Cloverfield>

J.J. Abrams was driving on Cloverfield in Santa Monica while we were talking about "Cloverfield," the hit sci-fi horror film he produced.

Weird, huh?

The man behind "Lost," "Alias" and who is currently directing the new "Star Trek," helped clear up a few things about the movie, which is about a monster attack on New York City filmed with a personal video camera. Unlike "The Blair Witch Project" - another POV film - this one had a budget - so cool special effects.

What about the rumored sequel?

We're talking about a couple of ideas. ... Obviously, the dream is to do a sequel that is, hopefully, better than the first one - not because it's a monetary opportunity. We don't want to do it if it's not potentially something we would die to see.

Will it be first person again?

It was the thing that made ("Cloverfield") a movie I wanted to see. ... But whether the sequel does that or not will remain to be seen.

In "Cloverfield" you never explain the monster.

I felt like the whole point of the movie was what would it look like if it happened to you. And we wouldn't have the answers. So, while we've all seen countless movies where the scientific expert knows exactly the whats and whys of everything, we felt that this was much more about the experience of that kind of attack and less the explanation of it.

You had a Web campaign to hide the monster. Were you surprised how well it worked?

The idea was to create a trailer for a movie that no one had heard of, so we were very secretive when we were filming it. The idea of not putting the title on it was partially a result of not having decided on the title. ... The plan all along was to surprise people and get them talking and then make a movie that was worthy of the buzz.

And is the title from the street in Santa Monica?

Uh ... which I'm currently on! ... The name came from the company sort of within Paramount that we made this movie through. We were so used to calling the movie "Cloverfield" that when it finally came to naming it ... any other title that came up probably didn't really fit.

Philip Seymour Hoffman>

Despite having a best-actor Oscar, when you look like Philip Seymour Hoffman - a bit schlumpy - it's hard to get those big-star roles. Maybe it's the times. After all, that other Hoffman (Dustin) - also not a great looker - did in earlier days.

But there is no denying the enormous screen presence of Hoffman (Philip Seymour), who is showcased in two very good movies on DVD this week - "The Savages" and "Charlie Wilson's War."

In "The Savages" - the small indie film we associate with the actor - Hoffman plays Jon Savage, a slightly beaten-down college professor in Buffalo, N.Y., who gets a call from his younger sister in New York City, Wendy (the equally brilliant Laura Linney), that their dad (Philip Bosco) has gone off the deep end at a retirement home he's been living at in Arizona and is being thrown out, without money or a place to go.

Wendy, who fancies herself a writer, has been jealous of her brother's limited published success, and neither of them were close to their father, a difficult man whose wife left long ago, abandoning the children. So, although not a close family, they still feel obligated.

What ensues is both funny, wryly observant and recognizable amid the lies, self-delusions, resentments, anger and silences. Directed by Tamara Jenkins ("The Slums of Beverly Hills"), "Savages" takes a bumpy road to its conclusion. Jenkins' script, though, never rings false, nor tries to be pat. And while neither of the Savage siblings is particularly likable, Hoffman and Linney dig so deep into their characters that you love watching them.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is a lightly comic take on the serious topic of the Cold War and Afghanistan from director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Hoffman plays Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a wacked-out C.I.A. operative of Greek descent who teams up with hard-partying Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) to get weapons to the Afghan rebels after the Soviet invasion of the country in the 1980s.

Based on a true story, the film focuses on the absurdities of the politics of the situation. Without going too far, Hanks and Hoffman play the comic card perfectly. Meanwhile, Julia Roberts is quite a treat as she vamps her way across the screen as a right-wing, sexy, rich Texas socialite pushing the cause. But between Roberts' glamour and Hanks' coolness, the film gets a welcome boost from Hoffman's schlumpiness.

Also>

"The Orphanage" is a fairly well-realized ghost story from Spain. First-time director Juan Antonio Bayona, who has backed Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," Hellboy"), knows the ropes of the horror genre but manages to move the story beyond simple ghoulish gimmicks. Ultimately, not as intense as it wants to be, but definitely worth a look.

Rob Lowman (818) 713-3687; robert.lowman@dailynews.com

ON TV

Tuesday is Earth Day, and there's lots of related programming. Current TV will present four hours of eco-conscious reporting from 3 to 7 p.m. National Geographic has "Earth Report: State of the Planet" at 9 p.m. "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" examines the ecologically aware children of baby boomers at

9 p.m. on the Sundance Channel. And the Documentary Channel will report on whether the oil supply can keep up with demand in "Peak Oil" at 11 p.m.

ON CD

Yes, Billy Bragg still knows how to bite, but there is also warmth and wit on his latest, "Mr. Love & Justice." A deluxe CD has a disc of solo versions. More CDs \> L3.

ON THE

PAGE

David Baldacci, who usually writes legal thrillers, turns to the international scene for "The Whole Truth," about a defense contractor who wants to start a second cold war. Anne Perry talks about her latest mystery\>L4.

ON DVD

"Charlie Wilson's War" and "The Savages" give Philip Seymour Hoffman great double exposure.

J.J. Abrams talks about "Cloverfield" \>L5

ON SCREEN

In "Baby Mama," skeezy Amy Poehler is surrogate mother to businesswoman Tina Fey's fetus. More in Friday's LA.COM

TELEVISION

1. "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox.

2. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox.

3. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS.

4. "Dancing With the Stars" (Monday), ABC.

5. "NCAA Basketball Championship: Kansas vs. Memphis," CBS.

- Nielsen Media Research

FILM

1. "Prom Night," Sony Screen Gems.

2. "Street Kings," Fox Searchlight.

3. "21," Sony.

4. "Nim's Island," Fox.

5. "Leatherheads," Universal.

- Media By Numbers LLC

SONG SINGLES

1. "Bleeding Love," Leona Lewis. SYCO/J/RMG.

2. "Lollipop," Lil Wayne feat. Static Major. Cash Money/Universal Motown.

3. "No Air," Jordin Sparks duet with Chris Brown. 19/Jive/Zomba. (Platinum)

4. "Love in This Club," Usher feat. Young Jeezy. LaFace/Zomba.

5. "Touch My Body," Mariah Carey. Island/IDJMG.

- Billboard magazine

ALBUMS

1. "Spirit," Leona Lewis. SYCO/J/RMG.

2. "Troubadour," George Strait. MCA Nashville/UMGN.

3. "Sunset Man," James Otto. Raybaw/Warner Bros. (Nashville)/WRN.

4. "NOW 27." Various artists. Sony BMG/EMI/Universal/Zomba.

5. "Accelerate," R.E.M. Warner Bros.

- Billboard magazine

CONCERT TOURS

1. Bon Jovi.

2. Spice Girls.

3. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

4. Van Halen.

5. George Strait.

- From Pollstar

VIDEO SALES

1. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Special Edition)," Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

2. "Yoga Conditioning for Athletes," Gaiam Video.

3. "Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird," Warner Home Video. (Gold)

4. "Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers," Warner Home Video.

5. "The Commitments," 20th Century Fox.

- Billboard magazine

VIDEO RENTALS

1. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," 20th Century Fox.

2. "I Am Legend," Warner Home Video.

3. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Paramount Home Entertainment.

4. "No Country for Old Men," Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

5. "Dan in Real Life," Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

- Billboard magazine

DVD SALES

1. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," 20th Century Fox.

2. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Paramount Home Entertainment.

3. "I Am Legend," Warner Home Video.

4. "Enchanted," Walt Disney Home Video.

5. "Bee Movie," Paramount Home Entertainment.

- Billboard magazine