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The Road, Cormac McCarthy's latest Oscar bait - The Something Awful Forums

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Cormac McCarthy has expanded beyond his literary kudos become a big name in movies due to No Country For Old Men, despite one much less successful attempt (All the Pretty Horses).

In the literary world he's already been a big name.

Now his 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Road is coming to theatres this November. Why should you care?

Just reading the synopsis for the movie caused me to run out and read this book I'd never heard of.

In the not too distant future, To world has suffered some unnamed nuclear apocalypse and 7 - 9 years later Nuclear winter has set in with a cold to "crack stones", the sky is always grey, the nights pitch black, the frequent rain and snow is filled with ash which covers the earth and There is hardly any color left in the world.

All of the plants and animals of the earth are dead, because of this the few people left in the world scrounge for the rare canned food stash and avoid contact with anyone else, because "cannibalism is just the beginning." A father and his young son, known simply as Man and Boy, unable to stay through another winter, are travelling south down the road to make it to the coast in hopes of warmer weather.

All they have is a cart with a tarp, some blankets, a bit of canned goods, a lighter, pliers, and a revolver with two bullets. I have never read anything so beautifully bleak and sad.

I can't wait to see this on the big screen.

Needless to say, judging from the author, director, actors and release date;

This movie is oscar bait.

I'm willing to bet it gets nominated for something, no telling what.

I'm sure they'll make a go for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Picture if they play their cards right.

But I don't care so much about Oscar noms and I just hope it's a good movie. It's directed by John Hillcoat, director of The Proposition.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen as the Man, Kodi Smit-McPhee as the Boy, plus cameos by Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall.

Sounds good to me. I'm sure it will earn an R rating, I hope they don't skimp on the few graphic parts of to book.

The pictures look to have captured the mood well and I hope the the actual movie looks just as good. EDIT: Proofreading is good SquareDog fucked around with this message at Jul 03, 2008 around 01:31

SquareDog posted: That's me trying to read the thing.

It'll make a way better movie, especially with that cast.

I'll see it because I love Viggo.

He really chooses some great roles and always does a great job with what he is given.

Has he ever been in a lovely movie?

Vanishing Point doesn't count, that movie rules.

I got some second hand knowledge about this from someone who knows someone working on it (I know, I know) and he mentioned that the graphic nature of the book is getting toned a bit.

So we probably won't see something like Man and Boy seeing two men and a pregnant woman walking down the road and then coming across their camp later after the woman gave birth and finding out they ate the baby. I'm trying to figure out who Guy Pierce and Robert Duvall would be though.

The shocking scenes were some of the best parts of the book.

I'm looking forward to seeing this.

I hope the movie stays true to the tone of the book.

I just checked IMDB and it looks like at least some of the shocking stuff is still in.

There are people in the cast listed as Amputee #1, #2, etc.

I hope its pretty faithful to the book - it'd work well as a movie since its all about visuals and dialogue and not much private thoughts etc.

Ridley Scott is making Blood Meridian into a movie, but I had no idea that The Road was even in production.

Good for McCarthy, he can take my money any time.

Muscles like this?

Posted: I'm trying to figure out who Guy Pierce and Robert Duvall would be though. Guy Pearce is The Veteran at the end and Robert Duvall is The Dying Old Man they feed once.

I'm super pumped that John Hillcoat is doing this.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that saw The Proposition and thought it felt just like a Cormac Mcarthy novel.

Cacator posted: Ridley Scott is making Blood Meridian into a movie, but I had no idea that The Road was even in production.

Good for McCarthy, he can take my money any time. I honestly can not figure out how the hell they would do Blood Meridian as a movie.

It's w y too violent. I'd say Ron Perlman as the judge though, it's kind of how I pictured him in my head.

AFewBricksShy posted: I'd say Ron Perlman as the judge though, it's kind of how I pictured him in my head. Yeah, I'd already discussed this with friends, and we all came to the same agreement.

No-one else could even come close. Also that poster for The Road is loving perfect.

If this turns out as well as I'm hoping, it really is going to be Oscar bait, and deservedly so.

The director of The Proposition + The Road = amazingly dark material.

I can't wait to see this, even though I know I'm going to walk out of the theater pretty much wanting to kill myself.

Muscles like this?

Posted: I got some second hand knowledge about this from someone who knows someone working on it (I know, I know) and he mentioned that the graphic nature of the book is getting toned a bit.

So we probably won't see something like Man and Boy seeing two men and a pregnant woman walking down the road and then coming across their camp later after the woman gave birth and finding out they ate the baby. The IMDB seems to refute this: Mark Tierno ...

Baby Eater Also it's listing the score as being done by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.

Someone please, please, please tell me this is loving true and not some IMDB rumour.

If it has to have a soundtrack, I want Warren Ellis doing it.

Citizen Insane posted: The IMDB seems to refute this: Mark Tierno ...

Baby Eater Also it's listing the score as being done by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.

Someone please, please, please tell me this is loving true and not some IMDB rumour.

If it has to have a soundtrack, I want Warren Ellis doing it. Huh, ew. Warren Ellis' music isn't that bad.

I've got some of his "Superburst Mixtape" songs they're pretty good.

Muscles like this?

Posted: Huh, ew. Warren Ellis' music isn't that bad.

I've got some of his "Superburst Mixtape" songs they're pretty good. Get thee to the Dirty Three's discography ASAP.

I don't even know how Scott will pull off a Blood Meridian movie, unless he makes Glanton the main character.

The Kid seems almost secondary to Glanton and Holden for a large part of the book, although I'm not quite finished with the book yet.

I guess it'd work with an ensemble cast. Although, The Road movie is gonna be sick. qbert posted: The director of The Proposition + The Road = amazingly dark material.

I can't wait to see this, even though I know I'm going to walk out of the theater pretty much wanting to kill myself. Aw c'mon, the book has a pretty hopeful ending, at least for the Boy A CRUNK BIRD fucked around with this message at Jul 03, 2008 around 01:32

A CRUNK BIRD posted: I don't even know how Scott will pull off a Blood Meridian movie, unless he makes Glanton the main character.

The Kid seems almost secondary to Glanton and Holden for a large part of the book, although I'm not quite finished with the book yet.

I guess it'd work with an ensemble cast. Although, The Road movie is gonna be sick. Aw c'mon, the book has a pretty hopeful ending, at least for the Boy Yeah, definitely a bittersweet ending. I cried like a bitch.

Citizen Insane posted: Also it's listing the score as being done by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.

Someone please, please, please tell me this is loving true and not some IMDB rumour.

If it has to have a soundtrack, I want Warren Ellis doing it. It would make sense, as the aforementioned The Proposition had music by that same duo (as well as a screenplay by Nick Cave), and it was very good. Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen The Proposition yet, go out and loving see it.

It's probably just behind Batman Begins and Sympathy for Mr.

Vengeance as my favorite movie of the decade so far.

Blood Meridian seems almost impossible to adapt simply because I can't remember a single page in the book where someone isn't dieing a horrible graphic death. I'd love to see the whole volcano scene adapted. Very excited for this to, Viggo Mortensen played a great dad in hosed up circumstances in A History of Violence.

LtKenFrankenstein posted: It would make sense, as the aforementioned The Proposition had music by that same duo (as well as a screenplay by Nick Cave), and it was very good. Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen The Proposition yet, go out and loving see it.

It's probably just behind Batman Begins and Sympathy for Mr.

Vengeance as my favorite movie of the decade so far. While you're at it, check out Hillcoat's debut feature, Ghosts...

Of the Civil Dead , which is a brilliantly disturbing Aussie prison film.

Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld did the music for that, with Cave appearing in the film as well as a crazy who paints on the wall of his cell with blood. I am totally seeing this movie.

The novel was great and it's nice to see that Hillcoat probably isn't going to skimp on the harsher aspects of the plot.

I loved the score the duo did for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford .

Still need to watch The Proposition though.

I reckon it will be out soon in Blu-Ray?

Gotta get that.

As much as I liked No Country for Old Men I think the Road can be a better movie because it focuses solely on two figures with brief appearances from either creepy or depressing characters.

I do wonder how they'd shoot it as the book was filled with gray and that could get a bit much after an hour. This book somehow became part of Oprah's book club.

I'm still a little confused about that.

Wow! I can't believe the movie for this is coming out this November.

That's just awesome, I remember when it was being speculated on the movie back in the Book Barn thread for this book.

I figure it would be in development hell for a few years and that the IMDB for it was just speculation.

I didn't know it was actually greenlit and is coming out this year.

I think this will be Viggo's Cast Away (just a lot more frightening)- this can propel him to more mainstream star status if they market this correctly and he gets an Oscar nod for it.

I mean he's pretty much going to have to sell this movie with some very subtle acting, as I barely remember any dialog in the book. He also looks appropriately emaciated in that screenshot.

This looks incredible, are there any trailers yet?

AFewBricksShy posted: I honestly can not figure out how the hell they would do Blood Meridian as a movie.

It's w y too violent. Yeah but if they pull it off, it's going to be pretty insane.

Criminal Minded posted: Yeah but if they pull it off, it's going to be pretty insane. IMDB message boards led me to this interview with Scott: Quote: : QUESTION: Are you still planning to make Blood Meridian? RIDLEY SCOTT: We got it down as a screenplay and the problem is that it is so savage.

But that’s what it is.

If you did it properly it would be an X-certificate.

But you can’t apologise for the violence and you can’t quantify the violence and you shouldn’t try to explain the violence.

It is what it is…an exercise in brutality, savagery and violence.

For the most part it is probably relatively accurate.

It shows the flipside to Dances With Wolves of how the United States was probably taken.

It was taken by the throat.

So IMDB gives a tentative release date of 2009 but that would be after he makes a Robin Hood movie and another sci-fi movie.

Oldkid posted: This book somehow became part of Oprah's book club.

I'm still a little confused about that. The Sound and the Fury is also in Oprah's book club;

It's really not a terrible group of books. That being said, ever since watching and loving No Country For Old Men , I've become a big fan of McCarthy's work (best of which I've read so far are Blood Meridian and Suttree , in my opinion).

I really hope this gets done right, as I was reading the book it seemed like it could be adapted pretty well to film.

If this is done properly, it could be one of the best films to come out this year.

I'm quite excited.

Those pictures you posted in the OP seemed to really capture the imagery of the book.

SquareDog posted: ...To world has suffered some unnamed nuclear apocalypse and 7 - 9 years later Nuclear winter has set in... Not to nitpick but according to McCarthy, it wasn't nuclear but probably an impact event. Quite a few people have stated this film couldn't be made [well] but I've always disagreed.

I see no reason why this couldn't be fantastic, depressing, but fantastic just the same.

Oldkid posted: I do wonder how they'd shoot it as the book was filled with gray and that could get a bit much after an hour. 50 years of black & white cinema would beg to differ.

AFewBricksShy posted: I honestly can not figure out how the hell they would do Blood Meridian as a movie.

It's w y too violent. Zombie Peckinpah, the only answer. AFewBricksShy posted: I'd say Ron Perlman as the judge though, it's kind of how I pictured him in my head. Barton Fink era John Goodman now and forever. The fact that neither of these two things are happening fills me with an unspeakable rage. As for the road production pictures, hope the actual look of the picture is darker with lots more grime and ash (also needs more holocaust level thinness).

Least that's how I remember it sounding, although my memory of the book might be a little foggy since I thought they used a shopping cart and not a bicycle tire like push cart.

SquareDog posted: 50 years of black & white cinema would beg to differ. When I saw the first screen shot in the original post, I thought "Holy poo poo.

They are filming this movie in black and white".

And for a minute it almost made sense to me until I saw the following shot. Just wanted to say how much I loved this book, and I have high hopes for this movie being worth something.

Occasionally I'll see a piece of refuse on the ground and consider how it could be useful in a post-apocalyptic world.

Everything looks great so far, I'm gonna need a trailer here very soon.

Wormil posted: Not to nitpick but according to McCarthy, it wasn't nuclear but probably an impact event. Really? Well, I guess that goes to show how easily we make the jump from Post Apocolypse --->

Nukes

Crow T. Robot posted: I think this will be Viggo's Cast Away (just a lot more frightening)- this can propel him to more mainstream star status if they market this correctly and he gets an Oscar nod for it. Not sure what you mean here, Tom Hanks was already a mainstream star well before Cast Away was filmed.

Jet sanchEz posted: I'll see it because I love Viggo.

He really chooses some great roles and always does a great job with what he is given.

Has he ever been in a lovely movie?

Vanishing Point doesn't count, that movie rules. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3;

Although I thought he did a surprisingly decent job in it.

SquareDog posted: 50 years of black & white cinema would beg to differ. I feel quite dumb now.

I was thinking about Dante's Peak and the repetitive, bland colors for the back end of that movie.

Not that The Road will be comparable to that Brosnan flick in any way whatsoever.

LtKenFrankenstein posted: I'm super pumped that John Hillcoat is doing this.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that saw The Proposition and thought it felt just like a Cormac Mcarthy novel. Yes, absolutely.

The landscape in The Proposition is a huge part of the story, as it is in The Road, and it was done so well.

I thought the movie delivered the sense of oppressive hard scrabble and unforgiving sun as a force shaping everything in its environment better than any western I've seen.

Daduzi posted: Not sure what you mean here, Tom Hanks was already a mainstream star well before Cast Away was filmed. I should have clarified that.

I meant that Tom Hanks had to carry that movie on his back as it relied solely on his acting chops.

Just like this should show off Viggo's acting.

Hopefully this isn't as mediocre as Cast Away was though.

I honestly don't know if I'll even watch this.

I read the book once, thought it was the most horribly depressing thing ever written, and then put it on my bookshelf.

It was well worth reading, but I can't see any reason to go through it again, and that includes seeing it in live action. But this is one of the few times I've wished I watched the movie before I read book, because this does look like it's going to be very well-made.




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