Cloud Atlas (Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis, 2012)

[domino harvey]

Six minute trailer

[tachyonEvan]

Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite books in recent memory, and I'm simultaneously excited for and terrified about this movie. This is obviously a very difficult film to pull off considering its immense scope, and I can't help but worry I'll be let down by this film in some way or another, especially at only 164 minutes.

The trailer looks really really intriguing, though. Not what I expected Somni-451's world to look like, for sure, and the re-casting of the actors in multiple roles should be an interesting touch.

[colinr0380]

Given this is a Tom Tykwer film, expect one or both or all, or various iterations of the lead characters to get spectacularly run down by a car or involved in some other kind of vehicular accident at some point! EDIT: Ah, I see there are a few car crashes in the trailer!

I don't know much about Cloud Atlas but it sounds as if it could be in the same kind of 'metaphysical romance' vein as Tykwer's The Princess & The Warrior (albeit with Wachowski composed and stylised action scenes!), a film which also includes a strange moment at the end of a character splitting into two versions of themselves!

[Jeff]

No idea what to make of that. I haven't read the book, but the film certainly looks ambitious. There is brief introduction with Tykwer and the Wachowskis at the trailer's official site at Apple.

[Professor Wagstaff]

What's the consensus on Tom Hanks these days? His films still make money, but I can't say I've responded to anything he's done in the last ten years (except maybe Toy Story 3). His last few projects have made me highly suspect of his ability to pick scripts anymore.

[colinr0380]

During the moment in the trailer where the voiceover talked of individuals meeting at different points throughout their lives I began thinking about how a romance between a Monster's Ball-era Halle Berry and a Cast Away era Tom Hanks would play out!

Michael Kerpan might be interested in the film given that Doona Bae was in one of his favourite films, Linda Linda Linda! (In a bizarre moment of synchronicity I also watched Take Care Of My Cat last night, in which she plays a lead role. Everything is connected indeed!)

[warren oates]

Two words: Hanks hair. Man this seems like it really could have been an interesting film. But what it needs is an adaptation with a little less of the largeness and cartoonishness of a typical Hollywood film. I do like how, for the first few minutes of the trailer, you're asking yourself "Wait, what do the Wachowskis have to do with this?" until the trailer itself begins to answer your question as if on cue. Still, off the top of my head here's a list of writer-directors who might have spun the material differently and probably better: Shane Carruth, Neil Blomkamp, Mark Romanek, Ridley Scott etc., etc. As it stands, it seems to want to be an uplifting network narrative type everything-is-connected (trailer literally spells this out) New Age weepie about love and reincarnation hybridized with a VR fantasy film for fanboys.

[colinr0380]

It will have to be quite something to surpass The Fountain in the 'New Age weepies about love' stakes, I'll grant you that!

[George Kaplan]

Still, off the top of my head here's a list of writer-directors who might have spun the material differently and probably better: Shane Carruth, ...

Yes! Why is he still MIA?

[warren oates]

Still, off the top of my head here's a list of writer-directors who might have spun the material differently and probably better: Shane Carruth, ...

Yes! Why is he still MIA?

Last I heard, he did some consulting work on Looper and he's making an Indie film now and has plans to film a much bigger project, the impressive Spielbergian (what Super 8 dreamed it was) opus A Topiary. As far as I'm concerned Primer's a work of genius, a great sci-fi film and just about the best no-budget thriller I've ever seen. I mentioned Carruth here because one of the development hell things he'd been rumored to be writing after the initial success of his first feature was a love story/period piece about scientists in an earlier era.

[domino harvey]

Character guide from the Playlist

[Michael Kerpan]

BAE Doo-na connection noted -- I've been following this ever since she was announced as playing a role in this. ;~}

Pronunciation guide -- BAE is pronounced something like "PAY" (but the vowel diphthong has a bit of "eeh" mixed in). Doo-na -- accent on second syllable.

[MichaelB]

Last I heard, he did some consulting work on Looper and he's making an Indie film now and has plans to film a much bigger project, the impressive Spielbergian (what Super 8 dreamed it was) opus A Topiary. As far as I'm concerned Primer's a work of genius, a great sci-fi film and just about the best no-budget thriller I've ever seen. I mentioned Carruth here because one of the development hell things he'd been rumored to be writing after the initial success of his first feature was a love story/period piece about scientists in an earlier era.

I had to write a coherent 250-word plot synopsis for Primer once.

Put it like this: I'm glad I was working from a DVD rather than a one-off screening!

[AlexHansen]

plans to film a much bigger project, the impressive Spielbergian (what Super 8 dreamed it was) opus A Topiary.

Mike D'Angelo mentioned on Twitter a while back that A Topiary might never happen.

[Cde.]

I am very glad that the Wachowskis and Tykwer have directed this film rather than Blomkamp or Romanek or (ugh) Ridley Scott.

[jbeall]

Larry Wachowski has transitioned to Lana Wachowski. Not really relevant to the film, but I didn't know where else to put it.

[flyonthewall2983]

This is kind of old news, but I guess WB doesn't mind letting it out now. Don't get why they prefer calling themselves the Wachowski siblings, as opposed to just using the plural version but there you go.

[Alan Smithee]

I am very glad that the Wachowskis and Tykwer have directed this film rather than Blomkamp or Romanek or (ugh) Ridley Scott.

I am as well. I like the Wachowskis (aside from The Matrix sequels of course). They consistently bring subversive, counter culture material to 100 million dollar movies. Who else would turn an enormous live action Speed Racer into an anti-consumerist, anti-capitalist parable for kids. Cloud Atlas seems like a big enough canvas to show us what they can do on an epic scale in a single movie. I think The Matrix sequels would've been improved if they'd figured out a way to collapse their ideas into a single sequel and maybe brought on another writer to help with dialogue and whatnot. Say what you will about Lucas but he was smart enough to bring in a pro to write Empire.

[Roger Ryan]

...Say what you will about Lucas but he was smart enough to bring in a pro to write Empire.

Unfortunately, twenty years later his lack of delegation and collaboration hurt big time!

Going back and watching the MATRIX films again recently, I realized that after a dire opening 35 minutes, THE MATRIX RELOADED gains its footing and almost equals the first film in its collision of philosophy and action. No such luck with REVOLUTIONS.

I fear the tone of CLOUD ATLAS will turn me off more than anything else and I hoping that the EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE vibe I'm getting from the trailer is diminished in the actual feature.

[flyonthewall2983]

New trailer.

[Zobalob]

Any ideas as to why there should be a four month difference in release dates between USA and UK (Oct 2012 USA and Feb 2013 UK)?. Seems a little odd.

[flyonthewall2983]

Now they want to call themselves Wachowski Starship.

[knives]

I'm pretty sure that's a joke on their part.

[knives]

I couldn't think of a better pace to put this, but here's Lana Wachowski talking about her transition and other things. You have to put up with a few minutes of BS before it gets to her. The site is a bit sensationalist about it, but her actual speech is really great.

[flyonthewall2983]

Apart from the hair, I find it pretty easy saying she's an attractive woman.