While I was a little bummed about having to work over the weekend, it actually went fairly well and fairly quick. It really didn't bugger my weekend at all. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and making an unexpected stop at the Saturday gaming club meeting. ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
painted_wolf and I had the opportunity to go for a walk together not only on Saturday but again today, even if the weather was cold and snowy. The highlight of the weekend was definitely hanging out with ciliandis and seeing Cloverfield. It was an amazing movie. PW described it as Blair Witch meets Godzilla, which is part true I would say, but really I think it was the most innovative take on a love story that I've seen in a long time.
I really think it's a wonderful story told through symbolism. It's also kind of neat to see a "monster movie" from the perspective of the victims. And in a sense I guess the fact the monster is symbollic of the relationship makes it actually just another monster movie like the classics. After all, monsters like Godzilla and Gorgo and Mothra were all symbolic of something, too. They weren't literally giant monsters, just metaphors.
painted_wolf and I had the opportunity to go for a walk together not only on Saturday but again today, even if the weather was cold and snowy. The highlight of the weekend was definitely hanging out with ciliandis and seeing Cloverfield. It was an amazing movie. PW described it as Blair Witch meets Godzilla, which is part true I would say, but really I think it was the most innovative take on a love story that I've seen in a long time.That's right. Love story. It's not a giant monster flick. It's not horror or sci-fi or disaster. The primary focus of the movie is on the relationship between Rob and Beth and the entanglement of their friends in the fallout. The monster attack happens to be a parallel to -- or more accurately symbolic of -- the main relationships story.
So what's the plot? Rob takes a job in Japan just at the same time he's had sex with long-time friend Beth. Knowing he's not going to see her again, at least for a long time, he breaks contact with her entirely. Beth gets pissed. Lily throws a party to send off Rob where Beth arrives with a guy. Rob gets pissed with Beth. Friends intervene but Rob stubbornly insists he's done with Beth. Beth leaves even more pissed. Monster attacks and Beth calls Rob for help. Rob spends the entire movie trying to rescue her. They repair the bond and fall in love just in time to die. Everyone else (except presumably Lily) dies in the wake of the two fallen-out friends/lovers trying to make the wrong right.
There's a reason you don't see much of the monster or the action of the monster causing destruction or the military beating the snot out of it. That's not what the movie is about. I'll get back to that.
Rob's treatment of Beth is the first transgression that one of the characters makes against the other, and it's the primary transgression that sets up the whole film, even though it isn't revealed until later.
Lily was definitely the uniter in the film and that's important to remember. After the setup in the beginning where you get a glimpse of the morning after with Rob and Kelly, the scene switches to the party that Lily has organized to send Rob off. She goes out of her way to make sure it's perfect and special. Part of that is asking Rob's brother Jason to use Rob's camcorder to tape interviews with party guests.
Jason performs the next two transgressions. He uses the tape from Rob and Beth's happy moments leading up to and following the sex. The tape holds what one can only presume is a happy memory, even if Rob completely mishandles his relationship with Beth because he doesn't know what to do about it. That's the first transgression. The second is when he passes off what was supposed to be a very important task for him (the interviews) to the very inept Hud who completely bungles it, all so Jason can have fun partying.
Hud is focused on getting drunk and chasing after Marlena. He doesn't do well at all with getting interviews or really any meaningful video of the party because of this. He's a dolt but his heart is in the right place. That's his transgression, not to mention his relentless chasing (rather harassing) of Marlena.
Marlena doesn't really know anyone there very well except Lilly, who asked her to drop by and send Rob off. She's just dropping in but plans to leave to meet up with her friends elsewhere.
Hud figures out something's up with Rob and Beth and sets out to face the problem directly, only to get shut out by Rob and Beth. He wants to know whats going on. So instead he gets Jason, convinces him somethings up and then the two corner Lily. Lily is reluctant, even though she knows what's going on, to say anything but is badgered into telling the two of them, asking them to swear not to say anything. Hud tells everyone. That's when the monster attacks. Everything is falling apart now, both literally and figuratively.
Lily, until her rescue by helicopter, spends the rest of the movie acting as a uniting factor and trying to mend the wounds. She encourages everyone to keep going in the tunnel. Whenever Rob tells everyone else to go away to safety while he tries to find Beth, Lily is there to say she's going with him and everyone follows her. In the tunnel she's the one who finds the break room and rallies everyone into safety. As long as Lily is present, no one dies.
On the bridge Jason gets cut off from the group. Lily screams to him to follow them but he doesn't. He climbs up, the monster destroys the bridge and (important to remember) he's killed by debris. Not the actual monster, but the debris. The monster is barely seen but seen enough to spark curiosity, especially in Hud. Just like the relationship trouble. It's barely visible but Hud sees glimpses and is intent on finding out more and seeing more of that, too. We also learn that they're not just dealing with a big monster, but also little critters that have broken off the big monster. After all, while the big bad thing is the most obvious damaging factor, it's really the little things that are eating everyone up, literally and figuratively. This is important.
Marlena, who never really intended to be at the party, didn't really know anyone there well and wanted to just go out with her friends, has now become stuck in this situation. She was stuck at the party in the middle of the relationship drama with this crew and now she's stuck in the monster mess with them, too. She is the only one to really get hurt by the little creatures, who bite her and cause some sort of medical issue, presumably a nasty infection of sorts. She was essentially poisoned by the sting of the little things. I thought in the middle of the movie while this was happening that her condition was all so superfluous and since they didn't do more with it that it was an inconsequential detail. It wasn't. She was poisoned by the relationship fallout and symbolically died from the bite of the little things.
They find Beth, who is thrilled that Rob has come back for her. Everything is turning around now because their relationship is on the mend. Happy ending, right? After all, they got back to the military and they're getting airlifted out.
Lily gets separated from the group. This is key. Now the gang is on their own without the uniter and the one who brings them safety and comfort (all while wearing heels, thankyouverymuch). They get on the next helicopter. The planes bomb the monster and everything is safe because the monster is dead... or not. It gets their copter and they crash. Now it's just Rob, Beth and Hud running away from the crash and trying to beat the clock on the final bombing of the monster. This is the solution to end the monster trouble. But the monster is back and they're right there. Hud faces the monster head on, just as he did the relationship falling apart, and it consumes him. He is the only direct casualty of the monster from the main group of characters. Now it's just Rob and Beth, all of their friends (except Lily the uniter) dead from the fallout. The try to get out in time and just barely miss. In spite of repairing their relationship it's the final solution that does them in.
So what's the plot? Rob takes a job in Japan just at the same time he's had sex with long-time friend Beth. Knowing he's not going to see her again, at least for a long time, he breaks contact with her entirely. Beth gets pissed. Lily throws a party to send off Rob where Beth arrives with a guy. Rob gets pissed with Beth. Friends intervene but Rob stubbornly insists he's done with Beth. Beth leaves even more pissed. Monster attacks and Beth calls Rob for help. Rob spends the entire movie trying to rescue her. They repair the bond and fall in love just in time to die. Everyone else (except presumably Lily) dies in the wake of the two fallen-out friends/lovers trying to make the wrong right.
There's a reason you don't see much of the monster or the action of the monster causing destruction or the military beating the snot out of it. That's not what the movie is about. I'll get back to that.
Rob's treatment of Beth is the first transgression that one of the characters makes against the other, and it's the primary transgression that sets up the whole film, even though it isn't revealed until later.
Lily was definitely the uniter in the film and that's important to remember. After the setup in the beginning where you get a glimpse of the morning after with Rob and Kelly, the scene switches to the party that Lily has organized to send Rob off. She goes out of her way to make sure it's perfect and special. Part of that is asking Rob's brother Jason to use Rob's camcorder to tape interviews with party guests.
Jason performs the next two transgressions. He uses the tape from Rob and Beth's happy moments leading up to and following the sex. The tape holds what one can only presume is a happy memory, even if Rob completely mishandles his relationship with Beth because he doesn't know what to do about it. That's the first transgression. The second is when he passes off what was supposed to be a very important task for him (the interviews) to the very inept Hud who completely bungles it, all so Jason can have fun partying.
Hud is focused on getting drunk and chasing after Marlena. He doesn't do well at all with getting interviews or really any meaningful video of the party because of this. He's a dolt but his heart is in the right place. That's his transgression, not to mention his relentless chasing (rather harassing) of Marlena.
Marlena doesn't really know anyone there very well except Lilly, who asked her to drop by and send Rob off. She's just dropping in but plans to leave to meet up with her friends elsewhere.
Hud figures out something's up with Rob and Beth and sets out to face the problem directly, only to get shut out by Rob and Beth. He wants to know whats going on. So instead he gets Jason, convinces him somethings up and then the two corner Lily. Lily is reluctant, even though she knows what's going on, to say anything but is badgered into telling the two of them, asking them to swear not to say anything. Hud tells everyone. That's when the monster attacks. Everything is falling apart now, both literally and figuratively.
Lily, until her rescue by helicopter, spends the rest of the movie acting as a uniting factor and trying to mend the wounds. She encourages everyone to keep going in the tunnel. Whenever Rob tells everyone else to go away to safety while he tries to find Beth, Lily is there to say she's going with him and everyone follows her. In the tunnel she's the one who finds the break room and rallies everyone into safety. As long as Lily is present, no one dies.
On the bridge Jason gets cut off from the group. Lily screams to him to follow them but he doesn't. He climbs up, the monster destroys the bridge and (important to remember) he's killed by debris. Not the actual monster, but the debris. The monster is barely seen but seen enough to spark curiosity, especially in Hud. Just like the relationship trouble. It's barely visible but Hud sees glimpses and is intent on finding out more and seeing more of that, too. We also learn that they're not just dealing with a big monster, but also little critters that have broken off the big monster. After all, while the big bad thing is the most obvious damaging factor, it's really the little things that are eating everyone up, literally and figuratively. This is important.
Marlena, who never really intended to be at the party, didn't really know anyone there well and wanted to just go out with her friends, has now become stuck in this situation. She was stuck at the party in the middle of the relationship drama with this crew and now she's stuck in the monster mess with them, too. She is the only one to really get hurt by the little creatures, who bite her and cause some sort of medical issue, presumably a nasty infection of sorts. She was essentially poisoned by the sting of the little things. I thought in the middle of the movie while this was happening that her condition was all so superfluous and since they didn't do more with it that it was an inconsequential detail. It wasn't. She was poisoned by the relationship fallout and symbolically died from the bite of the little things.
They find Beth, who is thrilled that Rob has come back for her. Everything is turning around now because their relationship is on the mend. Happy ending, right? After all, they got back to the military and they're getting airlifted out.
Lily gets separated from the group. This is key. Now the gang is on their own without the uniter and the one who brings them safety and comfort (all while wearing heels, thankyouverymuch). They get on the next helicopter. The planes bomb the monster and everything is safe because the monster is dead... or not. It gets their copter and they crash. Now it's just Rob, Beth and Hud running away from the crash and trying to beat the clock on the final bombing of the monster. This is the solution to end the monster trouble. But the monster is back and they're right there. Hud faces the monster head on, just as he did the relationship falling apart, and it consumes him. He is the only direct casualty of the monster from the main group of characters. Now it's just Rob and Beth, all of their friends (except Lily the uniter) dead from the fallout. The try to get out in time and just barely miss. In spite of repairing their relationship it's the final solution that does them in.
I really think it's a wonderful story told through symbolism. It's also kind of neat to see a "monster movie" from the perspective of the victims. And in a sense I guess the fact the monster is symbollic of the relationship makes it actually just another monster movie like the classics. After all, monsters like Godzilla and Gorgo and Mothra were all symbolic of something, too. They weren't literally giant monsters, just metaphors.
