Jeff & Konnor's Blog

Cloverfield (Website and trailer here) should be held as the new standard for a good thriller. The film follows a group of friends as they try to survive a monster attack on New York City, as seen through the group's camcorder. It is suspenseful from beginning to end, realistic (in its own internal frame of reference), and original. The camcorder concept keeps you with the characters for the entire film -- you see only what they see, you know only what they know. This focuses the film on the characters and their struggle, rather than on the monster or gratuitous "blockbuster" special effects. Ironically, this is also what some people don't like about the film: Where did the monster come from? What is it? Did they kill it? None of which, of course, is the point. Our recommendation: See it today.