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Brilliant Goodman highlights entertaining and terrifying genre mashup '10 Cloverfield Lane'
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Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle in 10 Cloverfield Lane." - photo by Josh Terry
"10 Cloverfield Lane" 3 stars John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.; PG-13 (thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language); in general release

10 Cloverfield Lane is a fun and frightening blend of horror, suspense and science fiction that keeps twisting and turning right up to the final credits.

Technically, Cloverfield Lane is the sequel to 2008s Cloverfield, the J.J. Abrams-produced film about a monster attacking New York City, and Abrams also produces here. But the connection is more conceptual than narrative, built on providing the audience with a unique and limited point of view.

Cloverfield played out like a Godzilla movie that only let you see things from the perspective of the poor victims on the ground. Cloverfield Lane is about experiencing the apocalypse from the inside of a bomb shelter.

Our protagonist is Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young woman on the run from a bad marriage in Louisiana. We ride with her through the night as her desperate husband Ben (Bradley Cooper in a voice cameo) continues to call her cellphone, pleading with her to come home.

But any second thoughts are interrupted by a dramatic car crash, and when Michelle wakes up, shes hooked up to a primitive IV in a dark cement room, her right leg chained to the wall.

This is where we meet the charismatic oddball Howard, played by John Goodman. Howard is the keeper of the bomb shelter, and he rattles off house rules and comments on his pet alien conspiracies with equal matter-of-fact delivery. He somberly informs Michelle that she was saved in the nick of time from some kind of attack could be chemical or nuclear that has left the atmosphere contaminated. And theyre stuck underground for at least a year or two until its safe to come out.

On the plus side, they have company. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) is a local guy a little closer to Michelles age that helped Howard build his shelter. He can verify that something really did happen; in fact, he had to fight to convince Howard to let him inside.

Howard is an enigma who inspires a flood of questions. Could he be telling the truth? Is he lying? Is Howard flat-out crazy? His extensive VHS collection includes titles such as Cannibal Airlines, so something has to be off somewhere.

Luckily, Michelle is every bit as resourceful as her gracious host/rescuer/captor, so Cloverfield Lane quickly becomes a series of dramatic escape attempts, crushing setbacks and plot twists that eventually leave you thinking that all of Michelles questions would be best answered with one simple, all of the above.

Fortunately for audiences sensitive to motion sickness, director Dan Trachtenberg hasnt chosen to interpret all this craziness through hand-held camera the same way Matt Reeves did with the first Cloverfield. The visuals are a bit more traditional, albeit claustrophobic, adding tension to an already stressful plot.

Even better, the intensity is enhanced by a wicked sense of humor, which is mostly centered around Goodmans character. Howard is kind enough to let you sympathize with him, but weird enough to keep you from ever getting too comfortable. He refers to a mysterious girl named Megan with the sad affection of a lonely parent, but theres no way to tell if Megan could be a petrified human skull he sings to behind his rubber ducky shower curtain.

Winstead is a strong foil, playing straight man to Goodmans quirkiness, and in a three-person cast, Gallaghers turn as Emmett is anything but a space-filler. Hes witty if not bright and a fun enough personality to keep Michelle rooted and away from total despair.

Cloverfield Lane stops well short of any R-rated horror content. But audiences should be aware that its still a very dark and scary film, even more so because it doesnt rely on the kinds of jump scares that get cheap frights in lesser films.

But if you have a taste for the macabre, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a worthwhile ride, and a helpful sign that a spring of cinematic promise may be ready to put a bleak winter to rest.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" is rated PG-13 for thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language; running time: 105 minutes.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Street musician killing it on clarinet

She must have lungs of iron! Its inspiring hearing the upper registers being played so well.

Posted by Clarinet Life on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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