>
>The two more modern era monster flicks I've really dug a lot
>were "The Host" (Korean movie from 2006) and "Cloverfield".

I liked both of these, but it's been years and I haven't rewatched. I'm guessing The Host would still be a good watch, but Cloverfield would have me fast forwarding.

Now that I think about it, know what I think is one of the greatest giant monster movies ever made? Spielberg's War of the Worlds. It captures the terror of being chased by something huge in a way that I don't know if any movie ever has done as well. I came out of the theater and half expected to see Tripods on the horizon, it felt so real.