The Tree of Life by ecgordon

CINEMA

The Tree of Life

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POSTED BY: ECGORDON
UPDATED: Saturday, October 22, 2011 19:21
SHORT URL: http://bit.ly/mTRYR9
VIEWED: 5885
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011 5:48 PM

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

The recent Palme d'Or winner at Cannes, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life opened in Europe in mid-May, premiered in NY and LA on May 27. June 3 saw a few other cities get it, more to come in the next few weeks. It will go wide on July 8. I am recommending it unreservedly, even though I am aware not 1 out of 100 movie-goers will care for it, and those that do probably not near as much as I loved it. I drove 100 miles to see it Saturday and it was worth it. My site is focused on science fiction, fantasy and horror, I hate the "sci-fi" nickname, and most of the time I prefer that SF stands for speculative fiction. In that case, Tree of Life fits the bill.

Considering my site is nearly eleven years old, I'm not sure why I haven't linked to more of my pages over the years. This is one I want everyone to see, so click this to read my [url=" http://templetongate.net/treeoflife.htm"]REVIEW[/url].

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011 5:50 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I still can't edit a post, and that link is wrong. Should be http://templetongate.net/treeoflife.htm

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 8:15 AM

DREAMTROVE

are you signed in first?

I personally like the name Sci-fi. It lacks pretention.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 1:04 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

It's just one of my pet peeves.

Sci-Fi can mean so many different things to different people. Most won't accept the term unless it is specifically science fiction, and preferably space-based science fiction. Others use it to include quasi-fantasy shows like Warehouse 13 or Haven. Forrest Ackerman came up with the term, at the time Hi-Fi was in general use, and his main claim to fame is as the publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, mostly about horror. What do you think sci-fi means? Apparently it depends on who you ask.

It may be elitist, but I am among a group of oldies who don't like the term, pronounce it skiffy, and generally use it for things we think are less than the best those genres have to offer. For instance, 2001: A Space Odyssey is Science Fiction, or SF, whichever, in big capital letters. Transformers is skiffy.

Speculative fiction can include science fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, alternate history, superhero comics and novels, even metaphysics. That's why The Tree of Life fits into the category and I felt it appropriate to review for my site.

http://templetongate.net

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 1:59 PM

DREAMTROVE

my sister is the same way.

Huh. I didn't know that about Forrest Ackerman, but in his day it was generally printed in pulp fiction magazines, and yet that stuff was more contemplative and original than much of the stuff today, and not just the transformers.

Remember also, you're on a fan site for a tv show, one whose premise was stolen from anime, and almost all the episode stories, or maybe all of them, taken from various short stories

(joss is very fond of lifting, as is tv in general, but to thihs he said "Everything I do is derivative." it's not original and not that contemplative (i mean, we know all the ideas in this show have been contemplated in science fiction before) it's basically cowboys in space.

I havent written anything for a while. My stuff is generally very social sf, not space based, and tries to stick to the "what if"

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 3:06 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

What I should have mentioned in my first post here, but did in the review, is that the Internet Movie Database has Drama and Sci-Fi listed for The Tree of Life's genres. I don't care how you want to define sci-fi, I don't think anyone's definition of it would fit the movie at all. Speculative fiction does.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 4:52 PM

DREAMTROVE

what i didnt get from your review is what the movie is like. Maybe it would be easier to say "if you liked this movie, you also might like."

Some things come to mind, but they're radically different from one another. Eternal Sunshine.., which I was very "meh" on, What Dream May Come, which was probably sub-meh, the Quiet Earth, which i really liked, Butterfly Effect, which was better than meh, but wasn't the Quiet Earth.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Thursday, June 9, 2011 1:24 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

It's not really like any of those movies you mention, in fact it is not very much like any other movie I've ever seen.

However, I did call it dreamlike, non-linear, and full of flashbacks. I also said it was "a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey and the "Rite of Spring" segment of Fantasia, mixed with some esoteric opera that you know is significant if only you could understand the language."

Wait until you see the movie and then you tell me what other movie you would compare it with, okay?

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Sunday, June 12, 2011 1:32 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

EC, you make some interesting points throughout this thread regarding sci-fi, skiffy and speculative fiction. Perhaps speculative fiction will catch on someday, but nonetheless it is interesting. That film is next on my list of must-sees this summer, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it. And, you are probably right about some folk may not appreciate it for what it is - Terrence Malick is an acquired taste. Have you ever seen Days of Heaven? I will see it and get back to you.

SGG

A filmmaker has almost the same freedom as a novelist has when he buys himself some paper. - Stanley Kubrick

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Sunday, June 12, 2011 1:52 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Yes, I love Days of Heaven, and up until this point it was my favorite of Malick's films. I've had various versions of the movie on tape and disc over the years, and currently have the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray.

Speculative Fiction as a designation for genre stuff is not new with me. Writers as disparate as Robert Heinlein and Harlan Ellison preferred it over science fiction.

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:31 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

Saw DoH back in the 70's when it first came out (actually it was a school assignment wherein I had to critique it). It was one of the films early on that both inspired and influenced me. It is one of the best storytelling pieces of it's time. Hell, it still stands up today. I was never a big fan of Richard Gere, but he was tolerable in his role. So, I'm definitely going to see Tree of Life, perhaps this coming Friday.

SGG

"Did you say Yute!? What's a Yute?"

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Thursday, June 23, 2011 12:31 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
It's not really like any of those movies you mention, in fact it is not very much like any other movie I've ever seen.

However, I did call it dreamlike, non-linear, and full of flashbacks. I also said it was "a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey and the "Rite of Spring" segment of Fantasia, mixed with some esoteric opera that you know is significant if only you could understand the language."

Wait until you see the movie and then you tell me what other movie you would compare it with, okay?

EC, my friend, we may not always agree, but I've come to trust your judgement. I don't know how to describe it, but let's just say you've carved another notch in the trust department. A couple of days ago I experienced Tree of Life.
That's perhaps the best way to describe it.

BTW the theatre I saw it in was nearly full to capacity (6 p.m. showing) this past Monday, yes that's right a Monday.
At the end, a woman sitting behind me said that was the most beautiful movie she ever saw. High praise. To this day I'm still digesting it, it was that great. It has been a long time since a movie so thoroughly challenged my senses to the point of frustration, but in a good way.

Malick is a genius, a madman and an artist all rolled into one.

Soon I will give you my impressions, so much to say that I need to gather my thoughts.

Thanks EC for giving me the nudge I needed.

SGG

"Wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdest her fast."
Proverbs 3:13-18

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Thursday, June 23, 2011 1:46 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Thanks, SGG. So you are one who liked it, now I wonder if I'll hear from 100 who don't.

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Friday, June 24, 2011 3:09 PM

FOLLOWMAL

I'm so looking forward to seeing this movie and your review/opinions have only strengthened my need to do so.
I'm a huge Malick fan, DoH being one of the most disturbing/gorgeous movies I've ever seen.
I'll try to bookmark this and come back and tell you what I think when I see it.
I am hoping it comes to my rural area, usually only "big", "blockbuster" films come here and Joplin ( my closest big town ) is a bit hard to get around still.

I'll be back. Thank you EC- your opinions are usually always spot on and I appreciate them.

http://www.kidsneedtoread.org

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Saturday, June 25, 2011 5:00 AM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
It is not very much like any other movie I've ever seen.

Malick is a genius, a madman and an artist all rolled into one.

About The Tree of Life computer graphics:
"It was an exciting creative process," said Parker "primarily because, as opposed to most film work, we were invited to think beyond the pictures immediately in front of us. We had a sense of being fully engaged collaborators in a complex process under the direction of someone with a huge breadth of understanding. People working in the industry will know that this is a rare and precious feeling." - http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=6324&page=
2

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity," where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/two

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Saturday, July 16, 2011 10:57 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

Ok, here it goes. Some impressions from the Tree of Life. It was as though I was at the museum of art and I was looking at an abstract painting. The first third of the film had me, as I stated earlier, somewhat frustrated. I couldn't quite put my finger on it as to why, but I was intriqued. Then as the film went on I decided to let go and allow the film to take me along. I didn't feel hostage though, nor did I feel manipulated as in most modern-day films.

Malick wasn't trying to persuade me or nudge me one way or the other. It was as though it was a living breathing work of art daring you to think outside the box. Hell, there was no box. He made subtle suggestions and revealed little of his thinking within the storyline. It was factual without being pedestrian, but never ever boring. It was long but rich in tone, and an abstract journey filled with impressionistic qualities (like a painting by Monet).

By the second third of the film, which suggested a more traditional storytelling flavor, I became more patient but stop trying to follow a linear path. One of my favorite scenes was when the mother was "flying" - I believe Malick presented her as Mother Mary. Angelic, nuturing and loving - unconditionally so. The mother of all mothers. I was euphoric. It was brilliantly shot and wonderfully acted by Jessica Chastain. The third act returned to abstract impressionistic mode, I felt uneasy once again. I cannot remember the last time I was challenged so thoroughly by a film. My son said it was like a visual poem, and he too described it as an abstract work of art.

It ranks among the best of the classics.

SGG

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Monday, September 26, 2011 5:06 AM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

"I didn't at all find on the screen the emotion of the script, which is the most magnificent one that I've ever read. A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and its impact. But it's a film I recommend, as long as you go in without any preconceived ideas. It's up to each person to find their own personal, emotional or spiritual connection to it. Those that do generally emerge very moved." - from Did Sean Penn really pee on The Tree of Life? http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2011/08/did_sean_penn_pee_on_the_tr
ee_.html

The Tree of Life has escaped from FOX, those folk who killed Firefly. The owner of FOX, mean old man Rupert Murdoch, is outraged by copying, which raises his blood pressure dangerously. Since every download shortens his life, please do the right thing:
www.scnsrc.me/films/the-tree-of-life-2011-limited-bdrip-xvid-counterfe
it/
www.scnsrc.me/films/the-tree-of-life-2011-limited-720p-bluray-x264-cou
nterfeit/
www.oneddl.com/movies/the-tree-of-life-proper-ntsc-dvdr-ignition/
www.oneddl.com/movies/the-tree-of-life-2011-576p-brrip-xvid-ac3-whiizz/

How paradoxical it is to seek in reality for the pictures that are stored in one's memory. The memory of a particular image is but regret for a particular moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as fugitive, alas, as the years.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity," where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011 3:52 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

The Blu-Ray release of The Tree of Life is the best film transfer I have ever seen, well nigh perfect. It actually looked better on my TV than it did in the theater, and I was lucky in my two theater experiences with a good presentation, which doesn't happen that often these days. I still haven't decided exactly where this film will fit on my favorites list, but definitely in the Top 10, maybe the Top 5. Then I have to decide which of the other 5 gets bumped down the list.

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Saturday, October 22, 2011 7:21 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Thanks EC, I must get a copy. Thank goodness for Blu-ray and HDTVs, that probably explains the home experience being so intense.

SGG

"Swim!?, the fall alone will kill ya'" Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid

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