Tree of Life

[munkybitch]

Watched Days of Heaven the other day. I love the way his films have a very dreamlike quality to them in the fact that I have seen the New World about 20 times but it has always been on in the background and I've just dipped into every so often from reading a book or faffing on the internet. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bit anal when it come to watching films and have to watch them in silence with no disturbances but somehow I can tolerate these. A thin red line and also The Fountain are other such put on the background on a Sunday afternoon films whilst drinking tea and reading the papers.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to this as I know a couple of people are as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRa4OBpChZo

[munkybitch]

I'll just get me coat then

[copylight]

woah, hold them horses for a 2penneth -

Days of Heaven is overrated, whereas The Thin Red Line is rather underrated. So there.

Really want to see this, judging by the trailer it hints at something really quite profound _{however why has Brad Pitt not aged, considering he's pushing 50 yet appears positively 20something in every film he's done in the past 15 years...}

[Incandenza]

Everything Malick touches is gold dust, imo. Yes, I'm one of them.
Days of Heaven overrated? I'll see you outside for fisticuffs. It's a brilliantly singular film, one that stays with you forever. A near-flawless piece of work.

I'm absolutely beside myself about Tree of Life, already from the trailer you can see the attention to detail is precise, and the shots of space are intriguing. The only thing I'm not massively sure about is Sean Penn. He's never done much for me. Apart from maybe 21 grams. And he always comes across as a bit of a pompous burke.

[Emma Raducanu]

His turn as Harvey milk will stay with me forever!

[Incandenza]

Actually, fair play. Forgot that. Good performance. Slightly marred by all the massively self-congratulatory interviews he  did at the time.

[SavageHedgehog]

The only thing I'm not massively sure about is Sean Penn. He's never done much for me. Apart from maybe 21 grams. And he always comes across as a bit of a pompous burke.

I feel that way about Brad Pitt here, although there's quite a few performances of his I actually like this looks like one more ernest stoneyfaced Benjamin Button-style performances that I don't care for

[Sam]

*spings from the woodwork*

Fear not, thread starter. A while ago I was the resident Malick fellater. Amongst a seemingly unending pile of self-indulgent and dull posts when I used to post regularly here, one in three were probably crazed rantings about the genius of Malick and the reverence I hold for his films.

I am about as excited at this as one can possibily be. The trailer looks amazing, and I don't doubt Malick & Lubezki have turned the visuals up to 11. I have been purposefully ignoring the imdb page and any news of trailers. Having seen this I'll probably lie low until the release and then watch it every day in the cinema until I have drank my fill.

[wasp_f15ting]

Cheers to Ja'Moke for pointing me to this!

I had a bit of a revelation watching the re-mastered version of The Thin Red Line. http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=26529.0

With regards to this trailer. I have looked at it a few times to get what it is going to be about. Grace and Nature seems like it will go back to this struggle / conflict in nature that was being teased at in the Thin Red Line. Maybe its a spiritual sequel to the last shot of the thin red line with that coconut leafing. Maybe I am reading to much into it..

On the wiki page it states that there are rumours of this being on Imax. If this is the case maybe Malick is trying to make a spectacle of a film for the modern age. All of his films are visually engrossing, but I suspect this one is going to push the boundaries. It is amazing that Brad Pitt and Sean Penn have come close to a film with a budget this Small, but from watching the documentary on The Thin Red Line, Malick relies on the good will of some of the big stars to act for less money so he can focus more on production. The release of this has already gathered a bit of mystery changing hands from on distributor to another. It is good that fox have it as I am sure it will get a wider audience. I can't believe it is on searchlight though.. I guess Hollywood just don't want to take any risks, even on heavy weights like Malick.

[Sam]

(note picture of dinosaur in second box down from 'life')

Hollywood's Poet Returns:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8437450/Terrence-Malick-Hollywoods-poet-returns.html

Interesting article, cobbled together from the usual sources, complete with factual errors. However, a good indication of the hype for this, and the style of critic approval it will receive.

I haven't been able to resist scouring the internet for updates every day on this film.

It's all very odd though, because the film is at Cannes May 16th (in competition) and despite a complicated legal hoo-ha looks like it will be released before that in the UK, on May 4th.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/what_in_the_name_of_jessica_chastain_is_going_on_with_the_tree_of_life_and_/

The weird thing is that there has been no further trailers, not one showing of the trailer in a UK cinema, no TV spots, basically nothing except a slow release of stills and a wanky teaser site set up by Fox Searchlight.

http://www.twowaysthroughlife.com/

There had been talk of them marketing this as a big "event" movie but the reality is that it will tank at the box office (UK at least) but of course be another masterpiece that film nerds embrace into the canon. Personally I don't care whether only 3 people see it or whether its a runaway success, as long as I get to see it in the cinema. There are some strange Malick fans who are opposite ends of a spectrum where they either want to hug the film to their chest and not let anyone outside the secret club in on it, or are massively annoyed that it's not going to be "2001" for the "2010s".

Probably the best place to check for the latest news is the imdb message board:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/board/?licb=0.9539298977138737

Also worth checking out is the regularly updated Malick-watch blog:

http://terrencemalicksdream.blogspot.com/

[munkybitch]

I really can't wait for this!!! Have been working my way through his old back catalogue these past few months from the dreamy Days of Heaven to finally watching The Thin Red Line all the way through in the right mood and with no distractions.
Film for me is very much intertwind with what mood I'm in and if i'm ever in the mood from something subjective and philosophical to keep me thinking about my view of the world then Terrance is up there for me.

[Johnny Townmouse]

Seeing The Thin Red Line in the cinema was a revelation to me. As close as American film has ever got to Tarkovsky, and The Tree of Life seems to be going eve more in that direction. I'm not too pleased with the casting. For me Pitt ruined the already rather flawed Babel, and Penn did much the same in 21 Grams. For me they share the same problem of earnestness and pretentiousness when they get involved in these sorts of projects. However, it's hard to imagine Malick getting any funding for his films if it wasn't for the incredible good-will shown to him by Hollywood Royalty. I think its fair to say that Pitt and Penn would do a Malick film for free.

The spiritual aspects are getting compared to The Fountain, but to me, it seems much more similar to late-period Tarkovsky. The Sacrifice most specifically.

[Funcrusher]

I am also looking forward to seeing this. Don't think that anyone's mentioned here that, rather surprisngly, there's another film, the catchily monikered 'Untitled Terrence Malick Project', already in post-production; I read a post on a film forum from someone who had seen filming taking place in his home town. Maybe TM is planning to do a Kevin Shields in the editing suite in order to restore his normal pattern of releases.

[Johnny Townmouse]

The untitled project is in post. Christian Bale left the project to do awful shit film because he is a dopey cunt which delayed it somewhat, and Affleck stepped in. Looks equally marvellous.

[wasp_f15ting]

I think this film might just do well, everyone who I seem to be in touch with was enthralled Prof Cox and the wonders of the universe series, I saw brief clip on the website showing the formation of a galaxy with this music in the background;
http://youtu.be/1MOkUwbAdEU

I hope people go and actually watch this in the cinemas for the spectacle it will be.. I just have a bad feeling that the lack of any marketing and the lack of any reviews might harm its changes in one month and 5 days when it hits the theaters. Malick seems to have been ahead of the curve in getting people into space and biology. That clip again on the fox site of cells molding together suggest a macro / microscopic view of the world via nature..

Roll on May!

[Ja'moke]

Apparently this film was meant to be released in the UK today, but distributers got up in arms, and now it has no UK release date!

[Sam]

Yes, this was mentioned earlier in my link-filled post.

On the plus side, here is an actual proper minute-long clip from the film, the first of its kind (up to now it's been 3 second teasers and the trailer).

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/05/04/tree-life-brad-pitt-clip/#more-36380

[nerd]Beautiful steadicam action![/nerd]

It's been known for a while that the May release date was not going to happen in the UK, but still no news when we will see it here. I am hoping some time before the summer.

[Incandenza]

This clip is already better than every film that's been out this year. HATERS GONNA HATE.
Honestly, can't tell you how excited I am about this.

[Ja'moke]

Comes out in the US on May 27th, I go to New York on June 6th so I should be able to get and see this! :)

[wasp_f15ting]

Yes, this was mentioned earlier in my link-filled post.

On the plus side, here is an actual proper minute-long clip from the film, the first of its kind (up to now it's been 3 second teasers and the trailer).

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/05/04/tree-life-brad-pitt-clip/#more-36380

[nerd]Beautiful steadicam action![/nerd]

It's been known for a while that the May release date was not going to happen in the UK, but still no news when we will see it here. I am hoping some time before the summer.

AGGGH!!

I can't believe the only country in the EU that hasn't got a release date is the UK. Fucking pisstaking cunts.

[Funcrusher]

First reviews from Cannes seem to be mixed. Bradshaw in The Grauniad describes it as 'mad and magnificent', Time Out isn't that keen at all. I'd have preferred it the other way round as I find Bradshaw a total waste of space whereas TO is more reliable.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Pretty typical for Malick reviews, I think. I can understand why a lot of people hate his films, three hours of random nature shots, deep voice-overs and extraneous dialogue can be a bit much for some. Personally I love his movies though, pretty sure I'll like Tree of Life.

[Funcrusher]

Derek Malcolm in The Standard was more positive. The pro reviews seem to be saying it's a bit uneven/ a mixed bag, but still interesting and unusual. Anyone know when it's due out here?

[wasp_f15ting]

Ahh it this rate I might just get the eurostar to bloody Paris to watch it.. UK launch date is still not confirmed .. cunts.

As for the Cannes reaction these are the same wankers that walked out of Inglorious Basterds.. so fuck them and their stupid cunt faces.

[wasp_f15ting]

Why are so many of the reviewers calling it pretentious? Its a film about the nature of life and going into the film people who watch it should know what Malick has tried to do in his previous work. Wankers..

[Funcrusher]

I think it's safe to assume that Cannes reviewers will be familiar with his earlier films. They just didn't like the new one all that much.

[Sam]

Not so sure. Who knows what manner of hack jostles their way into the premiere, just because of the buzz or to catch a glimpse of Brangelina. Also the booing thing is neither here nor there. They boo things at Cannes as a sport, it is a completely different kind of booing to anywhere else.

It's like the Stewart Lee thing - "it's not for you". Some people want to watch half an hour of a man laboriously exploring notions of comedy in a subtle and intelligent way. Some people want to watch 150 minutes of meditative cinematography and ellliptical editing about life's majesty. The people who don't care for such things can't really be trusted to evaluate them. I would watch out for critics who either a) know Malick's work b) are just good critics in general. Roger Ebert and Pete Bradshaw have given it 5 star reviews, so that's promising.

Also there's been another clip released and if the whole thing is like this, I'll be happy.

WARNING: SHOTS OF BIRDS FLYING OVERHEAD!

http://thefilmstage.com/2011/05/18/new-clip-perfectly-portrays-the-tree-of-life-find-out-when-you-can-see-the-film/

[padougy]

I didn't realise this was still unreleased in the UK - living in France definitely has its benefits sometimes.

I'll write a review in a bit.

[Funcrusher]

Tree of Life just won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Don't think Malick himself is there to collect it, mysterious fellow that he is.

[vrailaine]

I shall go to this in the cinema, it's the only way I can give Malick a fair chance, really.