Trailer for Peter Jackson's 'Lovely Bones' Looks Lovely Indeed
Filed under: Drama, Awards, Mystery & Suspense, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Oscar Watch, Trailers and Clips
Okay, so I might've just knocked Sandra Bullock for going after the Oscar gold, but here's The Lovely Bones, with a story I can get behind (Alice Sebold's best-selling tale of a young girl murdered and the aftermath she observes from the afterlife), a filmmaker I can get behind (Peter Jackson, scaling things back post-Lord of the Rings), an ensemble* I can get behind (Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and the critically-cast Saoirse Ronan), and now a trailer I can get behind.Reading the novel earlier this year, I was struck by the simplest moments that captures almost too precisely how grief can change loved ones most unexpectedly, and while it seems that Jackson has certainly created a visually luscious realm for Ronan's character to inhabit and has retained the thrust of a somewhat supernatural murder mystery, part of what won me over was how Sebold's mystery took years to unfold, as the whole family comes to terms with the closure (or lack thereof) in their own personal ways.
If Jackson and company can balance the sprawling drama with the inherent whodunit (whydunit?) come December 11th, then The Lovely Bones could be lingering above all of the other contenders this coming awards season.
*I must confess a certain gratitude that Wahlberg replaced Ryan Gosling here. It's enough of an age difference to matter, let alone general temperament.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-05-2009 @ 12:30PM
Jerald Brewer said...
This trailer rocks! It is right up there with THE HURT LOCKER's. The novel was excellent & this peek looks like it captures the emotions & the look beautifully --absolutely stunning effects. Of course, do we expect any less from Peter Jackson? The casting looks perfect too.
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8-05-2009 @ 1:59PM
DLS said...
I just got finished reading the book and it was great. What I really liked about the book is that it was a coming of age story that came out of unbelievable tragedy. While it did have a murder mystery vibe to it that was not the focus of the story. While it trailer looks great I hope that the movie does not lose perspective. The trailer seems to focus more on the murder aspect of the book but then again it is just the first trailer so I'm sure it will be flushed out a little bit more with time.
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8-05-2009 @ 3:11PM
Robin said...
I think Mark Wahlberg was the worst possible choice for Susie's dad. I'd rather almost anyone play that role. Someone at least a little more father-like or that can act.
Otherwise the trailer looks great.
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8-05-2009 @ 3:11PM
MarkH said...
Haven't read the book; not going to. That said, the first half of the trailer was very nice, with some beautiful imagery, but the second half made it look like any random generic thriller. Was the book like that?
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8-05-2009 @ 10:48PM
TheCritic28 said...
I got to say, when I read Bones 3 years ago, I imagined Marky Mark as the father. I had no idea why, but I did.
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8-06-2009 @ 8:09AM
Paolo said...
I'm still freaked out that Mark Walhberg is old enough to play dads in movies. That makes ME feel old. I don't even wanna be around to see Joe Levitt or Kodi Smit McPhee play paternal roles. Fuck.
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8-06-2009 @ 1:33PM
M said...
Excellent trailer. As people say, can't really judge a film by it's trailer but I am really interested in what has been shown so far.
December is so far away.
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8-13-2009 @ 12:55PM
Andoni said...
I'm definitely interested in seeing where this goes. The first half looked amazing, and the second half looked extremely enticing, but I would agree that it turns into more of a generic thriller feel. Still, it looks like a good generic thriller, and I'm sure Jackson can deliver something special with it.
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