Cloverfield = Take your Dramamine

I meant to post this over the weekend ...

I usually don't go see scary movies because they give me nightmares. I think I'm still scarred by my parents' highly questionable decision to take me with them to see Jaws as a child. It came out when I was 2, so I'm not sure how old I actually was when I saw it. I just have vague memories of hearing that eerie music the duh dum .... duh dum... you know the one you hum when you're in the swimming pool making a shark fin out of your elbow. Anyway, I quickly learned that the music meant carnage and remember burying my face in my Dad's chest to avoid seeing anything bad. I actually was afraid to put my feet all the way down to the bottom of the bed for quite a while because I was worried a shark might eat my foot. Yes, it's completely irrational but THAT'S how a child's mind works. Did I mention that after seeing The Amityville Horror I was convinced that my brother was going to shoot us all in the middle of the night?? Of course I can't blame my parents for that one, it was on the TV at my Aunt Kaye's house and I was supposed to be in bed but I could see it from my room.

I digress, but let's just say there's a reason I have a loooonng history of not seeing scary movies.

That said, BJ has been jonesing to see Cloverfield for months -ever since the first teaser trailers came out. I was intrigued but nervous because even Blair Witch had serious ramifications for me. And when my then boyfriend jumped out at me from under the stairs in our unfinished basement, I nearly moved out right then and there.

Though I'm usually incredibly opposed to spoilers and knowing the end of a movie (JCR you know you're guilty!), in this case I went ahead and read a review to find out more about it. I determined that it was more of a disaster type of film which is one of my favorite genres!!!! ... and don't even pretend that you didn't shed a tear in Armageddon when Bruce Willis said goodbye to Liv Tyler just before he blew up the asteroid and saved Earth ... TRUE DRAMA!!

so yes, Cloverfield was awesome! Great disaster action but with a very unusual perspective. My only problem was that I've become much more sensitive to motion sickness in the past few years and a movie shot with hand held cameras - on a big screen?? Yeah, I kept having to look away because I thought I was going to puke. So be forewarned, it's filmed from the perspective of panicked people shooting a video camera in the streets of New York so it's jerky and twisty. Just take your Dramamine, eat your Junior Mints and enjoy!