issue 25 // volume 42 Two Guys, a Girl, and a Bomb Shelter > ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ film review’ Mike LeMieux Ccontributor OOOO [i 2008, Paramount Pictures released Cloverfield, a big- budget found-footage monster movie that was developed under much secrecy. Rumours circulated for months leading up to release that producer J.J. Abram’s studio was making a new Voltron or even Godzilla movie, creating a feverish anticipation among audiences eager to find out just what the hell Cloverfield was. Earlier this year, Paramount and J.J. Abrams tried to recapture this magic by releasing trailers for 10 Cloverfield Lane without ever formally announcing the film. Filmed secretly under a codename, no parties involved would even confirm whether the film was connected to Cloverfield or not. Paramount’s under-marketing of 10 Cloverfield Lane works heavily in its advantage, creating an air of mystery around the movie. Similar to the plot of Stephen King’s Misery, the protagonist Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finds herself captive in an underground bunker following an accident. Her captor, Howard (John Goodman), tells her that an apocalyptic event has taken place and that they are possibly the last people alive. Michelle, Howard, and bunker-mate Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) try to live peacefully together as they unravel more about the mysteries surrounding the event and each other. By the nature of the film being primarily set in a small environment with only three characters, quite a bit of the movie hinges on their The home theatre cash grab > Why 4K movies just aren't worth it Cazzy Lewchuk Staff Writer VY may have seen them advertised at Best Buy or London Drugs: giant TVs now in “4K digital resolution!” These TVs promise to deliver a custom entertainment experience with sharper and clearer sound and picture than ever before. Of course, the full experience also requires a 4K Blu-ray player and individual 4K movies to play on the thing. Gone are the days when movie watching at home simply involved putting ina DVD— or so the folks marketing 4K media would have you believe. 4K refers to a display of video with pixels of approximately 4096 x 1260. The previous highest definition possible, 1080p—the quality of Blu- ray or HD content—is about 1920 x 1080. For comparison, a standard DVD (or non-HD Netflix stream) has picture dimensions of 720 x 480. Certainly, a noticeable difference can be found between Blu-ray and DVD quality. The image can be seen by the average person as being sharper and more colourful, with the sound being clearer and more pronounced. Any movie viewing experience is largely dependent on the size of one’s TV. Watching Inside Out ona 60” TV with surround-sound speakers and a subwoofer will noticeably pronounce the differences between HD and standard definition. Watching it ona 32” TV with no additional speakers won't have the same effect. But now 4K, still a relatively new technology, has entered the mix. One can't just upgrade to 4K streaming on their regular HD TV. One must purchase a fancy 4K TV—which currently costs about twice as much asa regular TV. The cheapest one available at Best Buy is 43” and $599. In comparison, a regular 43” HD TV goes for between $299-399. However, anyone who's truly looking for a home theatre experience will require a much bigger TV, because the differences between DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K quality don’t become very noticeable until the large scale range. Of course, a bigger 55” 4K TV will set you back $1299, compared to performances. Winstead does well to carry the movie as the central character, and Gallagher provides quite a few laughs amidst the tense dialogue. John Goodman, however, gives the standout performance here. His cold stares, terrifying rants, and generally creepy mannerisms will leave you going back and forth on whether Howard is a tragic hero ora damaged antagonist. Each of his scenes will have you sitting on the edge of your seat with sweaty palms. All three actors work well together to create a gripping and memorable experience. a standard 55” at around $790. That’s not even getting into the cost of actually purchasing content. Streaming services such as Netflix are beginning to offer some 4K content, and upscaling (changing picture quality for /~ arts // no. 7 Bld Still from 10 Cloverfield Lane With little direct story connection to the original Cloverfield viewers won't have to worry about being caught up with any sort of overarching plot. While stylistically different in many ways, the themes of Cloverfield carry over with an exploration of life in the wake of disaster and how it can change a person. All in all, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a solid thriller. It provides the audience with an anxiety-inducing web of mystery and provokes questions you'll be thinking about long after you've left the theatre. the TV) means Best Buy can claim you can play most content “in near 4K quality.” If you'd like to purchase new release movies on 4K Blu-ray, they start at $25 and can go up to $40. Anda normal Blu-ray player (or gaming console) wont play them—you'll need a 4K player, which costs at least $199. The differences in picture quality aren’t noticeable to the average viewer, and even media enthusiasts won't notice a significant difference on anything less than a 60” screen. 4K technology is still quite new, expensive, and predatory on consumers. If you want a good home media setup, use the extra $500 you would have spent on a 4K TV to buy speakers, a gaming system, or simply a much larger standard HD TV. It’s just not worth it. Image via www.gadgetreview.com