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Post by Shep on Jan 21, 2006 18:57:53 GMT -5
Mrs. Shep and I caught writer/director Terrence Malick's "The New World" today. It's definitely not your traditional historical drama, but a meditation on love and loss set against the European and Native American class of cultures. The director's signature poetic images and voice-overs are in full force here, and thankfully it's some of the best stuff he's ever shot.
Like Malick's other films, you'll probably either hate "The New World" (and be bored to tears) or be quietly blown away. Personally I think Malick is one of a handful of great filmmakers around today and encourage you to check out "New World" and his earlier films "Badlands," "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line."
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Post by losingmydignity on Jan 21, 2006 19:04:07 GMT -5
Mrs. Shep and I caught writer/director Terrence Malick's "The New World" today. It's definitely not your traditional historical drama, but a meditation on love and loss set against the European and Native American class of cultures. The director's signature poetic images and voice-overs are in full force here, and thankfully it's some of the best stuff he's ever shot. Like Malick's other films, you'll probably either hate "The New World" (and be bored to tears) or be quietly blown away. Personally I think Malick is one of a handful of great filmmakers around today and encourage you to check out "New World" and his earlier films "Badlands," "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line." A friend of mine who is a fan of Malick said this one is just a little "too slick" and pretty for it's own good. I can't remember his exact words but he did say Malick's signature images and poetry is a little overdone here. |
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Post by ijon on Jan 21, 2006 20:40:16 GMT -5
Sounds interesting, I quite liked Thin Red Line.
North America I assume. What era Shep? Early explorers, settlers?
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Post by Shep on Jan 21, 2006 20:55:58 GMT -5
Sounds interesting, I quite liked Thin Red Line. North America I assume. What era Shep? Early explorers, settlers? "Badlands" and "Thin Red Line" are my personal faves. All good films though. Yeah, it's 1600s John Smith and Pocahontas (though she's never actually called that in the film). The actress who plays Pocahontas is amazing, as is the nearly wordless sequence where she and the captain slowly fall in love. |
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Post by Shep on Jan 21, 2006 22:20:51 GMT -5
Mrs. Shep and I caught writer/director Terrence Malick's "The New World" today. It's definitely not your traditional historical drama, but a meditation on love and loss set against the European and Native American class of cultures. The director's signature poetic images and voice-overs are in full force here, and thankfully it's some of the best stuff he's ever shot. Like Malick's other films, you'll probably either hate "The New World" (and be bored to tears) or be quietly blown away. Personally I think Malick is one of a handful of great filmmakers around today and encourage you to check out "New World" and his earlier films "Badlands," "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line." A friend of mine who is a fan of Malick said this one is just a little "too slick" and pretty for it's own good. I can't remember his exact words but he did say Malick's signature images and poetry is a little overdone here. I can see where your friend is coming from. Certainly Malick's last two films would indicate he's abandoned his quirky, more realistic characters (Kit in "Badlands," Linda in "Days") in favor of "everymen" and "spirit of the earth" narrations. And the films are getting more surrealistic--not that that's necessarily bad IMO. Wish I could have seen "New World" in NY or LA. They chopped out 15 min for the nationwide release. |
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Post by ijon on Jan 22, 2006 6:51:32 GMT -5
Anybody see a Mexican film from a few years back called (I think) Cabeza de Vaca? Sounds like it might make an interesting comparison.
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Post by Shep on Jan 22, 2006 12:40:13 GMT -5
Another Malick project worth a look is "Pocket Money," which he wrote (and cameos in) but did not direct. It features the misadventures of a dumb, yet honest Texas cowboy (Paul Neuman) and his drunken conman partner (Lee Marvin) sent to Mexico to purchase cattle for sleazy businessmen Wayne Rogers and the always-hilarious Strother Martin.
Neuman seems a bit miscast (think how good a young Jon Voight would have been in this part), but Marvin is great and Malick's script is full of quirky, offbeat characters and funny dialog. In a way, it plays like a run-through for the classic Kit dialog he would write in "Badlands."
Not a great film by any means, but a must-see for fans of the writer/director.
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Post by losingmydignity on Jan 22, 2006 15:41:48 GMT -5
Badlands is one of my favorite films.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 22, 2006 19:26:25 GMT -5
"Thin Red Line" is one of the best World War 2 movies ever made. Far better than "Saving Private Ryan", which was released the same year. Far better.
I love the way he (Malick) takes time to make the setting seem incredibly real. I remember a terrific long shot on blades of grass in "The Thin Red Line" that made it almost smell like I was there.
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Post by Shep on Jan 22, 2006 20:17:19 GMT -5
"Thin Red Line" is one of the best World War 2 movies ever made. Far better than "Saving Private Ryan", which was released the same year. Far better. I love the way he (Malick) takes time to make the setting seem incredibly real. I remember a terrific long shot on blades of grass in "The Thin Red Line" that made it almost smell like I was there. I agree. Amazing film. Certainly "Thin Red Line's" script blew "Private Ryan's" away. |
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Post by ijon on Jan 22, 2006 21:30:45 GMT -5
Have you noticed a tendency for people to like Thin Red Line or Private Ryan but not both?
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Post by losingmydignity on Jan 24, 2006 17:18:17 GMT -5
Have you noticed a tendency for people to like Thin Red Line or Private Ryan but not both? Private Ryan is basically an old fashioned John Wayne type of war film dressed up in new clothing. It's two different films...the battle scenes shot doc style are slick but steal their best effects from Kurosawa. The rest of the film could have been written and made in the nineteen fifties. These styles really clash. Thin Red Line is stylistcally consistent, a remarkable film. I did have a problem with the oddly idealized flashbacks to the soldier's wife at home....they looked like a tv commercial version of the forties to me. |
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 24, 2006 20:07:43 GMT -5
I liked Saving Private Ryan...it's not perfect, but I honestly think that it's main goal was to present war realistically. I think it did well. I think it did that for the first 1/3 of the film. After that, I agree with LMD. It felt like old school WW2 movies to me. I think The Thin Red Line did a better job (overall) of presenting the emotional realities of war realistically. In many ways, it made me feel like I was there. Private Ryan made me feel like I was watching a documentary followed by "Kelly's Heroes". |
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Post by Shep on Jan 24, 2006 20:28:48 GMT -5
Spielberg certainly did a good job with the battle scenes in the opening and closing.
And "Private Ryan" definitely beat "Red Line" in the Battle of the Box Office. I don't think any of Malick's films have been commerically successful, and I know for a fact the studio exec who greenlighted "Red Line" along with "Fight Club" (easily two of the best films of the 90s IMO) got canned because both of those lost money.
When I saw "Red Line" on the big screen I was amazed by how many people walked out of that incredible film. Bored, I guess? Christ, I don't understand it.
A couple people walked out on "New World," too, last weekend. Malick is making some good stuff, but the poor guy can't seem to catch a break commercially.
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Post by Shep on Jan 24, 2006 20:33:24 GMT -5
Somewhat obscure bit of Malick trivia:
He worked on the screenplay for "Dirty Harry" back when it was going to be a vehicle for Marlon Brando. Not sure if any of his stuff made it into the final film, but he didn't get credit anyway.
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