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Citizen Rules's Avatar
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Noir Time
12-26-20
I watched Tree of Life for the 21st HoF.

My review:

Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)

Hmm, ah...I don't know what to really write here. I guess that's because I don't know what to really make of Tree of Life. I know it was a well made film, but I'm not sure to what ends it was trying to achieve?

I gather that this is a Christian themed movie? I heard a lot about God and grace and I believe the film's idea is that: we're all connected through a higher grand plan that stretches back to the dawn of time and everything that happens is because of that master plan...and ultimately that which is lost will be found.

Do I have that right? Is that what the film is about? If so I don't have a problem with that. I can like a film regardless of it's message.

I liked how the narrative part gently used cinematography & direction to show us the moments in the families life. It was like we were witnessing events from us close, without the film taking an all-knowing narrative view. And in that way we're never quite sure what's happening, or will happen. We really don't need to know the answers because the film is about the moments that make up a life.

Though I couldn't shake the feeling that writer & director Terrence Malick 'borrowed' the idea of his film from Tarkovsky's Solaris. Some of the visual sequences in the montages were strikingly similar to Tarkovsky's vision of the Solaris planet. And the whole idea/vision of lost loved ones all coming together in the end...with a visual montage climax presenting that idea was much a Solaris thing.

I'd call this a solid movie. I'm just not sure what to make of the film itself.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 12-26-20 at 02:32 PM.



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Mu-Tant
12-26-20
I love Badlands and Days of Heaven, but I haven't been able to get on board with Malick since The Thin Red Line. That movie, The New World and The Tree of Life just seem like they're aping his first two movies' "paradise lost" theme while adding a bunch of navel-gazing bloat.

I don't mean to rub his fans on here the wrong way, but I wouldn't be surprised if Malick's crews are like George Lucas's for the prequels and Quentin Tarantino's since Django Unchained; in other words, comprised of people who go along with everything he desires and rarely if ever challenge him.



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Master of None
12-26-20
Ok, adding to this...

Originally Posted by Thief
My ratings so far:

HM: The Seventh Seal -

100. Brazil - Unseen
99. Suspiria -

98. Cabaret - Unseen
97. Enter the Dragon -

96. The Searchers - Unseen
95. Ikiru - Unseen
94. Her - Unseen
93. Braveheart -

92. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Rewatch due
91. Rosemary's Baby -

90. Harold and Maude -

89. E.T. the Extraterrestrial -

88. Akira -

87. Toy Story -

86. Dazed and Confused - Rewatch due
85. To Kill a Mockingbird -

84. The Apartment -

83. Saving Private Ryan -

82. 8 1/2 - Rewatch due
81. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -
80. West Side Story - Rewatch due
79. American Beauty -

78. Star Wars -

77. Young Frankenstein - Unseen
76. Stand By Me -

75. Paris, Texas - Unseen
74. Magnolia - Rewatch due
73. Metropolis -

72. A Woman Under the Influence - Unseen
71. Terminator 2: Judgment Day -

70. Heat -

69. American History X - Rewatch due
68. Pan's Labyrinth -

67. Andrei Rublev - Unseen
66. Mulholland Drive -

65. Forrest Gump - Rewatch due
64. Singin' in the Rain -

63. Die Hard -

62. The Tree of Life -

61. City of God - Rewatch due

Bunch of films that I haven't seen in a long, long time so I don't want to put the rating I might have given them 20+ years ago, but well...
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I'm one happy bird !
12-26-20
Andrei Rublev is the only film I haven't seen so far. I've seen 4 Tarkovsky (Stalker, Solaris, The Mirror and Nostalghia) and although they're all interesting they all feel cold to me, I never got invested in the characters. So a 4 hours Tarkovsky movie on a medieval painter never seemed appealing. I'll have to watch it to ''complete'' the mofo top 100 list though haha
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Master of None
12-26-20
My Summary:

Seen: 31/40
My list: 2/25


My List:

7. Mulholland Drive
16. Die Hard



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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
12-26-20
Hope everyone had a very wonderful Holiday!!!

Did not vote for any of these but still pretty solid/eclectic selection which is always pretty f@ckin cool --

The only one I haven't seen is Children of God.

Originally Posted by edarsenal



Singing in the Rain

[after Cosmo's car breaks down]
Don Lockwood: Don't tell me, it's a flat tire.
Cosmo Brown: I can't undertand it. This car hasn't given me a lick of trouble in nearly 6 hours.

Like a few others, I am of the mind that O'Connor is the better of the two dancers between him and Gene Kelly.
Which, in it's self, is a battle of the titans since both are absolutely exceptional, but I watch Kelly and I see a technical master who "presents" himself with a professional air. Right down to the technically adjusted theatrical smile and other emotional presentation.
O'Connor is fluid, relaxed, and it all appears very natural. As does his smile and delivery of both witty lines and acrobatic dance numbers/prat falls.

That said, I am very glad to have finally seen this film in its entirety. Using what actually happened during the beginning of "talkies" where voice actors filled in for actors whose voice didn't work all that great, set up as a musical/comedy. An amusing scenario since the debut film for the beloved Hollywood couple that hate one another becomes just that: a musical.
The dance numbers are exuberant and a delight to watch. The supporting actors, much like backup dancers highlight and compliment those in the limelight, did exactly that.


Used to watch this time and again and even though it has been quite some time since I last watched it, I'm sure I'd enjoy it just as much.
***EDIT*** Having just finished watching it, I was right, I DID enjoy it just as much.

Loved the comments about this film especially the points regarding actually knowing the henchmen that McClane comes up against as opposed to faceless legions. It's a great standout from the norm.
Also, this my #2 favorite villain role of Rickman's. The first being the Sherriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I remember seeing a fellow actor telling a story about a youngster asking him why he plays villains and his response was "I don't play villains. I play interesting people."

Originally Posted by edarsenal



Meaning of Life

Young Jack: [voice over] Mother. Make me good. Brave.

A Poetic director, Malick fabricates a cosmos of symbolism that focuses the emotional and cerebral concepts through imagery and facial expressions far more than on dialogue or story-oriented symmetry. While mildly off setting, should you find yourself searching for a kind of process to a story instead of absorbing the conceptual imagery, does make for quite the impressive cinematic adventure.

Much like an outing to a visual poetry reading at a coffee shop there are times of wondering when it'll come to a closing. But, when you become submerged, there is an intensity that shakes you.
I completely understand how it is recommended that this should be viewed in prime audio/visual conditions to truly appreciate and get lost in Malick's poetry. Otherwise it's a bit easy to meander as the pageantry of symbolism traverses it's emotional landscape.

At the end of it, I'm unsure where I stand regarding this film; being more of a visceral creature than an intellectual one. Which could be a merit to the film and the film maker. But I do know, the man DOES have my respect.


Movies Watched 29 out of 40 (72.5%)
1.
2. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (#81)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Metropolis (1927) #73
24.
25. Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) One Pointer


Rectification List
Day of the Jackal (1973) One Pointer
To Kill A Mockingbird (#85) *rewatch*
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Last edited by edarsenal; 12-26-20 at 06:18 PM.



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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
12-26-20
Every Malick film is personal and mesmerizing in its own way. Tree of Life is no different... well, I can see I'm painting myself into a corner here. Tree of Life does seem to be where he started to let his abstract tendencies go too far. I like this film but his subsequent films lost me - at least until A Hidden Life. City of God sounds like it could be a Malick title but its violence seems more physical than psychological to me. It's a good film with a sting in its tail. If none of this makes sense, that's just about right. No points.
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Last edited by mark f; 12-27-20 at 02:25 AM.



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BANNED
12-26-20
Dark Crystal
Creepshow



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12-26-20
While You Were Sleeping

. . . . . . . .and

. .Arsenic And Old Lace



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The Adventure Starts Here!
12-26-20
Originally Posted by mark f
Cuckoo's Nest
Sierra Madre
I like your answer better (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)... since there's no way Hannibal is on this list, even if it does fit the clue.



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12-26-20
Originally Posted by Yoda
Tomorrow's hint:


An animal (who turns someone into a vegetable), and a mineral.
Just throwing out random guesses, since I have no clue lol
Silence of the Lambs and Fargo
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Last edited by MovieFan1988; 12-26-20 at 07:10 PM.



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12-26-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
I watched Tree of Life for the 21st HoF.

Review: "Hmm, ah...I don't know what to really write here. I guess that's because I don't know what to really make of Tree of Life. I know it was a well made film, but I'm not sure to what ends it was trying to achieve?

I gather that this is a Christian themed movie? I heard a lot about God and grace and I believe the film's idea is that: we're all connected through a higher grand plan that stretches back to the dawn of time and everything that happens is because of that master plan...and ultimately that which is lost will be found.

Do I have that right? Is that what the film is about? If so I don't have a problem with that. I can like a film regardless of it's message.

I liked how the narrative part gently used cinematography & direction to show us the moments in the families life. It was like we were witnessing events from us close, without the film taking an all-knowing narrative view. And in that way we're never quite sure what's happening, or will happen. We really don't need to know the answers because the film is about the moments that make up a life.
Though I couldn't shake the feeling that writer & director Terrence Malick 'borrowed' the idea of his film from Tarkovsky's Solaris. Some of the visual sequences in the montages were strikingly similar to Tarkovsky's vision of the Solaris planet. And the whole idea/vision of lost loved ones all coming together in the end...with a visual montage climax presenting that idea was much a Solaris thing.
I'd call this a solid movie. I'm just not sure what to make of the film itself."
I can relate to your commentary. I lasted about 30 minutes before I had to bail. It seemed almost to be a class in cinematography, which was first rate. And the cast was good. But I felt as though I were in the back seat of a taxi, with no idea where I was being taken. Yet there was no fear because the journey was so monotonous.

Re City of God: It sounds like it must have been very well done, and is highly regarded, but it's not my type of film these days. I've pretty much had my fill of metropolitan violence, especially gangs.



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Noir Time
12-26-20
Originally Posted by GulfportDoc
I can relate to your commentary. I lasted about 30 minutes before I had to bail. It seemed almost to be a class in cinematography, which was first rate. And the cast was good. But I felt as though I were in the back seat of a taxi, with no idea where I was being taken. Yet there was no fear because the journey was so monotonous...
The first time that I tried to watch Tree of Life, I bailed too. I only made it to the 15 minute mark! That's my cut-off point for movies that don't hook me, engage me, bore me or just plain ain't what I wanna watch. That 15 minute criteria almost never fails me either. Validated by the fact that Tree of Life was nominated in a recent HoF so I did eventually end up watching the entire movie. And guess what? The last 134 minutes were much the same as the first 15 minutes for my taste.

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