Posted on 01/24/2008 5:59:09 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
What's Behind ‘Cloverfield' Illness?
Wave of Nausea Hits Moviegoers
By Michael W. Smith WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD Latest MedicineNet News
Jan. 22, 2008 -- Scan the news and blogs and not only do you see that Cloverfield had a record-breaking opening weekend, but there was an unforeseen side effect: nausea. And it didn't come from the popcorn, or the writing -- but the camerawork.
In Cloverfield, a giant monster attacks Manhattan. The problem -- at least for those prone to motion sickness -- is that it's all filmed through a very jerky handheld camera.
"I saw it this weekend and was so sick to my stomach that I had to leave the theater," says Sara Butler, a WebMD programming manager. "I have a friend who's an EMT in New Jersey, and she was called to several theaters this weekend to deal with people who were sick."
While motion sickness is usually caused by plane, boat, or car movement, bumpy camerawork could definitely do it, too. What Causes Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting messages from the inner ear, the eyes, and other parts of the body.
While watching Cloverfield, viewers were sitting still in their seats, so their inner ear was telling their body they were motionless. But the bumpy camera movements -- and their eyes -- misled them into thinking they were moving around erratically.
These conflicting messages to the brain lead to symptoms of motion sickness, most notably nausea. Other symptoms include vomiting, headache, and sweating. What Is the Treatment for Motion Sickness?
Obviously, the best treatment is to avoid situations that make you sick. But if that's not possible, there are a few things you can try. Also, if you're prone to motion sickness, remember that prevention is best because once symptoms start, relief is tough to find until motion stops.
* If you love cruising but it doesn't love you, choose a center cabin where there is less movement. * On a boat or ship, stay on the deck and look at the horizon. * In an airplane, sit near the wings. * In a car, sit in the front seat and look through the window. Don't read or focus on an object inside the car. * Drive, don't ride. Drivers are less prone to motion sickness.
I've walked out on movies before and always was given a refund.
You must have been watching a different movie. In the scene to which you refer, the Beth character is clearly shown to be wearing ordinary white pajamas, not a party dress. The actress who played Beth (Odette Yustman) did wear an (extremely short) party dress during the opening scenes — and looked quite good in it, I might add.
Like “Enemy at the gates” After I saw that with a friend, he said “We should have seen the first fifteen minutes and then pounded vodka in the parking lot. Then we could have enjoyed the last 15 minutes”
Don’t think I would have been very happy. Thanks for the warning.
to accommodate the average attention span.
I really enjoyed the movie, from the front row, too. The thing is...it’s a chick-flick! It is a love story with a Monster thrown in. IMO, If more chick-flicks were like this one, there would be a LOT more guys going to see them.
Funny you should say that.
I went to a movie a few years ago with my daughter, age about 30. I don’t remember the title, but the plot, such as it was, revolved around people who watch a video of a little girl standing beside a well. The video was evidently being sent out anonymously to random people. After watching the video, these people seemed compelled to kill themselves. A mother of a kid who got the video tracked down where they were coming from and there was lots more action.
I thought the movie had enough plot holes to drive a truck through. Characters were poorly developed and there were lots of unanswered questions. The only plus was that the mom who “solved” the mystery was quite attractive. On the way home, my daughter said she enjoyed the movie and asked what I thought. We agreed to disagree.
Based on your comments, and my bewilderment at shows like “Lost”, etc., I wonder if the point of these shows is to leave dangling plot points to stimulate discussion among watchers. To somebody of my generation, it seems like sloppy writing.
Maybe it’s a genre, like film noir. Film stupide?
“But it had one of the great PR campaigns ever waged.”
Yeah, the website that went with it was quite convincing. But, of course, being the skeptic that I am I had to go a find the website for the production company and find out that it was completely fake. I must admit, when I came out of the movie, I almost believed that it was for real.
You love roller coasters. This might be a date movie for you.
The worst thing Blair Witch could have done was come out with a sequel that looked nothing like the original. Didn’t it have a TV series as well?
I saw it last weekend, loved it and didn’t puke or get sick at all and I am very prone to motion sickness. I’m thinking about going back to see it again I liked it so much.
Bet you’ll buy the toy too. Only 100 dollars. Boy, what a steal. Do your part to make that hack Abrams even richer.
Thanks for the heads-up. I have motion sickness in cars & on boats.
I’ll avoid.
“Reminded me of when I got really nauseated from watching Blair Witch Project the weekend that came out.
Funny. I just got really bored.”
You mean “OH MY GOD IT’S A PILE OF ROCKS!!!!!!” didn’t excite you?
/sarc
By the time you get you’re arm around her shoulder, It’s over. :)
Certainly a movie where the viewer got to choose whether to suspend disbelief or not. If you did, it really got to you. If you didn't, it was just kinda wierd silly.
Regardless of how you took it, it was not exactly the best choice for a first date. It was _her_ idea, really...
rut-row
Which surely made anyone around her who was NOT educated in a Gubmint Skool rather nauseated.
The movie you’re talking about is “The Ring”. The actress was Naomi Watts. I really didn’t care too much for that one, but I was a bit creeped by it so it was all good.
But about Cloverfield, I have to disagree. The writing has alot of interconnected things and red herrings. Most of these things are very subtle and not caught unless you are following the internet goings-on.
Each character has their own myspace page, complete with blogs from the character’s pov. In addition to that are 6 other websites filling in other things leading up to that party, and possibly the monster’s appearance.
If you want to know what was going on, this link will explain it all:
http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/01/22/cloverfield-mythos-explored-monsters-marketing-and-millions/
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