You don't need to see all six of Terrence Malick's films to understand that he is out to challenge convention is his unique way of making films. His first film, Badlands, was released in 1973 and overshadowed every film at the 1973 New York Film Festival. Now that his sixth film, To The Wonder (only two years after Tree of Life) is on Netflix I had both the joy and disappointment of seeing it.
I do love Malick's work. I'll start off with that. His last film Tree of Life left me a bumbling and teary idiot that did not understand what he saw on the screen. The film deals with a lot of existential philosophy and the impermanence of life. The film is personal to Malick because he lost his older brother to suicide when he was 19, and the film revolves around that concept. Days of Heaven (1978) is also a film I hold near and dear to my heart. It is the most beautiful love story I have seen in my entire life, and when compared to To The Wonder, it doesn't shake from its position as number one love story.
To The Wonder follows Marina (played by Olga Kurylenko) and Neil (played by Ben Affleck) as they fall in love in Paris and move to Oklahoma. They have a falling out and Marina goes back to Paris with her daughter. Neil then gets together with an old flame named Jane (played by Rachel McAdams). Eventually they too have a falling out and Neil and Marina get married. They eventually divorce and Marina is consoled by Father Quintana (played by Javier Bardem).
Malick's latest film explores the concept of love. The film is so based in concept that there is little to no real cohesive narrative. That does not bother me at all; what does bother me about the film is the convoluted images. It uses the white curtains, constantly moving camera, and a lot of people walking around outside looking at stuff. The images, by themselves, are interesting. In the context of the whole film it seems unnecessary that we see so many of the same shots, shot differently, over and over again. There's even a scene in which Neil and Jane are walking through a corn field, which is just a rehashed image from Days of Heaven. So, technically, it is great. The images are interesting, but they don't vary.
The theme of the film is where Malick really does shine. The concept of love is vastly represented through the film in three parts. Divine love (God's love for humanity) is represented by Father Quintana in his everlasting pursuit to help others that are more fortunate, equally fortunate, or less fortunate than him. False love (lust) is represented by Neil's old flame Jane. They reconnect after Marina goes back to France and display their "love" much more physically than Marina and Neil ever did. Lastly, true love (marital love) is shown through the marriage of Marina and Neil after she returns to Oklahoma. It eventually deteriorates in a surprisingly quick way. The permanence of marital love is represented rather cynically with the immediate jump in time, which is extremely surprising with how ambient and uplifting Malick's films usually are (even if they do toy with death quite often).
The film didn't exactly fail for me, but I think I went in expecting the typical Malickian experience. I wanted to get from To The Wonder what I got from Tree of Life. It's a completely different monster though. The mood of the film changes rapidly and without warning. The theme of marital love is obviously too mature for me, I cannot get anything out of that. Tree of Life played with universal images of childhood and succeeded in making it readable to even novice film enthusiasts. Malick is playing with conveyance of the image in To The Wonder and it is rather interesting. It's his most experimental work to date.
I'll definitely be revisiting this film soon.
First time watch: 6.5/10
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
It's Not October, It's Halloween
In honor of the month formally known as October (now Halloween) I want to share a list and short review of some of my favorite horror films.
I was born and raised on horror so I feel my recommendations will be perfect for a few nights throughout the spookiest month of the year. This list is not in any order, it's just a compilation of some films that are near and dear to me.
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)
A film notorious for its practical effects, pacing, and sublime suspense, The Thing delivers on all accounts. Kurt Russel stars as the head of a research team in the Antarctic when a strange alien creature begins to wreck absolute havoc on the crew. This film uses some of the grossest creature design (other than Leviathan) I have seen in any movie. It's terrifying. The Thing uses suspense in two absolutely iconic scenes that have been parodied over and over again, but that should not halt you from watching this masterpiece of American horror.
William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959)
William Castle was known for his B-movies that were turned out rather quickly. He used gimmicks in the majority of his films (both in the theater and in his movies). House on Haunted Hill holds a special place in my heart because of Vincent Price. He is just too damn good at being creepy. The film is about a group of people that have to stay the night in a haunted house, and if they are successful they get $10,000. The story is pretty silly, the acting is pretty stale (except for Price), and the effects make me laugh the whole time. Watch this one with a group of friends and have a blast.
Tony Randel's Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
The first Hellraiser is a legitimately good horror film. The second one hones it in like absolute mad. I don't know why horror franchises do this, but I am so thankful they did it with Hellbound. The film follows Kristy, the protagonist from the first film (played by Ashley Laurence), as she is admitted to a psych ward following the death of her family via Pinhead and his Cenobites. Her occult-obsessed doctor raises her mother from the dead and is simultaneously turned into a Cenobite. If you like goofy doctor puns, blood, and one-of-a-kind kill sequences, you will love this movie.
Chuck Russell's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
This film encompasses all of what makes Freddie Kruger the ultimate monster, while being surprisingly quotable for a horror movie. The woman that survives in the first film, Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp), is now a psychiatrist doing dream therapy research. She befriends a group of mental patients that are afraid to have dreams because Freddie will kill them. Nancy teaches them how to control their dreams. The kids control their dreams in really bizarre ways and makes for a pretty hilarious final act.
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This is the film that started the whole zombie thing. You may be sick of it now, but this film is absolutely legendary. It is centered around Ben (played by Duane Jones) and six other characters that are trapped in a farm house after a zombie outbreak occurs. They have to work together to stay alive as cabin fever takes hold over the terrified individuals. In my opinion, this film truly is great and important. It's something to admire for independent filmmakers. Watch this one by yourself, with friends, on the subway, wherever; just watch it.
I was born and raised on horror so I feel my recommendations will be perfect for a few nights throughout the spookiest month of the year. This list is not in any order, it's just a compilation of some films that are near and dear to me.
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)
A film notorious for its practical effects, pacing, and sublime suspense, The Thing delivers on all accounts. Kurt Russel stars as the head of a research team in the Antarctic when a strange alien creature begins to wreck absolute havoc on the crew. This film uses some of the grossest creature design (other than Leviathan) I have seen in any movie. It's terrifying. The Thing uses suspense in two absolutely iconic scenes that have been parodied over and over again, but that should not halt you from watching this masterpiece of American horror.
William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959)
William Castle was known for his B-movies that were turned out rather quickly. He used gimmicks in the majority of his films (both in the theater and in his movies). House on Haunted Hill holds a special place in my heart because of Vincent Price. He is just too damn good at being creepy. The film is about a group of people that have to stay the night in a haunted house, and if they are successful they get $10,000. The story is pretty silly, the acting is pretty stale (except for Price), and the effects make me laugh the whole time. Watch this one with a group of friends and have a blast.
Tony Randel's Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
The first Hellraiser is a legitimately good horror film. The second one hones it in like absolute mad. I don't know why horror franchises do this, but I am so thankful they did it with Hellbound. The film follows Kristy, the protagonist from the first film (played by Ashley Laurence), as she is admitted to a psych ward following the death of her family via Pinhead and his Cenobites. Her occult-obsessed doctor raises her mother from the dead and is simultaneously turned into a Cenobite. If you like goofy doctor puns, blood, and one-of-a-kind kill sequences, you will love this movie.
Chuck Russell's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
This film encompasses all of what makes Freddie Kruger the ultimate monster, while being surprisingly quotable for a horror movie. The woman that survives in the first film, Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp), is now a psychiatrist doing dream therapy research. She befriends a group of mental patients that are afraid to have dreams because Freddie will kill them. Nancy teaches them how to control their dreams. The kids control their dreams in really bizarre ways and makes for a pretty hilarious final act.
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This is the film that started the whole zombie thing. You may be sick of it now, but this film is absolutely legendary. It is centered around Ben (played by Duane Jones) and six other characters that are trapped in a farm house after a zombie outbreak occurs. They have to work together to stay alive as cabin fever takes hold over the terrified individuals. In my opinion, this film truly is great and important. It's something to admire for independent filmmakers. Watch this one by yourself, with friends, on the subway, wherever; just watch it.
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