Sidewalks On The Corner

Director Matt Reeves (TV’s Felicity, “The Pallbearer,” “The Yards”) and producer J.J. Abrams (TV’s Lost and Alias, “Mission Impossible,” upcoming "Star Trek" film) bring back the classic 50's horror genre with a modern bang.

Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Stahl-David, T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman, and Mike Vogel star in the in-your-face thriller, CLOVERFIELD.

Follow up:

It was supposed to be just another ordinary day in the life for New Yorkers Lily, Hud, Beth, Jason, and Marlena (Caplan, TV’s The Class) as they gather for a farewell party to wish Rob (Stahl-David, TV’s The Black Donnellys) good luck on his new life and job position in Japan. Rob is surprised about the party thrown by brother Jason (Vogel, “Poseidon”) and future sister-in-law Lily (Lucas, TV’s Life As We Know It and Edgemont), but the mood turned sour quickly when his longtime friend -- and recent lover -- Beth (Yustman, TV’s October Road) brings another man to the party. Things heat up between the two of them, as an argument breaks out in the hallway. Now heartbroken, he is torn between his love for Beth, as well as his decision to leave for Japan. As his best friend Hud (Miller, TV’s Carpoolers) and Jason come to Rob’s aid, all of a sudden a violent jolt shakes New York. Was it another terrorist attack? Was it an earthquake? No one seems to know. They leave their building and discover something is attacking the city. From that point on, the film follows a core group of friends as they try to escape from the city – but first, Rob and three other friends go on a rescue mission to save Beth, who left the party early and is trapped in her building.

What can I say about a film like this, except that it is a classic 50's monster film in almost every way. It's reminiscent of the "Blair Witch Project" in which the entire movie is shot from a point of view angle of a camcorder. This method allows the audience to experience and explore the environment where the actors live, giving the movie a sense of realism. There is a story in the first act, however, it quickly resolves into some highly intense action scenes, and lots of screaming, running and falling down. The camera continues to run, documenting each shocking moment, as the survivors make their escape. The effects were excellent, thanks to Tippet Studios, which has produced effects recently for “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “South of the Border”, as well as cult films “Starship Troopers,” “Men in Black 2, “Son of the Mask,” “Hellboy,” “Constantine,” and “The Matrix Revolutions” to name a few.

Viewing "Cloverfield" with Sidewalks producer Richard R. Lee, he thought the film felt like watching “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and the awful American version of “Godzilla” all meshed together – but on the street level with the horrified crowd. Giving high marks to the special effects, Richard also likes the use of the camcorder-concept, where director Matt Reeves, mostly known for his TV direction, was able to interspace the action with the simulation of a camcorder with pauses and quick cuts. Besides New York being “ground zero” again in another film, comparable to the recent Will Smith’s “I Am Legend” blockbuster, the one scene that he thought was corny was the characters' attempt to save Beth, who is trapped in a fallen skyscraper. Even with that subplot, Richard liked the entire film and some of the dialogue -- as he called them – from the “all too-pretty cast.” Additionally, he enjoyed that you didn’t know what was happening. You only got bits and pieces from the perspective of the cast and what they heard and believed during their trek.

I wish that I had more to say about this film (I’m trying to leave out the mystery of what is attacking New York for those who haven’t seen the film yet), but I will leave those reading this article with this note, “Cloverfield” is one of those rare fun, frightening, realistic, plausible films that need no explanation. You cannot get it out of your head. It is tons of fun.