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I'm Walking on Sunshine

By Brian Prisco | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (45)

the-road.jpg

Below is the trailer for The Road and, whoa! did they ever diverge from Cormac McCarthy’s novel. The novel is mostly the Man on a journey quest through hell with The Boy. It’s a fucking horror story, through this blasted wasteland where cannibals harrow them, but mostly its about survival.

They look like they basically scrapped the sparse horror, and turned it into Mad Max Beyond the Turnpike. (Most of the film was shot in rural Pennsylvania — the type of frightening woodsy shitscape.) They slapped CGI on a folk tale, making it more digital demons and whatnot, with a bunch of famous faces all dirted up and rednecked out.

Having made my complaints, still….BOO. FUCKING. YAH. I’m kind of glad that they opted to take this route. The novel was so morbidly dreary, but beautiful. You close the book and feel like going out and dying in the woods alone. They added a lot more action — and it looks like it’ll still have all the fucking heart. Goddamn was Viggo Mortensen the perfect damn choice for this. If only for the delight of seeing Aragorn hiding beneath a mountainside as Dread Rednecks hunt him.

Damn. McCarthy’s scored another likely Oscar nod. And Mortensen’s finally going to get more respect Academy-wise.









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Comments

My whoring for this particular work is already well-known, so I'll just cross my fingers and whisper "lowered expectations, lowered expectations, lowered expectations."

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at May 15, 2009 10:41 AM

My coworker was just telling me about this trailer a few minutes ago. The book make me feel like I was beaten with a sack of dead cats, but god help me I'm still psyched to see this.

Posted by: Julie at May 15, 2009 10:47 AM

I really need to be more of a movie freak to explain just what doesn't catch me about this trailer - it's the cinematography, or the aspect ratio, or the lighting, or something.

I was hoping for more Assassination of Jesse James or There Will Be Blood or hell, Ridley Scott. It just doesn't have the same feel to it - '2081' feels darker than this.

I'm sure Mortensen will give a bang-on performance - he's an amazing actor, 'LOTR' is one of his weaker performances, IMO, but still... I wanted more.

Posted by: twig at May 15, 2009 10:49 AM

I dunno...looks kind of like a million other so so action flick trailers I've seen. The book was amazing, and this doesn't do it for me. I will remain hopeful, but not to hopeful.

Nice beard on Viggo though.

Posted by: Nate at May 15, 2009 10:49 AM

I don't know what it is, but the trailer didn't do it for me. I was expecting something much more bleak.

I didn't like that set up in the beginning at all. Very Disaster movie-esque.

Posted by: annoyingmouse at May 15, 2009 10:53 AM

hummm...I don't know, Prisco, I wish they had captured on film the dying-in-the-woods-alone sensation.

Posted by: seminole at May 15, 2009 10:55 AM

I had no interest in this until the mention of Viggo. I think I picked up the book a few times, but the descriptions I've read had me running in the opposite direction. This trailer may have hooked me.

Posted by: Cindy at May 15, 2009 10:59 AM

The book make me feel like I was beaten with a sack of dead cats

Yeah, strangely I've never wanted to read it after always hearing things like that.

Posted by: Jay at May 15, 2009 10:59 AM

I'm pretty sure that neither this book nor this movie are for me. I just, can't. I hope the movie is good for those of you who read and enjoyed (if that's the right word) the book.

Posted by: tamatha at May 15, 2009 11:00 AM

I haven't even read the book, but I've been waiting for this movie for what feels like ages. Viggo is probably my favorite working big-name actor, so I am excited.

Posted by: Mimi at May 15, 2009 11:06 AM

It still gave me the sense of dread I had when reading the book, or maybe I've carried that over. It's all so bleak, and yet amazingly I do want to see it. And I want to read the book again.

Posted by: Carrie at May 15, 2009 11:19 AM

There's no way to tell from this what the movie is actually like. The movie could be much closer to the book that one thinks. Haven't we all seen movie mash-ups? This trailer is just a collection of fast cuts and music that will never get near the actual film. Biggest clue?

SPOILER***
CT is all though the trailer, leading the viewer to believe she's on the journey with the father and son. Except, not.

Posted by: Louise at May 15, 2009 11:24 AM

This feels like one of those trailers that makes the movie out to be more actiony than it really is.

Anyway it looks good to me. I love Viggo. But I can't get excited over movies anymore because they have failed me far too many times. No matter how good this movie is I will not be disappointed. Yay!

Posted by: kayla at May 15, 2009 11:27 AM

Oh man, oh man. This has to be one of my favorite books. Sure, it's incredibly bleak and sad, but it's also a pretty powerful love story (non-romantic, sure. But still). And the language just verged on poetic at times. Like Neruda,Whitman, or cummings poetic.

It does seem a touch actiony, but very often the people who make the trailers (who are NOT the movie makers), will skew the tone of a film in it's marketing. I bet they're thinking, "In pursuing our quest of underestimating our audience's intelligence, let's just assume no one will come see a well-made horror/drama. So let's focus the trailer on 'splosions in an effort to trick people into seeing this."

No, really, they do it all the fucking time. One could make a seriously random list.

McCarthy + Mortensen = a hopeful Kate with ticket money at the ready.

Posted by: ShinyKate at May 15, 2009 11:32 AM

Ah, Louise and Kayla beat me to it! :-)

Posted by: ShinyKate at May 15, 2009 11:33 AM

I read the book in one sitting (do not recommend) and then felt vaguely like puking for the next week or so. I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing the movie no matter what, because I hate puking.

Posted by: the essence of fanciness and class at May 15, 2009 11:36 AM

I bought this book for some entertainment on a flight from Boston to Hawaii. Cormac McCarthy, dark yes, but I like dark and disturbing. Well, it was all I could to to contain the sobbing. I'm pretty sure I sat their looking horrified and nauseous for the 7 hours of the trip. The book necessitated a double scotch somewhere over the pacific. I felt beaten up by the time we were ready to land. I'm not sure if I would have recovered if it had not been for the gloriousness of landing in Kauai. Reading that book was hellish. That said, the story was one of the most compelling I've read in a long time and I'm looking forward to some Viggo-goodness!

Posted by: katers at May 15, 2009 11:52 AM

I only read this book after watching it swine-flu its way through my family. I kept catching people sitting up way too late, huddled in blankets and whipping through the pages, glassy-eyed and breathing hard. I asked them "Is that any good?" and without even being able to move their eyes from the page, they'd say "Not really. But I can't stop reading it." Then we were all zombiefied for a few days. I would never EVER see this movie if it weren't for Viggo. I would sell myself into human bondage for a chance to ravage that sexy, sexy man.

Posted by: AM at May 15, 2009 11:53 AM

dammit! *there not their

Posted by: katers at May 15, 2009 11:53 AM

I would go over to Esquire.com to read an article about this movie. They guy writing the article talks about one of the Weinsteins picking a trailer for it and the one he picks looks has a different tone from the movie he says. And he reviews the movie also. So dont trash this yet.

Posted by: Sad Rockstar at May 15, 2009 12:12 PM

Hmmm...I'm hoping they just skewed the trailer all actiony and it isn't that they left out some of the simpler and more poignant parts. When does it hit theaters?

Posted by: peachfish at May 15, 2009 12:16 PM

I havent had the strength to pick up the book yet, especially after hearing many reviews akin to Julie's but thats probably a good thing when preparing to see this movie. I'm all about the Viggo so hopefully this one will be worth my $10.

Posted by: MG at May 15, 2009 12:17 PM

Michael K. Williams. That's enough for me to go see it.

Posted by: the other kafka at May 15, 2009 12:22 PM

Oh, and Garret Dillahunt. So two reasons.

Posted by: the other kafka at May 15, 2009 12:23 PM

The book made me squirm the entire time. Mostly because I was putting my real son in place of the boy and me as the main character. When I saw they were making a movie out of it, I thought, "There's one picture I'll never see."

Posted by: Jez at May 15, 2009 12:55 PM

Was that Omar in the trailer?? Omar from The Wire!

Posted by: Trini at May 15, 2009 1:35 PM

I got to see an early edit of this and unless they've changed things drastically since then, the movie is closer in tone to the book than the trailer suggests. The trailer suggests they've opened up the world of the book a bit, and I'm curious to see if they've changed the film from what I saw to do that, because the cut I saw was about as faithful to the book as you could be while still getting Charlize in the movie a little bit more.

Posted by: whatBENwatches at May 15, 2009 1:46 PM

I thought the book was good and very well-written, but not nearly as disturbing as many people have said. However, I am fascinated by first person accounts of surviving crazy situations and horrible tragedies (Holocaust, 9/11, atrocities in various African nations, etc.), so maybe I am desensitized to a fictional survival story. Basically it was nice to tuck another Pulitzer book into the old brain pants.
The movie looks very good.

Posted by: Kballs at May 15, 2009 1:47 PM

Now I want to go home and play Fallout 3.

Posted by: henchman for hire at May 15, 2009 2:25 PM

Hmmm... The Road as action movie. Interesting. maybe we'll get lucky and they'll also fix the ending of the book. I know it's sacrelige round these parts, but The Road had quite possibly the worst ending I have ever read. So bad that it retroactively ruined what had been, until the last 10 pages or so, a great book. Hopefully the movie will actually be able to remove that memory from my poor brain.

Posted by: Bistro at May 15, 2009 2:49 PM

I'm still waiting for someone to make a decent film adaptation of The Painted Bird

Posted by: imk at May 15, 2009 3:01 PM

i actually auditioned to be an extra for this and wound up reading the book in for some insight. it's an emotionally tough read, but well worth it. i'll be interested to hear how they adapted it to the screen...i don't plan on seeing it-going thru the story once was enough for me. viggo's a hottie tho.

Posted by: gem at May 15, 2009 3:48 PM

I didn't see any parts in the trailer that weren't in the book, except that the book only hints at what caused the apocalypse. But all of the action parts were definitely in there.
My guess is that this is just standard trailer editing, making it seem more action-packed than it really is.

BTW, the basement scene looks like it's going to be real gruesome.

Posted by: Borg at May 15, 2009 5:25 PM

Oh HELL to the yeah. I love me some Apocalypse.

Posted by: Cara at May 15, 2009 5:44 PM

I know it's sacrelige round these parts, but The Road had quite possibly the worst ending I have ever read.

With one of the worst ending paragraphs I've ever read.

Posted by: Soylent Green is Sheeple at May 15, 2009 6:04 PM

Henchman--Ditto..I didn't see any super mutants, though. I did see Omar from the Wire and Mr. W from Deadwood. Otherwise...this is giving me that I am Legend feel; i.e. Hollywood trying to pep up another ultra-bleak novel with explosions and CGI.

Posted by: stryker1121 at May 15, 2009 6:05 PM

I love The Proposition and the novel, but this looks like a CGI shit sandwich.

Posted by: c at May 15, 2009 6:19 PM

Man, Cormac McCarthy is bleeeeeeaaaaaak. I read No Country for Old Men and it just sucked all the air out of me.

The Vigg is a big draw for me and I love Charlize. I would have been happier if they had just done a porno together. When that happens I'm there.

Posted by: greer at May 15, 2009 6:37 PM

The book is boring.

Ummm ... how shall I "fuck off," o lords?

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 15, 2009 8:30 PM

What is it with trailer makers? This trailer made the story look like your average thriller. Run. Hide. Kill. Bam. Bam. Bammm. Wtf, the book was solemn, sober, calm and sad.

Posted by: Arthur Dent at May 15, 2009 10:03 PM

Hell fuckin' yes, that was Michael K. Williams!

For only Omar Little could survive the apocalypse!

...

Don't even think to mention it. I'm gonna kill Kernard. (Semi-spoiler, I suppose?)

Posted by: Riley at May 16, 2009 2:46 AM

The book is amazing, but I can't get through 100 pages before my soul is crushed too much to continue. I won't see the movie until I'm done with the book.

Posted by: ChristianH at May 16, 2009 7:04 PM

Thought the trailer gave the completely wrong idea of what the movie would be like. Charlize Theron is ONLY in dream sequences in the novel/film. Also, what was the deal with the 'world is ending/global warming' in the intro? Lame.

Posted by: cody at May 16, 2009 8:41 PM

Kinda makes you wonder why they sat on releasing this for so long, if, you know, it's so wonderful and all.

Viggo's not a great actor, he's a great beauty. He's the Danish Keanu. There, I said it.

Posted by: Rosa at May 17, 2009 11:19 AM

The ending of the book doesn't bother me.
Looking forward to the movie, but if it preaches global warming to us at the beginning, I'm walking out.

Posted by: Carlos at May 25, 2009 2:25 AM