Movie #505 ........................."Tree of Life"

Movie #505 "Tree of Life" --- let me start by saying that Malick's "Days of Heaven" is one of my favorite movies for so many reasons --- the beauty of the landscape scenes, the characters, the acting, the music, the story line, the narration. This movie is NOT "Days of Heaven" nor does it come close to it --- Why? it is still a beautiful film, the characters are interesting (but not clearly delineated --- kept getting all the brothers mixed up for the longest time!) and the acting is okay (although, I got tired of the stick like approach Brad Pitt used through the entire film --- lighten up, guy!) And what was Sean Penn doing in the film??? There are articles that I've read that contain the same question by him about the film --- well, if the actor IN the film doesn't get why he is there, the question remains --- why is he really there? I know it's his journey, and I got the basic idea of the film, but I really dislike movies that waste time --- that use the "lord of the rings" pace of a snail, and then when you consider why that particular shot was in the film, you never do come up with the answer --- then you wait, thinking maybe it will fit in at the end ----------but then, in this film, the end is one of the worst parts ----------so anticlimatic and "out there" --- What was Malick's plan here? to show life? It has scenes that harken back to 2001 space odyssey, another movie that I appreciate but don't necessarily like. This movie is even more dispassionate, though, and a robot was a main character in that one! Okay, enough of what I didn't like, I did appreciate the beauty of many of the shots --- but a bunch of shots with little relationship doesn't make a film to me --- and that's what I think he was trying to do --- make a good film, and it really doesn't work. I think he captures what it's like to be a kid because he spends a lot of film time with the kids goofing around in their yard in Texas (not the midwest, which is mentioned below --- what movie did netflix see?) He gets across nature (Dad) vs. grace (mom) but that's not a new concept at all --- lots of movies tackle that conflict. An abusive father and an enabler for a mom has been done, too ---dealing with grief of a dead son not new either........so how is this new ground? So not sure why critics are jumping up and down about this one --- I'm not and I don't recommend it, esp. to people like me, who want/expect a better story.



I gave it 2 stars out of 5
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life
(2011) PG-13
Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star in Terrence Malick's 1950s adventure about a confused man named Jack, who sets off on a journey to understand the true nature of the world. Growing up in the Midwest with two brothers, Jack has always been torn between his mother's guidance to approach everything he encounters with an open heart and his father's advice to look after his own interests. Now, Jack must find a way to regain purpose and perspective.
Genre: Dramas, Independent Movies, Independent Dramas, 20th Century Period Pieces
This movie is: Heartfelt, Mind-bending