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Terrence Malick‘s To The Wonder elicited strong reactions when it debuted earlier this year, first in Venice and then in Toronto. Magnolia Pictures acquired the impressionistic love story in Toronto with a view to a theatrical release in 2013. Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem star in the film that’s almost all voice-over. Here’s the trailer with Bardem narrating:
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Sounds like torture. Malick’s films have become inaccessible to the point of being coma-inducing.
Man, Jim, I could not disagree more. I love all of Malick’s films; every one of them has struck me on a very deep level. I’ve found each one of them mesmerizing and beautiful. Of course, this is all subjective and I do respect your honesty.
Who’s that naked man? Oh, it’s just the Emperor.
I disagree, Jim. This one I find fascinating. Perhaps you’re put off because it resembles the techniques of The Tree of Life which was a disappointing, depressing film. This one I would like to see more of before I judge.
Pretentious and uninspired… mental masturbation without climax. Tree of Life was a joke. I’ve seen better films am by teen agers armed with a cell phone and a lap top. Lacking in any ability to tell a story, capturing pretty images with pretty faces does not a movie make. The only reason critics heap praise is they are afraid that if they don’t, they’ll be called stupid and that they didn’t “get” the subtle subtext of the movie… Plus they want to make sure everyone else has to suffer for three hours as they had to, so they are tricking us all to go in and endure the torture as well…
So agree. I love trailer of Tree of Life so much. I watched it so many times and can watch more. It was such a great trailer. I was having so many hopes for Tree of Life. Waited to see the movie… And then was so disappointed. It was all pretty images, music and cinematography. But no script at all. Actors were just running around, having fan and DP captured them.
You’re a moron! Tree of Life is brilliant. But it’s visual poetry. Not explained verbally. I bet when the mother is “floating” beneath the tree – I’m sure you don’t even understand what that means. Please – go watch the Transformers and leave real movies to the educated!
You sound really pretentious. Tell me, what did it mean when she was floating beneath the tree?
Word to the wise – You should start speaking for yourself instead of speaking in absolutes. It would make you sound more thoughtful.
If you loved Gigli…
I would rather watch this than a thousand Avengers or Hobbits.
THANK GOD most of the comments on here lean more towards understanding just how ridiculous this man’s films have become! Remove the amazing music from this trailer and what do you have? There’s no story here, just a monologue on “love”… Are you serious? We go to movies to be told a STORY, not to see a bunch of pretty pictures. There’s Tumblr or Instagram for that. I wish more Hollywood execs would realize how pointless this man has become.
well why stop there? let’s remove the amazing cinematography, the fleetingly gorgeous (undoubtedly unrehearsed and spontaneous) scenes of intense romantic expression, the headlining academy award winning actor, and, finally, you! Let’s remove you from the equation, as such the already disappointed and disillusioned Malick critique that you are, and the film is… no longer a film. huh.
well why stop there? let’s remove the amazing cinematography, the fleetingly gorgeous (undoubtedly unrehearsed and spontaneous) scenes of intense romantic expression, the headlining academy award winning actor, and, finally, you! Let’s remove you from the equation, as such the already disappointed and disillusioned Malick critique that you are, and the film is… no longer a film.
I’m sorry; what’s the name of this perfume? Funny they wouldn’t show the bottle at the end of the ad.
Damn…you beat me to it.
I bet Brad Pitt did that recent (ridiculous) perfume ad because someone told him he was doing a scene for Malick’s next film.
Man, what an original and inspired comment. I remember reading a critic of The Thin Red Line, twelve years ago, with exactly the same clueless smart ass comment.
CAN’T WAIT! Tree of Life was the best of last year
You’re kidding right? Granted, it was still a light year but The Descendants was much better, just to list one.
the anxiety in these comments borders on pathological. Why can’t someone express themselves in a way you aren’t accustomed to with a film? Malick has a unique voice and particular style he has always been faithful to. With less and less films being made by studios these days it’s great that some can tell a story independently with outside the norm thinking that garners as much attention as his films do. Sorry if you can’t understand or appreciate the experience…. sorry for you.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
All of you seem a bit too afraid of straying from the conventional path to let yourself be taken by such films. Not too into experimental cinema, I’m guessing? Malick doesn’t lack the ability to tell a story. He’s already done that much better than most in Badlands, Days of Heaven and The New World. Cinema is not an art form that dhould be watered down by stories that get from point A to point B in the span of two hours. What of Lynch’s Eraserhead? Tarkovsky’s Solaris? Or any number of Andy Warhols films! They’re not for everyone, but people are so quick to decry them as some sort of smite against movies just because they’re afraid of being thrust into a world they can’t fully grasp.
Could not have said it better myself. I love Malick and I am glad he is putting out more and more films these days. He is getting up there in age so the more we can see him experiment and develop his ideas the better. Tree of Life was a meditation to me, not a film. Haven’t seen To the Wonder so I can’t judge it as a complete film but I can definitely say I am excited to see it based on the trailer.
Yeah, I HATE story. That’s why I go to see paintings like the Mona Lisa because “there’s no story told in the picture”. Idiot.
It’s sad that people feel the need to attack this. Sure, it’s impressionist, it’s unusual, it’s challenging, but sometime if you push yourself and try and feel something, you’ll reap a reward.
These kinds of movies aren’t for everyone. I really enjoyed Tree of Life, precisely because it didn’t tell a standard three act story. I enjoyed the Avengers, too, but a diet of white sugar is only delicious for so long.
He should stick to designing video hallmark cards.
And I used to be such a fan… what happened?
So can’t wait to never see this.
I think it looks quite lovely…..except that we saw it already. It was called The Tree of Life. I know Wes Anderson basically makes the same movies over and over, but at least the stories are somewhat different. This looks EXACTLY the same as T.O.L. (which was brilliant, don’t get me wrong). But sheesh.
What looks EXACTLY the same?
I can imagine this being tedious if I am expecting some kind of plot and a denouement, but it looks beautiful and Olga Kurylenko is watchable in everything she does.
I’ve been very mixed on TM forever, I think Days of Heaven is one of the best films ever made, and Badlands is certainly a minor classic.
Still, even when I find his films dull from a storytelling POV like Thin Red Line or New World, I cannot deny the man’s gift for creating visuals.
Just from this trailer alone, that was easily some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in a long time, and every shot looks inspired and thought out.
Honestly, if his stories could be as compelling to me as his visuals, he would probably be my favorite filmmaker working right now.
At least this crazy fucker is putting original content on screen.
Last year, HANGOVER 2 was the worst, worst theatre going experience of my life. The unoriginality, the cruel humour, fed by the cynical marketing that we, the audience, the demented, retarded audience of fools, we’re going to give you, the studio, so much money for a repackaged, warmed-over piece of shit, where Bradley Cooper will openly brag about his 5 mil pay check in promotion and admit this, for all the principles, was just a big fuck you money grab, that we, the audience, despite our better judgment – and perhaps a tad bit of good faith the original generated – will still show up and spend, spend, spend. And, wouldn’t you know it, it fucking worked. I was there opening day. And it went south so fucking quick. Awkward one person laughs. Idiotic plot. A major lack of cultural awareness, meaning a lack of verisimilitude, meaning I can’t laugh if I’m aware of how stupid the filmmakers are. There wasn’t even a debate about leaving the theatre, it didn’t even cross my mind, as I slowly realized I was being fucked hard (and not in a good way). I sat there and let them do exactly what they wanted me to, give them money and keep my mouth shut. It’s a neat trick when the john gets the prostitute to pay him for services.
TREE OF LIFE wasn’t all that pleasant of an experience either. People started to walk out and my GF whispered in my ear, “Let’s go.”
So this crazy fucker cuts his wrists, pours his soul onto film, and we’re offended? Yes, it’s fucking boring, confusing, and his conclusions, after all that existential wonder, too finite (I’m not going to say it was pretentious because ambition and pretension walk together along a thin red line and we need more of both in my not so humble opinion). But he did something that all good and bad art share, he made it personal. He shared a bit of himself and we wanted a refund. I think he failed in a big way but I was happy to give him my ten dollars because he tried. I think HANGOVER 2 didn’t fail, I think I failed by going.
But as the saying goes, fool me once…
I was an avid theatre goer. I saw close to 100 movies a year (since I could afford to pay the ticket price). I was the last of a dying breed and the Hangover 2 killed me. I saw 6 films this year. I wish there were more Malick’s failing in the world, in a big way, in a blockbuster sort of way, I would still be out there, funding the future of film. If the HANGOVER had a bit more Malick, and the TREE OF LIFE had a bit more HANGOVER – life would be pretty, pretty, pretty good. I might even climb out of my grave and go to the movies again.
Hangover 2 wasn’t even close to the worst movie to come out that year. It was just a silly, less effective retelling of the same premise, but to say it was responsible for you suddenly hating to go the movies is a ridiculous, odd, and overreaching statement. Now, if you saw a Miley Cyrus movie and you made that same statement…well, then you’d have my attention.
Amen brother.
Lots of anger in these posts. If you can’t go to a park and sit on a bench for 5 minutes without being bored out of your mind and needing to check your phone, then you’re not Malick’s audience. (Doesn’t that describe just about everyone in the film industry?) THE TREE OF LIFE will go down in history as one of the greatest, most emotionally rich and ambitious films ever made. Malick is America’s Ingmar Bergman – in color! Re-watch his movies in 20 years. Just because you’re not his audience doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience out there DEMANDING movies like this. Get out of your own heads — there are untapped markets outside of your circle of type-A friends.
Amen brother
So you get a very talented DP and some pretty face actors, in this case Ben Affleck who is terribly mediocre in acting (why Bardem is wasting his talent on this is beyond me) and mix it with some pseudo religious ideas of God, love and faith and then some people call it an impressionistic meditation on life. That’s how easy it is to sell a bad movie.
You clearly know what you’re talking about. Can’t wait for your next feature!
Why do these posts have to be filled with so much anger and hate. Guess what? Not every movie has to appeal to your particular taste. That doesnt make it sh*t. Grow up.