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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Cloverfield (2008) in Movies

Oct 5, 2020

Cloverfield (2008)

2008 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

7.3

(48 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Cloverfield is, at heart a found footage Kaiju movie with the twist that you don't see much of the main monster until the end of the film. Unlike Kaiju films like Godzilla or even Pacific rim, Cloverfield does not concentrate on the monster but on the people affected by it's rampage and the found footage aspect of the film helps bring us in close with a small group of survivors as they try to work out what is happening and try to find their friends.
I knew some one who absolutely hated this film for the very fact that the monster is rarely seen, although he clamed that you never actually saw the monster, which isn't true so I don't think he watched all the way to the end. He had a point though, if you want to watch a film where monsters fight it out amongst themselves then this probably won't be for you.
The monster is really nothing more than a plot device and the fact that it is only revealed in parts and not fully seen until the end helps to keep the film centred on the people and helps add a touch of reality to the film, after all if you lived in Japan during a Kaiju attack you would be more interested in saving your own life than weather you were about to be eaten by Godzilla or Ghidorah.
Being a found footage film, Cloverfield suffers slightly from the usual shaky camera work and occasional low sound but these are kept to a minimum. The film also manages to avoid relying on night vision or infra red so the footage is, for the most part, much clearer than other films of this style and doesn't keep switching formats which make the film less distracting than others.
Over all Cloverfield is a good monster/survival film which leaves some questions to be answered in the sequels (or not )

Kudos

Darren (1599 KP) rated Lost In Translation (2003) in Movies

Sep 26, 2019

Lost In Translation (2003)

2003 | Comedy, Drama, Romance

7.1

(20 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Characters – Bob Harris is a faded movie star that can still gain a large pay check by starring in commercials, which is why he is in Tokyo, he is feeling lonely because his wife and children haven’t travelled once again, he does offer Charlotte advice about enjoying her life, but not rushing into anything. Charlotte is in Tokyo because of her husband’s work, this sees her feeling lonely as he is always work and she doesn’t know anybody else in the city, she makes friends with Bob as they start to experience the city together, she opens up about her struggle about finding her own calling in life. While Jon is the husband to Charlotte, we don’t really learn to much about him other than he is working.

Performances – The performance revolve around Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, they are both wonderful to watch as they show us just how talent they pair can be either alone or as a pair on the screen.

Story – The story follows two people from different worlds in America that are lost in Japan, only to find each other to keep each other company during their time in Tokyo. The story dives into the idea that being in a new country can be isolating and you will need to learn to find somebody new to help them enjoy their time in the country, it does show you can find somebody new could give you a conversation you aren’t able to with friends in your life.

Settings – The film uses the setting of Tokyo which shows just how difficult it can be to find yourself in a country where you have never visited.

Scene of the Movie – Karaoke

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is just slow.

Final Thoughts – This is a life drama that shows us just how important communication is to the everyday life in a new country.

Overall: Just a life drama.