Movies Of The Near Future: LAWLESS.

Wettest County was on my list of 50 most eagerly-awaited movies of the year.  It’s not called that anymore, though.  Now it’s going by the handle Lawless, a much more generic title which sounds a little cooler after knowing it was generously bestowed upon the movie by none other than Terrence Malick.  Whatever it’s called, it’s [...]

Movie Review: THE TREE OF LIFE (2011).

In my piece on Hugo, I struggled with this word “masterpiece.” How would you know if you saw a masterpiece? How many viewings would it take before you were sure? In my lifetime, I’ve had the suspicion that a movie I just watched could be considered a masterpiece. Sometimes time and the critical consensus bore [...]

From The Archives: THE NEW WORLD (2005).

I did not rush out to see this movie on the largest possible screens when it was released nearly six years ago, and more the fool I for that.  It’s kind of incredible. In their list of the top fifty films of the past decade, the Onion’s A.V. Club, one of my favorite daily web destinations, rated [...]

What I Watched 3.2.11: Days Of Heaven.

Writing about a Terence Malick movie is like trying to describe a sunset. It’s kinda futile. Many better writers have done it before, and their efforts were probably ultimately futile too. You just have to see it for yourself to get the full effect. Days Of Heaven stars Richard Gere (so much better here than in his later [...]

What I Watched 2.28.11: Badlands/ The Social Network.

  The Social Network needs no introducing at this point. Click on the poster to read my extended thoughts on it. Badlands is a nearly-thirty-year-old movie directed by the decidedly non-prolific Terence Malick, whose movies are universally amazing.  “Amazing” is an over-used word, but in this case it’s accurate.  Malick’s movies show a humanist worldview.  He [...]