Terrence Malick
I love me some TM. Terrence Malick is one of those film director who I am thankful I am alive to witness. I have been aware of him from an early age. His reputation for being difficult, hard to see (reclusive) and highly auteuristic made me fall in love. Seeing one of his films at home is an experience. Seeing a Terrence Malick film in the theater is an absolutely awe-inspiring event.
By no means "unappreciated" as the title suggests, this term means not appreciated enough. In Malick's case the title is proof - no amount of celebration could warrant what this man is worth. He's a gift to cinema. When you study film you realize there are very few who have such a distinctive stamp that they inevitably alter everything that comes after them. To me, that's the case with Malick. He broke the mold and inspired gazillions of copycats. A sharp eye can find a touch of Malick in pretty much everything in theaters today...and tomorrow...and forty years from now...
It was a difficult task to select five to rank from his total body of work. It was like childbirth trying to twist these and come to a decision over my top number-one super-duper slot. Each of his films is something cherished and unique. It's really hard to nail one on top of the heap but...to keep with the theme here, I gave it my best, well-thought out attempt. Ahem...
5) "THE NEW WORLD" (2005): The story of Pochahontas. I'd say this is the weakest of the films directed by Terrence Malick - but even the weakest wins awards. Taking five different awards The New World is remarkable for both its cinematography and its historical accuracy. Malick being Malick has created (I'm not sure really) three or four different cuts of this movie, so the longer the better is the rule with me. The acting in this is brilliant. I typically cannot stand the Colin of Farrell but in this he is actually watchable. The beauty of a Malick film is pungent and if anything - should be a valid reason for you to at least check this one out. Not a classic yet - it will be. This film came seven years after The Thin Red Line and did not do nearly as well at the box office. Christopher Plummer is also in this. He doesn't sing Edelweiss, but he's still incredible.
4) "TREE OF LIFE" (2011): This one grew on me but it took three viewings. The first time...I was kind of disappointed. Approach this one with an open mind and lots of patience. It's going to come off a bit scattered at first ... but that's all part of a masterful trick. I think if I were to rank these movies in ten years, this one would place higher. I'm not the only one that thinks this is a pretty good flick - it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011. Not only that - it was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography). Sight & Sound critics poll ranked this as one of the 10 greatest films ever made. So...yeah. It's like really thought-provoking eye candy. If this isn't making you drool yet - it also stars Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. If you pay attention and really watch closely, you'll learn the meaning of life in Tree of Life. It's just that good.
3) "THE THIN RED LINE" (1998): War movies aren't always my thing. There has to be something of a human or emotional element behind all the explosions and gore to capture my affection. If I were making a film festival line-up of great war films ... The Thin Red Line would play on the final night. I saw this when it originally came out. In 1998 - after a twenty year disappearance from any/all public view, Terrence Malick was back! As a fan of both his previous films - I got caught up in the hype...and I'm glad I did. This is one of the best films ever made about climbing up a hill. Every single shot and composition is intoxicating...hypnotic...compulsively watchable. The original cut ran nearly two hours longer and took Malick a record-breaking amount of time to edit (this is the prime example of where he sealed his reputation for taking an eternity - last time was Days of Heaven). He edited out entire subplots, cameos and sidelines. By the final cut, some of the performances lost included Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, Jason Patric, Viggo Mortensen and Micky Rourke. But that's nothing! Look at who's still in the film's final cut: Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson and John Travolta (just to name the leads). There is so much to love about this film it justifies Malick's difficult reputation. Two words: the grass.
2) "DAYS OF HEAVEN" (1978): I bet I've seen this two hundred times or more. The only reason I'd notice something like that is solely because this movie is the polar opposite of the type of movie I enjoy. It's a damn love story...a period piece, for God's sake. It even has Richard Gere in the lead role and everyone knows he kind of creeps me out...but somehow, Terrence Malick makes none of this important, sucks me into the wheat...the scandal...the drama, and then burns me to the back of my retinas and beyond. I've seen this numerous times in theaters and that's the recommended venue to first experience this film. Sit close ... even if you hate sitting close to the screen, you'll thank me. Watching this movie is like watching a painting come to life. It really is. The plot is Malick at his finest. Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer-winning playwright plays an astounding role as wife to Brooke Adams. This relationship smoulders on such a delicious simmer you can hardly stand it because (*cue drumroll*) Richard Gere is her real snooky-dumplin' and she's just playing along with the marriage so they can fleece Sam Shepard's character out of his wealth. Or just generally use him while leading him to believe Gere is Adams' brother. Things get awkward when he catches them making sexy-eyes at each other. The climax (which might not sound very climactic here) is a fire and plague of locusts - of Biblical proportions. Every frame, every second, every music cue, angle and word of this film is perfection. I have to stop talking about it now - I get over-stimulated, my blood pressure skyrockets and I pee on myself. I gotta stop doing that...
1) "BADLANDS" (1973): Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen. Oh...I needed to say more? This was Terrence Malick's first film and will one day slap Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With The Wind (and anything else that thinks it's hot sh*t) out of the way for first place - best movie of all time. I first caught this as a kid on late-night television. It's where I fell in love with Sissy Spacek for the first time. The poster is iconic. I could paint it in my sleep. The storyline is gripping, tight and (despite how many times you may have seen it re-done) was completely original for its time. Narrated with voice overs by Holly (Spacek), this is a movie you can't live without seeing at least once. It's romantic. It's gory. It's funny. It's gasp-worthy beautiful. It's suspenseful. It's got chase sequences. It's tense yet light. There is just simply no better Terrence Malick film than Badlands...yet. Yet, I said. I put nothing past this incredible director and I wake up every morning and thank God we share the same air. He's a gift and every time he releases a new film you should grab everyone who still likes you and go see it immediately. The greatest of all living directors, Badlands is Terrence Malick's finest moment.
5) "THE NEW WORLD" (2005): The story of Pochahontas. I'd say this is the weakest of the films directed by Terrence Malick - but even the weakest wins awards. Taking five different awards The New World is remarkable for both its cinematography and its historical accuracy. Malick being Malick has created (I'm not sure really) three or four different cuts of this movie, so the longer the better is the rule with me. The acting in this is brilliant. I typically cannot stand the Colin of Farrell but in this he is actually watchable. The beauty of a Malick film is pungent and if anything - should be a valid reason for you to at least check this one out. Not a classic yet - it will be. This film came seven years after The Thin Red Line and did not do nearly as well at the box office. Christopher Plummer is also in this. He doesn't sing Edelweiss, but he's still incredible.
4) "TREE OF LIFE" (2011): This one grew on me but it took three viewings. The first time...I was kind of disappointed. Approach this one with an open mind and lots of patience. It's going to come off a bit scattered at first ... but that's all part of a masterful trick. I think if I were to rank these movies in ten years, this one would place higher. I'm not the only one that thinks this is a pretty good flick - it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011. Not only that - it was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography). Sight & Sound critics poll ranked this as one of the 10 greatest films ever made. So...yeah. It's like really thought-provoking eye candy. If this isn't making you drool yet - it also stars Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. If you pay attention and really watch closely, you'll learn the meaning of life in Tree of Life. It's just that good.
3) "THE THIN RED LINE" (1998): War movies aren't always my thing. There has to be something of a human or emotional element behind all the explosions and gore to capture my affection. If I were making a film festival line-up of great war films ... The Thin Red Line would play on the final night. I saw this when it originally came out. In 1998 - after a twenty year disappearance from any/all public view, Terrence Malick was back! As a fan of both his previous films - I got caught up in the hype...and I'm glad I did. This is one of the best films ever made about climbing up a hill. Every single shot and composition is intoxicating...hypnotic...compulsively watchable. The original cut ran nearly two hours longer and took Malick a record-breaking amount of time to edit (this is the prime example of where he sealed his reputation for taking an eternity - last time was Days of Heaven). He edited out entire subplots, cameos and sidelines. By the final cut, some of the performances lost included Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, Jason Patric, Viggo Mortensen and Micky Rourke. But that's nothing! Look at who's still in the film's final cut: Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson and John Travolta (just to name the leads). There is so much to love about this film it justifies Malick's difficult reputation. Two words: the grass.
2) "DAYS OF HEAVEN" (1978): I bet I've seen this two hundred times or more. The only reason I'd notice something like that is solely because this movie is the polar opposite of the type of movie I enjoy. It's a damn love story...a period piece, for God's sake. It even has Richard Gere in the lead role and everyone knows he kind of creeps me out...but somehow, Terrence Malick makes none of this important, sucks me into the wheat...the scandal...the drama, and then burns me to the back of my retinas and beyond. I've seen this numerous times in theaters and that's the recommended venue to first experience this film. Sit close ... even if you hate sitting close to the screen, you'll thank me. Watching this movie is like watching a painting come to life. It really is. The plot is Malick at his finest. Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer-winning playwright plays an astounding role as wife to Brooke Adams. This relationship smoulders on such a delicious simmer you can hardly stand it because (*cue drumroll*) Richard Gere is her real snooky-dumplin' and she's just playing along with the marriage so they can fleece Sam Shepard's character out of his wealth. Or just generally use him while leading him to believe Gere is Adams' brother. Things get awkward when he catches them making sexy-eyes at each other. The climax (which might not sound very climactic here) is a fire and plague of locusts - of Biblical proportions. Every frame, every second, every music cue, angle and word of this film is perfection. I have to stop talking about it now - I get over-stimulated, my blood pressure skyrockets and I pee on myself. I gotta stop doing that...
1) "BADLANDS" (1973): Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen. Oh...I needed to say more? This was Terrence Malick's first film and will one day slap Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With The Wind (and anything else that thinks it's hot sh*t) out of the way for first place - best movie of all time. I first caught this as a kid on late-night television. It's where I fell in love with Sissy Spacek for the first time. The poster is iconic. I could paint it in my sleep. The storyline is gripping, tight and (despite how many times you may have seen it re-done) was completely original for its time. Narrated with voice overs by Holly (Spacek), this is a movie you can't live without seeing at least once. It's romantic. It's gory. It's funny. It's gasp-worthy beautiful. It's suspenseful. It's got chase sequences. It's tense yet light. There is just simply no better Terrence Malick film than Badlands...yet. Yet, I said. I put nothing past this incredible director and I wake up every morning and thank God we share the same air. He's a gift and every time he releases a new film you should grab everyone who still likes you and go see it immediately. The greatest of all living directors, Badlands is Terrence Malick's finest moment.
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