KK 3,307 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I've watched The Tree of Life twice.While I adore it visually, it still couldn't affect me emotionally.It also felt like having a loose construction. Like bits here and there sticked together...Indeed. Although I think I can appreciate the effort more, but its not executed all that well and ultimately comes out as a bit of a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The family scenes are great little vignettes, and as always with Mallick the kids give first rate performances. I wish it focused more on that and less on the Disney dinosaurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 These conversations pretty much ensure I never watch it. Life's too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,829 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The family scenes are great little vignettes, and as always with Mallick the kids give first rate performances. I wish it focused more on that and less on the Disney dinosaurs.Yes!I'm still wondering why that kid that played the part of Jack, hasn't had any other film proposition ever since!http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4447472/?ref_=tt_cl_t4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Agreed, although I adore the dinosaurs scene, the family stuff were the best parts of the film. The space scenes felt too close to being a Kubrick copycat -not that there's anything wrong with that, but I would have liked Malick to try something different that hadn't been done so successfully before. Despite that, I still love the film. It's not for everyone, but Malick is like that most of the time. For example I adore Tree of Life and Badlands but Days of Heaven bores me to death, despite the gorgeous photography and Morricone's masterful but mostly unused score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 DAYS OF THE HEAVEN is his masterpiece, IMO. publicist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I don't know, I just can't get into it. I plan to watch it again though. I feel there might be something I missed during my first viewing, or was expecting something else perhaps... The dead-pan improvised narration kinda annoyes me.But as I said, I have to watch it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I thought the little girl gave one of the best child performances I'd ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 she did?oh wait I thought I was still in the Hook related thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,286 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The family scenes are great little vignettes, and as always with Mallick the kids give first rate performances. I wish it focused more on that and less on the Disney dinosaurs.The birth/growth of the children sequence is simply gorgeous. Beautifully captures the spirit and energy of a new family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 It's a house of cards that topples over on its own weight and pomposity.Ah, the typically 'it's pretentious' card With Malick, it's the same. He seems just not interested to let people understand what he's after and just throws these tangled strains of thought at the screen as if they would mean anything though i'm not sure if even he knows. He can make stuff like this, of course, i just think it's a waste of time for most people who see it and thus, i don't see much point in working your ass off two or three years on a movie most people couldn't possibly get a grasp on (or care much).He had actually been working towards it ever since Days Of Heaven. I think the problem is that Malick knows more than anybody, thus alienating his viewers who go in expecting more traditional cinema. This one is very much rooted in his own life. Though to play advocate against my own point (though admittedly stealing from IMDb trivia), Sean Penn said the film didn't turn out to be the masterwork of a screenplay that he read, that he didn't even know what his character meant and that Malick probably couldn't explain it himself. These points aside, the film resonates with me in a way that only a handful of films can. All the pieces I need to make it click are there on the screen.The family scenes are great little vignettes, and as always with Mallick the kids give first rate performances. I wish it focused more on that and less on the Disney dinosaurs.The dinosaur scene was the birth of consciousness. The family scenes feel incomplete without the literal parallel universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The family scenes are great little vignettes, and as always with Mallick the kids give first rate performances. I wish it focused more on that and less on the Disney dinosaurs.The dinosaur scene was the birth of consciousness. The family scenes feel incomplete without the literal parallel universe.No, the family scenes feel like they stem from a more interesting, less new agey, 'lets hold hands and sing Kumbaya', film. Malick's better when he's dealing with the microcosm of the human condition, not the macrocosm of the universe and creation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,361 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 she did?oh wait I thought I was still in the Hook related threadStill not using those "bring me to the first post in this thread I haven't read yet" buttons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 For example I adore Tree of Life and Badlands but Days of Heaven bores me to death, despite the gorgeous photography and Morricone's masterful but mostly unused score.This i found fascinating from minute one top 100. You practically can breathe the sea of grass and the lighting is from a different world.He had actually been working towards it ever since Days Of Heaven. I think the problem is that Malick knows more than anybody, thus alienating his viewers who go in expecting more traditional cinema. If he knows so much, he should know people don't like being bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 These conversations pretty much ensure I never watch it. Life's too short.Spoken with great foresight, Quint, you really going to hate it. It's very new age and spiritual. If only they made all that whispering audible That's what threw me out of the movie. The soft whispering and the loud music. After a while, I even turned on the subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing. For me, TREE OF LIFE was comparable to a seminar in university. Sometimes the most exciting topic would become a horrible snoozer because the prof doing it just was a bad teacher/entertainer whatever, sometimes a seminar about quantum physics was engaging like hell for six months because the prof just was a brilliant teacher/storytelller. With Malick, it's the same. He seems just not interested to let people understand what he's after and just throws these tangled strains of thought at the screen as if they would mean anything though i'm not sure if even he knows. He can make stuff like this, of course, i just think it's a waste of time for most people who see it and thus, i don't see much point in working your ass off two or three years on a movie most people couldn't possibly get a grasp on (or care much).I mainly hoped that Tree Of Life would be a captivating sensory experience, one that leaves behind many long-lasting impressions. And to a certain point, it was exactly that, although the family scenes did tamper with the experience. As to what it means, I'm not sure, but my understanding of the movie is that Malick is telling us there is a force in the universe that we can't explain and that some people refer to as god. Couldn't it be as simple as that?Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 He's telling us to go to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 As to what it means, I'm not sure, but my understanding of the movie is that Malick is telling us there is a force in the universe that we can't explain and that some people refer to as god.So it's a movie about midichlorians? Sharkissimo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 It's a film about the puniness of mankind. We should not be arrogant to think we're the be-all and end-all of existence. Of course, I could be wrong, I need to see it again. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 How long is it?These conversations pretty much ensure I never watch it. Life's too short. Spoken with great foresight, Quint, you really going to hate it. It's very new age and spiritual. I'm big on spiritualism but I'm usually sneeringly dismissive of New Age AKA pretentious poetic fairy fair. But I also usually need something which offers more than just a sensory experience, because I enjoy intellectualism and cognitive understanding beyond chimpanzee level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 133 minutes. Make sure the bricks you'll be throwing at the screen are made of foam, Quint.Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 It's only 133 minutes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 That's actually nowhere near as long as I was expecting and quite doable. I just assumed it was going to be three and a half hours of abstract imagery fuelled by valium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 That's what it says on the back of my Blu-ray. Is it a misprint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,829 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 That's what it says on the back of my Blu-ray. Is it a misprint?The back cover of the US Bluray says 139 minutes.http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Tree-of-Life-Blu-ray/25528/the UK one says indeed 133 minutes:http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Tree-of-Life-Blu-ray/27959/i wonder if the UK version is censored or anything..Hmmmmm:http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/tree-life-2011THE TREE OF LIFE Video 133m 9s Twentieth Century Fox Home Ent. 13/09/2011 THE TREE OF LIFE Film 138m 45s 20th Century Fox Film Co. Ltd 10/06/2011edit: Alex, do you have the UK edition?If it's not much trouble can you check the BLuray and tell us if the duration of the film is 139 or 133 minutes?edit2:http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=368&disc2=367&hd_multiID=1124#auswahlThe German one has the same duration with the US one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Yes, the UK got the censored Evolutionist Edition, while the US got the uncensored Creationist Edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,829 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Yes, the UK got the censored Evolutionist Edition, while the US got the uncensored Creationist Edition.For a moment there you got me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 But I also usually need something which offers more than just a sensory experience, because I enjoy intellectualism and cognitive understanding beyond chimpanzee level.That's new information. Doesn't sound like you at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 edit: Alex, do you have the UK edition? If it's not much trouble can you check the BLuray and tell us if the duration of the film is 139 or 133 minutes? Yes, I have the UK edition. I'm not going to put on the film because I want to safe that for when I'm going to watch it again. That's a very ambiguous post, Quint. It could mean that I'm the ape enjoying a stone block, or it could mean this film is the kind of intellectualizing you want to practice whenever you watch a movie. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oh Alex you need to watch this: Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Damn! I really want to see this! BTW, pause the trailer at 1:20! Oh god, who is she?!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Not sure, but the film itself is one of the better directed things I've seen recently. Over-directed, even. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, given what it's about.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,361 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Damn! I really want to see this! BTW, pause the trailer at 1:20! Oh god, who is she?!!! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6040558/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The Telegraph says, "A shimmering coup de cinema to make your heart burst, your mind swim and your soul roar." Lord give strength, failed novelist alert. *cringe* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 What does "coup de cinema" mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 And why does it shimmer?Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 What does "coup de cinema" mean?"Coup: An instance of successfully achieving something difficult."But yeah, pretentious twaddle from that Telegraph critic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oh, OK. I thought that was "coup" as in "a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force".That's why I thought: "That's insane!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The thing is, it's positive critique like that which can actually put me off seeing a film. Because I'd hate to think I might actually enjoy the same things that divvy does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 You don't like coups de cinema? They're the best thing cinema has to offer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oh, OK. I thought that was "coup" as in "a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force".That's why I thought: "That's insane!" That's a coup d'état, like what happened in Egypt last year.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The thing is, it's positive critique like that which can actually put me off seeing a film. Because I'd hate to think I might actually enjoy the same things that divvy does That's the Quint I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The thing is, it's positive critique like that which can actually put me off seeing a film. Because I'd hate to think I might actually enjoy the same things that divvy does Oh it is not a Quint film.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oh, with select critique like the one above it's definitely more a KarolCremers movie than it is mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 'Tis true.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Aye. It's a veritable certainty.I mean I bet there isn't a single car chase throughout its entire runtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 There's quite a lot of nudity, though.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Probably a boon for you guys but not for me.How about montages? Does it have any 'final push' sort of montages? With a Bon Jovi song in the background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Boring.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Plus, it's in Italian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now