Caution Ahead: Harry Knowles Reviews 'Cloverfield'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Fandom, Movie Marketing
Yesterday, I told you I wouldn't be writing anything more on Cloverfield. Well, I lied. Gotcha! It was a twist ending! I bet you never saw it coming, huh? Actually, I'll admit, at the time I wasn't lying. I sincerely planned on not writing anything more about Cloverfield because, nothing at all against the film (which I plan to see and hope to enjoy), but I'm just spent, dude. Too much hype. Too much Cloverfield. But then I read this review from AICN chief Harry Knowles and, well, I thought it'd be fun if we played a game. We'll get to the game in a minute, but first a cautionary warning: With huge, fanboy-ish films like this one, sometimes they'll bring in Knowles to see it before anyone else. Why? Well, because they're almost guaranteed a nice, pretty quote to throw on future marketing materials, like those commercials that air the week of or the week after the film is released.
That said, now it's your turn to help Paramount pick which Knowles quote to use in future Cloverfield commercials. (Note: For all we know, Knowles' review could be spot on. But some of the quotes in there were just too hilarious to ignore.)
UPDATE: Jeff Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere has written what has to be my favorite quote so far in his mini review of Cloverfield: "It is Guillermo del Toro on a tab of brown acid with a little crack thrown in."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-11-2008 @ 11:01AM
paul said...
I didn't read the "review" but I believe that is what you call grossly overrated.
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1-11-2008 @ 11:10AM
dana said...
Ah, Harry Knowles. But does anyone read AICN for serious reviews -- don't we all expect this from them? It gave me a chuckle or two, and reinforced that I'm going to go see Cloverfield next weekend.
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1-11-2008 @ 11:22AM
Dorv said...
I'm the same way... AICN was one of the first movie websites I visited before I became addicted to Movie/TV websites. You always have to take his stuff with a grain of salt, specifically his reviews. But the are still, often times enough, interesting reads. Tons of hyperbole, but still, decent reads.
Hmm... Double posted?
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1-11-2008 @ 11:28AM
LRS62 said...
Boy, I knew I was going to be in for something ripe, but lordy, he really CAN'T write, can he?
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1-11-2008 @ 11:35AM
Sam H. said...
I actually met Harry some years ago when we were both guests at an Austin-area X-FILES convention. The only thing I could think afterward was, "Wow, what a douchebag." His site in general pretty much bears out that assessment, and this review... ugh.
Honestly, I think you missed the worst line of the review from a writing standpoint: "[T]his is the giant monster movie that isn’t at all like any giant monster movie we’ve seen before… but is exactly that movie."
What the HELL is that supposed to mean?
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1-11-2008 @ 12:22PM
DAVID F said...
Aw shucks....leave the big guy alone, huh? He's just gettin' his GEEK on!
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1-11-2008 @ 1:53PM
Okie said...
wont be wasting my money on this flick, to much hype. studio is really trying to get you to see it. When studios try this hard to get you to see it it just has to be bad
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1-11-2008 @ 2:04PM
Luke G. said...
Heh. I too have met Harry. It was a free screening of a movie, and before the film he talked to a group of about 15 of us. I swear I've never met a worse name-dropper...every other word out of his mouth was about talking to some director about this or chatting with some star about that.
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1-11-2008 @ 3:13PM
HollywoodJack said...
Not for nothing, but with sneery comments like yours, I think you're in danger of disappearing up your own a**.
I'm no apologist for Knowles or anyone else, but I think everyone knows he's an unadulterated (and yes, maybe overly naive) "lover" of movies, not some cynical disinterested hack.
Seems to me, there's better you could do in your blog than diss the guy, Erik.
Especially since you also brag about how you *won't* be reviewing certain movies - not sure I want to read that in a movie blog. Comes across as pretty peevish......
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1-11-2008 @ 3:19PM
Paul said...
##Honestly, I think you missed the worst line of the review from a writing standpoint: "[T]his is the giant monster movie that isn’t at all like any giant monster movie we’ve seen before… but is exactly that movie."
What the HELL is that supposed to mean?##
Makes perfect sense if you include the paragraph that follows. He's saying it's just like every other monster film but from a different angle.
Jees, some people have giant bees in their little hats
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1-11-2008 @ 3:56PM
Erik Davis said...
HollywoodJack,
First off, I'm not dissing Harry here. This is what he does, everyone knows he does it, and so I'm just having a little fun with it. Lots of other sites are doing the same, because his review is so damn quote heavy (with half of those pulled out and given their own sentences) that it's hard not to laugh.
"I'm no apologist for Knowles or anyone else, but I think everyone knows he's an unadulterated (and yes, maybe overly naive) "lover" of movies"
Exactly, that's why I cautioned readers. Sometimes he just goes a bit too overboard. Like here. And when he reviewed Godzilla.
Also, I'm not "bragging" about choosing not to review the film. Part of my reason is because I'm heading to Sundance and don't have the time, and the other is because I'd rather see it without having to review it, with friends and not press, so I can enjoy it more.
If you can't take a little snark here and there, you're reading the wrong site.
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1-12-2008 @ 5:11AM
Michael said...
Erik - I, for one, prefer my reviews choc full o' snark...
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1-12-2008 @ 1:10PM
HollywoodJack said...
Erik,
Snark is fine by me - puerile sneering isn't.
Nor is your effort to rewrite events with a differing spin, (you were clearly dissing the guy, dude - so dont backtrack now).
And if you invite all *your* critics to go elsewhere as you have me, maybe that tells me all I need to know ......
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