I went to the movies this afternoon, something I RARELY do, but it was a crappy day out, I got everything done early, and I promised a friend we would go see Paranormal Activity. During the previews, which I generally try to avoid, the preview for "The Road" came on. The premise is that some disaster has wiped out most of the people on Earth; small bands try to exist on what they find. The plot appeared to be a man & his son, trying to make it down the east coast, some 10 or so years after the event. The preview clip was their encounter with a band of thugs. It looks interesting, I was wondering if anyone else had heard of this at all? When it comes out, I will likely go see it, if for nothing else than entertainment value (after all, it IS hollywood!). The previews certainly looked interesting!!!

I think redflare mentioned Cormac McCarthy's novel was being adapted for the screen:

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post152998

I'll be interested to hear how the film does. The book was a bestseller, and bleak.

Academy Award buzz already:

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/53107,people,news,oscar-talk-for-cormac-mccarthys-the-road-from-the-venice-film-festival

"Good news from the Venice Film Festival for fans of Cormac McCarthy, regarded by many as the finest living writer in the English language. The Australian director John Hillcoat, best known for his videos with fellow Aussie Nick Cave, has made a great movie of McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2006 novel The Road, sticking closely to the original which, given the bleakness of the plot, is quite something."

...shot the film in rural Pennsylvania and in post-Katrina Louisiana....



A not-so-complimentary review from Variety:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940928.html?categoryid=3212&cs=1

New York Times article on the making of the film (in 2008)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/movies/27road.html

You mean the adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by one of America's greatest writers?

Nope. Haven't heard of it. :-]

He also wrote No Country for Old Men, by the way.

I thought this movie had come out already, and was awaiting DVD release??? I guess not.

I read the book. Good book. That's my book review of the week!

It was supposed to be out last year but they ran into problems, a lot of the movie was shot here in Pennsylvania, Erie, Conneaut Lake and Pittsburgh, I read the book three times and am looking forward to the movie.

boy, I'll say.
I read it a few months ago on a transatlantic flight & was depressed for days.
It's a book that really stays in my mind.
Not sure it will make a good movie...
stars Viggo Mortenson, tho, so might be OK.

I read the book and found it depressing as well. There was never any mention of what actually caused the disaster/calamaty but it was not quite logical. Seems the only thing that survived was humans. No plants or animals anywhere. Not quite credible, in my opinion

After the animals ran out, the cannibals came out.

Don't know if I'll ever see that film.

Caused me to conclude that my PSK should include cyanide.

Interview with the director:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42781

I proably will not go to see it. I tend to get really annoyed when movies don't follow exactly to the book.

The book was bleak, but wonderfully written. It's fiction, not a case study of PAW, so the part about edible plant life not surviving didn't bother me. Besides, who knows what kind of eco-terrorism or bio-terrorism might crop up in the future.

Man you must have hated Lord of the Rings. haha.

I get your point about The Road, The mom in the book, played by Charlize Theron in the movie, was significantly bumped up. But with a book like that, any extra screen time by Theron will make the movie better

Here's an upcoming Hollywood film adaptation of a video game. Sounds similar to the TV series, "Jericho."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010438.html?categoryid=13&cs=1


Jerry Bruckheimer is plotting a civil war at Disney, tapping J. Michael Straczynski to adapt 2K Games' "Shattered Union."

In the game, states secede from the U.S. and form their own governments that wage a civil war against each other after Washington, D.C., is wiped out in a nuclear blast and chaos ravages the nation. Players control one of the warring group of states -- the California Commonwealth, Republic of Texas and New England Alliance are three of the six -- or a European peacekeeping unit sent to reunify America.

will there really be any doubt? Texas will take over CA. the Californian government doesn't like guns! lol

it has to be a pretty good video game to even have a chance of being a mediocre movie...I'm curious to see what comes of it.

Well if Bruckheimer is involved at least the apocalypse will be filled with very warm, flattering light...ala every episode of CSI. And the characters will all be very stylish...

Always bet on Texas in these type of scenarios. They have more stuff buried in that state now than I think is contained in all the NG armories elsewhere in the country. I'd be surprised if they didn't have a battleship buried somewhere out near Midland.

Don't mess with Texas.

Long and interesting interview with Cormac McCarthy:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529703577274572.html

WSJ: When you discussed making "The Road" into a movie with John, did he press you on what had caused the disaster in the story?

CM: A lot of people ask me. I don't have an opinion. At the Santa Fe Institute I'm with scientists of all disciplines, and some of them in geology said it looked like a meteor to them. But it could be anything—volcanic activity or it could be nuclear war. It is not really important. The whole thing now is, what do you do?

WSJ: What kind of reactions have you gotten to "The Road" from fathers?

CM: I have the same letter from about six different people. One from Australia, one from Germany, one from England, but they all said the same thing. They said, "I started reading your book after dinner and I finished it 3:45 the next morning, and I got up and went upstairs and I got my kids up and I just sat there in the bed and held them."