To The Wonder (Terrence Malick)

No one makes movies like Malick....NO ONE.

Definitely warrants a trip to the cineplex for me.

I had a free preview this past weekend and tried to watch The Tree of Life again (I couldn’t); I quit and watched grass grow, and this time of year it is really sloooow, but damn it was exciting after watching TTOL.

There was no dialogue in this trailer, and I don’t know if I can sit through (or attempt to) another movie like TTOL where it is largely narrated, in a soft voice, that puts me to sleep. Back-to-back artsy fartsy is pushing it. The use of the camera in both movies is/looks spectacular. If you are going to give me a meaningful story about life and how I screwed it up or someone else screwed it up for me, I need more than a creative cinematographer to keep me engaged. I don’t need bombs exploding or cars crashing. Just give me something more so I know I still have a pulse. Watching TTOL was like watching Edward G. Robinson dying in Soylent Green; that was cool 40 years ago but not today. Of course, YYMV - I’m sure it does.

SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!!!

Any guy who drives a Jag shouldn't be concerned about something being too "artsy fartsy."

(Fedexing you a bottle of Bushmills Black Bush today....)

A Bentley - with beige Corinthian leather.


I’ll take a black bush any day, but make it Goslings Black Seal rum instead.

OK, Ricardo Montalban.

Seriously though....I do like the Continental GT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mih2oNiW3U

And Audi Bentley did build the most beautiful racecar I have ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0XXc1K0as
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMj1DuJaz0


Shipping tomorrow....

I totally understand where you're coming from. I can totally see how a movie like The Tree of Life could bore some one to tears.

For someone like myself, The Tree of Life was one of the most profound, moving, and exhilarating film I've seen in years. It's less about "story", and more about communicating the miraculous fact of human existence in the vastness of the universe cinematically. It resonated with me on a tremendously deep level. I am a huge fan of the films of Malick, and I look forward to his upcoming release.

I should also mention watching 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was 12 years old changed my life. Watching it in the early 80's at the IMAX screen at the Cinesphere in Toronto, Ontario was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had at thge movies. I would suspect you're not the greatest fans of that film either.

I should also add that if you're watching a film like The Tree of Life, or 2001 for that matter, on a 50" TV, you're missing half the experience. I have no idea what you're watching these films on.

+1000000

Looks like more of the same from TM. Enough already. Give us something new.

I come down somewhere in between you two. I always have to make myself watch a Malick film but when I finally do, I generally don't regret it. After I saw The Tree of Life on either HBO or Showtime, I kept the recording on my TiVo thinking I might want to watch it again. Never have done it, though. Because of its Oklahoma connection, I might have to see The Wonder in the theater, although after reading the wall to wall pans for Promised Land I decided to avoid it, its Oklahoma connection notwithstanding. Thus, I may end up waiting for HBO to show The Wonder, too.

I think Malick is a genius, but I can see why people are put off by his films. At any rate, I am glad he is making movies again.

Agreed.

From IMDB: explains a lot to me about his films (though I've only seen 3)

Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. His family subsequently lived in Oklahoma and he went to school in Austin, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy in 1965.

A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he attended Magdalen College, Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship, but did not finish his thesis on Martin Heidegger, allegedly because of a disagreement with his adviser. Returning to the States, he taught philosophy at M.I.T. and published a translation of Heidegger's "Vom Wesen des Grundes" as "The Essence of Reasons".

Malick did not get his PhD in philosophy: Instead, he attended the American Film Institute Conservatory in its inaugural year (1969), taking a Masters of Fine Arts degree in film making. His masters thesis was the 17-minute comedy short "Lanton Mills", which starred Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton. Malick himself acted in the short, a tradition he has maintained throughout his career, appearing in many of his films in cameos.

Thanx for the bio.

I have said it before and will say it again: TM is one of greatest filmmakers working.
IF you don't "get" what he does, you never will.

It's a travesty he hasn't been given the Oscar yet

+1. I love his films and have all of them in my collection. I do understand that his work is not to everyone's taste and will appeal only to a limited viewership. His films are unconventional and require study and work to appreciate, and of course you have to be able to appreciate and share their aesthetic. If you do not, his films may be tedious, dense, pointless, and beyond boring. For that reason, I do not recommend his films to others. If I run across someone else who likes his work as I do, great. I'll be happy to discuss with them his art, and that's what his work is -- art. I'm not going to try to convert anyone.

As oink says, you either "get" him or you don't. I'm not interested in proselytizing to those who don't.

Originally Posted by oink 

 

I think Wong Kar Wai comes close.

It amazes me how a movie about life itself, bores people. The Tree of Life was profound and moving. If some people didn't feel that, then they simply missed the point.

Many people miss the point of life itself, and fight to find beauty only in things they don't readily have. Rather than slowing down and appreciating what is right in front of them, they long for something they once experienced or wish to someday experience.

I'm not saying that those who don't like TTOL are wrong for it, just that it's a bit shocking at first to hear the way they talk badly about it. But only because it's so different from my own thought process. After the initial shock I can think logically and see why it shouldn't be surprising for people to not enjoy it.

A lot has to do with the style and the way the story is told. I find that when a movie really moves me it’s because I see something about my life and myself in the movie. Not all movies do this well and not all movies that I enjoy touch me in a profound way. Also, what doesn’t resonate with me today may do so tomorrow. Music is an example of this. I now listen to music I never would have listened to when I was younger. I also find that I like some music that did nothing for me only a few years ago. To me it all comes down to where you are in life, how you perceive reality, and your beliefs about reality – all personal aspects of living. We’re all on different timelines in our personal evolution. It takes being in the right place and the right time to “get it.” Then again, we may never “get it” because it has nothing to do with our life or our journey through it. Not all art or art forms mandate that we “get it.” For those that do “get it,” take comfort, and value that it means something to you. However, understand that those who don’t do so for reasons of their own, which are just as valid.

+1

+2

+3

+4

I agree with what you just said here.

What I meant by "they simply missed the point", was that they weren't able to see the point. It just wasn't there to them and there isn't anything they can really do about it. It didn't relate to them in their current timeline of evolution as you say.

What I don't like is when people have such harsh criticism for something they didn't "get". As if they're inability to understand it, feel it, or appreciate it, warrants degredation of the movie and those who truly could enjoy it. It's as if they want people that do enjoy it to understand their level of unenjoyment.

Perhaps some people feel like watching a movie about life isn't enough of an escape from their actual lives. They needed something more for a few hours to help give their minds a break from reality. I can understand that aspect completely. But this movie isn't just to give you a break from reality for a few hours, but to help you see the beauty and enjoyment that can be found in your everyday reality.

Well, it depends on what you mean by "get." To me, it's not a condescending viewpoint that means the viewer doesn't understand the film or its presentation. It's also a matter of being tolerant of unconventional storytelling (and some films are strictly character studies with little plot, which tends to frustrate a lot of moviegoers who fixate on plot, apparently) and setting and evoking a tone or mood and presenting it all with a certain aesthetic.

Personally, in RL, I know of only two persons I would invite to a Malick film, and they are both visual artists who make their living from their art (a portrait, nudes, and landscape painter, and a graphics designer). They can both appreciate the visual feast his films are, and also bask in the rich tone poem, the moods they set and evoke, without getting mired in waiting for some traditional plot-driven movie to entertain them. If I tried to take anyone in my immediate family, on other hand, they would be whining and complaining about my choice in movies and how they were bored. They also don't appreciate philosophy or pondering life's big questions. I do. To each his own.

Oh, and BTW, I love Wes Anderson's films (well, most of them) and howled my butt off during all three theatrical viewings I went to of Rushmore, and the dozens of home viewings I've had since then. It is such a rich, densely packed film and has just the right off-kilter perspective for my own sensibilities. There are only two people in my life -- both ex-girlfriends -- who appreciate that movie and his others. Everyone else thinks I'm strange for liking them. I'm fine with that.

__
10

Don't tell me you moonlight as an accountant...

To be released 2nd week of next month.

Here is a new trailer:
http://www.magpictures.com/tothewonder/

Awesome. I forgot this was coming out.