the tree of life, an inspired movie

[alocispepraluger102]

the tree of life, released in 2011, is a beautiful motion picture.

the award winning film has gorgeous cinematory, the finest film soundtrack i've EVER heard, and inspired directing, production, and acting.

critics of the film suggest that the movie is plodding, fragmented, and nonlinear. those effects, for me, enhance the movie.

a 1960s mother receives a telegram that her 19 year old son has passed away; the father is notified by telephone.

the ensuing family flashbacks are very personal, beautiful, and often heart wrenching.

just when i was about to give up on modern films, along came the tree of life. there is no gratuitous violence, quick camera action edits, cuts, sex, or nudity. the story is by no means farfetched. it is as down to earth as you and me.

the creation scene is an epic of film making.

scenes with living characters at different stations of life were very powerful and effective.

if you haved lived life and experienced the beauty and perils of being a child in a family, raising a family and earning a living, this is a movie for you.

the movie may fall short of it's market as it probes the meaning of life. the film comes very close, offering no pat simplistic answers.

the tree of life is an inspired, searching, loving film, and will likely move you deeply.

a scene from the tree of life

Edited February 15, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[jazzbo]

I saw this in the theater and thought it was brilliant. It amazes me the negative reviews I read of this from viewers, but it really is a polarizing film. At some point I'll buy the Blu-ray. This movie deserves Blu-ray.

[alocispepraluger102]

  On 2/15/2012 at 6:59 PM, jazzbo said:

I saw this in the theater and thought it was brilliant. It amazes me the negative reviews I read of this from viewers, but it really is a polarizing film. At some point I'll buy the Blu-ray. This movie deserves Blu-ray.

amen, brother jazz. to me, criticism of this movie is more a reflection on the critic than the film.

this is one of a very few recent films that i will purchase.

Edited February 15, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[jostber]

Gotta see this, thanks for the tip. Who's on the soundtrack?

[alocispepraluger102]

  On 2/15/2012 at 9:44 PM, jostber said:

Gotta see this, thanks for the tip. Who's on the soundtrack?

very well chosen classical music with some solo guitar and solo piano.

youtube has 9 or 10 samples....

there was considerable difficulty in releasing this film. nobody wanted it.

Edited February 15, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[jlhoots]

You guys liked it more than I did.

Too "spiritual" for me, for lack of a better term.

[alocispepraluger102]

  On 2/16/2012 at 12:58 AM, jlhoots said:

You guys liked it more than I did.

Too "spiritual" for me, for lack of a better term.

it would surely drive pragmatists batty.

[thedwork]

Malick is, of course, one of the greats. if you go to imdb you can see he's got some upcoming projects that should be interesting. we discussed Tree Of Life a bit over at the return of the film corner thread. my post from june last year:

i just got back to my apartment from seeing malick's new movie. i agree that malick may be an acquired taste (he's genius in my mind) and that if folks have enjoyed his work in the past they may like this film... but from where i stand, nothing could really prepare any filmgoer for this. it's like saying if someone had seen anderson's Boogie Nights they'd be prepared for Magnolia. and then if they'd seen Magnolia they'd be prepared for Punch-Drunk Love. or if someone had seen vontrier's Breaking The Waves, they'd be prepared for Antichrist. nothing prepares a viewer for The Tree Of Life aside from seeing The Tree Of Life. masterpiece, admirable failure, mish-mash junk, whatever you think of this film imo it's maybe the most ambitious film ever made. and i mean that literally. malick went all out. completely unrestricted in many ways. but that's not to say that it's bombastic or over-the-top. it actually feels restrained in a way, while still being BIGGER in so many ways than maybe any other film i've ever seen. it's an easy film to praise, and it's an easy film to slight. but that goes for almost any uncompromising art. i will be seeing it again as there's simply way too much to absorb in one viewing. at the moment i'm mystified and amazed in the best way.

and van basten - re: the newagish tones. i can understand your feeling that way. for me, when any film, book, song tries to deal w/ spiritual/religious issues or ideas it's very difficult to strike the right chord/tone and is easy to come off kinda new age. but i thought he/they did a good job of being somewhat 'humanist,' unpretentious and realistic - or maybe universal in their 'interactions,' 'conversations,' or questioning of existence/G*d/life/death.

this stands in stark contrast to herzog's new film i saw last night which i found generally boring, repetitive, and philisophically pretentous and cloying. which was quite surprising because i've loved all the previous herzog flms i've seen before (4-5 of them...). oh well. interesting weekend at the movies for me...

[jlhoots]

  On 2/16/2012 at 1:25 AM, alocispepraluger102 said:

  On 2/16/2012 at 12:58 AM, jlhoots said:

You guys liked it more than I did.

Too "spiritual" for me, for lack of a better term.

it would surely drive pragmatists batty.

Cynics too, I guess.

I just saw a "definition" of cynic that I liked - a disappointed romantic.

[BruceH]

I saw it in the theater three times. One of the more successful "recent" Malick films, as far as I'm concerned.

[RDK]

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

[.:.impossible]

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:31 PM, RDK said:

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

Sounds like my kinda film!

[RDK]

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:52 PM, .:.impossible said:

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:31 PM, RDK said:

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

Sounds like my kinda film!

Also sounds like some women I know.

[thedwork]

  On 2/17/2012 at 12:19 AM, RDK said:

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:52 PM, .:.impossible said:

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:31 PM, RDK said:

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

Sounds like my kinda film!

Also sounds like some women I know.

touche!

[BruceH]

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:31 PM, RDK said:

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

It's extremely pretentious, no doubt about it, but boring? Well, you've got to be in the mood for it, sure, but for the most part...NO, actually. The few parts I found a little tedious on the first viewing I rather got into on the second and began to downright like on the third.

[RDK]

  On 2/17/2012 at 1:23 AM, BruceH said:

  On 2/16/2012 at 9:31 PM, RDK said:

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

It's extremely pretentious, no doubt about it, but boring? Well, you've got to be in the mood for it, sure, but for the most part...NO, actually. The few parts I found a little tedious on the first viewing I rather got into on the second and began to downright like on the third.

It is also one of the most divisive films I've seen in a long time - I know many who loved it and several who insist that it's the best film they've seen in years. Yeah, I found it boring, but I'm not sure I was really in the mood for it at the time either. That said, it's one of the more interesting films I've seen in ages, and though I didn't really care for it it's sparked many intense conversations. Whether you end up loving it or hating it, it's one of those films I'd recommend to anyone who truly appreciates contemporary cinema.