David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is a novel widely considered unadaptable and for excellent reason. The structure is six nested stories traveling across centuries. It’d require a huge cast and burning dump trucks of production money.
Hey, that sounds like something the Wachowskis like to do!
The film is being co-directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, who first caught mainstream attention for Run Lola Run and hasn’t done much of note since. It’s also notable in that they’ve spent $140 million on this thing, it’s nearly three hours long, and either it will be a truly amazing film or it will be an epic train wreck.
I bring this up because the movie this reminds me the most of is the sadly underrated and beautiful The Fountain, which also told a series of nested stories. This seems to be what that movie was originally intended to be.
I don’t know… four period romances, a future dystopia, and a post-apocalyptic one? In one movie? From two directors? Cloud Atlas will either be amazing or a disaster. I guess we’ll know in October.
Oh, wait, it’s got Keith David. Never mind, it will be mind-blowing. Everything’s better with Keith David.
image courtesy Focus Features
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Being a fan of The Fountain and having seen this trailer I can see the similiarties with the story line and plot. Needless to say however, I’m very much eager to see this film, definitely looks like a potentially great film, I just hope the Wachowski brothers can execute it well and deliver what appears to have great promise in being a breath taking film. We’ll see soon enough though.
Me, I’m concerned about Tykwer. The guy tends to move at a slow, slow pace.
TIL they no longer go by “The Wachowski brothers” because Larry now goes by Lana. They are simply “The Wachowskis”.
[en.wikipedia.org]
They have balls that’s for sure. Not sure of this film just based on the trailer, seems a bit heavy-handed with the heart shape the two make while being shot at while standing on that hand ladder. Props to them for trying at least.
When you say they have balls, are you referring to the Wachowski Bros.? Because…
The Fountain was absolutely horrible. I’d rather wade through a pool of dogshit just to eat a human turd than watch that piece of crap again.
In other news, I just watched the trailer for that movie and it looks indecipherable and awful. I suppose if I had read the book perhaps it would be more clear but that sounds like a problem if this is supposed to cater to the masses.
Every couple of years I watch a movie that I enjoy but can’t quite explain fully to other people. Sometimes it takes a few viewings to even explain why I like it. This is definitely the latest candidate for that position.
Here’s hoping this film can pull it off. It’s definitely got some serious potential …
It definitely does. I’m there opening day because either way it’ll probably be entertaining.
Red Bull has already got dibs on that M83 song.
Three directors, actually, unless we’re counting the Wachowskis as one?
I had to spool that back 3 times just so I could hear Hugo Weaving chew his way through “There is a natural order to this world and those who try to upend it do not fare well.”