So, a gaggle of us went over to the cinema to see Transformers yesterday. It was, IMHO, kind of idiotic, but still pretty fun to watch (a solid two stars out of five). The main problem was there were too many humans and not enough giant transforming robots. That said, when the exiled inhabitants of Cybertron did come onto the scene, it was pretty amazing to watch them pound the digitally-rendered stuffing out of one another and the surrounding environment. Also, there were some oddly funny moments from key fleshling Shia Labeouf and some entertaining cameos by Bernie Mac and John Turturro.

The best thing about the show however, was this trailer for the new JJ Abrams produced movie that Internet-style wags are calling Cloverfield. Devoid of a title, the trailer is shot on handheld and seems to be home video footage of a surprise going away party. About half way through, the lights go out and an ungodly moan floods our ears. Chaos ensues as something starts destroying New York. Apparently, if the best informed gossip site on the web is correct, Lost producer Abrams is unleashing the Great Old Ones of H.P. Lovecrafts' horrific Cthulhu mythos onto unsuspecting cinema fans. And, in keeping with the Lost formula of dropping clues online, a campaign to promote the movie has already begun. Watch for more in the buildup to the release next January.

Beyond the obvious sci-fi crossover between these two flicks, it was pointed out to me by a senior Showcase staffer that H.P. Lovecraft's house AND the headquarters of Transformers' maker Hasbro are both in Providence, Rhode Island. Clearly, a coincidence of this scale should not be overlooked.

But if you choose to ignore my advice and you would rather overlook it, I suggest you feast your eyes on this bizarre bit of animation than swam upstream to the geek spawning pool of my inbox last week.