Cloverfield

Cloverfield
Directed by Matt Reeves

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #955 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2008-04-22
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 84 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn't play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)--images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one's eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who's something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote--a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

At least the monster looks cool!
This movie at least has a decent monster. I just wish it would have been less Blare Witch. I got tired of the camera always not showing stuff and jumping from one time stamp to another and always bouncing around like a home movie. This movie does not even end in a concluding way. You do not know who lives or dies. You do not know if the monster lives or dies. I give it a two star rating only because of the alien's quality monster. It is cool and the Blu Ray has a sharp picture. Rent his movie or borrow if from some sucker like myself who bought it thinking the director of Lost would not let a movie this bad passes his desk. Oh well, guess we all make mistakes. Buying this movie was one of mine!

I'm so startled!
I probably should have watched Cloverfield BEFORE watching the South Park parody of it, but such is life. I think it might have actually made me enjoy this 'queasy cam' flick more than I might of, because I kept busting out laughing at the most in appropriate moments (whenever another of the hapless party goers bit it) thinking of Stan's dad repeatedly saying "I'm so startled!" while shooting film of the 'monsters' destroying South Park.

Cloverfield has an interesting premise, and provides a unique take on the 'Godzilla' variant of monster movies. Many singing it's praises reference it's uniqueness as if unique things are inherently good because they are uncommon. I disagree completely. For a 'unique' film to also be a quality film, it needs to provide something VALUABLE that is lacking from more traditional presentations. While home video style hand cam footage does put the viewer right in the thick of things, I don't believe it actually does much to help tell a better story. A film (or any story for that matter) will always succeed or fail based on it's characters, plot, and dialogue. A gimmicky shooting style may create a new "look" but it will not make a bad film into a good one.

Cloverfield suffers more from story telling problems than anything else. It is hard to really engage with the characters, even though the first third of the film is devoted to sorting out their insipid love lives. In my opinion, it would have been much better to simply start the movie at the point where the monster begins to attack the city and leave the audience to feel the mass panic of the faceless masses without knowing anything at all about those whom the camera follows.

Novelty can only take a film so far. To really be successful, it must do more than just provide an interesting gimmick. Cloverfield is just another hum-drum monster movie, shot with an admittedly (if sickening) shooting technique. 2.5/5 stars.

Wonderful Horror/Monster Movie
I didn't get to catch this film in theaters, though I was really wanting to -- I missed a chance to see it with friends and another chance just never arose. Hearing other people's opinions on the film was very much one of those "either loved it or hated it" scenarios; one of my friends claimed it wasn't very good, another really enjoyed it. I myself was still excited to see it but, having missed the theatrical release, never found time to watch it when it was released on DVD. A couple of days ago, however, I found the film on sale at Wal-Mart for $15 on Blu-Ray and couldn't pass it up. I bought it and, just yesterday, watched it.

I found the movie, from start to finish, thoroughly enjoying. I came to Amazon, though, and found that it only had a 3/5 rating, not to mention a plethora of bad reviews mostly complaining of only one thing: gimmicky direction. And so, for the first time in years, I decided to sit down and write a review for the film myself, explaining everything that surprised me and everything I enjoyed.

First, a few specs. The film was produced by Mr. JJ Abrams, one of the hottest rising producer/director/writers in the business currently. The director is Matt Reeves who I am unfamiliar with. A quick IMDb query, however, tells me that Reeves' past experience is mostly television, where he used to write and direct for a show called Felicity (he was also the creator) -- again, though, I've never seen an episode. The writer of Cloverfield, however, I am much more familiar with. His name is Drew Goddard and he used to write for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and, more currently, Lost. To put it simply, the guy is good and in his short run of writing on Buffy's final season, he even managed to quickly earn a name for himself as a fan-favorite. In Cloverfield he does what he's best at: taking an already interesting idea/story and adds character depth to it that most other writers can only dream of doing. He then takes it a step further by providing a story that is not only innovative in it's storytelling but also has a fine sense of flow that allows the audience to glide along rather than force-feeding it. (Note: Buffy fans should also check out his "Wolves at the Gate" run in the comic book series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 8")

Onto the film.

It starts out simple enough, yet at the same time tricks us right from the beginning, insomuch as we THINK we're going to watch what starts out to be a day in the life of this boy (Rob) and this girl (Beth). We're fooled, though, when the camera cuts away and we're now following a completely different girl and guy who are borrowing their brother/friend Rob's video-camera to film his going away party later that night. This continues on until we reach the party itself. Then, lo and behold, drama ensues -- I won't discuss how. Then, lo and behold again, action ensues and pulls us into the monster movie we came to see.

That's as much as I'll give away about the plot. It's simple enough, I suppose, yet still very entertaining and dramatic. Unlike The Blair Witch Project which pioneered this type of direction, Cloverfield has it's own tricks up it's sleeves. Where Blair Witch wasn't really concerned with telling a story about its characters -- rightfully so since it was "set-up" to be a documentary -- in this film, Drew Goddard manages to sneak a story in right under our noses and whether we know it or not, it has a definite beginning, middle, and end. We actually grow to care about our characters and yearn for their survival; it's something that most other monster movies take for granted and assume the audience will do -- not this one, though. The film shows all of it's main characters and their numerous character flaws and because of this they actually mean something more to us and we relate to them.

The premise itself, at least as far as story structure, is also quite interesting and follows as such: there is only one videotape. It was previously recorded on by our main characters, Rob and Beth, and then recorded OVER by his friends which is where we follow the bulk of the narrative. However, one or two snippets of the previously recorded material seep through from time to time and show us just how in love Rob and Beth are, and as the main "monster story" concludes and cuts off, we are thus left to view the final few frames of the previous recording and if we pay close enough attention, even see a bit of foreshadowing (if you could call it that) of the events that are to follow... or just played out, rather. Again, the story moves so seamlessly that none of it ever feels forced -- or, to put it another way, that it never feels like we're witnessing an actual story as opposed to a series of events.

Haters be damned, Cloverfield is one fine monster movie that works on all levels. The direction is no gimmick, only a vessel, and anyone who complains should've known what they were getting into from the get go. One final note: the producers and directors could have easily taken a different route with the monster in this film. From the beginning the audience believes this'll be one of those "stylish" films that focuses more on the suspense and characters than it does on actually seeing the monster itself (see The Village, or even The Blair Witch Project) and quite frankly, if it had gone that route, it still would have been good film. In the end it is actually able to give us everything we want. For most of the film we only catch glimpses of the monster but as it continues to progress, we begin to see more and more until, finally, we catch it all in full glory and, once again, we are completely caught off-guard.

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24 - Season Six

24 - Season Six
From Fox Network

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #629 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2007-12-04
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 7
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 1050 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Always innovative and utterly addictive, the thrilling sixth season of 24 picks up twenty months after last seasonÂ's shocking season finale and features even more unthinkable and shocking plotlines that take place in another heart-stopping 24 hour period. Nominated for his sixth consecutive Best Actor–Drama Series Emmyï€ Award, Kiefer Sutherland continues to ignite the screen as the rugged hero Jack Bauer, along with gripping performances from the series returning ensemble cast. The seven-disc 24: Season Six DVD set includes all 24 one-hour episodes plus is packed with hours of special features including an exclusive Season Seven preview, over 25 minutes of deleted scenes, numerous cast/crew episode commentaries, more than 20 behind-the-scenes webcast diaries, "Day Six Debrief" mobisodes, several on-the-set featurettes and more.

Beyond 24: Season 6

The 24 TV Series

24 Community on Amazon

More from Fox TV

Stills from 24: Season 6

Customer Reviews

Jack is awesome as usual!
Some critics don't think this season is as good as some earlier seasons. That may be so, but the tension and suspense are still great! Buy it...you'll like it.

No Show
What would I have wanted to know before I purchased the product? Perhaps that I was never going to receive the product in the first place!!! Still no season 6 of 24 and no refund either. Seller does not reply.
Will never use Amazon.com again. I learned my lesson.
Joyce Harris

STILL MISSING JACK
THIS NEVER ARRIVED. I HAVE CONTACTED THE SELLER BUT ALL HE WOULD SAY WAS THAT IT WAS SENT. HE NEVER TRIED TO MAKE IT RIGHT.

List Price:	$59.98
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Widescreen)
Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #432 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2008-09-30
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Breaking up is hard to do--but that doesn't mean you can't have some belly laughs about it. Forgetting Sarah Marshall provides that rare treat: a romantic comedy about breakups, that is both romantic and funny. The laughs, especially from writer-star Jason Segel, are both heartfelt and raunchy, and the film is just unexpected enough that it keeps the viewer's attention till the end. The touches of producer Judd Apatow, who's famously retooled rom-coms to appeal to guys as much as women, are woven throughout the film, but Segel's script, reportedly based on many of his own experiences, is fresh and original. And adult. Forgetting Sarah Marshall features male genitalia laffs presented in unexpected and human ways (the nude breakup scene is played for giggles but also deep poignancy), and the language and sex scenes are strictly for grownups--and rightly so. Segel's script, and his performance as Peter, show that he understands the true nature of adult re! lationships, which provides the refreshing difference between this film and some of Apatow's other crude creations. The cast is sublime; Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) plays title character Sarah, a self-absorbed actress, and Russell Brand is her new British honey who accompanies her to--what are the chances?--the exact same Hawaiian resort as Peter, who's nursing his broken heart. Mila Kunis plays Rachel, the resort employee who gives Peter a reason to hope, and Paul Rudd is the surfing instructor who gives him his own brand of heartfelt advice ("When life gives you lemons, just say 'F--- the lemons' and bail," he says cheerily). The pacing is screwball, and the absurdities fly (a "Dracula" musical puppet show, and a surprisingly lovely Hawaiian version of "Nothing Compares 2 U"). Nothing the viewer will forget any time soon.--A.T. Hurley

Get to Know the Cast From Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Kristen Bell (Sarah Marshall)

Jason Segel (Peter Bretter)

Mila Kunis (Rachel Jansen)

Beyond Forgetting Sarah Marshall on DVD

More from the Apatow Gang

Get it on Blu-ray

More Romantic Comedies

Stills from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

So Funny!
Simply put - I LOVE THIS MOVIE! It is very funny, all the actors are great, and its not just the same old lines and jokes reused. I highly recommend it!

Very funny movie
I felt that this movie was very funny. It's a good movie to watch with adults but because of the nudity, I wouldn't recommend it for children.

Strange but funny...
We are die hard fans of Kristen Bell from her Veronica Mars series, we even traveled to Austin, Texas to see her in person and were fortunate enough to meet her while traveling on the elevator... yes, we stayed at the same hotel, and have a picture to prove it. So when we see any of her works, we tend to gravitate towards acquiring them.

In this movie Kristen Bell plays the role of Sarah Marshall, an actress who only thinks of herself and her career. The movie starts by her braking up with a long time boyfriend, Peter Bretter, played by Jason Segel. The first few minutes shocked us because Peter Bretter is completely nude as he stands in front of Sarah Marshall. After a while, we realized that the purpose was to let us know that Sarah had taken everything from him, but still, it was strange to see him totally nude within the first few minutes of the movie.

This is a romantic comedy and you will laugh, feel sad for the characters, a bit disgusted at times with the performance of Russell Brand, Sara Marthsll's new British or Australian boyfriend.

To escape pain and loneliness, Peter takes a vacation and travels to Hawaii where... as difficult as this may sound, Sarah Marshall is on vacation with her new beau.

Peter meets wonderful Mila Kunis, who plays the role of Rachel, a customer service attendant at the hotel where all the characters choose to stay. Rachel is wonderful and captures Peter's attention.

Without giving away the plot, this movie is for adults only, a comedy and a romance story, interestingly it will make you laugh, but at times you may wonder why in the world have you decided to watch it?

I Am Legend

I Am Legend (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)
Directed by Francis Lawrence

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #849 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-03-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 100 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Will Smith stars in the third adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic science-fiction novel about a lone human survivor in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by vampires. This new version somewhat alters Matheson’s central hook, i.e., the startling idea that an ordinary man, Robert Neville, spends his days roaming a desolated city and his nights in a house sealed off from longtime neighbors who have become bloodsucking fiends. In the new film, Smith’s Neville is a military scientist charged with finding a cure for a virus that turns people into crazed, hairless, flesh-eating zombies. Failing to complete his work in time--and after enduring a personal tragedy--Neville finds himself alone in Manhattan, his natural immunity to the virus keeping him alive. With an expressive German shepherd his only companion, Neville is a hunter-gatherer in sunlight, hiding from the mutants at night in his Washington Square town house and methodically conducting experiments in his ceaseless quest to conquer the disease.

The film’s first half almost suggests that I Am Legend could be one of the finest movies of 2007. Director Francis Lawrence’s extraordinary, computer-generated images of a decaying New York City reveal weeds growing through the cracks of familiar streets that are also overrun by deer and prowled by lions. It’s impossible not to be fascinated by such a realistically altered cityscape, reverting to a natural environment, through which Smith moves with a weirdly enviable freedom, offset by his wariness over whatever is lurking in the dark of bank vaults and parking garages. Lawrence and screenwriters Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman wisely build suspense by withholding images of the monsters until a peak scene of horror well into the story. It must be said, however, that the computer-enhanced creatures don’t look half as interesting as they might have had the filmmakers adhered more to Matheson’s vampire-nightmare vision. I Am Legend is ultimately noteworthy for Smith’s remarkable performance as a man so lonely he talks to mannequins in the shops he frequents. The film’s latter half goes too far in portraying Smith’s Neville as a pitiable man with a messianic mission, but this lapse into bathos does nothing to take away from the visual and dramatic accomplishments of its first hour. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

the best movie
I love how easier it is to get from amazon. the price was to die for!

opinan of "I am legend"
I think it's a good movie for sifi buffs, but I didn't like the fact the events in the movie are not in order and time frames are missing

Will Smith, his dog, and his AR-15 try to survive after a devastating plague
Will Smith plays a US Army doctor who is one of the few survivors of a deadly plague that has wiped out most of humanity. Most of the people on the Earth simply died, a small fraction have reverted to a more primitive state and become nocturnal pack hunters, and a smaller fraction survived the plague more or less unscathed. This is a well worn theme that has been beaten to death, but this film is extremely well done in my opinion and a few weakness aside will take its place as one of the best of the genre. Will Smith is terrific as the doctor looking for a cure and some companionship in decaying NYC. He brings just the right amount of humor and grim determination to the role to be both believable and entertaining. The opening scene of the film, an interview with a doctor (played by Emma Thompson) who has found a cure for cancer that is the ultimate cause of the plague, is extremely well done. Her smug arrogance is rewarded as her cancer cure rapidly turns into a deadly plague. The first half of the movie is best. Will Smith wanders around a decaying NYC roughly three years after the outbreak of the plague. The CGI city is chilling: abandoned cars, collapsed buildings, weeds growing in the streets. NYC is returning to a more natural setting. Through this Smith, along with his trusty dog and tricked out AR-15, wander through the city looking for other normal survivors and trying to find a cure for the disease (he conveniently has a full stocked medical research lab in his basement). There are occasional flashbacks as we learn about the plague, how it progressed, and what happened to Smith's family. The best part of these types of films is how the main character tries to retain a sense of normalcy. In this film, Smith regularly goes to a video store to rent videos. He has put various mannequins around the store as other customers and employees that he talks with. As the film progresses and Smith finds a female companion, the story turns from one of exploration and survival into a mission to save humanity. This film is undone a bit at the end as it degenerates into an ordinary lone survivor battling hordes of zombies type of movie. Even with an unimaginative ending, this is an entertaining and damn scary film, definitely recommended.

Jumper

Jumper
From 20th Century Fox

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1055 in DVD


• Brand: Jumper


• Released on: 2008-06-10


• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)


• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1


• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC


• Original language: English


• Subtitled in: English, Spanish


• Dubbed in: French, Spanish


• Number of discs: 1


• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds


• Running time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
As preposterous action movies go, Jumper is pleasantly unpretentious and breezily entertaining. A young man named David (Hayden Christensen) discovers he has the power to teleport (or "jump") anywhere he can visualize. After using this power to steal and make a comfortable life for himself, he pursues the girl he longed for in school (Rachel Bilson, The O. C.). But as he does so, another jumper (Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot) and a pack of fanatical jumper-hunters called paladins (led by a white-haired Samuel L. Jackson) crashes into David's freewheeling life. Jumper wastes no time trying to explain how jumping works or delving into the hows and whys of the paladins; this is an alluring fantasy of power directed at a pell-mell pace by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Go). There's a brief moment when it feels like the movie will bog down in romance and vague gestures towards character development--happily, that's the moment when Bell appears and the whole movie shifts into overdrive. You might wish that Bell and Christensen had swapped roles; Bell has a far more engaging personality, and Christensen's bland good looks might better suit a more aggressive character. Nonetheless, Jumper has oodles of dynamism and nifty visual effects to propel its comic-book storyline forward. A variety of recognizable actors in bit parts (such as Diane Lane and Kristen Stewart, Panic Room) suggest that the filmmakers are laying the groundwork for sequels. Based on a critically-acclaimed science-fiction novel by Steven Gould. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond Jumper

More from Steven Gould

The Jumper Soundtrack

More from Fox

Stills from Jumper

Customer Reviews

All that Potential and Still a Subpar Movie
***mild spoiler***
I wanted to like Jumper, I really did, but something about it just made me shrug and think (that was a very long hr and a half). The action scenes have little bits of eye candy, but the plot's fairly terrible and the dialogue is instantly forgettable. I saw the movie all of one night ago and really the only line I can remember is something near the end where he seeks out his mother.

The main characters, David Rice and Mille, are off globe trotting after a brief barroom fight. That I can buy, or at least shrug off, but it seemed that the actor and actress had very little onscreen chemistry.

Nothing about the movie really, really annoyed me, which is why I give it a 2 star review, but nothing impressed me either.

Jumper Great Movie and Ahead of its time
This is a Phenominal Movie that will keep you interested, it is action packed great special effects and eaven a little bit of a love story to it. Very Great and is eaven a family film but there is violence so use your discression.

Jumper
Good action movie to watch with a date or a group of people. a lot of action you wont want to leave your seat.

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