The Tree of Life (2011)'s comments

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thefilmstage

Brilliant movie. With time, It'll join the ranks of many of the lists on here.

13 years 3 months ago

Public Enemy

http://www.movieline.com/2011/05/cannes-review-tree-of-life-is-all-about-life-but-does-malick-care-much-for-people.php?page=1

"a gargantuan work of pretension and cleverly concealed self-absorption."

13 years 3 months ago

akuma587

Have to wait until July 8th for a national release. I hate being stuck in podunk towns.

13 years 3 months ago

It’s spectacular. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I believe this film will be called classic in years to come.

I can’t wait to see it again. It takes time to really get a grasp of what it means to you.

It’s a rare experience in cinema.

13 years 3 months ago

Timec

chemosh - Thanks for posting that. I've been avoiding Zacharek's reviews for a while, and now I remember why. Among many other points of contention within her review (the "he doesn't care about people" line is about as misguided as criticism can come), her use of the word "pretension" is a dead giveaway that she's not actually willing to seriously consider or grapple with the film. "Pretentious" is up there with "boring" and "overrated" and "lame" as one of the emptiest, but most commonly used pejoratives.

Don't get me wrong - there's absolutely nothing wrong with disliking this film. But her snide, dismissive review offers absolutely nothing substantive or meaningful.

13 years 3 months ago

Timec

An enlightening dialogue between AO Scott and Manohla Dargis (two critics far more interesting and enlightening than Zacharek - and I thought that long before seeing the latter's review of this film) regarding people's rather empty, kneejerk usage of terms like "boring" and "pretentious" to condemn less "traditional" films:

""Pretentious” functions, like “boring” elsewhere, as an accusation that it is almost impossible to refute, since it is a subjective hunch masquerading as a description. Manohla, you had some reservations about “The Tree of Life,” but your dispatch on it from Cannes emphasized its self-evident and disarming sincerity. Sincerity is the opposite of pretentiousness, and while it is certainly possible to be puzzled or annoyed by Mr. Malick’s philosophical tendencies or unmoved by the images he composes or the story he tells, I don’t think there is any pretending involved. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/movies/films-in-defense-of-slow-and-boring.html?_r=1

13 years 3 months ago

Fenring

Emmanuel Lubezki is god of cinematography

13 years 3 months ago

that guy

Here's a movie that doesn't present easy answers, a movie that asks big questions, a movie that gives you things to think about days after seeing it.

(sigh) I enjoy movies that have ambition- I like popcorn movies too, but it is thrilling to watch someone reach for something new

13 years 3 months ago

gerryt

a beautiful score, beautiful hublepics, beautiful naturepics and that mixed with human drama and the eternal "why" questions about our existence.

13 years 3 months ago

Fellini_Fiend87

Um, how the hell is this sci-fi?! WTF IMDB?! It may have moments involving nature but it's hardly sci-fi.

13 years 3 months ago

JustinBieber

It's sci-fi because it mentions the Big Bang theory...

anyway, I HATED this movie! It was extremely long, didn't make sense, not much dialog and Brad Pitt wasn't even cute. Don't waste your money on this.

13 years 2 months ago

Forrester

I'm also one of the haters. I feel the same as I did with 2001: A Space Odyssey. This movie is like looking at a vague modern art painting for two and a half hours, while you're trying to find out what the painting is supposed to resemble. I almost fell asleep while watching this. Definitely not my kind of movie.

13 years 2 months ago

Vinsmid

My god this is one intense movie!! Camerawork and lighting is very involving and beautiful. The story is epic as well as down-to-earth small. The wonderful soundtrack supports the images very well too.

13 years 2 months ago