James Absolon explains how this Pope-themed film, despite its risky premise, works
Alex Pollard reviews Hollywood's biopic of the controversial Margaret Thatcher
It's one surprise party for Rob, as a monster decides to crash and starts rampaging through New York city. Hyped as the first big blockbuster of 2008, Cloverfield hit our screens after immense viral publicity, typical of J.J Abrams projects, exciting the minds of monster movie fans and cinema goers everywhere.
Starting off as a shakily filmed home movie at a leaving party, establishing the characters and their relationships, the action quickly and suddenly shifts into monster-mode. Taking on a highly post-9/11 tone, the statue of liberty’s head lies within a fog of dust on a ravaged street as screams, cries and whimpering intermingle with the foreboding roars of a mysterious force wrecking the city. Camera phones are all around as the present day meets Godzilla, however ever present in the back of your mind are the modern fears of terrorism, the military and everyday life.
This film is set in New York, and not because of its King Kong connections, the idea of 9/11 is dragged kicking and screaming to the foreground as a cloud of debris and dust drives towards the camera recalling the infamous photographs and footage from ground zero. And the old Godzilla films certainly never featured the military in this way: gone are the inept human forces, in are the current fighter jets, tanks and trucks upon trucks of able-bodied and gunned-up soldiers.
Underlined by the film’s beginning - a shot declaring the footage was discovered by the US Defence in an area ‘formerly known as Central Park’. The pasts, present and potential futures of the characters play out throughout the violence, carnage and city ruins. The recently bereaved Lily and Rob, come to terms with their loss while Hud ‘documents’ the events while unsuccessfully attempting to flirt with party girl Marlena. There is a clichéd romance theme but the character development fits in smoothly with the chaos of the action, making the film easy to become absorbed into despite the shaky cinematography.
However, when we finally see the monster, after a number of hints and glimpses, it does remove something from the fear built up throughout the film. But if you’re willing to leave logic at the door and accept that Cloverfield is a modern monster movie, then head down to the cinema today for one of the first blockbusters of 2008.
"Cloverfield" dir. Matt Reeves, is currently showing at Vue.
Bobbie Young
Frankly, you've got to wonder where Nicholas Cage gets his scripts these days. After the simply horrific Next, the appalling Ghost Rider and the confusing World Trade Center, National Treasure: Book of Secrets seemed to be just another Da Vinci Code rip-off without the guarantees which the best-selling novel afforded.
But it's so much more than that.
For starters, it's actually a good film, which is more than one would say of Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's book. Granted, Cage doesn't quite measure up to his own performance in Lord of War, or say City of Angels, but that's not the point. National Treasure is your average adventure film, with an all-star cast and a refreshing self-deprecating tone to boot. In fact, there is something guiltily delightful about the (otherwise cringing?) lines such as "Dismount the banister, Sir!" yelled in the middle of Buckingham Palace. Yes, Benjamin Gates makes a detour via Europe, encounters surprisingly articulate French policemen, and later proceeds to England to take a peek at Her Majesty's resolute desk, followed by a fairly original car chase in the streets of London.
The plot is fast-paced and the adventures each more improbable than the next: indeed, the kidnapping the US President (whom, incidentally looks nothing like Obama, Clinton or McCain), is a scene that will be long unforgotten. The film may be a tad annoying in its patriotism and undeniably predictable in its quasi-schematic progression, but the characters are quirky, endearing and surprisingly convincing. Besides, there's always the added bonus of the impressive footage of Mount Rushmore, a peek at the wondrous library of congress, a little history lesson and speculations upon an Nth conspiracy theory. Honestly-- what else do people want?
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" dir. by Jon Turteltaub is currently showing at City Screens.
Marie Thouaille
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