Cloverfield Blu-Ray?

Does anyone know if it will have all the planned extras as the canceled HD-DVD version, or will we have to wait a year or so for a special edition? I hope it's the former, because I am tired of the studios expecting us to double (or in the case of people going from DVD to BR triple) dip on movie releases.

Hey FR... all of the info you may want to know about the upcoming CLOVERFIELD Blu-ray is seen in my two posts on PAGE 2 <this thread.

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-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

And I might as well re-post the main info again here...





> DVDTOWN ~ Amazon Purchase Link

Nice! - I'm glad I haven't rented the SD-DVD yet, as we heard recently of Paramount's forthcoming Blu-ray release schedule, and that CLOVERFIELD will be released in early June. According to various websites' info, here are some details -

As hoped by many, this Blu-ray release will include full 1080p video as well as Dolby TrueHD audio. Additionally, this release features an exclusive Blu-ray-only HD option in the so-called "Special Investigation Mode" (Picture in Graphics track). Sounding much like a trivia track, this feature provides the viewer with tidbits of information on the film as the story unfolds.

> BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
(video codec unknown at this time)
> 1.78:1 aspect ratio (1080p/24)
> English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround
> English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
> English SDH (subtitles)

Special Features include:

* Special Investigation Mode (Blu-ray exclusive)
* Commentary by Director Matt Reeves
* Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield featurette
* Cloverfield Visual Effects featurette
* I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge! featurette
* Clover Fun featurette
* 4 Additional Scenes
* 2 Alternate Endings w/optional commentary
* 14 Easter Eggs

Plot Synopsis: Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.



> DVDTOWN ~ Amazon Purchase Link

> DVDTOWN Review of CLOVERFIELD

-Looking forward to the Blu-ray rental on this!
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-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on May 11, 2008]

Damn Hendrix, is there anything about high definition you don't know? lol.


Can anyone give me a link to a list of all the features the HD DVD version was supposed to have? I used to have one, but I can't find it anymore. I want to compare the two versions, I think the HD DVD version had a couple features that LH didn't list, but I can't remember all the features so I'm not 100% certain.

I don't know the exact details of the now-cancelled HD-DVD release for North America. However, I did find THIS LINK to a UK HD-DVD website announcement (from Feb). Here is a very large image of the Cover pic - doesn't look like it had near the amount of features as the forthcoming Blu-ray though.

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-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on May 11, 2008]

I didn't want to top the old Cloverfield thread that Hendrix linked us to, but I read that the movie was actually filmed in HD so the BR version should be fine.

Hendrix, I don't know if you noticed or not but, the website listed that as a custom cover. I'm pretty sure it was just made by a fan.

"I read that the movie was actually filmed in HD so the BR version should be fine." --Fumbled_Revolution

Actually, "Cloverfield" was filmed using various digital cameras, most of them commercial-grade consumer camcorders at a maximum resolution of 1080. This is technically "high definition" but nowhere near as good as the best conventional print cameras offer. Anyway, the filming was meant to better give the finished product the look and feel of a typical home movie. What that means, theoretically, is that it is not supposed to look super clear, sharp, or finely detailed.

I mean, the whole gimmick of the movie, as I've said before, is for it to look as though it were shot on the spot during the monster attack on a comparatively cheap camcorder. So when you think about it, what's the point, really, of a high-definition picture?

Now, I'm not saying the BD won't look better than the SD version. It will, no doubt. But won't that, in effect, take away from the movie's so-called "realism"? What's more, isn't 5.1 sound taking away from the film's realism as well, given that typical camcorders don't record in 5.1?

I suppose this is all beside the point, though, for viewers who want their cake and eat it, too. They want the roller-coaster feel of the home-movie experience, but they also want a crystal-clear picture and rocking surround sound. The two wants seem at odds to me.

John

[Post edited by John J. Puccio on May 12, 2008]

Hey John... you made^ some good points above, but you already know that "hi-def" fans still will want to see it in the best possible quality, regardless of the storyline scenario of most of it's content being filmed by young people on digital cameras.

And I overlooked the DVDTOWN back cover image update from last week, so here's an image post (for this thread) of the forthcoming Blu-ray's back cover (for those interested)...



_____________
-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

FYI... Update

DVDTOWN Message Board member posters5 (Eddie Feng) has posted a new Blu-ray review of CLOVERFIELD (<link). You may remember that Eddie reviewed the standard DVD late last month... and as you'll see, his opinion of the film hasn't changed (after viewing the deluxe BD edition) - "a nauseating mess."

Blu-ray image quality (excerpt) - The dimly-lit 1.85:1 1080p image looks terrible, though be advised that the digital compression artifacts are mostly intentional since the camera was “found” beneath a pile of rubble. Compared to the SD DVD, the Blu-ray’s image has vastly improved detail, but again, as the movie simulates the look of consumer-grade video cameras, the image frequently looks dull and flat.

Interesting Cloverfield BD Note - According to Paramount’s press information website, the disc has at least ten Easter Eggs. Sorry, I didn’t bother looking for them.

Read more of the review in the above link. Also recommend to bookmark his "Admiral's Corner" review site, if you wish to keep up with Eddie's opinions on future releases.

_____________
-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on May 31, 2008]

My comment: Now I'm surprised - just noticed that the reviewer on the blu-ray.com website (who's usually pretty critical) has given the film itself a rare "5 Stars" rating!

But based on opinions here the last few months, I really doubt the film is more than a "3-Star" film at best. However, the ROTTEN TOMATOES rating for Cloverfield is 77, which is just 2 numbers below the rating for one of Tim's favorites (Hellboy).

_____________
-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

loverboy,

fair warning, don't eat too much barbecue before you watch the movie.

eddie

[Post edited by posters5 on May 31, 2008]

I actually PREFER my horror to be grainy, dirty, rough,....think Texas Chainsaw (before they remastered it) This is one genre of film that I prefer to watch on crappy VHS and about a 25 inch 4.3 set.

Eddie (posters5) said -

Quote:
"loverboy... fair warning, don't eat too much barbecue before you watch the movie."

^Thanks for that. After everything I've heard/read on this film's presentation, you should avoid food and liquid before watching it! I will pick it up as a (free) Blu-ray rental soon, watch on my Pioneer plasma, and hope I don't get sick.
_________________________

With that said... here is a UK viewer's recent impression on the Cloverfield BD (from another website)...

I just sat down to watch the disc and was absolutely dumbfounded at the quality of this release.

There are alot of gripes with regards to "Oh but it was suppose to look crap, it's a handicam" etc etc. In reality this transfer is crisp and in some sense does remove the handicam feel that I enjoyed in the cinema.

You can actually see when different types of film / camera are used when changing through various different shots, but I was noway disappointed as it does hold onto the HDM feel that I obviously paid extra for.

Watching the Visual FX extra on the disc it was also nice to see just about all of the special FX guys who worked on this movie were British. (And their teeth all seemed to be fine, although that might have been CGI.)

I was skeptical about how this title would benefit a Blu-Ray release, but it's definitely put to good use and you won't be disappointed. -[END]-

_____________
-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on May 31, 2008]

Hendrix,
I don't get it man. Why are you putting so much effort into this movie? It is not very good.(free rental or not). Shouldnt you be doing something better with your time? "LOST" perhaps?

"final fantasy" and "minority report" are better than "cloverfield".

Judging the movie on it's own merits, it's moderately enjoyable at best, however I loved it because it was something different. How many times can we see the same bullshit cookie cutter movie that Hollywood puts out over and over again?


Also, the HD DVD release was supposed to have tons of extras. I can't find it anymore, but I read an article a while back where the people who worked on it (the HD DVD version) were upset because they spent several months working on the extras and they didn't think they would be able to convert everything over to Blu in time because Paramount (or whoever put it out) wanted to Blu-Ray version to come out on the announced HD DVD release.

[Post edited by Fumbled_Revolution on Jun 1, 2008]

Blair Witch 3 "The pursuit of New York City" would have been a better choice for this movie!

Yes the movie is that bad...

[Post edited by ReaggieP on Jun 1, 2008]

Eddie,
Minority Report is great. Final Fantasy? Uhm...

I really liked The Mist. Infact I was quite blown away by how much I liked it. Sure, some of the CGI was lousy (Tentacles) but the acting and story was very "booklike". And whether the ending made sense, or just made you kinda sick...it was pretty original in the fact that the sunset never came.

Quote:
Hendrix,
I don't get it man. Why are you putting so much effort into this movie? It is not very good.(free rental or not). Shouldnt you be doing something better with your time? "LOST" perhaps?

Agreed, but as you can tell, it appears Jimi Love puts efforts into the most mediocre of films because one can only assume he's starved for attention. I mean, the guy goes on a shill rant over some of the lamest films known to mankind in an attempt to over-inform all of us that shit must be seen just because it's in hi-def. Now, I enjoyed Cloverfield but I have to admit it doesn't have a lot of charm when it comes to repeat value. It's a fun movie, but certainly not a great movie by any means -- I just don't get why we have to suffer with spew salads over less than rental worthy material?! Jimi Love, when he does his movie spew salads, it reminds me of the Donkey on the extra features menu from Shrek. Donkey is jumping up and down saying, "pick me, picke me . . . oh, pick me!" As I said, starving for attention.

I can only hope people here do their research, read reviews here or elsewhere and take Jimi Love's movie shill rants with a grain of salt. Just because some film has made it to Blu-ray does not make it instantly great, nor does it mean everyone here needs to be over-informed about it. If a movies overall value is crap, then it's still crap on hi-def.

[Post edited by Tim Raynor on Jun 1, 2008]

Quote:
"final fantasy" and "minority report" are better than "cloverfield".

You know Eddie, eventhough I did enjoy Cloverfield for what it was, I have to agree with your statement.

Tim Raynor griped...

Quote:
I just don't get why we have to suffer with spew salads... ...it reminds me of the Donkey on the extra features menu from Shrek.

(whining post above edited for brevity)





FYI... at this time, there is no Blu-ray review on DVDTOWN for the Cloverfield movie. Thanks to Eddie Feng (on his review site), those interested can read a new review (see link at bottom of pg 1). And those not interested can calmly not waste TIME posting gripes about this movie (or the BD edition, or a friendly update), and consider reading other threads/reviews of interest (here on DVDTOWN)... Thank you Tim for your understanding.

_____________
-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

Tim Raynor:

Quote:
Agreed, but as you can tell, it appears Jimi Love puts efforts into the most mediocre of films because one can only assume he's starved for attention. I mean, the guy goes on a shill rant over some of the lamest films known to mankind in an attempt to over-inform all of us that shit must be seen just because it's in hi-def. Now, I enjoyed Cloverfield but I have to admit it doesn't have a lot of charm when it comes to repeat value. It's a fun movie, but certainly not a great movie by any means -- I just don't get why we have to suffer with spew salads over less than rental worthy material?! Jimi Love, when he does his movie spew salads, it reminds me of the Donkey on the extra features menu from Shrek. Donkey is jumping up and down saying, "pick me, picke me . . . oh, pick me!" As I said, starving for attention.

I can only hope people here do their research, read reviews here or elsewhere and take Jimi Love's movie shill rants with a grain of salt. Just because some film has made it to Blu-ray does not make it instantly great, nor does it mean everyone here needs to be over-informed about it. If a movies overall value is crap, then it's still crap on hi-def.

Tim Raynor also said:

Quote:
My opinions are fact, and if I don't like a movie that someone else does, then that person is an idiot.

[Post edited by Fumbled_Revolution on Jun 1, 2008]

Fumbled,

If you actually fell for that quote, then YOU are an idiot!

[Post edited by Tim Raynor on Jun 1, 2008]

Eddie and I received the BD editions of "Cloverfield" at the same time, but I simultaneously received the BD of "There Will Be Blood" and chose to review it first.

Having just watched "Cloverfield" on BD (review on Tuesday), I have to admit I liked it slightly better this second time around, despite the contradictions of such a relatively good picture and sound in a supposed "documentary" shot with a handheld, consumer-grade camcorder. No, I still don't think it's a great movie, and the shaky image still annoyed me. But the HD sound, especially, is so good, I was able to suspend my disbelief and go with the story more than I had before.

John

"Documentary style" or not....You still do not film your best friend RIGHT after he got stomped by the "Cloverfield Monster"!!! (as what happened in the film) This movie would have been better served filmed by a "REAL" cameraman, and told from THAT point of view. They could have still used "the look and feel" of the flick. It just threw me off that with all of this going on, who in their right mind would have taken the time to film it? I would have been running to the nearest bus station.

Double post. sorry. comp. going haywire today...

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jun 1, 2008]

^^^ (triple post)^^^

Indiana Jones drank from the cup of christ in The Last Crusade right? And THAT brought the promise of eternal life...correct? Then "why" is he OLD in KOTCS?

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jun 1, 2008]

the price of immortality was staying behind the seal. after he left, the holy water didn't work any more.

plus, you still age, as seen with the knight.

well that sucks^^^. why in the hell did hitler want the cup so bad, if he could only live eternally in a cave...behind a seal?!!

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jun 1, 2008]

Quote:
the price of immortality was staying behind the seal. after he left, the holy water didn't work any more.

plus, you still age, as seen with the knight.

The other thing that was so odd about the knight is for a guy that had been watching over the cup for a couple thousand years, don't you think he'd be insane from cabin fever? I know NASA does intensive studies on this, and at this time the one thing that could scrap the mission to Mars is the difficulty finding people that will be able to withstand the amount of time in a crapmed space station. the longest anyone has stayed in space was that Russian cosmo naught that spent six-months in their tiny space station. That guy even mentioned he'd never do it again, so just imagine staying in a cave for two-thousand years!

No doubt. You could almost see the old knights "bone" pop when Indy walked in...he was like "Finally, I can get the f..k outta here and get me some!" Poor guy couldnt even lift his sword. Pitifull.

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jun 2, 2008]