More Monster Rumors from AICN

AICN has posted another post about the monster that may be in Cloverfield. This time the suggestion is the giant monster unleashes "parasites" that will attack the populace. Smaller creatures that may or may not look like raptors, as is the current rumor going around.

A friend if mine who was [relation to the film deleted by editor] told me there's thousands upon thousands of "parasites" on the big monster that leap off and attack everything in sight after it's been hit by some tank shells.

Supposedly they are sort of "Alien" looking with five or six claw like legs.

PS - the movie is (sort of) a modern day version of "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms " . Which if you ever seen it was about a giant monster attacking NYC. Interesting. So, maybe the "parasites" our reader talks about here are essentially the "raptors" referenced in the article linked above?

Another thought...

We've been hearing very spotty (and wholly unconfirmed) implications that the creature in the film may have something to do with a whale. Personally, I can't quite visualize this - the image that springs to mind is goofy as hell.

AICN Scene and Monster Description

AICN has posted what might be possible spoiler information about a scene in Cloverfield and some details about the monster.

I have for you a description of a unseen new sequence from the film you all know as Cloverfield.

You know, the one with the monster?

I can now safely say the teaser is not separate from the film, its part of the beginning
which was shown in an abridged fashion for the purpose of the teaser, it's longer in the movie.

The new scene opens with several traumatized survivors, moving through a very dark corridor there's slight cold blue illumination from halogen emergency lighting, a girl in the group is badly
beaten up she's bleeding and looks very sickly. The main group is comprised of 3 characters, Rob from the main trailer, the cameraman and a girl, though there may be others.

This scene takes place after the initial attack of "The monster" the scene we all saw in theatres. Rob is taking charge and telling everyone to keep calm, the girl says she doesn't feel so good.

They limp along until US Army soldiers storm in shouting at them, demanding they drop
they're weapons, they shout back they're unarmed, there's a lot of commotion, then they're herded briskly up some E.T style scientific tubing into a makeshift aid center, its very dark, threes lots of doctors tending to wounded and military walking about making the scene very busy. "What is that thing?" they ask as they catch their breath, the cryptic answer comes from a soldier "We don't know, but it's winning"

The imagery in this scene is like something after a terrorist bombing. A carcass is wheeled past with his guts hanging out, the cameraman struggles to take in the surroundings.

Rob gets angry with the aggressiveness of the soldiers who now tell them they can't leave, "I'm going out there, if you want to stop me you'll have to shoot me" we gather he's looking for his girlfriend. "I feel really sick" the girl unexpectedly mutters, the camera pans to her, shes looks like shes about to throw up, and curiously is crying blood from her right eye. Someone shouts
"She's been bitten!

Chaos ensues... Scene end. That's all you get, this may be used for promotion and is a possibility for an upcoming trailer.
DJ

In short, the message I'm talking about said that the big monster that comes into New York is scaly. The message claimed that when a scale is dislodged from the monster (if it gets blown off by shelling, for example) the scales actually turn into smaller, raptor-like creatures that run around wrecking havoc. That could be very cool if true. It was also suck completely if real.

So the raptorthings might dovetail nicely with the line about the girl being bitten?

As always, all this information is speculation and remains unconfirmed.

Monster Roar on 1-18-08 Website

According to another Cloverfield blog, if go to the official Cloverfield website and wait long enough with the page loaded you can hear what sounds like a monster roar about 6 minutes after opening the site. The roar seems familiar, like its from another movie (Godzilla perhaps) remixed. Could be my imagination.


The embed file above, assuming it works right, was shamelessly taken from 1-18-08.blogspot.com.

Raptor-Like Monsters for Cloverfield

According to DarkHorizons.com, some information has been released about the big bad of Cloverfield / 01-18-08. According to the site the main bad is a giant creature that emerges, Godzilla like, from the ocean without explanation and by the end of it returns back to the sea.

Also the main monster includes "small raptor-like monsters" that grow from scales on the big bad. The smaller monsters are carnivores that eats people including members of the main cast throughout the movie.

That seems to jive with all the leaked information of possible multiple monsters, yet one uber monster and the limited budget for the film. Cheaper to show small monsters killing people (been done for decades). The tension and drama then will come from no knowing who will die and when.

Monster(s?) Rumors

DreadCentral.com is reporting some rumor about what the monsters will be in Cloverfield.

It's not Godzilla or Voltron (duh) or even Cthulu; anyone expecting there to be some sort of elaborately detailed backstory may be in for a disappointment. Expect an old-fashioned monster movie retold in a very modern Blair Witch sort of way - but with a twist. You see that giant monster that emerges from the ocean to begin laying waste to New York City ... it didn't come alone.

According to "Mr. Slusho", much of the movie will revolve around the characters fleeing for their lives, not from the big one stomping the city, but from the "raptor-like" smaller versions hunting them down.

This rumor actually sounds feasible. The current rumor indicates this is actually a rather low budget movie being filmed mostly from hand-helds in a man on the street format. Low budget means very careful and limited use of CGI and the like. Framing the film in the monster(s) initial attack and fall/retreat and focus the film on a group of friends trying to survive while telling their backstory allows for Abrams love of the flashback, and keeps the tension (never know when a mini-mon will strike) all on the cheap.

Think about monster films, its always about the rise and fall of the monster. If the rise and fall is incidental to the story and instead focus on the quest to survive, things get a lot simpler budget wise and creates a character driven story rather then story or CGI driven one.

Possible Film Ending, Wrap Call Sheet

SPOILER WARNING Proceed at your own risk.

SlashFilm.com is reporting that a call sheet and video (here or below) from "nooneimportant77" provides insight on a possible ending of the movie and how it may not be 100% Blair Witch Style with handheld cams. Its also possible its just an event that occurs during the course of the movie.

From the article:

“NAME OF FEATURE Cheese!
EXT. CENTRAL PARK
Greyshot Arch - West 61st Street
1:00 PM - 9:00 PM

EXT. CENTRAL PARK
Two friends run into a tunnel and hide
SPFX bricks fall
various fallen debris in the park”

- Above friends are Rob and Beth hiding under a bridge as debris falls on them.

“EXT. STREET
Central Park South b/t 7th Avenue -
Columbus Circle

EXT. STREET
A group of friends find that Central Park South is empty and abandoned
A horse & carrage trots by
3 scissor lifts & (1) 86′ condor for lighting
20 BG cars”

- Probably an establishing shot for after the attack.
- Also the source indicated that a line he heard "there is one up there" might indicate more then one monster for the film, but admits its speculation.
- The person also noticed the use of professional film equipment belying the belief that the film would be done 100% Blair Witch style where someone is supposedly always using a cam to record events (thank god if true, that style just gives me a raging headache).

There is also video from the source, see below, that shows Paramount set equipment and pre-prep work for the above scene.

Further supporting this source is a call sheet form NYMag.com (image below, PDF here) that seems to cover events just after the above as Rob and Beth remove themselves from the bridge and go to her wrecked home. A possible alternate ending just has it focus on them under the bridge and ending there. Based on the call sheet, this seems to indicate that principle photography of Cloverfield/Cheese/whateverelse ended on August 6th, 2007.

Alien and Slusho Rumor Video

A new video from 1-18-08News.com presents a few new clues about Cloverfield, supposedly from an inside source. Some of the info is back up by an article in the New York Post and some it seems a little out there to me. There are also several new posters in the video that seem to pump up the monster angle of the movie but apparently those where fan mock-ups.

From the video (see below) and article:

- The movie budget is $30 million
- The villain is an alien, not a monster.
- Creature is awoken by large quantities of Slusho at Rob's party and kills those that consumed it.
- The article suggests that the movie is about the friends the day before the attack on New York.
- The claw mark on the back of the Statue of Liberty in the released poster is similar to an ability of Cthulu but isn't that creature, that can help identify what it may be. I am thinking horn.
- In the trailer, there is a large explosion, apparently caused by blown gas lines as the creature bursts through the New York bedrock. Within that you can see a face.

My view point by point:

- The budget. The movie is coming out in January, a period that is dead box office wise. Usually smaller budget movies are released then. Also JJ Abrams comes from TV where they are better at getting the most out of a limited budget. This seems very reasonable.
- The alien theory. Its possible, don't see why the creature can't be an alien but I remain unconvinced.
- Slusho awakes creature and acts as GPS. This smells of a red herring to me. Other then being an out there theory, way way out there, it also creates a hole in the storyline if true. Why "now"? Why didn't the creature awake when Slusho was manufactured? Why not when shipped, or stocked in stores? I assume greater quantities then would be at a party (never mind why Slusho instead of beer a party of 20 somethings). If the creature can burst through bedrock...why downtown New York rather then under the party? I say this theory is flat out wrong. Its two bizarre and would break suspicion of disbelief. More likely Slusho is either derived from the creature or creates the creature.
- Plot is a flashback of friends together. Abrams is in love with the flashback in a way that isn't quite normal. Its becomes a signature thing for him. That fits the plot theory. The budget, if at $30M, also does as a friendship movie bookended by things go boom is much cheaper then a movie all about a creature siege. Of course, there is nothing stopping the movie from simply being both, using the flashback for character development that is interspersed with the current attack. This one is plausible to me.
- Slash on SoL's back indicates the creatures makeup. Sure why not. I guess it would have to or they would designed it that way. Of course, why take the head off of the Statue, dive under New York City and burst through the bedrock in the city? Seems like one theory may disprove another. Unless two of them?
- Face in the explosion. I see what referring to but I think reaching in this case. I go with nope on this one.

As always, just remember that the only confirmed about this movie is that the movie is in production. Pretty much everything else is just guesses and rumors.

There is also a clarifing video here, for the interested.

Bloop!

Another interseting discovery from JayFive. The slogan for Slusho, an invented drink that seems tied into the Cloverfield mystery, is "You Can't Drink Just Six." A strange slogan that happens to also be a website. If you go to the website, it auto-redirects you to an article on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website for Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. This is a legit government website.

The article is about a "bloop" sound that was record in the summer of 1997 of an unknown origin in the Pacific Ocean. The picture is the spectrogram of the sound and to hear it sped up 16x, click here.

The WHOIS information for the Slusho slogan site doesn't prove conclusivily if its related to other Cloverfield sites but considering the overall oceanic theme that seems to be forming, more then likely it is. I guess the clue is the bloop sound is coming from the monster that eventually invades New York.

The Buru Theory

Over at this blog, comes a new theory that the movie monster is about the Buru. What is a Buru? apparently a giant see lizard. This theory is based off of the Slusho site where the seahorse's blinks and bubbles can be translated to Tide Monster Buru in morse code. Thanks to jayfive for the link.

Read the full theory here.

Cloverfield Set Videos?

Seems like every post title ends in a question mark cause so little is known. Now on YouTube comes 7 videos from veltliner1978 that may or may not be from the set of Cloverfield. Most seem to show set prep work being done to the set as people watch. The only indication that this might be Cloverfield related is one crewman wearing a Slusho T-shirt in video 7.

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
Video 7

Cloverfield Set Report

IESB.net has posted up what may or may not be set report from JJ Abram's untitled project codenamed Cloverfield. The report comes from a shoot that occurred in Santa Anita and Downey in Los Angeles. Also apparently the code name has changed from Cloverfield and Slusho to "Chocolate". The report involves blue screen shooting with military vehicles, ambulances and bio suits. No telling if true or not considering the overall lack of information about the movie.

To read the report and sees some pics, click here.

New Title May Be "Overnight"?

Another rumor coming out is the actual title of project Cloverfield is Overnight. The theory is based on multiple pieces of information. One is the plot of the movie seems to take place in one night (ie overnight) on 1/18/08. Another is that the filing of a trademark for "Overnight" by lawyers affiliated with JJ Abrams and Bad Robot (Abram's production company).

From slashfilm.com:

Apparently Group One Productions, LLC, and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer registered a trademark (#77232885) “Overnight” on July 18, 2007, for the use in “motion picture, television and music production and distribution services.” The Attorney of Record for the trademark is Lori N. Boatright, who was also the Attorney of Record for “SLUSHO!,” “SLUSHO! YOU CAN’T DRINK JUST SIX,” and “BAD ROBOT” trademarks (#77229623, #77229614, and #76340985).

Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum & Morris represents a few hundred Hollywood actors and a couple directors/producers. Jim Jackoway is an attorney, known to represent J.J. Abrams. He also happens to be the registrant for BadRobot.com. Jackoway was also the original registrant for Slusho.jp, but it was changed to Satoshi before the trailer was released. One thing is for sure, Bad Robot is using Jackoway Tyreman Wertheimer as a cover to basically “launder” all connections to the movie.

I have to admit as far as proof goes this is pretty good. However, I doubt Abrams company is working on just one project so the title could be for that, nor has the plot of the movie been confirmed. Personally, given a choice between the available titles, I would go with Monstrous. Its more informative (better for marketing) and just seems to invoke a sense of danger. Overnight just makes me think "romance movie?".

Zombies?

As the mystery of Cloverfield continues, rumors are coming out of the woodwork on what the movie is about and its content. The current rumor says the movie may have zombies. I say nay. No zombies. Not even proof this is related to Cloverfield.

Pictures taken at a movie shoot in New York at Orchard and Stanton Streets, which could be the Cloverfield shoot, shows what could be zombies (or just tired extras) walking across a dressed up and devastated landcape.

(source)

Cloverfield MySpace Profiles?

Using the flipped pictures from 01-18-08, site reader JayFive made an interesting discovery.

He performed a Google search for "Jamie Lascano". The first result brings you to a MySpace page, which has as friends the ever present MySpace Tom and 6 other people. Those six other people only have as friends Tom (don't they know he can be removed), and the other six. So basically its this tight network of seven friends, where 4 of the names on the backside of the pictures just happens to match. Adding to that, all are of the same age, look like some of the people in the pics, and all from New York.

Each MySpace profile is altered to fit the person's interests and personality, completely filled out as one usually expects for the site. The blogs in some cases go back as far as February of last year, but that's easy enough to cheat if myspace admins are helping out. Its just a database change on the dates.

I think these pages are part of the Cloverfield website network. The pages hint at what character type each will be for the movie (think kindhearted geek, hot cheerleader but not stuck up, kind jock that defends the underdogs, and so forth) but I don't know for sure.

The pages and assuming 7 main characters of Cloverfield are:

Beth McIntrye - 26, seems to be looking for Mr. Right
Rob Hawkins - "Robbie", 26
Hudson Platt - "Platt", 26, comic book geek and probably the group clown. Sadly I can identify every character in the background pics used for his page.
Lily Ford - 26, very liberal, maybe the loud opinionated character.
Marlena Diamond - 26, not sure what type she is.
Jamie Rascano - 25, the party girl of the group.
JJ Hawkins - 28, guessing the "J" from the flipped pics because the writing is so different from Jamie.