Viggo Mortensen wowed ticket-holders at the Landmark Theatre with his charismatic presence, Los Angeles Times staff dropped the ball, and - "The Road" - fizzled out on screen (a dud).
And, as the night wore on, the comedy of errors (if you can imagine it) turned from bad to worse!
For example, the highly-anticipated screening of the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's best-selling book - "The Road" (starring popular Viggo Mortensen and talented Charleze Theron) - ended up falling flat due to a poorly-conceived script that didn't translate well to the celluloid medium.
In fact, the road less travelled, should not have been taken.
When both the director and producer noted that their first undertaking prior to filming was to locate a "shopping cart" in keeping with the film's underlying theme of the "homeless", it was obvious from the get-go that their priorties were out-of-whack
Likewise, the decision to treat the earth as a chacter in the film, was an ambitious idea that simply didn't gell.
"The Road", in the final analysis, was one big yawn!
A two-hour downer about a man and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wandering aimlessly about barren terrain in the wake of an apocalyptic disaster does not an entertaining (or thought-provoking) film make.
Not in this instant case, even if a touch of the macabre (cannabilism) is tossed in for sensational effect, and to rustle up ticket sales.
Notwithstanding, it should be noted that when horrific images of bloody body parts spewed across the wide screen in one gorey segment, a couple of movie fans in my aisle quickly jumped up from their comfy seats and stormed out of the theatre in disgust.
Although Viggo struggled valiantly to overcome the inherent challenges of such an ambitious project, he was unable to nab it.
In fact, the Viggo portrayal was just a shallow facet of a dozen-or-so other characters he has tackled on screen with great vigor and enthusiasm over the past decade or so.
In a surprise cameo, Robert Duvall appeared as a crusty old-timer and managed to light up the screen for a second or two, in a role also reminiscent of past characterizations.
Speaking of money, the producer's humorous recollections about their budget woes - and how they were unltimately resolved - were a hoot.
For example, because of financial constraints, the production company was forced to seek out states where locales would not only be suitable for the distinctive exterior shots in the apolcalyptic vein, but trigger rubber-stamped tax rebates by anxious local officials.
"We tried to remain true to the author's voice," the director blurted out at one point to the rapt audience.
"The terrain was like a gaping wound," Viggo noted in an almost inaudible whisper when the discussion turned to motivaion.
"It was bleeding all around," he recalled as an afterthought.
To catch the feel of it, the production company shot on location in the Mt. St. Helen's region, Louisiana ( in the still-ailing Katrina-torn countryside) and Pennsylvania (where abandoned freeways and silent steel mills evoked a desperate desolate mood).
By the way, the actor who played Viggo's young son in the "Road" turned in a stellar performance.
Casting that role was not a simple task, however.
The director conducted extensive auditions around the country before he discovered the lad who hails from Australia.
Unfortunately, the night's festivities were aggravated by the fact that the staff on duty at the Landmark Theatre in West Los Angeles weren't on the ball.
Consequently, a couple of ugly moments surfaced, which resulted in a few bruised feelings.
For instance, theatre-goers who waited patiently in the wings on the second floor to check in at 6 p.m. (in keeping with a procedure established by theatre staff at screenings earlier in the week) were informed last-minute that they needed to queue up in a line that had already formed downstairs.
Because of the incompetence - and lack of professionalism on the part of the employees - ticket-holders who should have been at the front of the line found themselves at the end of it instead (and scrounging around for seats just before the lights went down).
Worse than that, Guild members who were there to view the movie so they could vote on it in the upcoming Awards competition, were left in a tizzy alongside folks who showed up last-minute to crash the party (which didn't sit too well with A-list crowd).
Because the film was specifically being screened to court their votes, Guild members should have been given priority seating in advance without hesitation.
But, staff from the Los Angeles Times and the Landmark Theatre screwed up!
Also, one member of management (working for either the Los Angeles Times or the Landmark Theatre) exercised very bad judgment when they instructed the projectionist to start screening the film in spite of the fact about twenty-five guests had not been seated yet!
During the cruciail start-up scenes of the movie, these disgruntled guests were forced to stumble around in the dark in search of their "assigned" seats without any ushers (or light) to assist them.
Consequently, they unwittingly annoyed seated guests who were trying to catch snippets of a voice-over narrative which was facilitated to introduce the plotline of "The Road" to the audience.
Yikes
That dude should have been strung up by the ba**s (or by the ti**ies if it was a woman who was responsible for the slip-up).
Don't 'ya think?
And, moi?
I'm considering viewing DVD screeners at home in the future to avoid being herded around like a head of cattle!
Viggo in "Eastern Promises"
(hated it!)
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