I have been bitten by the Cloverfield monster.....(sort of)

So this past weekend I was hanging out with a couple of very good old friends of mine, Chris & Jarrod. We were catching up on old times and talking about movies, music, etc. The same stuff we used to do almost 10 years ago. Well the whole Cloverfield epidemic came up. Jarrod is looking forward to the movie, while I am a bit sceptical. I just think there is no way anyone can do a "giant monster terrorizes big city" movie and it not look like a direct rip off of Godzilla. I mean there are superhero movies that need to be made people. I think all other types of movies should cease production and for the next 3 years we should get nothing but superhero movies! But hey that's just me, what can I say? I jllovesth comics!

The viral campaign that was used to promote this movie is one of the main draws for Jarrod. It reminds me of the Year Zero promotions that NIN did for that album. I really got into that promo it was all over the place with fake websites and all these stories. I really like these kinds of campaigns that make you feel submerged into a fictional world. Here is a list of the fake websites with all the hints about the film:

Jaime and Teddy
This website requires a password which I have hidden somewhere in this blog (hint: i spellchecked this blog before posting). It features a about 6 or 7 videos. I haven't watched them yet since I am at work right now.

Slusho
This is a company owned by a bigger corporation which plays a huge part in the movie. Slusho is a fictional brand of drinks that are sold in Japan.

Tagruato
The corporation that owns Slusho. It is said that this company has its own army. They have their hands in lots of different things but the most news coverage they are getting is over the mysterious sinking of one of their offshore drilling rigs (Chaui Station).

Tidowave
This is a "eco terrorist" group according to Taragruto. Taragruto stated it had proof that Tidowave was in the area when the Chaui Station went down.

More Info & Video of Chaui Station Sinking
/films has posted several news cast and their translations covering the Chaui "incident" the post also contain more info very relevant to the movie

Cloverfield The Movie Website
Official Website

Teaser Site
This is a cool website with lots of different pictures from the film that you can drag and drop around as if you were looking at a pile of pictures on a table

IMDB Cloverfield Page

Here are a few pictures of what the monster might look like:
(THESE ARE FAN ART!! THE MONSTER MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE THESE!!!)
This next one is fan art "based on leaked info". I don't know if that true or not but this picture is awesome. They use the statue of Liberty for a size comparison and i think the monster is way too big. If he was as big as the image is suggesting then he could flatten New York within 5 minuets, just by walking around it.


So the marking campaign is great and the movie looks like it could be fun. However there is a side of me that thinks when a movie studio spends this much cash and time on a marketing strategy it is because they are afraid the movie wont make cash. So they want as many in the seat on opening day as possible. The only way to do that is to launch a campaign with very little actual info about the movie and what you do show, make it look like the best thing ever. Its the same old thing, the giant awesome floating head but you are to never mind the man behind the curtain.

The movie opens in ten days on 01/18/08. We will have to wait till then to see if this is worth the hype. For better or worse the marketing was fun to play with.

Cloverfield Monster In Slo-Mo
/films has posted a slowed down section of the trailer where you can see a section of the monster. You are going to have to view this a few times before you can make it out but it clearly is the legs and stomach of the monster or at least a monster. Yes Chris you were right. Chris saw this on his normal TV and kept telling us it was there. We didn't believe him. Sorry dude you were right.