Friday, March 11, 2016

10 Cloverfield Lane *** (2016)

A surprise late winter release from producer J.J. Abrams and director Dan Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane blends clever Sci-Fi with smart character study.  Like a vintage Twilight Zone episode, the story will keep you guessing: a game of cat and mouse told in the aftermath of what might be an apocalypse.

After a fight with her abusive boyfriend Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes to the road and gets into a freak accident.  She wakes in the care of Howard (John Goodman) a paranoid former military officer living in a bomb shelter. Also sharing the space is Emmet, a kindly young man.

Winstead does great work as Michelle: vulnerable, yet strong.  John Goodman's menacing, speaking in an unsettling Brando rhythm.  Their battle of wits carries the film.  We get clues as to what may be happening outside, but the most of the tension takes place inside the bomb shelter.








2 comments:

  1. Winstead and Goodman were stellar in this.

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  2. Agreed, the film is worth watching for their performances alone.

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