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Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Little Baghdad Action

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Three thoughts came to mind on Thursday when I read various accounts about some passionate mucky-muck involving CBS News Baghdad correspondent Lara Logan, a married US State Department contractor named Joe Burkett and CNN international correspondent Michael Ware.

The first two thoughts were (a) this is private material and nobody's business so why don't they leave her alone? and (b) passion is as passion does, and is no big deal.

Logan has been a feisty and outspoken reporter about the war and probably has a serious fire going in the furnace whatever the subject or concern. On top of which there's always something strangely erotic in the air when there's a lot of random death and danger floating about, and hence a sense of impermanence. The more ghastly or threatening the surroundings, the more likely it is that like-minded professionals of a certain age are going to get down in the heat of the moment. Remember the "terror fucking" phenomenon that happened in Manhattan in the days following 9/11?

The third thought is that Logan's story since she's been on the Baghdad beat would make for a good filmed drama. The considerate way to go about it would be to use the facts (romantic Baghdad triangle, emotions at a fever pitch, divorce proceeding, bullets whizzing past lovers' heads, IEDs exploding) but with made-up names and perhaps a slightly fictionalized story line just to blur things up. Roger Donaldson's Under Fire, which used actual events that happened in Nicaragua, had some of this element, as I recall.

That said, it seemed disingenuous that Brian Stelter's 6.26 N.Y. Times story reported that CBS News has just decided to base Logan in Washington, D.C., with a new title -- chief foreign affairs correspondent -- rather than in London, without at least briefly acknowledging the Baghdad mess. I mean, c'mon...it happened and some of the facts made the tabloids and now she's getting reassigned. People's private business is their private business, but once the snake is out of the box you can't pretend it's not there.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 28, 2008 at 2:43 PM

comment #1

EOTW says ...

Fighting over a piece of ass like this? What's the problem here?

Posted by EOTW at June 28, 2008 3:35 PM

comment #2

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

"Remember the "terror fucking" phenomenon that happened in Manhattan in the days following 9/11?"

Huh? How does Wells know about this? I never heard anything about terror fucking before.

Posted by Jeffrey Kunze at June 28, 2008 3:51 PM

comment #3

Doug Pratt says ...

"chief foreign affairs correspondent"
nyuk, nyuk, nyuk

Posted by Doug Pratt at June 28, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #4

T. S. Idiot says ...

We've come a long way from His Girl Friday.

Posted by T. S. Idiot at June 28, 2008 5:01 PM

comment #5

Scott Feinberg says ...

What is the terror-fucking phenomenon?
PS: Haha T.S. Idiot

Posted by Scott Feinberg at June 28, 2008 5:09 PM

comment #6

iamjoe says ...

"terror fucking"

THAT's just awesome., well done.

Posted by iamjoe at June 28, 2008 5:18 PM

comment #7

frankbooth says ...

http://archive.salon.com/sex/feature/2001/09/21/terror/

Posted by frankbooth at June 28, 2008 5:19 PM

comment #8

The Pope says ...

At the very outside, the reassignment may be due to the assumption that Ms. Logan's integrity as a journalist may have been compromised by having an affair with a US State Department contractor. That he was married just adds to the spice (but it shouldn't).

But to ask the more obvious question... would it have happened to Michael Ware if he had been carrying on... oh, wait a minute... he was... has he been reassigned?

Finally, good thing you run a blog, Jeff. Your story pitch is banal and clichÃ©d... right down to the exploding IED. Next thing, you;d be casting Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford... oh wait a minte...

Posted by The Pope at June 28, 2008 5:55 PM

comment #9

CinemaPhreek says ...

Because we should just acknowledge something as a legitimate news story once it hits the tabloids.

Just wondering, is it possible to get mental whip-lash from bloggers who talk about high-brow, art vs trash one post and then jump right down into the muck the next?

Posted by CinemaPhreek at June 28, 2008 8:29 PM

comment #10

deadre says ...

I think she's fabulous. Gorgeous, smart, gutsy, this just makes her more interesting.

Posted by deadre at June 28, 2008 10:08 PM

comment #11

deadre says ...

I think she's fabulous. Gorgeous, smart, gutsy, this just makes her more interesting.

Posted by deadre at June 28, 2008 10:08 PM

comment #12

btwnproductions says ...

"Terror-fucking" was like WMD: Everyone heard about it, no one uncovered any.

Posted by btwnproductions at June 29, 2008 5:55 AM

comment #13

Ogami Itto says ...

On top of which there's always something strangely erotic in the air when there's a lot of random death and danger floating about, and hence a sense of impermanence. The more ghastly or threatening the surroundings ...

Spoken like somebody who's never been anywhere near a combat zone.

Posted by Ogami Itto at June 29, 2008 7:29 AM

comment #14