The other night, I had a discussion with a stage director about Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and the effect it's had on audiences since its release. Godot, for those outside of the theater circle, debuted in 1953 and has become a cornerstone for surrealist modern drama—as it depicts only the act of waiting (what directors and actors call the most ‘drastic' ultimate action on stage) and leaves its audience to try and find some resolution to the two characters' malaise. The audience could do nothing but wait. It's the dawn of 2008, and producer J.J. Abrams has all possible technologies available on the table. His latest presentation, Cloverfield, is about as relentless as Beckett's play in its execution. Through a guerilla marketing buzz that's garnered the attention of YouTubers and the Blogosphere by storm, Cloverfield is—in essence—a monster movie. Now, we've seen our fair share of Godzilla's and Reign of Fire's in our time, but what sets apart Abrams' and director Matt Reeves' vision is its airtight camerawork, its recognition of a sensitive post-9/11 America, and lack of cheap scares. The final cut isn't perfect—too many characters, so little personality—but it works, and more importantly, it feels authentic.

Manhattan, May 23rd. Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is moving to Japan to become president of a company. His brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) have planned an enormous surprise going-away party at his apartment for the night. Rob appreciates the gesture, but he's been meaning to patch things up with his old flame Beth (Odette Yustman) before he leaves. When she shows up at the party with another guy, he falls into a slump. The video-camera (the only point-of-view available in Cloverfield) has been passed on between Jason and mutual friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who has been using it to document and investigate all the happenings at the party. Boom. The lights go out. The building shakes. An oil tanker capsizes near Ellis Island. Everybody at the party goes outside to check out the scene. The Statue of Liberty's head comes hurling down the street, the Empire State Building crumbles, and chaos ensues. Meanwhile, Rob, Jason, Lily, Hud, and Hud's catch of the night Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) must find a way off of the isle to safety. But not before Rob can find where Beth is, patch things up, and then make their way out of the city.

Abrams and Reeves made an intelligent choice with choosing unknown actors for main characters; but when the audience never feels like they truly connected with any of them, it's hard to really say the idea worked. Michael Stahl-David is our protagonist—handsome yuppie material living in a NYC high-rise with a promotion on the way. He, along with T.J. Miller, gives the most valiant efforts to keep in touch with the audience.