Mar 10, 2012

On The Road- the trailer


"The only people that interest me are the mad ones"

If you follow my tweets, you know I love On The Road; you know it is one of my most anticipated movies of 2012 and that I have been following the development of it for more than 2 years.

It all started after I read the book, by Jack Kerouac, and saw immediately after, that it was going to be adapted for the big screen- I had some doubts, as all readers have, but the cast sounded interesting, so I decided not to have any preconceived judgment (and it was hard in Kristen Stewart's case) and just see what happens.

The road to getting this movie on the big screen is very long and extremely interesting. The short version: Jack Kerouac wanted it to be a movie, and even wrote a letter to Marlon Brando, asking him to be Dean Moriarty. Between that time and the beginning of the 2000s it was passed on by many people, although Francis Ford Coppola held the rights ever since 1968.  A lot of big names were considered for the main parts: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Sean Pean and so no. But the people who got the three main roles were basically nobodies in the middle of the 2000s, when they were cast: Sam Riley, Garrett  Hedlund and Kristen Stewart (yes, she was attached to this movie even before Twilight, or very close to the start of the first movie). That's actually one of the problems that On The Road will face: people don't believe in them; most formed an opinion after seeing one movie or franchise and immediately put them in the bad actor category, something that I personally hate and disencourage others to do.

You should all give them a chance to prove to you they are worthy enough of taking on these iconic characters. Why? Because, first of all, they worked their butts off to prepare for the shooting; it wasn't just reading the script and rehearsing three days before, it was much more than that. Garrett Hedlund promised Walter Salles he would not take any other project until the movie was done, and he kept it for at least 2 or 3 years (sorry, but I don't know for sure), until Salles said he should do Tron or other movies, as the producers weren't sure about the state of the production and when it could start. He read the books, he met with Neal Cassidy's family (the actual person Dean Moriarty was based on) and, together with the rest of the main cast, including Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart and Tom Sturridge, did a Beatnik Boot camp dedicated to that era and the book. You have to understand that most of them were very committed to the project and put a lot of passion in it. [I am sorry if I got any details wrong, but it's 2 am here and I really wanted to write this after the trailer came out; if someone is interested in the topic, I will attach some helpful links about the book, the adaptation and the development process]

The reason I like the book and, consequently, the movie, so much, is because of the story, of the memorable characters, of the vibe and the life and energy it transmits. It's like nothing I have ever read and it is worth picking it up from your local bookstore before seeing the movie.

Now, on to the trailer. First of all, here it is:


My thoughts on it:
- the cinematography is a standout: I think it looks beautiful and I love the colors and the way they shot most of the scenes- visually, it's very appealing!
- Sam Riley's accent is good; not the most American one you have ever heard, but definitely memorable and alluring!
- Garrett Hedlund has the difficult job here- the part of Dean Moriarty is make it or break it! If he pulls it off, it can definitely be an award contender, and from what I have seen it, he might be in the running next year. I might be biased here, he is one of my favorite actors.
- I know 99% of people will roll their eyes when they will see Kristen Stewart, and I know I had these doubts, as well, but it looks good so far; still, the trailer didn't show too much of her character!
- I like the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund, and the dance scene looks pretty hot! P.S. Garrett Hedlund is actually dating Kirsten Dunst, his other wife in this movie!
- Viggo Mortensen looks like another standout in the brief moments we say him, but then again, he is amazing in every film he is in!
- the supporting cast is dynamite: Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Terence Howard, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Stewart, Alice Braga and so on!
- just some quick facts about the movie: Jose Rivera (Motorcycle Diaries) penned the script and Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain) composed the score;
- it will, most probably, premiere in Cannes, as its French opening date is 23 or 24 of May!
- what you didn't see in the trailer, but will certainly be in the movie: SEX, and a lot of it! if you read the book, you know what I mean and from what I've heard, it contains a lot of explicit scenes, but I am hoping it won't be slapped with a N17!

Now, it's your turn! Please let me know in the comments what you think! Is it good or bad? What stands out? What strong and weak points does it have? Will you be seeing it in the cinemas when it comes out?

18 comments:

  1. Loved it Diana. You're so well informed, you're not the average blogger that writes random notes by hearsay. Awesome review.

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  2. Great article. I don't get the hatred for Stewart - I find it to be quite pathethic. She is very gifted actresses who delivered many great performances - The Yellow Handkerchief, The Cake Eaters, Speak, Runaways...people make snap judgement just because she is in Twilight, where she isn't even bad.

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  3. After your post, I tooke the book out from my library. I am going to give it a try. Lets see.

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  4. Emma: Glad you enjoyed Emma, I hope to see you soon around here!
    Sati: I think all the hatred just comes from Twilight, which, although it is rightfully done (she is horrible in those movies), it's still not enough to hate her.
    @SDG: Nice to hear that, let me know when you finish! Also, what did you think of the trailer? Thoughts?

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  5. Yaaay fellow On the Road lover!
    I heard of the film first and then bought the book. But it's so good. I feel like reading it again after watching this trailer.
    I really really hope the film is good.

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  6. Definitely convinced me to give the book a go! Trailer looks beautiful, loving the dialogue, the music, the cinematography and the cast! I'll see if I can get this read before the film arrives! Great post!

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  7. @Nikhat: I hope so, too, I have high hopes for it!
    @Pete: I'm glad I made you get the book, I hope you like it! Thanks for the comment!

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  8. I'm sure that it will be good movie. I love Sam Riley. I won't miss it. I hope they are brave enough to add all the sex&drugs scenes. But.. the book was a hard one to read. I failed reading twice. "We got drugs, we drove, we slept, we got drugs bla bla blaaa" good script for a movie but it's not easy to read...

    now.. of course I'll try again...

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  9. @maledisant: You are right, it does have a lot of sex and drugs, but it's much more than that- it preaches about freedom, about letting go and enjoying life while you can and you are stupid enough to not realise. I also think the age of the reader is important- a 14 or 15 old would find it boring or entertaining, but not understand its real purpose. I agree it's a not a book for everyone's taste, but maybe you should give it another try and this time, don't give up so easily! :)thanks!

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  10. It definitely looks promising and there is nothing quite like a poetic road movie. I hope it will deliver the goods! Fantastic post with loads of interesting information Diana.

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  11. You have definitely sold it to me! Well done matey!

    Happy Monday

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  12. @Castor: Thanks, I am glad you liked my post and nice to see other people excited by this movie, I can't wait for it to come out!
    @Scott: Ha, good to see I am so convincing! Happy Monday to you, too, Scott!

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  13. I'm looking forward to this one as well, and really hope that it premieres at Cannes and gets a big roll out. The trailer moved a little bit fast and blurry for me, which makes some sense given the tone of the story, but I am hoping that they don't go too crazy with the editing such that I end up feeling dizzy after I see it. LOL!

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  14. @NTEMP: I hope it will premiere in Cannes, as well, and get a lot of positive attention. As for the fast edit, I think it's just the trailer- I actually heard the movie is quite long, plus it has many sex scenes and other interesting ones,too!

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  15. The casting of Viggo certainly helped as I'm not sold on Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund yet. I do like movies about writers though.

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  16. @ruth: I know people find it hard to like Stewart or Hedlund, but just give them a chance....they might surprise you (I hope they will:D )

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  17. Kristen Stewart usually makes me not want to go see a film. but, I may just give this one a shot! Thanks for your post here!

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  18. @T: I know what you mean, I usually have the same reaction, but the rest of the cast is great, so I will see it for them!

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