Boba Fett

I think some problem may stem from the movie starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. Some may go in on name recognition alone and be upset.

Hazel Motes

Hard to say what I thought of Tree of Life. I think I loved it. I'll probably need multiple viewings before I can offer any sort of real feelings about the film. However I will say I didn't have any issues with the narration. Of which there really wasn't even that much. I thought it was fine. I think Malick intended for the film to be experienced through your knees and your gut, rather than on a strictly intellectual level. It's not mean't for viewing followed by immediate and thourough anaylsis, but rather over multiple viewings your experience grows and changes organically, as if it was a more tangible life experience. I hope to see it at least a couple more times before its out of theaters.

Oh and did anybody else read Emmanuel Lubezeki's interview where he talked about Malicks intentions to release a 6 hour cut of Tree of Life along with a companion film called "Voyage In Time". That along with the film he just wrapped with Ben Affleck, and the film he plans on shooting in the fall and it looks like Malick might become prolific in his old age.

Solid Snake

it's posted in the non reviews Tree of Life thread.

riotinmyskull

i saw this yesterday and while i didn't think it was a "masterpiece" i did find it to be an extremely unique and interesting film. i really enjoyed the paralleling of the creation of earth with the formative years of the young boys. at one point i thought the film was going to take an extremely dark turn when i'm still not 100% clear on the ending and i think that's my main gripe with the film. obviously the cinematography was phenomenal and deserves the oscar without a doubt. overall i enjoyed it but i think i just wanted a little more structure to the story or at the very least a less ambiguous ending.

CRM114

Here it is, July 8, the date that The Tree of Life was supposed to open nationwide and it's not in a single theater in my area. It does open next week in a local art house theater.

Rypro 525

lol at this opening nationwide. I can only imagine the shitfit some people will throw if this opens at the AMC or Regal theaters "hey look it has brad pitt and sean penn, lets go see that" and 20 min in (maybe earlier) walk out and bitch to the management

PopcornTreeCt

That's what I was thinking too. I can't really see it going nation wide based on the reactions it has received in its limited run.

Throwing Copper

I will enjoy seeing it on Blu Ray and being able to pause it, rewind it and take some breaks.

This movie is not for most people and certainly the mainstream movie-going public. They will hate it.

FinkPish

Apparently these warnings have gone up in a few theaters for folks who are just going assuming that this is a standard, straightforward drama starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

Hazel Motes

I saw it for the second time today and at least 15 people walked out during the planet evolution stuff. fuck them.

The Bus

Saw this over the weekend. Fantastic film, but I felt as if it was in the wrong order and I would've liked to know more about the family before the film turned into Baraka meets Enter the Void.

I was enthralled and captivated for the first half, and pleased for the second. I went with two friends and both were crying throughout the entire movie.

Powerful stuff.

CRM114

Really? What's so objectionable?

CRM114

Why would a theater that describes themselves as an "art house" feel the need to post that? There are no refunds on movies, period. How absurd.

Ash Ketchum

People often lose patience with things they can't understand. Or don't want to try to understand. I'm not criticizing them. It's a common human trait. With movies, many audience members like to feel in control and when they're asked to go with a filmmaker's vision and they can't relate to that vision, they react by walking out. I didn't walk out of TREE OF LIFE myself, but I lost interest in the film once I realized that this was all in Malick's head and he didn't care whether it was accessible to the rest of us or not. I felt at times like I was witnessing something way too private to be depicted. Sometimes a film can be too personal.

beckham

I use to work at the Landmark at Century City in Chicago and we gave out refunds up to 30 minutes of the actual show.

The only time we ever posted a message like this one was when we showed IRREVERSIBLE. That movie had about 30-40% walk out rate.

Hazel Motes

nothing quite like a herd people leaving a theater to pull you out of a mesmerizing film.

CRM114

Meaning you gave refunds BEFORE the film started, right? I can't imagine leaving a film and demanding a refund because I didn't like the first 30 minutes of it.

beckham

Nope...the policy when I worked there was if you walked out 30 minutes after the film had started for what ever reason (didn't like it, emergency, etc.), we gave you a full refund if you so desired.

It was awhile ago that I worked there so maybe it was discretionary of the manager but I never saw it refused to someone if it was before the 30 minute mark.

CRM114

Interesting.

Rypro 525

i recall the Landmark in DC had a sign for Antichrist basically saying 'this movie contains some extreamly disturbing images, and scenes of unsimilated sex, and we will not give refunds ect)

Solid Snake

so...I saw it today.

Before I get to my thoughts on it. Getting into about 30-40 mins. 3 people left. By the time the film ended 8 people had left. After the film ended as we left I stayed by the exit to hear what people were saying. "waste of my time", "be better on drugs", "boring", "nothing happened", etc etc. I was probably the youngest person ( I'm 25 years old) there...and the only non white person there as well. So...it was interesting thinking about it as I left. The average person in there was easily in their mid 50s from what it look like. Theater had about 50-60 people in there. The film JUST arrived here most recently...so that's understandable for the amount that went in. I was shocked that people went in there and still said that. Did they not see the trailers?

ANYWAY...I liked it, didn't love it. DID love the visuals and music aspect. It is a VERY visual experience kind of film. It's Malick at his most "extreme" I think. Very emotional as well...like...I felt the emotions from the kids and for them (negative and positive). I'm not sure I want to use spiritual cuz I've never felt that but...I felt like I was experiencing something from the visual. Beyond the emotional. It's just...an odd feeling. Maybe it's just the way the emotional aspect felt to me...just made me feel...like I was literally watching someone without their knowledge. I'm a little off about the ending. Didn't give me (personally) some closure. I wanted..more.

CRM114

Finally got to see it last night. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. I absolutely loved it. But 2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite film of all time so it was right up my alley. I love film as a visual expression and love it even more when conventions are thrown out the window.

I could type up a long interpretation but I guess it boils down to this: was the film a questioning of God or a celebration of God? I lean toward (not surprisingly) an agnostic interpretation where Malick leans toward the existence of God but a God who is ambivalent about humans and way beyond the ability of human understanding. All of the silliness of religion means nothing to this God. He is busy creating the universe and not eyeballing each and every human life. God has given nature (or perhaps nature just is) and issn't that enough? The quote that opens the film from Job: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth ... when the morning stars sang together?" The quote seems to be saying, are you that ungrateful that you complain about the death of your son after all I have given?

I'm not sure about the ending either. I don't understand it and it seemed sort of tacked on. I suppose it was Sean Penn's character, Jack, finally coming to the realization that life is about love and the scene symbolizes him reuniting with the brother he was jealous of and the parents whom he resented his whole life?

mightysparks

Urgh, I accidentally voted 2/5, I meant 1/5. I posted my review of it elsewhere and got attacked from it, so I won't post it again, but will simply say: one of the worst movies I've ever seen and the only movie I've ever described using the word 'pretentious'.

Sondheim

I have some mixed feelings about the film (though there were moments and scenes that moved me more than just about any movie I've ever seen) - and I can understand people hating the film - but I really don't think "pretentious" is an appropriate descriptor for it. One thing I've always admired about Malick is his sincerity in his filmmaking, and his willingness to go further than most other filmmakers in trying to express his vision, even when those things might be off-putting to a lot of audiences. In other words, I've never gotten the impression that he's setting out to impress people or to make something "deep," and his films seem entirely genuine and sincere.

Once again, I'm not criticizing anyone for disliking the film - I just think that "pretentious" is an inappropriate descriptor for a film like this.

I think A.O. Scott summed it up well:

Solid Snake

Yeah...I'd never call Malick prententious.