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39 Things We Learned From the ‘Cloverfield’ Commentary

By  · Published on October 13th, 2011

Welcome back to Commentary Commentary, your weekly dish of directorial insight and/or, as indicated by last week’s column, shenanigans. This week we’re looking inside the mystery box with director Matt Reeves and uncovering what he has to say about our favorite recent monster movie, Cloverfield. Reeves did this commentary all by his lonesome, but something tells me J.J. Abrams was standing over him with a loaded gun lest Reeves divulge too much information. I’ll be listening intently for any Morse Code warnings or cries for help. Since this commentary track was laid down years ago, and since Matt Reeves has since directed Let Me In – more Morse Code messages. Hmmm – I have a feeling everything turned out okay.

So here, in all of its Slusho wonder, is what I learned on the Matt Reeves commentary for Cloverfield. I wonder if there are going to be any Lost secrets. I hope there are Lost secrets. Or Star Trek 2. Okay, wishful thinking is over. Shutting up now.

Cloverfield (2007)

Commentators: Matt Reeves (director), -. – — – …. .. -. – . / .- -… – — ..- – / . – . . . / -.-. .- …- . … / – — .-. / -.- .- …. -. .-.-.- / .- … / -. – — – ..- / . – . .-. . *

Best in Commentary

“The thing that, when Drew and J.J. and I were talking, that was interesting to us story-wise was the way in which when experiences like this occur, when you go through this, it does immediately call into question the priorities in your life, and that kind of focused the whole story for us.” – Reeves

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Matt Reeves commentary on Cloverfield is insightful, interesting, and constant. It delves too much into technique at times. Reeves’s clinical way of dissecting how and where scenes were shot might have benefited with having Drew Goddard or J.J. Abrams on the track, as well, to discuss the story, especially the monster. There is very little about the monster divulged on the commentary track, and nothing specific is mentioned about where it comes from or any of the theories that have scattered around the Internet since Cloverfield’s release. Of course, that could have been Abrams’s off-mic holding that gun against Reeves’s head. I can’t speak on what I don’t see or hear.

-. – — -. … . -. … . .-.-.- / .-. . . …- . … / .-. . …- . .- .-.. … / . …- . .-. -. – — …. .. -. – . / – — -. / – …. .. … / -.-. – — – — . -. – .- .-. -. – / – .-. .- -.-. -.- .-.-.- / – -. – / .-.. .. ..-. . / . – .- … / – …. .-. . .- – . -. . -.. – .. – / .- … / . – . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / .-.. .. … – . -. / – — – / .. – / ..-. – — .-. / -. – — – ..- .-. … . .-.. ..-. .-.-.- / – . – — -.. … . – . . . -.. – .. – / .-. . . – — . -.-. – … .-.-.- / .. . – — . .-.. .-.. / – .. … … / -. – — – ..- .-.-.- *

*Note: For Morse Code translation: click.

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