Cormac McCarthy

American author Cormac McCarthy is the man of the moment. Tipped in some quarters to win the Nobel prize for literature, McCarthy's talent has not escaped Hollywood either. Last year saw his novel No Country For Old Men work cinematic wonders for the Coens and next year promises more from the Viggo Mortensen fronted 'The Road', McCarthy's 2006 novel about a desolate, ash-strewn, post-apocalyptic America.

I've just finished reading The Road as well as McCarthy's most celebrated novel, Blood Meridian, so thought I'd pen a quick post to this man of the moment and some of the challenges that will arise from bringing his difficult novels to the big screen.

The post was mainly inspired by this:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/cormac_mccarthys_blood_meridian_cant_possibly_become_a_movie"

It's an article, which I agree with, about the difficulties that will be involved in bringing Blood Meridian to your local Odeon. Ridley Scott was linked to the project but, equally rightly, pointed out that the trouble with making Blood Meridian into a film is that it is unbelievably violent. Having just finished it, I can testify that Scott is not lying or exaggerating. Were it to be made, it would almost certainly be the most violent film ever made, at least by any mainstream filmmaker. And yet, IMDB reports, a version of Blood Meridian is in production.

Blood Meridian is a great book, a truly great book, totally unlike anything I've ever read. Violence is endemic to it, like it was to the world it depicts. Based on real events, the novel focuses on a time, at the beginning of the 1850's, when a rebel group of American soldiers, under the command of General Glanton, himself under the sway of the unbelievably abhorrant, amoral and fascinating Judge, head out to procure for themselves as many scalps of native American Indians as they can get, as the trade in them is thriving. If that sounds violent, even that gives no true picture of what actually goes on in this book (take a look at the quotes in the article I've hyperlinked above), it is honestly hard to see this passing any censorship test without losing the tone, the drive, the message, (all of) which make the book so powerful and unforgettable. I would almost dread seeing a cinematic version of Blood Meridian and yet feel compellingly drawn to the idea that I'd like someone with uber-talent to give it a go. We'll have to wait and see. But who would have the talent - and the physical presence - to play the role of the Judge, in Hollywood today, is beyond me. One blogger suggested Vincent D'Onofrio, and he - a hugely talented and underrated actor with great physical presence and menace (just think back to how unforgettable the toilet block scene in Full Metal Jacket is) - would be a great choice and would add another layer of potential interest to the idea of Blood Meridian the film.

McCarthy's is a rare talent. His worlds are always seemingly unbearably bloody and you would be forgiven for thinking that he has a very negative view of the human condition. Until you read The Road. In a way, The Road and Blood Meridian are perfect partners, the one demonstrating the worst, the other the best, of the human condition and they strike an absolute contrast between innocence and sin. I can't wait to see The Road though I remain hugely sceptical that any director will be able to reproduce its vast emotional landscape on screen. I wait to be corrected. As I do about Blood Meridian. Like the novel, a film version would have the potential of being one of the greatest ever made, were it done properly and the added pull of rewriting the Western myth in the Hollywood mainstream is restelessly compelling. Yet I pity the directors of each. For they must not only deliver great films, but must also deliver films fully worthy of the enigmatic, relentless, rare talent of Cormac McCarthy.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

Boy had a heard good things about this. My colleague describes being 'literally on the edge of my seat' and went to see it twice at the cinema. It also won four Oscars. And, let's face it, the Coen's have form. I was gutted to have missed it at the cinema and was anxious to catch in on DVD as soon as possible. So will I be adding it to my collection?

I don't think my colleague is exaggerating when he describes himself in very close proximity to the edge of his seat. The first hour or so of this is almost perfect film-making, it's truly tense, dizzying, gripping stuff and the set plays are wonderfully done. I can certainly feel, too, the reasons for the desire to see it twice and enjoy the roller coaster ride again.

The problem is what happens next, after this first hour or so. Rarely, if ever, have I felt so let down, cheated even, by a film.

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No Country For Old Men

A bit late to the party with this review as it opened a couple of weeks back, but for those that haven't yet seen the Coen brothers' latest, it's well worth the effort. Adapted from the Cormack MacCarthy bestseller, this has been cited as a return to form for the Coens and spoken of with the same regard as Fargo. No Country For Old Men is hot favourite top win the Oscar this year and the Coens have been winning directing awards left right and centre including, most notably, this weekend's Director's Guild of America award, which they were presented with by Martin Scorsese.

If it wins the Oscar (and it seems to be more than a decent bet) it will mark this as the most critically acclaimed Coens film of all time. Forget the comparisons with Fargo - this will stand out there on its own. It'll be the movie that all their others are compared to.

The obvious question is does it deserve such praise? I have to say that it probably does. I have my reservations - and I really really wish I hadn't - but for a good 80% of the running time this is sheer pleasure in celluloid form. My complaints are no doubt the same as many other people's - in fact I know they are because I've heard them. However these criticisms are what turn this A+ film into an A- one - it's not as if they make this an abject failure. It's still a terrific motion and one I'd unhesitatingly recommend.

Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, who spots a strange sight one evening whilst hunting pronghorn - a limping pitbull. The injured animal leaves a trail of blood which he follows to reveal several trucks parked out in the middle of the desert. This impeccably directed scene ends with Moss' discovery of a satchel holding $2 million dollars.

$2 million dollars doesn't often go missing without someone trying to find it and amongst the men trying to track it down is Anton Chigurh, a man best described as a complete psychopath with a dodgy haircut. Chigurh is played brilliantly by Javier Bardem who manages to unsettle simply with a softly spoken, guttural voice. He is the physical embodiment of the movie's themes fate vs free-will. One of the greatest scenes in film this year sees him engage in conversation with a gas station employee, who he asks to call the toss of a coin. It quickly becomes clear that Chigurh is asking the employee to stake his life on the coin-toss. The scene is one of many stunning sequences that literally had me on the edge of my seat. I actually leaned forward in admiration, soaking up every brilliant second of a thriller that was as tense, as exciting and as, well thrilling, as any made in recent years.

For 90 minutes this is an A+ film. Stunning. Magical. Unforgettable. But then things go a little wrong. The last 30 minutes don't exactly ruin the film. It's still an A- effort, however it does take the gloss of a perfect creation and that is more frustrating than seeing a good film screw things up really badly. However it's impossibly to discuss what I believe to be flaws without giving away key plot information. Do not keep reading if you've not seen the film!

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Firstly Josh Brolin dies off camera. His death is a complete anti-climax to a story we've been becoming more and more invested in for the film's duration. It helps that Brolin delivers a stunning performance, but Moss is the perfect foil to the madness of Chigurh. He's the good guy that we can all root for - the average Joe who stumbles across $2 million and who tries desperately to hang onto it in the face of a seemingly unstoppable bad guy. Every single person in the theatre is hanging on to his every move, his every decision and to have him killed is bad enough but to have him killed in such an anti-climatic way is much worse. We then have 30 minutes of the Coens driving home the reasons for this, but the film feels like it should end with Moss' death and spiritually I think it does. The Coens, in the way they present Moss' demise and in the 30 minutes that follow, are exploring the themes of free-will and fate. In his death they are essentially showing us how things don't turn out how we want them to. Yet sometimes sermonising is far less enjoyable that a good old fashioned denouement with good guy going up against bad guy and the good guy prevailing against all the odds. Well of course it doesn't have to turn out exactly like that, the good guy can even die, but at least let us see it!

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By all accounts Joel and Etan Coen have been faithful to the source so I guess the fault lies with MacCarthy, but it is not the most satisfying way to end a film that was chew your nails off brilliant. I'd still say it is there best since Fargo. I suspect when I see it again I'll enjoy it even more. I may even see it again whilst it's still in theatres. I'd advise you strongly to do the same.

A-

January Preview

With my main 2008 preview to come, here's a little preview of some potential highlights (and lowlights?) in January...

First up, I've gone for the new one from the Coen Brothers' 'No Country For Old Men', featuring a rumoured-to-be-stunning performance from a Matt all-time top 25 performer, Javier Bardem. Also starring Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, the story focuses on Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) who finds a stash of money and heroin and the bloody events that follow. Bardem seems to have been given huge creative licence and, possibly, the role of a lifetime in the form of a sadistic killer who flips coins for human lives. This could be stunning. Released Friday 18/01/07

Next up comes the Tom Hanks vehicle, Charlie Wilson's War. Hanks plays the titular character who helps to arm Afghan rebels against the Russians, at the heart of the cold-war era, with obvious and deep consequences. This sounds weighty and I'm sure it will be, although I hear that early reviews (unlike No Country For Old Men) have not been favourable, despite it once being an early frontrunner in the Oscar race. Still, an all-star cast of Hanks, the returning Julia Roberts, Amy Adams and the always excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman promises much, not least in dollars, as my colleague's excellent post a month or so back highlighted. Should be worth a watch at least. Released this Friday (11/01/08).

A lowlight for me, but surely a highlight for others, is Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. I was distinctly unimpressed with the initial trailer and now that I've found out it's a musical, am less impressed still. However, Burton, and his long-time collaborator, the ludicrously handsome Johnny Depp, have massive followings and this is sure to have a wide appeal, even if it is not one I'll be queuing up for. Or even dusting off the Blockbuster shelves in three years for that matter. Still, for those who are going to check it out, expect a colourful interpretation, a solid performance from Depp and plenty of (not Al) gore. I hope you enjoy! Also starring the excellent, and always always watchable, Alan Rickman. And Ali G and Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen. Released 25/01/08.

On MyFilmVault we always like the personal touch, none of this withdrawn ivory-tower film journalism nonsense on here, so here are two films I'll certainly be checking out in January after belated arrivals to a screen near me in Leicester. The first is Ang Lee's new espionage thriller Lust, Caution, starring one of my favorite actors of all time, Tony Leung. I cannot wait. I can wait even less for a film that I've been salivating over for at least a year, the impressive-looking The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It seems I'm destined not to see this film, so the projector will probably break or the cinema burn down or my bike will get a flat on the way, or something, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope I finally make it! Will post reviews if I do manage to see them both.

And finally...January sees the reissue of a Hitchcock classic and a film Adam and I both adore, The Lady Vanishes (1938), starring Margaret Lockwood, May Whitty and Michael Redgrave. Despite its age, this remains a true edge-of-your-seat thriller about a woman who mysteriously disappears on a train journey, that stands comparison with anything the directors of today can offer. In fact, it surpasses them. Who touches the master after all? If you've not seen it, you've got to check this out, I can promise you that you won't regret it! In fact, even if you have seen it, what an excuse to catch it again with Hitchcock on the big screen!

And that takes us up to 01/02/2008 and the release of my first 'can't wait to see' film of 2008 - Cloverfield, the stunning trailer for which I've pasted below...



HAPPY NEW YEAR MYFILMVAULT READERS!!! Let's hope 2008 is a great year for moviegoing!