Tag: Tree of Life

Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2011

Another year has come and gone and with it passes another year of movies, good and bad, but today we focus on the best films to have hit theaters in 2011. Of course, the very phrase “best of…” is subject to widely varying opinions, which is why we choose to do things a little differently. While we do consider these the best films, that’s merely how they’re seen in our eyes. You may, heck… we even encourage you to disagree. For what it’s worth, here’s our Top Ten list of the Best Films of 2011.

How it works: We five Movie Geeks each have compiled our own lists of the top ten films of 2011. From these lists, we’ve tabulated votes based on a point system, resulting in our Movie Geeks Top Ten Films of 2011. Each of the individual geeks’ lists can be found at the end of our compiled list. *Our lists are based on the selection of films released theatrically in Saint Louis during the 2011 calendar year. (*This is why you will not see SHAME represented on our list.)

Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2011

THE TREE OF LIFE On Blu-Ray Combo Pack October 11th

TERRENCE MALICK’S
GROUNDBREAKING AND EMOTIONAL FILM

THE TREE OF LIFE

Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain
Available Exclusively On Blu-ray Combo Pack October 11

Bring home acclaimed writer/director Terrence Malick’s (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World) thought provoking film experience THE TREE OF LIFE, available exclusively on Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack October 11 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. What better way to celebrate than by sharing some clips with all of you!

BRAHMS

GONE TO THE DOGS

HELP EACH OTHER

HIT ME

LIVED IT

YOU SPOKE TO ME

Through stunning cinematography and raw emotional power Malick’s hymn to life excavates answers to the most haunting and personal human questions through a kaleidoscope of the intimate and the cosmic, from the raw emotions of a family in a small Texas town to the wildest, infinite edges of space and time, from a boy’s loss of innocence to a man’s transforming encounters with awe, wonder and transcendence.

The Blu-ray Disc presentation utilizes maximum bit rate encoding and 7.1 audio and a 2.0 stereo mix to bring Malick’s visually stunning masterpiece to life providing consumers with a premium cinematic viewing experience for the home. An exclusive 30-minute documentary on the making of the film, Exploring The Tree of Life, allows fans to dig even deeper into Malick’s visionary work and his cinematic legacy through interviews with his collaborators and cast members as well as with directors Christopher Nolan and David Fincher who share an appreciation for his work.

Under Malick’s careful direction THE TREE OF LIFE showcases complicated and haunting powerhouse performances by Academy-Award® nominee Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Academy Award® winner Sean Penn (Milk, Mystic River)and newcomer Jessica Chastain (The Help).

An impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s, the film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn), through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt).

THE TREE OF LIFE Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a bonus DVD and Digital Copy version of the film. Pre-book date is September 14.

Fox Searchlight Pictures and River Road Entertainment present THE TREE OF LIFE, written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. The producers are Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.

The Tree of Life Blu-ray Triple Play: (Catalog # 2274934)
Street Date: October 11, 2011
Pre-book Date: September 14, 2011
Screen Format: 16.9 (1.85:1)
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD-Master Audio
Subtitles: English, Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Total Run Time (BD): 3 hours, 1 minute
Total Run Time (DVD): 2 hours, 19 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

THE TREE OF LIFE Is Released On Blu-Ray Combo Pack October 11th

Terrence Malick’s TREE OF LIFE Wins Palme d’Or At 64th Cannes Film Festival; Best Actress Goes To Kirsten Dunst In MELANCHOLIA


President of the Jury Robert De Niro with the laureates of the 2011 Festival de Cannes – © Photo AFP

The official Jury of this 64th Festival de Cannes, presided over by Robert De Niro, revealed this evening the prize winners during the Closing Ceremony. Mélanie Laurent hosted Jane Fonda on the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière to award the Palme d’or to the best film out of the 20 In Competition

The Palme d’Or was awarded to Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life. After receiving his prize from Fonda, the producer of the film, Bill Pohlad, said: 

“I have always wanted to speak French, and tonight more than ever. Tonight I have to take the place of a giant. Terrence Malick is very shy and discreet. But I spoke to him today and I know he is very happy to receive this honour. The Tree Of Life was a long journey, but it was all worth it. I would like to thank especially the Festival de Cannes.”

FEATURE FILMS

Palme d’Or
THE TREE OF LIFE by Terrence MALICK

Grand Prix

BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU’DA (Once Upon A Time In Anatolia) by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN

THE KID WITH A BIKE by Jean-Pierre & Luc DARDENNE

Award for Best Director
Nicolas WINDING REFN for DRIVE

Jury Prize
POLISS by MAÏWENN

Award for Best Actor
Jean DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST by Michel HAZANAVICIUS

Award for Best Actress
Kirsten DUNST in MELANCHOLIA by Lars von TRIER

Award for Best Screenplay
Joseph CEDAR for FOOTNOTE

SHORT FILMS

Palme d’Or
CROSS-COUNTRY by Maryna VRODA

Jury Prize
BADPAKJE 46 (Swimsuit 46) by Wannes DESTOOP

CAMERA D’OR
LAS ACACIAS by Pablo GIORGELLI presented during CRITICS’ WEEK

UN CERTAIN REGARD

UN CERTAIN REGARD PRIZE Ex-æquo
ARIRANG by KIM Ki-Duk

HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (Stopped on Track) by Andreas DRESEN

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
ELENA by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV

AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
BÉ OMID É DIDAR (Au revoir) by Mohammad RASOULOF

CINEFONDATION

First Prize Cinéfondation
DER BRIEF (The Letter) by Doroteya Droumeva
dffb, Germany

Second Prize Cinéfondation
DRARI by Kamal Lazraq
La Fémis, France

Third Prize Cinéfondation
YA-GAN-BI-HANG (Fly by Night) by Son Tae-gyum
Chung-Ang University, South Korea

The Jury of the CST has awarded the “PRIX VULCAIN DE L’ARTISTE-TECHNICIEN” to:

José Luis ALCAINE, for his work on lighting to support the storyline in the film, LA PIEL QUE HABITO by Pedro ALMODÓVAR.

Special Distinction: Joe BINI and Paul DAVIES for WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lynne RAMSAY.

Watch Brad Pitt In This New TREE OF LIFE Clip

Fox Searchlight’s Brad Pitt-centric THE TREE OF LIFE clip is here. Look for the film in theaters two weeks from today, May 27th.

In case you missed it, here’s another look at the trailer.

The final three THE TREE OF LIFE stills appeared on their Tumblr, Two Ways Through Life site today.

Synopsis:

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as BADLANDS, DAYS OF HEAVEN and THE THIN RED LINE, THE TREE OF LIFE is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

From Fox Searchlight Pictures, THE TREE OF LIFE will be in theaters on May 27th, 2011. “Like” the film on Facebook HERE.

New Poster for Terrence Malick’s TREE OF LIFE

A brand new, official poster for Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE was unveiled exclusively over on IMDB.com today. How ’bout that dinosaur two clicks down from “The Tree of Life.” It is a dinosaur, right?

Synopsis:

The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

From Fox Searchlight Pictures, THE TREE OF LIFE will be in theaters on May 27th, 2011. “Like” the film on Facebook HERE.

Official Trailer For THE TREE OF LIFE

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as BADLANDS, DAYS OF HEAVEN and THE THIN RED LINE, comes the first trailer for THE TREE OF LIFE, the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s.

What’s everyone think? Another beautiful film from a genius or just more pretentious Malick garbage?

Synopsis:

The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

From Fox Searchlight Pictures, THE TREE OF LIFE will be in theaters on May 27th, 2011.

Terrence Malick Becoming a Workaholic?

Two movies within five years of each other?   You bet your ass, Terrence Malick is becoming a workaholic.   Not only that, he’s re-teaming with his THE NEW WORLD co-lead, Christian Bale.   At least, that is what Nikki Finke is reporting over at Deadline Hollywood.   According to her report, Malick, who isn’t one to jump onto a project without much thought, is prepping a love story and that he has already brought on Bale, Javier Bardem, Olga Kurylenko, and Rachel McAdams to star.

There isn’t much else to report on from her article other than shooting is set to begin in the Fall and FilmNation Entertainment has already stepped up for international distribution.   Regardless of the plot, though, you know the film is going to be methodically pieced together just as every, other Malick project has before it.   If Terrence Malick deserves credit for anything, it’s for taking his time with this projects and putting out the absolute best film he can.

Malick’s next film, TREE OF LIFE, starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt is set to bow at Cannes this year.

New Details about Malick’s ‘The Tree of Life’

earth_treeoflife

Remember in ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ when the mice build the super computer to determine the answer to the ultimate question? Well, Terrence Malick’s new movie ‘The Tree of Life’ sounds gran on the same scale, but not at all in the same way.

‘The Tree of Life’ essentially spans the history of the universe. Recently revealed is the news that (one part of) the movie will feature dinosaurs. I know, crazy, right? Well, not when you take the previous information into account.

Here’s the plot synopsis from Summit Entertainment:

Our picture is a cosmic epic, a hymn to life.

We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world’s way, of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth.

Framing this story is that of adult Jack, a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part. When he sees all that has gone into our world’s preparation, each thing appears a miracle — precious, incomparable. Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life.

The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family — our first school — the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life’s single most important lesson, of unselfish love.

As for the dinosaurs, this news comes from FX artist Mike Fink in an interview with Empire Magazine:

We’re just starting work on a project for Terrence Malick, animating dinosaurs, the film is The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. It’ll be showing in IMAX — so the dinosaurs will actually be life size — and the shots of the creatures will be long and lingering.

Oh yeah, did you catch the part about IMAX? Cool! By the way, I forgot to mention the movie will star Brad Pitt and Sean Penn… so, there!

[source: CHUD.com]