'Blu-ray or Bust' - 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

'Blu-ray or Bust'

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016, PG-13, 104 minutes, PARAMOUNT PICTURES/BAD ROBOT)

There’s creepy, and then there is JOHN GOODMAN CREEPY.

When 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE was released, it was a surprise attack by producer JJ Abrams. Up until the first preview was released, the entire production had been kept secret. The previews were incredible little teases, and they worked splendidly. The marketing, as brief as it was, turned out to be a stroke of genius; in its opening weekend, the film made nearly double the production costs. There are a whole lot of reasons for that, but there is one visceral performance that keeps you on the edge throughout the entire film.

CLOVERFIELD LANE tells the tale of Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, doing an amazing job of performing a resilient and thoughtful character), who, after leaving her fiancé, gets into a car accident and winds up chained to a bed in a fallout shelter. But is she a captive, or his her savior right about the outside world now being unlivable, either due to “Ruskies, or the space worms”? That is the question that drives this film to a conclusion you may not see coming. But even if you do figure it out beforehand, that means you are not giving nearly enough of your time and attention to Mr. Goodman.

Playing the part of “Howard”, the man whom has rescued Michelle and his handyman Emmett (John Gallagher Jr, who did an equally likable job in SHORT TERM 12), you never can put your finger on what is wrong with this guy. There is something there, but that’s what drives this film: not figuring out what lies in wait for them outside of the shelter, but what lies within. Goodman’s performance is enough to have “Oscar nod” written all over it—it’s just too bad the Academy regularly ignores art in this form. His delivery, his timing, his attention to Howard’s quirks and mannerisms are so convincing as to make him a person of interest in your brain well after the film has ended. Does every Good Samaritan really have your best interest at heart? That chubby guy walking down the street with the scraggly beard—is he trustworthy? (No, was not describing myself…I have a goatee, not scraggly…)

First-time director Dan Trachtenberg shot this film in sequence, and it helps to see the characters develop together. There is an obvious dynamic going on here, and he could not have cast three better people to convey his story. And for a new director to come right out of the gate with a film that captures the tone of Hitchcock and the claustrophobic mood of Ridley Scott is magic that you do not see that often.

The generous special features (about thirty-seven minutes worth) give you behind-the-scenes looks you do not normally get. You are shown every separate element that affects the way the story is told; from the captivating, emotional score by Bear McCreary (“Battlestar Galactica”, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) to the gritty and personal cinematography by Jeff Cutter (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET-2010), you see how even the lighting gets a special nod. Not to mention the DIY HAZMAT suit…

Abrams has teased that while this is not a direct sequel to 2008’s CLOVERFIELD, he has hinted that it takes place in the same universe. If any additional films are released anytime soon in the same vein, we would be so lucky.

Grade: A

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely

-- T.S. Kummelman