Comments on: Monkey Wrench Gang Movie With Matthew McConaughey as Hayduke

By: Lin

Lin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:50:47 +0000

Joe, you sneaky devil, you. It's been like 2 weeks since you've posted here….I stopped playing the “what would Joe say” game, and now you're back.
For anyone who forgot, at the moment I'm riding a dismal 50/50 average…But Joe's back from vacation now, so hopefully I can redeem myself.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:10:07 +0000

Yea, everyone except mcconaughey and shue are perfect.
I think Dreyfus will do a great job as Sarvis.

Remember, in the book, Hayduke is 25, and Bonnie is 28.
Why are they casting 40-somethings for those roles?!?
Typical Hwood idiocy…

They should get “relative” unknowns for those two roles.
When I read the book, I was picturing John Belushi as Hayduke.
Someone like that would be perfect, but definitely not MM.

Also, I can’t see how they are going to morph NM into Utah… CG? There taint nuthin like The Maze er any o’ them there other chase scenes anywheres cept in Utah. I’m wondering if they were originally going to film in Utah, and the Mo’s gave them the cold shoulder because of the films content, which doesn’t mesh well with the dominant cultures “growth for growths sake” mentality.

By: Cyclearizona

Cyclearizona — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:12:02 +0000

Hoodoo Ya Love asks – “What’s more valuable? Life or property?”

“Oh my desert, yours is the only death I cannot bear.” – by Richard Shelton, as Abbey reminded us.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:57:27 +0000

do you think McConaughey will where a che guevara shirt at the premier?

By: Hoodoo Ya Love

Hoodoo Ya Love — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:52:58 +0000

Everyone is forgetting one big aspect of the MWG’s creedo…rule #1-
Nobody gets hurt. Hayduke sometimes forgets this but is quickly reminded by Doc. Terrorists kill, with no regard for human life. The protagonists are sabateurs (sp), which means property. The other was right about that this should be an indie film.
Hollywood and the corporations condone and keep churning out the violence, but hold such an aversion to state and corporate property damage.
I don’t condone it either, but where do the real values lie?
What’s more valuable? Life or property?
The fact that this book hasn’t been made into a movie in 30 years illustrates the point.
RBH

By: eric

eric — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:46:30 +0000

Just to remind everyone, Abbey was a big fan of movies and hoped that MWG would be made into one during his lifetime. He understood that screenplays diverge from the original text and somewhere, over the set, he is (in Charles Bowdens word…kinda) a turkey buzzard catching a thermal laughing his ass off. Long live Cactus Ed.

By: phil

phil — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:57:32 +0000

I find it a bit disconcerting to see this book translated onto the big screen. Ironically Abbey himself was in talks with a studio a few years before he died in 1989 and of course it was never completed. I agree that casting the likes of McConaughy in the role of Hayduke may arguably be a tad lame though it could still remain in spirit of the character. Ultimately however the entire effort will likely be reduced to another co-opting of the anti-establishment making the characters appear more as comical and less as satirical.
For those who may not know, Abbey was anything but an ‘environmentalist’ but more of an anarchist ( in the Libertarian sense as per Bakunin or Kropotkin). I think he would find our use of the word terrorism today interesting in that it is only one more way the powers that be manipulate our perceptions – a terrorist nowadays is anyone who opposes the government outside the electoral process. That is indeed a very wide definition that would seem to include civil disobedience which becomes any citizen’s last defense against corruption in power. The ability to resist is getting more and more difficult each day but it is done with subtlety. Abbey warned us that it behooves us all to be vigilant in this respect. We as a society have largely forgotten that. I only hope that the movie will get people reading more of Edward Abbey to get them thinking again rather swallowing the media’s pap. Then perhaps we will have an intelligent discussion.

By: Mike Kraft

Mike Kraft — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:34:51 +0000

Hmm. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such mixed feelings upon hearing one of my treasured books was turning into a movie. High hopes for now…if people are experiencing Ed Abbey at the multiplex (like Fast Food Nation or Food Inc., despite their limitations) I can’t see it being a bad thing.

By: Cecil Hayduke

Cecil Hayduke — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:39:28 +0000

fyi, I picked up “Lonely are the Brave” at COSTCO today! Uncle Ed would shit.
And my 7-11 is selling Adbusters. Go figure.

By: dogbane

dogbane — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:05:29 +0000

I’m disappointed in McConaughey as Hayduke, if that’s the case. He would make a fine Seldom Seen Smith, though. Hayduke is short, dark, and hairy, not blonde and buffed. Goodman, I believe, will be playing Bishop Dudley Love, and is well-suited for that role. Nicholson, I suspect, will play Jack Burns. Normally, I would be happy with Goldman’s participation, but did anyone see “Dreamcatchers”?

Cool blog. I found it looking for info on the MWG movie.