man in a suit raping Lola and assumes it is Robbie. At least, this is what she reports to the investigators who arrive shortly thereafter, and Robbie is sent to prison.

This is the first half of the film, and it is this false accusation upon which the film hinges. When the Second World War erupts soon after Robbie's imprisonment, he is given the choice to stay and die in jail or to join the military and fight for his country. His decision to do the latter draws him into the bloody and terrible warfare that World War Two is infamous for. The scene in which Robbie and comrades emerge from tall grass onto a beach teeming with dying and suffering soldiers is at once terrible and beautiful.

It is this stunning cinematography that truly makes Atonement a sensational film. Everything from the landscapes to the actors is gloriously sharp and crisp, a rare experience that the trailers only begin to do justice. Beautiful, lush imagery is accompanied by a stirring score by composer Dario Marianelli that is at times both chilling and heartwarming.

Spanning half a century, Atonement is perhaps one of the greatest films to grace the silver screen in years. True, it is a cold and tragic story (with one of the iciest endings i've ever seen in a movie) but as a work of art it is nigh unparalleled. If you are looking for a feel-good matinée, go see Mad Money. But if you want a substantial experience; if you want to see two lovers torn apart by a series of unfortunate events; if you want a look at the horror of war and the closeness of death it brings; if you want these things, then Atonement is right for you.





Links:
~Atonement on IMDb
~Atonement trailer on Apple Trailers
~Atonement official site