I think everyone's been assuming that Matt Reeves, whose career ascended to another level this year thanks to Cloverfield, would go straight to directing the in-the-works sequel. In an interview with MTV this week, he made it clear that this isn't so. Cloverfield 2 is still happening, but another of his pet projects -- a psychological thriller called The Invisible Woman -- has raced ahead of it in the production pipeline. Not actually a movie about an invisible woman, its story instead involves a "woman that gets so desperate to save her family, that she goes to crazy lengths and enters a life of crime." Reeves, who wrote the film himself, describes it as "a Hitchcockian thriller in the vein of Marnie."

Though Cloverfield was written by Drew Goddard, Reeves wrote and directed the 90's David Schwimmer comedy The Pallbearer, and co-wrote the screenplay for Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. I've seen both, but I'll be damned if I remember either, though I have a vague recollection that Under Siege 2 was pretty fantastic in that way that some Steven Seagal movies can be. Not being the biggest fan of Cloverfield (I liked it well enough), I can wait for the sequel. If you can't -- uh, well, you'll have to. Sorry. The good news is that it still appears to be on the way.

The best news about the new Cloverfield DVD is that you can pause it whenever you want in case -- ya know -- halfway through you feel a little motion sickness. It's been touted as "The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla" or "a monster movie for the You Tube generation," but when it was all said and done Cloverfield turned out to be an original, captivating piece of filmmaking that took risks where other films of the genre would've played it safe. The initial "Holy crap, what is this movie!" is what attracted people opening weekend, when Cloverfield grossed a whopping $46 million before dropping off an equally-as-whopping 68% in box office totals the following weekend.

Was it the hand-held shakiness that kept people from seeing it ... and then seeing it again? Or was it because of the unusual storytelling techniques? Perhaps, in the end, folks simply enjoyed chasing the film through viral sites more than they did actually sitting down to watch it in a theater. Whatever the case may be, I'd definitely recommend picking up Cloverfield on DVD -- not only because it's much easier to deal with camera shakiness from your own, comfortable living room, but also because the special features truly add to the experience in a very positive way.

I'm not sure what these two new endings will show (the Cloverfield monster stealing the lead actress and climbing up to the top of the Empire State Building?), but apparently the upcoming Cloverfield DVD will house a couple of different looks at the controversial finale. Shock gives us the news that the DVD will arrive in stores on April 22, and come with a slew of bonus materials. Considering the amount of viral marketing this puppy shoveled out in the months leading up to its release, I wouldn't expect anything less than 750 special features on 17 discs. Apart from anamorphic widescreen and English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, Shock gives us this list of additional features:

• Commentary: Commentary by Director Matt Reeves
• Featurette: The Making of Cloverfield
• Featurette: Cloverfield Visual Effects
• Featurette: I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge
• Featurette: Clover Fun
• Additional Scenes: Congrats Rob
• Additional Scenes: When You're in Japan
• Additional Scenes: I Call That a Date
• Additional Scenes: It's Going to Hurt
• Additional Scenes: Alt Ending #1
• Additional Scenes: Alt Ending #2
• Easter Eggs: Slusho!
• Easter Eggs: Person of Interest - JLVD Video 2
• Easter Eggs: Person of Interest - JLVD Video 5
• Easter Eggs: Person of Interest - JLVD Video 9
• Easter Eggs: Person of Interest - JLVD Video 11
• Easter Eggs: Rack 'Em & Pack 'Em
• Easter Eggs: Fighting the X

More Easter Eggs are supposedly on the way, though they haven't been officially confirmed. Shock also doesn't say whether this will be a double disc special edition, so for the time being we'll assume all of this is on one giganto Cloverfield DVD. I was one of those folks who enjoyed Cloverfield for what it was and look forward to picking up this DVD when it hits stores on April 22. You?

According to Variety, Matt Reeves is "in early talks with Paramount" to direct a sequel to this month's smash Cloverfield. This should come as a surprise to exactly no one, as Cloverfield was made on the super cheap ($25 million) and scored a whopping $46 million in its opening weekend alone. From the way the announcement is worded, it looks like they want Cloverfield II underway ASAP, as soon as Paramount can complete discussions with Reeves, producer J.J. Abrams and writer Drew Goddard, who penned Cloverfield as well as episodes of Lost, Alias, and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Reeves has also signed to direct The Invisible Woman, "a Hitchcock-style thriller" he wrote that "probes the mind of a former beauty queen who turns to a life of crime to protect her family."

It remains unclear which project will start production first, though the Variety article says there's a "good chance" it'll be Cloverfield. No word yet on the plot, but Goddard recently mentioned the possibility of showing you the fateful night of the attack from another cameraman's perspective. Much to my chagrin, I have yet to see Cloverfield. The night it came out I was assigned to review...Mad Money. You don't know humiliation until you have to purchase a ticket for a midnight showing of the new Diane Keaton comedy while surrounded by a huge mob of psyched Cloverheads. I'll check it out this weekend, but for those of you who've seen it -- are you excited for a sequel? And do you like the idea of watching events from another angle or would you want a whole new adventure?

I've been excited for Cloverfield ever since I heard that Drew Goddard penned the flick. I can't say anything about Lost or Alias, but he penned some fun episodes of Angel, and better yet -- he got his start on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Yes, I'm a Whedonite of the vamp variety.) During his stint with the slayer, he penned part of the stunning Conversations with Dead People, and headed other eps like Dirty Girls and Lies My Parents Told Me. So, hearing that he was putting his spin on the whole monster movie thing was enough to hook me, and while it could potentially be a can't-live-up-to-hype Blair Witch, I'm still running my butt down to the theater tonight to see for myself.

Of course, what we'll all see on the screen is not exactly what he intended. Bloody Disgusting chatted with Godard and director Matt Reeves on the red carpet of the premiere, and got the scoop. Drew was aiming for a "hard R" with lots of blood and disgusting bits, but was told it was "way too brutal." But maybe we'll see more on the DVD, or the sequel? Reeves wouldn't confirm or deny the possibility, but he did comment on what number two could be if they do go into sequel territory, and frankly, I love the idea: "Only time will tell. While we were on set making the film, we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night. There might be another movie!"

The whole monster-coming-back-for-round-two angle is getting old, so I would be all over a sequel that shows the same night from a different perspective. At least then, potential monster death or wrapped-up plots can still be actual endings, rather than fluff that gets twisted for round two, five, or ten. What do you think?

The first 'reality blockbuster' is a winner. Cloverfield is a lean, brisk roller-coaster of a monster movie, buoyed by the lack of story gimmicks and absurd characterizations that weigh down most movies of this ilk, no offense to you personally Mr. Broderick. In the aftermath, it will dawn on you that it's actually quite traditional -- every character has an arc -- but it doesn't feel that way. Nor does it feel like 'found footage', but something in between. Watch the prologue carefully, as our narrator/cameraman, whose point of view we'll share, is trying to make a standard going-away party commemoration tape interesting by sniffing out some sex gossip and self-consciously creating his own drama with a girl who wishes he'd get lost. This guy has filmmaking instincts, and when circumstances change and he becomes a 'character' in a disaster movie, he goes with it. He's not just pointing a camera -- he's making Cloverfield: The Movie. Ten years ago, we would have said 'it's not realistic that this guy would keep the camera rolling,' but those days are long gone.

Again, there's no pretense of reality here -- the 20-something party people who we meet and whose lives are flipped by the arrival of the monster are all as pretty and as vapid as anyone on Laguna Beach and they never become less glamorous as the movie goes on -- no one is caught in need of a snot-rag, ala Blair Witch. Among the main characters are Rob (Michael Stahl-David), the guest of honor at the party who is leaving for a new job in Japan, Beth (Odette Yustman) his ex-girlfriend who he still has feelings for but would only admit it if, say, her life were in mortal danger or something, and Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) whose quiet, wide-eyed demeanor and gruff sarcasm make her a bad candidate for 'Survivor Girl.' As the advertising will tell you, some characters will live and some will die but you never know when and where and one death is so shocking and inexplicable I wish very much that I hadn't already seen it a hundred times in the movie's 'give everything away' advertising.

Dude.

I'm still trying to comprehend the film I just watched. It really is like no other monster movie you've ever seen. You know those warnings they give people before going on a rollercoaster (might not be safe for pregnant women, people who have motion sickness, etc ...) -- well, they should give the same warning before watching Cloverfield. It's not a film; it's sort of like an experience. And being able to watch this movie with a New York City crowd was pretty special. There was no random fanboy cheering at any point; frankly, I don't think people had time to cheer because once the film goes ... it goes ... and it goes ... and it will freak you the hell out.

My wife even liked this film, and she hates all things science fiction. She's more of a hardcore drama gal; people killing themselves, killing each other -- that sort of thing. So her liking this movie is huge. I won't go on much longer because I refuse to spoil it for you, but trust me when I say Cloverfield is worth the hype. You'll need to adjust to the shaky cam (won't take longer than 15 minutes, at least for us it didn't), it's a tad melodramatic (but it works because you care about the characters more), New Yorkers will have to suck it up a bit (Spring to 59th in heels?) and you'll need to realize that you won't be spoon-fed the usual Hollywood bullsh*t along the way. Picture you and your friends hanging out one night. Someone has a movie camera. Something attacks the city ... and you're off. That's it. That's the setup. Now strap yourself in, hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

It's wonderful, it's frightening and it's truly a breath of fresh air. Serious props go out to director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams. Cloverfield ... you have finally won me over. Stay tuned to Cinematical for our official review later this week.

P.S. Weinberg here! As the biggest horror geek on the Cinematical crew, I would like to (enthusiastically) agree with the comments and opinions of Mr. Davis and his lovely wife. This is one of the coolest monster movies I've ever seen. And I freaking LOVE monster movies.

Such a big movie deserves its own post ...

A few different websites have scored interviews with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, and so here are some tasty nuggets of info from each:

From MTV Movies Blog -- "Cloverfield director Matt Reeves has told MTV News that Paramount has picked his monster flick as the venue to unveil the "Trek" trailer. There isn't much more to report on that front, but Reeves did say that he's seen the teaser and that it's "awesome."

From IESB -- Reeves on the viral marketing and Slusho tie-in: "It's a connection, obviously, back to a reference to Alias and it's part of the involved connectivity between that and there's a - I don't know what you could call it - a sort of "meta-story" that is part of - almost like an origin story - that is connected. It's almost like tentacles that grow out of the film and lead, also, to the ideas in the film. And there's this weird way where you can go see the movie and it's one experience. It's a big, really satisfying and really thrilling experience."

From Shock Till You Drop -- Reeves on whether or not we'll actually see the Cloverfield monster: "We're creating great suspense while you see the great features of this monster. The other thing I think is very exciting is this monster is huge and you see everything. You see it in a way that is if you're shooting it with a Handicam. If you're hiding under a car, you see it that way, and there are other moments - I can guarantee you - you are seeing this monster in a huge way."

All sounds pretty sweet if you ask me -- and did you check out the first five minutes of the film yet (currently online)? Hit all three of those sites up for much more with Reeves, while Cloverfield is set to arrive in theaters on January 18.

It's been awhile, but another mysterious photo has popped up over at 1-18-08.com (aka The Unofficial Official Website for "Cloverfield" -- aka That Mysterious J.J. Abrams Project). I'll admit that I haven't been following the viral marketing for this film since -- I dunno -- July, so I'm not completely up to date on all the different websites beside this one that may or may not have something to do with the movie. But in case you're still following the clues, if you flip the above image over (on their site, not ours), you'll see the recipe for a Japanese dish, in Japanese. You can find the translation over on the Unfiction message boards, as well as more info on the Cloverfield Clues blog.

As far as I know, an official title still hasn't been released, and we're all still assuming the film will be released on January 18, 2008. From the details that have emerged, we know the film will follow a group of kids from New York City who attempt to survive an attack from an unknown monster(s). Oh, and the entire film will most likely be told via shaky handheld cameras, a la The Blair Witch Project. Matt Reeves is directing off a script from Drew Goddard, while folks like Lizzy Caplan, Mike Vogel (who's rumored to be up for the role of Captain Kirk in Abrams' Star Trek XI) and Jessica Lucas star. Not much else to go on, but whatever it is that chef is holding up -- well, it looks disgusting.

I'm sure you've been waiting for another morsel about the 1-18-08 -aka- Cloverfield flick. Bit by teeny little bit, news has been coming out about this film, which has to speed up at some point if it wants to make its '08 release date. 1-18-08news.com has posted the next little piece -- a heads up that the official website has been updated. It now includes a roar. Yes, that's it -- a roar. If you go to the website, sit there and wait for a while you'll hear it -- although to me it sounds like a roar that turns into some sort of guitar screech. Obviously this is a little bone for the uber-anxious, since not everyone will just keep the website open on their browser long enough to hear the jump-inducer. I'm wondering if it would've been better to do one of those e-mail forwards that tells you to stare at some picture long enough ... it would be a great way to introduce the monster!

Beyond that, there's nothing really new to report. Personally, I'm really itching to see how Drew Goddard does on his first feature film script. He got his start on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and wrote some of the best of the latter episodes, like Conversations with Dead People. (He's also often referred to as the hot Buffy writer, which is understandable, since the guy is a looker.) Since then he's written for Angel as well as J.J. Abrams' two shows, Alias and Lost -- so he's got some experience with mysterious and other-worldly fare. What's surprising is the other Abrams crew on the job as director -- Felicity exec producer/writer/director Matt Reeves, whose last feature was the David Schwimmer stinker The Pallbearer. Stay tuned for the next crumb ... sure to be thrown at some point!