Road To Nowhere (Monte Hellman, 2010)

[cocaine socialist]

This film has been under the radar, due to its small budget and low profile cast, along with the fact that Monte Hellman hasn't made a film in 20 years (that honor going to the straight to video Silent Night, Deadly Night 3). But I have a feeling that it will do great at Venice. Monte Hellman still commands great respect from masterpieces such as Two-Lane Blacktop and Cockfighter, plus Quentin Tarantino who heads this year's jury has him to thank for helping produce Reservoir Dogs.

Stills and a Press Kit

An article on the film

[Mr. Ned]

I am incredibly excited about this, and it's my most looked forward to premiere at Venice besides the low probability of Malick showing up. I began conducting a thesis last summer that involved Hellman's filmography about Jonathon Rosenbaum coined phrase "acid western" and, while the paper is still in its working stages, Road to Nowhere looks to be a perfect fit in the conclusion I created on the death of the Hollywood Western and what its residue trickled into (the road movie, among other things). The Shooting, Ride in the Whirlwind, and Two-Lane Blacktop were all pertinent to my analysis, as well as Cockfighter China 9, Liberty 37 and Iguana. If this movie goes where I expect to, it will be an academic dream come true and I may actually be convinced my analytical abilities are in synaptic connection with the cinematic gods.

[cocaine socialist]

First review.

[menthymenthy]

And we have a trailer

and I'll be seeing it next week at Brisbane Int. Film Festival and am somewhat excited (it's the only reason I'm flying up, so...)

[Person]

I love Monte Hellman's films and the man himself seems intelligent and cool so I hope that this film finds an audience. What is the song in the trailer, btw? Great lyrics.

[Cosmic Bus]

What is the song in the trailer, btw? Great lyrics.

Tom Russell, "Roll the Credits"

[Yojimbo]

I love his work with Warren Oates and his two 60s Westerns with Jack Nicholson and I'll definitely check this one out, but with some trepidation.

[cocaine socialist]

Looks like it has some distribution for this Spring.

[Roger Ryan]

I'm very pleased that I may now have a chance to see this film soon. Over the past couple of years I've made a concerted effort to see as much of Hellman's work as possible. The constant that runs through all of it is that, regardless of genre (and many of his films are straight genre), I have yet to be able to successfully predict how any of the films will end. The budgets may be impoverished and some of the performances may be wooden, but Hellman consistently avoids formula which makes for some very entertaining viewing.

I love some of these character names in ROAD TO NOWHERE: How about "Mitchell Haven" being the name of the director and "Rafe Taschen" as an antagonist?!

[Nothing]

I'm somewhat lery of this, looking at the trailer, and having found Hellman's post-Cockfighter work to be somewhat lacking, but nevertheless welcome this opportunity to see it.

[Hans M.]

I'm somewhat leery of this, looking at the trailer, and having found Hellman's post-Cockfighter work to be somewhat lacking, but nevertheless welcome this opportunity to see it.

There is no way the trailer does any justice to the mind game that is Road to Nowhere. I've seen it, and it brings to mind Inception if it were more subtle. It's actually a movie tangled within a movie about making a movie and watching all three at once. It is about to make its Miami Beach premiere in my area at a small art house. They will host a screening of Two-Lane Blacktop this Thursday ahead of it. Hellman will do a Q&A via Skype afterwards too. I did an interview with him in advance of the screening that connects Two-Lane a bit with Road to Nowhere.

[bdsweeney]

Second half of this podcast, The Film Talk, has a discussion with Road To Nowhere's screenwriter, Steven Gaydos.

Can be found at: The Film Talk: Episode 176.

The first half is a discussion of The Tree of Life.

After listening to this, I'm very keen to see the film ... but can't imagine that an Australian release is due any time soon.

[mfunk9786]

Two thumbs up from Ebert Presents At the Movies