Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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APRIL 6-12, 2016 UCW 25 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM I'll be happy to explain how 10 Cloverfield Lane (103 minutes) is related to Cloverfield as soon as someone explains to me what a "spiri- tual successor" is. As far as I can tell, it means that J.J. Abrams did another monster movie and he needed a marketing gimmick. There are probably a million subtle visual and thematic similarities that a film school graduate could expound upon. Not being a film school gradu- ate, I missed each and every one of them. The basic plot originated from what is known in the film biz as a "spec script," mean- ing a speculative (unsolicited) script somebody wrote in the hopes that it would get noticed so they could get paid. J.J. Abrams' Film Company bought it as a low budget film, cast it, started film- ing it and only then decided it was sorta-kinda-a little bit like Cloverfield. Because it has a monster and was filmed at night, I guess. In the story, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) watched a lot of Project Runway: Doomsday Prepper, had a fight with her boyfriend, and fled the apart- ment they presumably share. While driving down a rural road surrounded by very scenic trees, she can't stop playing with her phone, which is prob- ably what caused the accident that landed her in the post-apocalyptic bunker of Dan from the popular nineties sitcom Roseanne. Here, his name is Howard (John Goodman), but he'll be Dan for the rest of his life and I see no need to pretend otherwise. Michelle wakes up on a filthy mattress wear- ing a hilariously makeshift leather bondage cast around her leg. Dan trip-traps into the room like the even bigger brother of the biggest Billy Goat Gruff to glare grumpily at Michelle and provide her with exactly zero reassuring words and less than no helpful information about the exact nature of the disaster that has trapped them together. I can't imagine why she wouldn't trust him. When she finally ventures outside her room she finds a suspiciously well-provisioned doomsday bunker, which must have taken at least five years, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars, to create and stock. Hydroponic air filtration systems aren't cheap. By the way, if you decide to look up the cost, pop a valium or something. The websites that sell these for home use make money convincing shoppers that the WMD's are coming and you need a gun to shoot the diseases that will follow. Michelle meets Emmet (John Gallagher, Jr.), who is almost as helpful as Dan. He, at least, is convinced that a plot device created a problem with the outside world. Since they are both young and cute movie rules dictate that they flirt, which Dan really doesn't like. Since Dan also forgot to complete his anger management classes, this creates a problem almost imme- diately. After the movie forces us to question whether or not the plot device actually forced them into the bunker, or if perhaps Dan and Emmet are filming an episode of Real World: Apocalypse, Michelle finds some evidence that Dan is actually a mentally unstable kidnapper. Overall, I liked the film. I always enjoy watching people trapped in a bunker sink into paranoia and bad behavior. There were enough twists to keep me guessing, and I spent a good portion of the movie trying to figure out if Dan was a nutcase trying to do the right thing or if the only sensible person in the movie also happened to be a violent killer. Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. Look Behind You! It's a Plot Device! 10 Cloverfield Lane (Rated PG-13) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. F a yetteville's Largest Motorcycle & Car Ra ll y! F a yetteville's Largest Motorcycle & Car Ra ll y! F a yetteville's Largest Motorcycle & Car Ra ll y! 11 TH ANNUAL RALLY Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Event 11 TH ANNUAL RALLY PLEASE ARRIVE WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS. All proceeds to be donated to the American Cancer Society, Green Beret Foundation and the Kidsville News Literacy Foundation. All contributions are welcomed. Saturday, April 23rd 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Pre-ride Party Sponsored by Baker American Cycles Register: Online at www.HogsandRags.com or at Airborne and Special Operations Museum - Historic Downtown Fayetteville $50 Per Person* For more information call Wendy 1ST STOP Full Country Breakfast Rocking A Ranch White Oak, NC KICKSTANDS UP! 9:00 A.M. Airborne & Special Operations Museum PRE-RIDE PARTY Mac's on McPherson Church Rd. Friday, April 22 6:30 - 9 p.m. 2ND STOP Rest Stop & Water Break Horry County State Bank SC Line 3RD STOP Wild Wing Cafe at Barefoot Landing N. Myrtle Beach, SC Honorary Ride Marshalls Mayor Nat Robertson and wife Kim. 910.818.0458 PLEASE ARRIVE WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS. All proceeds to be donated to the American Cancer Society, Green Beret Foundation and the Kidsville News Literacy Foundation. All contributions are welcomed.