Seasicked

I watched Cloverfield today. The movie is made as if it is taken by a hand-held camera. The guy is originally shooting a going away party, but as the city gets attacked, he turns to document the event.

The movie is quite thrilling, if you survive the shaky and swift-turning camera. It brings you right on the spot in New York City under attack. It was quite real to me because only a few weeks ago I was walking down the same street outside Grand Central Station the main characters ran down, looking at the steel bridge station and the station itself at the very same angles they were shot. They even shoot on the street where the hotel we stayed located. The building next to the hotel still has steel cranes set outside just like I saw it.

The filming crew and Paramount were highly secretive about the story all along. It didn't even have a name until a month before the release day. At last they named the movie by the name where the studio is located in California: Cloverfield Blvd, Santa Monica. You can find out what the story is about here if you are not planning to watch it.


My stomach got quite cramped because of the thrill and the never-steady camera. Shamik even dropped off 15 minutes before the movie ended. Luckily, this whole shaky wacky business lasts only 75 minutes. But that's enough for me to get some seasickness.

Cloverfield is produced by JJ Abrams who also produces Lost. If you are a fan of Lost, you won't be disappointed, again, if you survive the ever-shaking camera. I am more looking forward to the new Star Trek movie he directs. It is coming out on Christmas day.

P.S. I went to the cinema and watched Sweeney Todd the next day. Now they have put up a sign next to the ticket office:

The way Cloverfield is filmed may cause the audience symptoms similar to motion sickness experienced on a roller coaster.