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Update! John Hillcoat's THE ROAD Stretching Into 2009?
Beaks here...
Here's a stunner: it sounds like John Hillcoat's big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD is a big ol' downer. At least, that's the word over at CHUD.com, where the mighty Russ Fischer has posted a reader's reaction to a New York City test screening of the potential awards contender. Oh, and one more thing: the reader also says the film is "a complete fiasco on every creative level."
This would indicate that Viggo Mortensen's performance as a father slogging through a barren, post-apocalyptic America with his son is somehow lacking, and I refuse to believe that until I see it. Unfortunately, I may not be seeing it until next year: according to both EW and The Hollywood Reporter, THE ROAD has vacated its November 2008 release date for a December launch at the earliest - and that's only if there's an Oscar nomination to be salvaged from it. If not, say hello to first quarter 2009!
Though I wasn't a fan of John Hillcoat's relentlessly grim THE PROPOSITION, he did seem like the perfect director THE ROAD. I mean, if he nails McCarthy's book, "relentlessly grim" would be an understatement. "Soul-devouringly bleak" would be more like it. So I'm inclined to wait and see on THE ROAD, even if it goes to 2009. Call this informed speculation, but it seems like The Weinstein Company is currently in a position where they have to carefully pick their awards season battles, and that battle is apparently called THE READER (which is being rushed through post-production at Harvey's extreme behest). TWC knows how to sell a nuanced drama with a literary pedigree; McCarthy without the Coens is another feral animal entirely. In other words, this may have nothing to do with quality.
If you were at this week's screening of THE ROAD, I'd love to hear your thoughts - especially if you read the book (as CHUD's correspondent had not). This movie is undeniably in a tight spot.
Update: We've got our first reader review, and it is a full-fledged rave from Mumbles Modine (went huntin' with our new-and-improved search engine, and he/she last submitted reviews back in '03 for COLD MOUNTAIN and JERSEY GIRL). Check it out...
Hey Harry,
I attended the first screening of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" last night on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was directed by John Hillcoat of "The Proposition" and starred Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Michael K. Williams and Kodi-Smit McPhee. However, Viggo and Kodi were the only two on screen for 90% of the film. And Guy Pearce showed up for all of 5 minutes at the end.
For those not familiar with McCarthy's novel I highly recommend it. It was the stand-out book of last year and it stayed with me for a long time after I put it down. I believe the movie will have a similar impact on audiences. It's a faithful adaptation that stays true to the source with a few minor embellishments, mostly to beef up Charlize's role through flashbacks.
The story centers on the relationship of the father and son on their quest of survival through a devastated, nuclear wasteland of dead trees, ash gray skies, blackened, burnt-out cars and a consistent misty-drizzle that permeates everything. The film is BLEAK. Let me say that again... This film is fucking DEPRESSINGLY BLEAK. The world is dead. There is no food, barely any drinkable water, and crazy "Hannibal Lecter" fuckers with rifles roam the countryside in the back of pick-up trucks looking for fresh "meat." Like the novel, the film doesn't dive into the details of how our civilization ended. That's not the point. We're thrust into this fucked-up world and a few flashbacks of a colorful, loving relationship between Viggo and Charlize are all we get of the past. The film is focused on the aftermath and how our humanity has slowly eroded and devolved to the rock bottom point of our base survival instincts.
There are two main characters here: The ragged, desperate father, dying of a lung infliction, who will do anything to save his son and longs for the touch of his wife. His faith in humanity is gone. Everyone they meet is the enemy. His son is the heart of the movie. The small shining light of hope awash in a sea of blackness. He was born after the bombs were dropped and knows nothing of the comforts and luxuries of a civilized society. Yet at his core he is hopeful and feels compelled to connect with other "Good Guys."
Viggo is insanely good in this role. His eyes are sunken and haunted, his hands are black with dirt, his beard is Unabomber shaggy and you can count all of his rib bones through his back. The way he stares at his son is enough to break your heart. It certainly got to me, perhaps because I'm a father now, but I'm not usually a softie when it comes to movies and I choked-up at least twice.
Kodi is fine as his son. Some of the more emotional scenes seemed forced and slightly over-the-top but overall he got the job done.
One other actor worth mentioning is Michael K. Williams, or Omar to folks who watch "The Wire." He had a small role, only appearing on screen for about 10 mins, but his scene is easily the most powerful of the film. The father and son's opposing view points clashed. It was Survival vs. Hope & Humanity. It will be the one scene that friends and family will debate at the end of the film. What side of the argument will you fall on?
I don't want to go into all the details of the story and spoil it for everyone so I'll just end by saying that I really loved it. It got under my skin the same way the book did and I think it's easily a top contender for Picture of the Year. John Hillcoat has now made two amazing films in a row.
Mumbles Out.
I followed up with Modine about the Coke scene and Nick Cave's score. Here's what I got back:
That CHUD review has it all wrong. This is an excellent film on par with The Proposition.
Nick Cave's score was ok. Not much of a highlight. It reminded me off the stuff Johnny Greenwood did for "There Will Be Blood." Sort of a menacing, monotonous drone. [Beaks Note: We've since learned that Cave's score is not finished. They used a temp track for this screening.]
The Coke scene was a lighthearted moment in a VERY dark film. They scavenge for scraps in nearly every scene of the movie and it was a welcomed bit of optimism when they found the hidden can of Coke. The innocence of the son really came through as he drank something besides water for the first time. What other beverage would last through a nuclear winter?
Do with that what you will.
Hey Harry,
I attended the first screening of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" last night on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was directed by John Hillcoat of "The Proposition" and starred Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Michael K. Williams and Kodi-Smit McPhee. However, Viggo and Kodi were the only two on screen for 90% of the film. And Guy Pearce showed up for all of 5 minutes at the end.
For those not familiar with McCarthy's novel I highly recommend it. It was the stand-out book of last year and it stayed with me for a long time after I put it down. I believe the movie will have a similar impact on audiences. It's a faithful adaptation that stays true to the source with a few minor embellishments, mostly to beef up Charlize's role through flashbacks.
The story centers on the relationship of the father and son on their quest of survival through a devastated, nuclear wasteland of dead trees, ash gray skies, blackened, burnt-out cars and a consistent misty-drizzle that permeates everything. The film is BLEAK. Let me say that again... This film is fucking DEPRESSINGLY BLEAK. The world is dead. There is no food, barely any drinkable water, and crazy "Hannibal Lecter" fuckers with rifles roam the countryside in the back of pick-up trucks looking for fresh "meat." Like the novel, the film doesn't dive into the details of how our civilization ended. That's not the point. We're thrust into this fucked-up world and a few flashbacks of a colorful, loving relationship between Viggo and Charlize are all we get of the past. The film is focused on the aftermath and how our humanity has slowly eroded and devolved to the rock bottom point of our base survival instincts.
There are two main characters here: The ragged, desperate father, dying of a lung infliction, who will do anything to save his son and longs for the touch of his wife. His faith in humanity is gone. Everyone they meet is the enemy. His son is the heart of the movie. The small shining light of hope awash in a sea of blackness. He was born after the bombs were dropped and knows nothing of the comforts and luxuries of a civilized society. Yet at his core he is hopeful and feels compelled to connect with other "Good Guys."
Viggo is insanely good in this role. His eyes are sunken and haunted, his hands are black with dirt, his beard is Unabomber shaggy and you can count all of his rib bones through his back. The way he stares at his son is enough to break your heart. It certainly got to me, perhaps because I'm a father now, but I'm not usually a softie when it comes to movies and I choked-up at least twice.
Kodi is fine as his son. Some of the more emotional scenes seemed forced and slightly over-the-top but overall he got the job done.
One other actor worth mentioning is Michael K. Williams, or Omar to folks who watch "The Wire." He had a small role, only appearing on screen for about 10 mins, but his scene is easily the most powerful of the film. The father and son's opposing view points clashed. It was Survival vs. Hope & Humanity. It will be the one scene that friends and family will debate at the end of the film. What side of the argument will you fall on?
I don't want to go into all the details of the story and spoil it for everyone so I'll just end by saying that I really loved it. It got under my skin the same way the book did and I think it's easily a top contender for Picture of the Year. John Hillcoat has now made two amazing films in a row.
Mumbles Out.
I followed up with Modine about the Coke scene and Nick Cave's score. Here's what I got back:
That CHUD review has it all wrong. This is an excellent film on par with The Proposition.
Nick Cave's score was ok. Not much of a highlight. It reminded me off the stuff Johnny Greenwood did for "There Will Be Blood." Sort of a menacing, monotonous drone. [Beaks Note: We've since learned that Cave's score is not finished. They used a temp track for this screening.]
The Coke scene was a lighthearted moment in a VERY dark film. They scavenge for scraps in nearly every scene of the movie and it was a welcomed bit of optimism when they found the hidden can of Coke. The innocence of the son really came through as he drank something besides water for the first time. What other beverage would last through a nuclear winter?
Do with that what you will.
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REALLY?? You don't say! LOL, I mean, of course its a downer, have you read the book? Great book, but its heartbreaking.
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Oct 16, 2008 12:56:46 PM CDT
I would sooner read John McCains biography...
by dannyglovers_dickblood
...than another snore-fest from good old Cormac. Overrated fucking arrogant prick.
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This was my most anticipated movie this Fall.
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But there are some glints of hope in there as well, and they are all the more special due to the overall gloomy outlook of the story. Don't want to get into spoilers here, so I'll stop there.
If the reviewer mentioned above hasn't read the book, and if he's bitching about the movie being a "downer", then he has no credibility in my opinion.
If this is done well, this could rank up there with the likes of Blade Runner or THX-1138 for depicting a human struggle in a dystopian world.
November or December- I can wait, as long as it's a faithful, well-executed adaptation of McCarthy's story. -
My only skepticism w/ this project was the fleshing out a part for C.Theron as the wife & mother. "a complete fiasco on every creative level" wasn't what I wanted to read. Now lets get some Road & McCarthy bashing in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
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And yes, it is a downer! And very emotional.
I doubt the American movie-seeing public has the ABILITY to absorb such a book -- or movie -- and understand the point Cormac is making with it. Most people will just see a bleak movie, but just like NO COUNTRY, THE ROAD has more going on than the story on the top of it. -
in novels or presidential candidates, for that matter.
Which of McCarthy's "snore-fests" have you read? I'm going to guess none (and as usual you're talking out your ass.) -
Cannot wait for that on the big screen. Fantastic read.
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makes it sound like the movie is extremely faithful to the book.
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Yes the whole book is a downer...it's well written but most of it is ultimately depressing...mild spoiler ---they 3/4 of book starving and looking for food....not a happy tale.
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i was so stoke that it was releasing two days before my birthday. i was going to gift myself with an opening night show.
i think i heard the suits were trying to have things changed because it WAS so relentlessly grim. i hope to god they weren't forced to cut and reshoot all kinds of feelgood rays of hope and shit. ugh. -
took me reading the whole article to get that. Anyway, I didn't understand why they made this into a film and I still don't. And "The Proposition" is a very cool movie, despite it's flaws.
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Yeah, I already saw the discussion about this over on CHUD and it does not sound good. Just reading the comments made my heart sink a little as this is/was my most anticipated film for the end of the year.I'm not sure what to make of the test screening and focus group. But a big ol' *sigh* and "Say it ain't so!" comes to mind.Lets hope that the finished product comes off better than this surprising development. Damn.
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You have no fucking idea what you're talking about. One of the best books I've read in the last ten years. The best would likely be The Blood Meridian.
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I tried to get into All the Pretty Horses, but it just bored me for about 50 pages and I finally had to bail. I love No Country For Old Men though, esp the audiobook because of the great performance that it adds to the text. I listened the audiobook for the Road too..there's no way I would have sat down and read that entire book. I was usually outside hiking while listening to it and it still bummed me out, despite the lovely surroundings.
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I'm going to assume that you were just kidding with that post of yours up there. And I'll also assume that it was just part of your way of making sure you have a post in EVERY Talkback...
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i'm reposting the 'review', read for yourself. It really seems like the reviewer has never read the book...the scene with the coke, the wife, the atmosphere, all sound accurate to the book. i don't know what that tool's problem is. viggo coughs, eventually dies. he acts like that was an uneventful turn because it was so obvious....well THAT WAS THE BOOK.you knew pops wouldn't make it...jeesus what a fucktard!from the 'review':
[Beaks says click on the link in the story to read the entire review. Thanks!] -
Props to to guy for writing about the screening but a lot of the comments that he overheard (or felt) speak more about the audience to me than about the film.
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This was just a topic of conversation over in the recent Ridley Scott TB. Apparently, Ridley Scott is no longer attached to BLOOD MERIDIAN. The writing and directing duties are now in the hands of Todd Field (IN THE BEDROOM). This is a very interesting and rather under the radar development.
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Sorry. I read the last sentence of this eview and I had to quote O Brother Where Art Thou?
Tight Spot! -
I think if you've haven't read the source material, you have very little credibility reviewing a faithful adaption on screen. I mean, if a reviewer had never seen or read any Tolkien, what would his/her reaction be to Jackson's movies? As for "The Road", it's a brilliant work. As is. I can see expanding the outline for the wife a little, but you'd need to read the book for me to explain why and I'm not in a spoiler-ish frame of mind today. I got to meet Jay Cronley, the writer of "Quick Change" and "Good Vibes". QC kept the same name and had Bill Murray as the bank robber clown. The plot was stolen for the recent (and pretty good) "Inside Man". GV became "Let It Ride" with Richard Dreyfuss and Terri Garr. Anyway, Cronley is writing screenplays, among other things currently, and talked at length about the difficulty of translating stories to the screen. His example; "...they charged up the hill to attack." is 7 words and takes a second to read. On film, it translated to a 20 minute action sequence. That's an extreme, but you get the idea. For me, I hope "The Road" sticks really close to the written road and avoids 20 minutes of filler or "shiny, happy" stuff throughout.
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and i couldn't agree more. how about we don't pay heed to the review of someone that didn't even bother to read the book. it sounds like a movie made for lovers of the book. it sounds spot on. it sounds like a FILM, not a fucking summer movie. also beaks, sorry about the cut and paste job- i was just so pissed that that schmuck's review was so uninformed or reasearched.
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The Road is a good book..it is NOT, however, the masterpiece some claim (the complete lack of dialogue punctation is a bit ridiculous and tedious). But it is a solid and emotional work...perhaps one that reminds people in some ways of Hemingway at its finer moments (so people remember the book as a little better than perhaps it really is). But - for those of us who have read it....is this book really adaptable? Somehow, I'm thinking not. Much of the book is reflective and without specific narrative (and the action sequences are sporadic). Several pages passing as the Father looks at his Son as he reconciles ways to shelter his fragile psyche as they make their way to the coast. Since I first heard they were making this into a film, I've wondered how it could be adapted - it was never written with the 'silver screen' in mind and defies many of the formulaic narratives needed to be easily adapted.
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This guy read the book: http://tinyurl.com/4bbdth.
And no worries, zom-bot.com. -
The book was virtually plotless. It doesn't seem like something that would translate well to cinema at all.
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Thats a HUGE surprise!! An slow, empty, bleak story without a happy ending..and they did'nt like it? Tell em to rent PRETTY WOMAN. I'm sure that one rated quite high on Focus Group screenings. I call bullshit. Release the picture. Your average american will be confused and disappointed that Will Smith does'nt have a cameo in which he saves the day. The rest of us will be just fine. Just don't expect crushing Box Office numbers, because its not that kind of story. The fact that FOCUS GROUP did not like it means its probably a masterpeice.
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I'm actually only in 4 TB's right now. Not actually conversing. Just random postings. Fuck my job is boring as shit.
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i think the book itself has alot of filler in it, the scattering of pages where the father's thoughts just repeat and offer nothing new. the scenes and settings are so bleak and vague, perhaps a director could never capture what we each imagined in our mind's eye, but there is PLENTY of room in that story for great, wide, bleak cinematography and scenery. what i have seen (like the truck on the bridge, the marauders, etc) is very good, my only complaint being it doesn't look AS BLEAK as it all did in my mind. but what director can control the weather and incenerate several hundreds of acres for a movie? all i know is, if there isn't a baby on a fucking spit, i will be pissed.
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That 2nd review just made me pull what's left of my hair out.
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It was a week ago on this site that Danny stated "(John)Carpenter fucking sucks", and said that Big Trouble was his only good film...so really, what do you expect..
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Was amazing, apart from maybe the last book, I'd have liked to have had them meet but it took up with them already knowing each other. Didn't feel much for either of the characters in the last book, I thought they just acted a bit stupidly considering what they'd been through before. The road is indeed dark and slow. It should not be pitched as an post apocalyptic thriller but no doubt it will. I could imagine it being filmed more like Tarkovskys 'Stalker', like that the concept is cool and attracts people who are into sci fi but then it scares 3/4 of those pople off with the slow meditative pace.
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Glad I read the book first.
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And an insanely positive one at that.
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yeah, a little disheartening, but there were even elements in that guys review that i disagree with, like: Father & Son Walk == Sad Set Piece == Walk == Happy Set Piece == Repeat ad nauseum
that, again, is the book. although i wouldn't call the scenes of scant comfort to be 'happy' they did fluxuate.also:
"Duvall is great but still unnecessary since he's almost unrecognizable).".....so? i fucking HATE seeing an actor and only seeing the actor and not the role. if duvall is disfigured or near death or something but still emotes and gives a 'good performance'...well, that's a damn fine actor, and a good casting job."the big-name cameos are insulting"- again maybe the point was missed. i could give a flip about big name. big names are unfortunately used to lure in people who do base viewing on that stuff. -
Is anybody else a little timid about Blood Meridian being in the hands of Sir Ridley? His quick camera movements will destroy the expanse of the story, I believe.
Also, anybody have a thought to the cast??? The Judge is almost uncastable, in my opinion. -
Is in that second chud review, to wit "They took the story and turned into an overly sentimental, repetitive trudge through a grey, snow-covered landscape. There's no thematic weight, there is no emotional connect with the characters, the big-name cameos are insulting "
the very first thought I had when I read this book was that whoever makes it should make for damn sure that it has NO score. the road is a post - post apocalyptic story, a world stripped of everything safe and familiar but for lost fragments. having music is just WRONG. and beefing up Theron's part is wrong. -
Fucking product placement for Vitamin Water in The Road? Are you fucking kidding me? Weinstein go fuck off with Rachel Zoe and your fashion pals with your shitty reality competition and leave filmmaking to people who actually care about making good films.
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If the flick ends up being even a fraction as divisive as it seems to be from these early screeners, it's a good thing. After all, the book isn't something you really "enjoy". It's a damn great novel, but you don't "enjoy" something like that.
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...is that I read it in the heat of summer, but McCarthy's vivid descriptions had me shivering like it was the dead of winter.
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yeah a bit too gleeful, but it sounds like they knew what they were getting into anyway.truely, this film sounds like it will divide us all into probably three or four factions-people who like it and accept it as a flawed translation, but good.-purists who won't like it because they will never be happy that it is someone else's vision-normal audience people who don't 'get it' and or never read the book, and-people who go into it hating because of weinstein or whatever.
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Which is just as well. There doesn't seem to be a reason to me to even make a movie of it in the first place.
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I'm a fucking imbecile!
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*sigh* Why are people so stupid and tasteless? It sounds exactly like the book...this is a good thing. I like feeling good walking out of a movie too but it doesn't need to happen EVERY FUCKING TIME
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And why it probably shouldn't be made (about three-quarters of a way through this interview): http://tinyurl.com/4kr3t2
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Please see my post at 01:15:16 PM.
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No worries!
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you'd think that there was a flash of light and a series of low concussions, blotting out the sun and covering the earth in ash, the way this TB died....HELLLLOOOOOOOO?
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called 'the LOAD'...cough cough.a husband and wife wander the apocalypse, surviving and having sex with other survivors they encounter in trade for goods. they are so malnourished the husband can't muster a Load until the last scene at end of the movie, after drinking some vitamin water. it's porn award gold!
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I did.
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Someone must have stole my nugget and sent Devin an email. Thief!;^)
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Thinking the movie didn't require a score is stupid.
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The studio has just announced that they've salvaged the film by re-shooting the ending. It will now feature Viggo's character telling his son that it was all just a joke, as they arrive at a house full of tasty food, and fizzy drinks and balloons, where Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan and Will Smith are having a surprise party for them. The movies ends with all of them dancing down The Road to the thumping club anthem "I Like To Move It Move It..."
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...but Nick Cave did this sort of thing for the soundtrack to "The Proposition" years before Greenwood scored "There Will Be Blood". They may be similar, but Nick Cave got there first.
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..and by normal, i mean stupid people, are going to expect something this movie/book isn't. i mean hopefully the brain dead people who worship the oprah book club at least know what it's about...but i wonder if there will be people looking for parable, allegory or metaphor where there is none, assuming 'the road' to be a metaphor for the yellow brick road or some crap
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I can't even *conceive* of what this movie would look like. Should be left alone imo.
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man i want to comment over there but it won't let me leave more than one, somoene wrote:"Comment #17 (Posted by Muzz)
I don't know how the kid's character is suposed to work if he's so old, without a subtantial rewrite. The kid in the book is about 5, tops. Give a ten year old that dialogue and characterisation and it won't ring true at all." and i want to slap them and say the kid was not 5 in the book. No five year old would survive the stage to which the world has worsened by the time the book is written, much less push the cart of supplies or do some of the physical things in the book. I thought it was 9 or 10. The story kind of read like the kid was five, but that's because he was pretty much simple, innocent, and uneducated in the standard way. -
Review was shit. Bloody peons don't understand anything. They ought to test it in the UK, We understand concepts other than 1 man vs ageneric bad guys, and the amusing comedy antics of a man wanting to shag an unobtainably beautiful woman.
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been better than GUy Pearce for the ending. When I fist read All the Pretty Horses I though of Matt Damon so was happy he was the star and not Leo DiCaprio who was the first choice. Would love to see Billy Bobs 3 hour adaption of that. Why no Blue Ray of his cut? I mean McCarthy is hot now and no one saw ATPH in theatres so give it a go man. Viggo always delivers, Eastern Promises needs a sequel or another 45 minutes, I so want to know more about his character in that. I don't cry at movies much, except K-9 and the Incredible Journey (when I was a kid cuz I love dogs) but I am sure being a dad now that this will choke me up the way the book did. I'd do anything to protect my little girl.
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He's supposed to be 10 years old in the book...NOT five. His perceived lac of maturity on the book was due to his societal and environmental alienation....almost no contact with anyone but his dad. In fact, when he sees another boy (who's like 12) in the burned out city, he wants to go after him. The kid in the book is NOT five....but take it with a grai of salt: CHUD's reviews are largely written by folks not familiar with the source material (with a couple exceptions).
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I said that last week? Damn. That is a very accurate statement. I make no apologies for it. John Carpenter does indeed suck....and Big Trouble In Little China IS his only good film.
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Sounds like CHUD's reviewer thought he was going to be watching Doomsday or something. Everything he bitched about is in the book. And I take comfort that people who did read the book and saw the movie thought the movie worked. Bummer it'll get pitched back to next year, though. I was looking forward to being depressed this winter.
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remember the score in No Country for Old Men?
A film of the Road should've been mostly shot around Chernobyl or at the Ural Sea, with incredible atmosphere tracks, and not a single note of music telling you what to feel. The thing that terrifies me is it sounds like they did a few things to try and make The Road more palpable to the Sarah Palins of the world with a few minor "oh yeah a flashback at the start with the wife".
It sounds like The Road Warrior is going to remain an even more brutal and bleak depiction of things. -
I read him as being about 10 years old too, (and I agree about the interpretation that he was a bit naive due to having no contact with anyone but his father.)
Anyway, the fact that CHUD's low-brow reviewer didn't like it is giving me a lot of encouragement that this adaptation might actually be pretty faithful to what was my favourite book of the past ten years. -
i could be wrong but it seems the aragorn figure banner is alot more frequent since this article on Viggo popped up.also i've been accused of looking at a midget porn site at work because of the bride of chucky banner and the glam clothes one too.
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That first CHUD review proves it. If you need the apocalypse explained to enjoy the film then please just don't see the movie, or any movie for that matter. It's not important. This is a movie about a father and a son in extraordinary circumstances and that circumstance happens to be the apocalypse. It's about how paternal love, at its best, is hope without end that doesn't need to be justified to live on. It's about a father, doing whatever it takes, to see his son through to survival until his body can carry him no further, because it's the only choice he has. And it's supposed to be grim, devastatingly grim, and thats what makes that love so beautiful. It's really a brilliant book about hope even in the most dire of circumstances. I suppose modern audiences are too ridiculously dense to understand something like that if the visuals aren't that of You've Got Mail. Pathetic.
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but really, what's the point? i read the book and although i enjoyed it, it felt like an emo-kid's wet dream. i enjoy bleak, but as long as it's saying something... this really didn't say anything new that hasn't been said a million times in a million other dystopian stories.
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Oct 16, 2008 3:38:21 PM CDT
And let's stop with the negative hype right this second
by industrykiller!
Because there is not a shred of evidence to believe it. You've got a test audience of morons and a guy who CLEARLY missed the point. The second CHUD review is a bit better and insightful but I dont see how they couldnt fix some of the flaws. First of all scaling up Therons role is a huge mistake obviously done just to trade off her name. In the book she gets one scene in which she's wel past the point of emotional return and even that is merely filler to give some background and making it more than that is at the expense of the story.
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on dvd, blu-ray, what have you. at least then maybe we'll get to see the parts now being dissected out for the Joe the plumbers of the world.
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The story had to be that bleak so the power of a fathers love for his son could stand in righteous opposition to it. If you think it was bleak just to make the reader miserable then you flat out didnt get it. I thought it was never anything less than beautiful and utterly real. it didn't depress me in the least.
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QUOTE: "That first CHUD review proves it. If you need the apocalypse explained to enjoy the film then please just don't see the movie, or any movie for that matter. It's not important. This is a movie about a father and a son in extraordinary circumstances and that circumstance happens to be the apocalypse. It's about how paternal love, at its best, is hope without end that doesn't need to be justified to live on. It's about a father, doing whatever it takes, to see his son through to survival until his body can carry him no further, because it's the only choice he has. And it's supposed to be grim, devastatingly grim, and thats what makes that love so beautiful. It's really a brilliant book about hope even in the most dire of circumstances. I suppose modern audiences are too ridiculously dense to understand something like that if the visuals aren't that of You've Got Mail. Pathetic."
BRAVO! You summed it up there. This talkback can be closed now because this post says all there is that needs to be said. -
there are many dreamy sequences by the father that mention a beautiful woman (assumed to be the wife, or an archetypical woman). i'll have to read re-read when and where they pop up, but i thought there was one near the opening of the book.
Well, i wanted to re-read it anyway. guess i'll keep the book in the bathroom this week and come to the TB's prepared. -
Get some amazing sound FX editors who can to some really subtle but immersive work and you've got the idea.
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if you had a dream director for this,who would it be? I'm not familiar with this guy's other work, but i'm excited and defensive, as you can see.so who would have been good, and who would have been horrible, and why? i can see it now...Paul W.S. Anderson...micheal bay's THE ROAD, a jerry bruckheimer production...ha ha..
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It's weird, but I must admit that I too imagined a sort of droning score as I read the book, something inhuman sounding. It's as though the sound of any discernable musical instruments on the score will somehow remind you that people are alive somewhere, playing those instruments. Know what I mean? It removes you from the bleakness.
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Test screening used a temp track.
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Escape From NY-great movie, Halloween-great, Little China--great, The Thing--great. I don't want any lip about this. nuff said.
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...Would you rely on test screenings to determine your release schedule for a film directed by John Hillcoat from a book by Cormac McCarthy? Seriously, whoever put this together is a giant fuck idiot. It's not a case of prestige names either, its simply the fact that your dealing with material that WILL be loathed and ignored by a great chunk of the population. If you weren't aware of that going into production, your also a giant fucking idiot.
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test screening for this film = entirely unecessary and counter-productive publicity for what is sure to be a beautiful, harrowing film.
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They would have demanded to know why Anton Chigurh is so damn mean. Was he molested as a child? We need it spelled out! Remember we live in a world in which Willy Wonka's oddness was chalked up to his father being a rigid dentist. This is the kind of patronizing crap audiences are used to and it's just very very sad. Why the apocalypse happened is totally irrelevant to the book given that it's unknown and irrelevent to the characters so for an audience to be pissed about it is ridiculous.
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THE ROAD ignored? Dude, the book was a monster hit, it won the Pulitzer Prize, and it's on Oprah's Book Club. If you weren't already aware of that before your post, you're also a giant fucking idiot.
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fuck test audiences, arent they the stupid fucks who got I Am Legend to change its ending? Fuck them.
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It's precisely the ambiguous nature of the 'apocalypse' in McCarthy's book that makes it so powerful and timeless.
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The Road's original November release date had it opening the same weekend as Quantum of Solace? That could likely be a factor in its push back to December, especially if their preview screenings were mostly as positive as Mumbles Modine. Its not like they have to be afraid of finding an audience for an adaptation of one of last year's simultaneously best-selling AND universally acclaimed novels. Either way, sitting on a marquee next to the new James Bond movie would have been bad news for The Road's box office. Maybe I'm just being optimistic, though.
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..the director from Children of Men could've done a job on The Road? no? shit, okay then..
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Honestly those fuckbags are so dumb. I've never really liked that site.
Watch this movie be great. -
The AICN search engine doesn't suck anymore?
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I'm not, but I could see how a guy with a son could get into it. Besides that, it is well written but not especially creative or original.
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Here is every line of dialog in this book: "Papa, I'm scared."
"Don't be scared, okay?"
"okay"
"Okay?"
"Okay"
Repeat that exchange about 100 or so times and you have about 95% of the dialog in the book. -
...while I was sick in bed one morning. That it was depressing but good shit. I've got, whaddaya call 'em, high hopes for this. Bein' a fan of THE PROPOSITION and all and Viggo is cool and shit.
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And this is a great book. When you become a dad, you will know it's a great book too.
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This film is awesome and Viggo is a fucking GOD! I don't know you and nor have I seen this film yet but damn it I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG. Also, guys, my penis is like huge; I mean SERIOUSLY big.
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Mark my words, this will be a great film. "industry" got it right. Imagine how the test screenings would have gone for "Jesse James, No Country and There will blood?" they would have butchered those film into an unsavoury mess.To manufacture optimism,one only needs to have read the book and beleive in the crew's pedigree. All this shit about the coke can is embarrassing, that scene is fucking subversive. Finally, if you didn't enjoy the book (your call) why the fuck are you commenting on the film? please gloat somewhere else.
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Thank you for pointing me to that. If that's true, that is fantastic news. Todd Field is the right person for that job and seems like the perfect vehicle to win him his oscar. I'd like to see Jackie Earle Haley as the little monster/child/man the judge keeps in the cage. Thanks again!
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...any random person who doesn't know what they're in for is going to HATE this story...what did they expect?...the film sounds perfect as it is...they BETTER NOT FUCK IT UP.
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...because he was saying how much he likes End Of Civilization, Just A Handfull OF Survivors type stories. He read about sixty pages and put it down because it was "awfully dark don't you think?".......!!???....."too dark"??!!...I thought we were talking about the end of the world, no food, canned shit starting to run out...what did he expect?....The End Of Civilization The Fucking Musical?
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No problem, you're welcome!Interesting idea you've got there regarding Jackie Earle Haley. If he were to be cast, it may be worth giving him a more prominent role, like one of the members of the Glanton Gang.
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Oct 16, 2008 8:45:07 PM CDT
I actually think it might be kind of cool if it came out in the
by heavenlykid
After how children of Men, probably the best movie that came out that year (in my opinion) tanked, I think it's pretty clear that selling a science fiction/prestige oscar pedigree movie can be tough, especially with the line up of movies like Frost Nixon, the Reader, The wrestler, and probably twenty other movies fighting for that market. I say release it in February even if it's awesome. If it's the only great movie out there people will be more inclined to take a chance, especially if it's competing with the usual bland romantic comedies that get dumped in the spring.
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Oct 16, 2008 8:48:04 PM CDT
Spring! christ, sorry for forgetting the word of my subject.
by heavenlykid
still stand by my above comment, though.
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most of the time they go into bitchy fanboy mode" ....
Umm...and what is THIS place if not Bitchy Fanboy Central... -
...the book, you might like Riddley Walker by R. Hoban, Cloud Atlas by D. Mitchell, and Fiskadoro by D. Johnson. recs over, carry on.
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Yes, that role recommendation was more for comic relief, but I can definitely see him in the film. If done right, there could be lots of esteemed character actors throughout the movie. I'd love to see Tommy Lee Jones in it somewhere (Glanton? too old?). We'll see.
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Loved that interview.
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books that have been around for ages being adapted, and then tons of the author's other works are adapted just because the first adaptation was good. A competent director obviously goes a long way.
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Oct 16, 2008 11:00:24 PM CDT
"What other beverage would last through a nuclear winter?"
by moviemaniac-7
That is an awesome ad slogan for Coke. Hope CHUD is wrong and this turns out great. I liked The Proposition. Moody and tense.
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...(Kabong) who originally said that the test screening was, ""a complete fiasco on every creative level.":"Anthony Sollecito really said it a lot better than I could in the pre-release thread for the film. I have no doubt that the book is probably pretty strong stuff, and I'd like it very much. Let me explain a bit where I'm coming from--I was a fan of "The Proposition", enough that John Hillcoat was a guy I wanted to see future films of.-I actually didn't at all find Nick Cave's work on "Jesse James" repetitive- it's one of my favorite scores, and I think it's got at least five or six gorgeous motifs heard throughout the film.-One of the talkbackers mentioned "Time Of The Wolf", which is a similar story, but also really gripping and unforgettable.The post-production editing, however lengthy, is certainly something that will improve this movie, and I think "The Road" could end up being a pretty interesting movie with a few reshoots here and there, but the material they have there just doesn't come together at all. There's a lot to like about it- I was fond of the production design, and I thought the atmosphere was sufficiently creepy. Viggo Mortensen is always great (and again, guy loves showing his balls) and he gives a performance here that's actually unexpectedly vulnerable- it's a different characterization from some of the larger-than-life personas he's been playing the last few years. A lot to like, and while the score was definitely temp, I have no doubt that Nick Cave's finished work will be one of the film's highlights.I didn't mean to come across as someone who thought it was a shit movie, because it's very obviously unfinished, with basic nip-tucks needed, stuff like that. But the cut last night lacked focus, verve and a real sense of identity."
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Add up how many people in the United States have read The Road and how many people have seen Meet The Spartans. Hell, add up how many people watched the Oprah episode and how many actually READ the book. If you think this film and associated book has even a tenth of the audience going into see Harry Potter of James Bond, you are the giant fucking idiot.
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It is definitely one of the top films to look out for in the next few months.
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just ignore them.
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Harry Potter of James Bond? So, you're resorting to a tent-pole franchise comparison now? Weak.Funny...your whole point seems to be that nobody cares about this movie. So, obviously you don't know what you're talking about and you couldn't be more wrong.
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and sitting across from my Grandmother who layed unconscious in a hospice bed. She died when I was about halfway through the book. how fucked up is that
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The Weinstein Company would be idiotic to push this to 2009 because even if the film underperforms with anybody, I see no possibility where Viggo Mortensen wouldn't be a major contender for Best Actor.Also, the EW.com article mentions that TWC might be pushing "The Reader" for its Oscar campaign instead -- stupid argument. Everybody knows you concentrate on more than one film per Oscar season, because most of them have buzz early on and then fizzle once they're released.Plus, I REALLY want to see the darn thing.As for the movie being bleak, if that's a surprise to any studio exec, they should be fired. Besides, *Spoiler Alert* all things considered, the story has a happy ending.
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I really wouldn't be surprised if the studios release this in NY and LA around the end of the year for Oscar consideration, then open wide in January. Beyond those who read the book, this would be tough sell around the holiday season.
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the book is ..well it's haunting. the still and casting seemed great...this is bad news.
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Calling McCarthy's dialogue trite and stupid! I bet this guy's favorite books are found in the section of the store with trees and fuzzy animals on the wall! McCarthy is hands down one of the greatest living writers and any faithful adaptation of his work is going to be good, for those of us who actually have a brain.
This guy probably liked Crash too because it was so complex and had blah blah blah. -
kicks ass. The only book ever that made me weep openly in public.
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That is REALLY FUCKED UP
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Same here. The book blew me away, which is why I won't be seeing the movie. Not because I think it'll be bad, just 'cos I don't want the interpretation in my head altered.I had a friend (old hippy) who wouldn't see LOTR for the same reasons. I couldn't get his POV at the time. I do now.
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There are so many moments that I have fantasized being realized cinematically but if they have "sentimentalized it" then there's no way I want the book to be ruined for me.
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I was moved and introduced to a way of writing, a style that I never assumed I'd embrace or enjoy. It's sparse, poetic, perfect. The fact that the film is being released later than expected is NOT OKAY. (not okay? .. no.. not okay. .. ok)I want to see it now.
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Maybe on the surface. The real final message I was left pondering after finishing this was that in order to survive, we all have to think of ourselves as "the good guys", even if by all accounts we are not. Evil only exists in the minds and the words of those who survive, those left after the evil is done. Certainly the man was not evil, but the boy could see that he was not entirely good. Certainly not generous. Focused, rightly on keeping his boy alive. But undeniably selfish in the process and blind to hope. In the end the boy survives not by living by the man's rules and standards, but by letting go and taking a risk, exactly what his father(or.. the man) told him not to do. We're left to wonder if his choice was the right one. The poetic beauty of those last few words do nothing to make me feel we can assume survival, or an "I am legend" happy ending. But it's not a bleak ENDING by any means.
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