Unflattering Look At The Cloverfield Monster

The Cloverfield monster toy is revealed! You can see it after the jump, but be warned, if you haven't seen the movie.

The toy is made by Hasbro (makers of My Little Pony, also known as, in this case: bait...) and they've finally revealed what the $100 Cloverfield monster toy will look like, It's pretty insane, to be honest and I have to say I'm not regretting putting in a pre-order on this 14" tall baby! It has two heads, one with the mouth open, the other, closed, plus 10 of those nasty "parasites" that run amok and wreak havoc.

Cloverfield 2 Gets A Green Light

Well now, that didn't take long, did it?

Despite a close to 70% drop in box office in it's second weekend (which I'll talk about in a minute) Paramount has already greenlit Cloverfield 2. Let the viral speculation begin!

Will it pick up where the first one ended? Will it cover the same events through a different point of view? At this point it's all speculation and I'm sure that's just the way Paramount likes it. :-)

The only thing for certain is that Matt Reeves will be back to direct and Drew Goddard back to write the film.

Meet The Spartans Box Office = Sign Of The Apocalypse

Are you freaking kidding me? Meet the Spartans is number one at the box office this weekend?

It's estimated that it brought in $18.7MM vs second place Rambo at $18.2MM. Cloverfield fell 68% from last weekend - a second week drop of that magnitude usually means that a movie has received horrible word of mouth advertising. I knew it was going to split audiences big time into love it or hate it, but it seems that everyone who was going to see it went on opening weekend.

Star Trek Taking A Lesson From Cloverfield

Considering the monster success (yes, that was on purpose) of Paramount's Cloverfield this past weekend, due in no small part to the viral marketing campaign that preceded it, it looks like they may be applying the same idea to J.J. Abram's new Star Trek movie.

The teaser trailer is pretty mysterious for such a well-known franchise and now Paramount has also launched what I presume to be the first in a series of viral sites for the film at NCC-1701.com.

Screen Rant Movie News Grab Bag 1-21-08

UPDATE: A Cloverfield monster action figure, for ages 4 and up (say what?!) can be found at HasbroToyShop.com (no picture yet); it ships by the end of September, 2008. Source: ComingSoon.net

With Cloverfield making big bank, it's almost certain there will be a sequel. The box office numbers are monstrous (pun-intended...sorry), hitting $46 million in North America. No one is talking yet, but in the next couple of days, expect a deal to be reached on a sequel, unless Bad Robot decides it's a one-off. And make it original, not "from another camera, same night." Let's see something fresh and new. See Vic's article for his thoughts on a part two.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) have cut a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP); can a deal with the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) be close behind? They've been striking for almost three months, and many in Hollywood and around the globe have been out of work. Plus, if the strike goes on, will they really shut down the Oscars?

I'm starting to wonder if a backlash from the public against the writers may happen if the Oscars are cancelled, or put on like the dismal Golden Globes (a press conference, that's all). You see how this could get political? I really hope the DGA deal gets the WGA and AMPTP back to the table to resolve it amicably, and all sides are happy. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

After the jump, check out the official Star Trek movie website!

Cloverfield 2 Is A Bad Idea

So, considering my 4.5 out of 5 review of Cloverfield are you surprised that I don't like the idea of a Cloverfield sequel?

Here's the deal: I'm not opposed to a sequel - as a matter of fact I think this has the makings of a great franchise for at least another couple of movies. Kind of our very own Godzilla.

What I do believe is a bad idea is what the film's director, Matt Reeves, may be kicking around as the concept for Cloverfield 2:

Cloverfield Box Office: Will It Be A Record Breaker?

[UPDATE: It looks like the final for the 4 day weekend puts Cloverfield box office at $46MM. That's an all time high for January dollar-wise, but inflation adjusted and by attendance it doesn't topple the Star Wars Special Edition re-release or Titanic.]

It's looking like Cloverfield may either come close to, or may actually break the 4 day box office record for January. It's a 4 day weekend due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (I refuse to abbreviate that to "MLK").

Dollar for dollar it looks like it's going to be a no-brainer and will surpass the current record holder Titanic. Back in January 1998 the big T brought in $36MM over the 4 day weekend and right now Cloverfield is tracking to come in somewhere between $40 and $50MM (I'm betting closer to 40).

So why do I say "may" break the record? Because I believe that to do a true "apples to apples" comparison when it comes to a recent movie breaking the box office record of a movie that came out 10 years ago, you have to factor ticket price inflation into the number. If the average price of a ticket for a movie in 1998 was $4.69 and today it is $6.82 (those estimates come from Box Office Mojo), a movie today could break a record set by a movie back then even if 30% fewer people show up to see the movie.

So how much does Cloverfield have to bring in this weekend to really break that record?

Complete History Of Cloverfield's Marketing (Hype) Strategy

My buddy Chris over at Movie Marketing Madness has written a comprehensive article about Paramount's marketing campaign (viral and otherwise) for Cloverfield.

It's the complete history of the campaign in one place for you along with his very astute analysis of the hype machine for Cloverfield. He points out the difficulties in promoting a movie without a title (it wasn't officially revealed until mid-December) and the multi-pronged approach they used to build hype and buzz for the movie.

I also give MMM props for posting this analysis before the opening weekend box office numbers come in, which IMHO took some guts but also protects him from accusations of "Monday morning quarterbacking" regarding his conclusions.

It's well worth a read if if the word "hype" has ever made it into any of your conversations about Cloverfield.

Click here to check it out.

Review: Cloverfield

By Vic Holtreman
Rating:

4.5 out of 5

Short version: Yes, it lives up to the hype - Cloverfield is a blast.

Where does one start a review of a movie that has been the subject of so much attention and hype for months on end leading up to its release?

Bigger than the speculation about what the monster in the movie would look like, the hunting for clues on viral websites, what "Slusho" has to do with the movie - has been the question: After all the hype, will it be a great movie or a huge letdown?

Well I'm sorry to disappoint all the naysayers, but Cloverfield rocked.

Will it win an Oscar or Golden Globe? Heck no. Was it fun and exciting to sit through? Hell yes. This is what the ridiculously weak American version of Godzilla that came out a few years ago should have been.

The following review will be free of any major spoilers - to the point where I won't even say whether the images that have been making the rounds lately are accurate portrayals of the monster or not. :-)

Cloverfield Advanced Screening

[UPDATE: Well, I was going to hold off on the review until Friday, but I'm sure Paramount won't mind a spoiler-free positive Cloverfield review.]

I'll be sitting down to watch the long awaited Cloverfield movie in about 2 1/2 hours. I've promised Paramount that I wouldn't publish my review until Friday, but after I see it I will be updating this post to at least give you the thumbs up or thumbs down on it.

Cloverfield has been the recipient of a monster (pun intended) viral marketing campaign and as my buddy John points out at The Movie Blog, there is the possibility that this could end up being another Snakes on a Plane. If you recall that film generated a TON of online buzz (not much in the "real" world, though) and it ended up tanking big time at the box office.

A Cloverfield Movie Party And You're Invited

How would you like to attend an official Cloverfield movie party? If you're within traveling distance of New York City on January 17th (the day before the movie opens on 1-18-08), you can RSVP to for a chance to receive an invite.

Here are the details...

Cloverfield and Myspace are throwing a surprise party for Rob in New York City!

Join us next Thursday night, January 17th for a send off for our buddy Rob, he’s moving to Japan! There will be drinks, dancing, and tons of cool people. It will be a party to remember!

We're randomly picking 200 people who RSVP to join us for a big Cloverfield celebration in the Lower East Side. It’s going to be a blast!

RSVP to robsparty@cloverfieldmovie.com - make sure to include your FULL NAME and a PHONE NUMBER that we can reach you at. We will let you know if you have been chosen via telephone.

RSVP before Thursday night January 10th at midnight- we're picking winners this Friday!

And here's what the invitation looks like:

Screen Rant Grab Bag 12-19-07

G.I. Joe casting update: More cast members have joined the Stephen Sommers-directed film, including big-time Korean star Byeong-Heon Lee, who will be playing Cobra Commander's bodyguard (and Snake Eyes' brother) Storm Shadow. Scarlett O'Hara will be played by upcoming star Rachel Nichols. They join Sienna Miller (as the female lead) and Ray Park (Darth Maul, who plays Snake Eyes). The film is scheduled to open in 2009. Source: Latino Review.

USA Network cancels The Dead Zone and The 4400: Fans were disappointed to learn both The Dead Zone and The 4400 were canceled today, and the final episodes were aired in September. Looks like any dangling plot lines won't be worked out, unless fans can rally to save the shows, a la Jericho! Source: Ain't It Cool News.

Cloverfield Five Minute Clip Online!

Hey everyone, just wanted to put up this clip from the highly anticipated Cloverfield, opening in just over a month on January 18, 2008 (the film was known by this date for a while, 1-18-08), from producer JJ Abrams. He does an introduction to the clip, and I'm almost positive it's from the set of the new Star Trek Film!

The clip is after the jump. It's awesome and actually a bit scary (think 9/11).

Star Trek: Trailer News And Why Shatner's Gonna Get Madder

[UPDATE: The official Star Trek trailer is now online.]

Sorry about the lousy grammar in the title, but I was trying to figure out how not to make it a mile long. :-)

We've all been wondering when we'll get a look at the first trailer for Star Trek 11... well I have it on good authority when we'll finally see it and what movie it will be attached to.

The Star Trek teaser trailer will be attached to J.J. Abrams monster movie Cloverfield, which opens on January 18, 2008.

It makes sense if you think about it. Attach the trailer for an upcoming Abrams movie to an Abrams movie. TrekMovie.com speculated earlier this month that the trailer might be attached to either Cloverfield or Indy 4. And according to Latino Review, the teaser is supposed to show (among other things) the construction of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701.

And why do I think Bill Shatner's going to be even more annoyed than he has been up until now regarding Star Trek 11...?

LOL, Shocking Title To Cloverfield Movie Revealed!

I just love a good bit of irony... after all the speculation on what J.J. Abrams upcoming monster movie codenamed Cloverfield would end up really being titled we finally have our answer.

Will it be 1-18-08? Monster? Some other well-hidden title?

Nope. Here it is:

CLOVERFIELD

Ya just gotta love that. :-)

By the way, in light of how the recent spate of torture movies has done (ie. not so well), the buzz is that Abrams' film is going to usher in the next wave of horror movies. So get ready for a bunch of new monster movies to start hitting movie theaters, especially if Cloverfield ends up being a big hit.

BTW, the new trailer is supposed to be attached to Beowulf, opening on November 16th.

Source: IESB

Untitled J.J. Abrams Project Suddenly Becomes Far Less Intriguing

Since the trailer for J.J. Abrams' mystery project appeared out of nowhere a couple of months ago, I must admit I've been eager to find out more. Referred to as Cloverfield or simply 1-18-08 - the film's planned release date - the trailer had me hooked. As a major fan of Lost, I appreciated the lack of details. I loved not knowing.

Then came announcements of a monster destroying New York City.

Now the official title rumors have begun: first Monstrous and now, following that leak, Wreck.

Call me crazy but has the project suddenly become a whole heap less interesting to anyone else? What sounded like an eery, ominous thriller is beginning to sound more like Godzilla with a title to out-lame Hollow Man.

July 26th Comic-Con Report:

This post will be continually updated.

At the Paramount panel:

Hot Rod

The three leads from Hot Rod introduced a clip from the film. It was a hysterical parody of a classic scene from Footloose taken way over the top. I have to admit it was pretty damned funny. :-)

Stardust

Neil Gaiman was there to introduce a clip from the upcoming film. It was quite an extended clip showing Michelle Pfeiffer as the Witch turning two goats into men in order to help her staff an inn that she also creates in the clip to trap the young woman (Claire Danes) who is quite literally the star of the movie.

Cloverfield, Cloverfield, Cloverfield!

Holy cow I can't remember the last time I saw this much buzz/hysteria/mystery surrounding a movie based on so little information. I think I'd have to go back to Blair Witch Project for a similar case.

So here's the latest:

- According to J.J. Abrams, the items I mentioned regarding the supposedly related Ethan Hass websites are in fact NOT related to Cloverfield, 1-18-08 or whatever you want to call this project. Now as far as I'm concerned, Abrams saying that these sites are unrelated does not necessarily make that true. :-)

The Weekly Rant - July 6, 2007

This week The Weekly Rant covers a wee bit of Iron Man, Live Free or Die Hard, of course I have to talk about Transformers and the goings on of the super-secret J.J. Abrams monster movie with the codename: "Cloverfield."

Cloverfield Viral Campaign For The Unemployed

Me, I'm a busy guy, so I go for the shortcuts.

In addition to the website I posted about yesterday with nothing more than one image on it, the latest buzz surrounds the site EthanHaasWasRight.com, where you can find a puzzle to solve that is supposed to lead you to a number of hidden and very cryptic videos.

But hey, if you're between jobs and have a lot of time on your hands, have at it. :-)

Cloverfield Release Date Cast In Stone?

It looks like the top secret J.J. Abrams-helmed movie codenamed (or really named) Cloverfield has a release date that won't be changing.

There's a teaser site that's gone live with an image consisting of a frame from the teaser trailer and nothing else. The domain name is 1-18-08.com, presumably referring to the movie's release date.