The Tree of Life

All these pictures are in the movie, so you won't be surprised that a story about

children has nature and space scenes. 

imdb   Photos

Plot, to the extent there is a plot: A woman (Jessica Chastain) finds out her son died. The life of the dead boy is retold in flashback. There are long sequences of wildlife and animations of astronomy to illustrate spiritual themes.

Review: Most important, this is not really a movie. It is a visual poem. It shows pictures, plays music, and whispers dialog to make people think and perhaps feel. For example the movie made me feel sleepy. Also bored. I just can't recommend a movie that I found as un-endurable as this.

There were good things in the movie. There were some great photographic shots especially of architecture, and some wonderful nature scenes.

The movie gets points for taking on big issues -- really the biggest ones about life and death, loss, children and parents. It dances around spirituality, but I don't think it says anything about spirituality, but it might provide a reason to talk about it.

There are lots of things to talk about, for example was Mr. O'Brien (Brad Pitt) a realistic 1960's parent, or an idealized one in that he was always talking about love and hugging his kids. Another example is what was the visual bumper that divided the sequences.

Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn

Written and directed by: Terrence Malick

Rating: 1.5 stars; I left he theater thinking that this was an unpleasant experience, and I wasted four hours (because of the long drive to the theater.) However, the film does provide the starting point for good conversation, and it grapples with big issues. I only recommend this to grieving parents and film students.

If I were rating a non-movie piece of visual art or "visual poems", then this would rate higher.



More: At the theater I saw the film at (Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan,) the colors were washed out and gray. I think that the photography was probably adequate but the theater's equipment was not up to standard.

Yet More: My wife thinks I am a troglodyte for giving a poor rating to a film that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but I am not going to sell out and give a higher rating than the movie deserves.

Still More: The art house movie circuit needs better films than this. If the big award winners are this hard to watch, who will want to come back?

X-Men: First Class

imdb   Photos
Plot:  This prequel is the origin story of Professor X/ Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and villain Magneto/Erik Lehnsheer (Michael Fassbender).  Erik is a holocaust survivor, and he is hunting down Nazis war criminals, and especially Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a scientist who killed his mother. Shaw is busy trying to stage the Cuban missile crisis believing the radiation following a nuclear war would create millions of mutant people. Charles, Erik and the CIA work together to stop Shaw.

Review: Origin stories are the most interesting part of super hero movies, and that is true here. We are familiar with the characters, and it is interesting to see them as freaky people turning into superheros. 


Throughout there is a theme of  "I need to accept myself and my differences -- other people need to accept this too." When Stan Lee wrote  these stories in 1963, I am sure it was an allegory for race, and it still is, but today the theme of accepting diversity applies even more widely. X-Men teaches that differences are desirable gifts, which is good for young people who are certain that their differences make them rejects. 


The second theme is balance between selfish concern for the clan and humanitarian concern for the whole society. This conflict plays out with Charles against both Shaw and Erik. 


The best part is the group acting among the different minor superheros. Janes McAvoy plays Charles with a good balance of patrician wisdom and uncertainty. Kevin Bacon owns the screen during his brief scenes. The special effects are up to standard, however they did a nice job with Mystique's shape shifting, and how Angel could fly on her dragonfly wings.


Most of the superhero powers are ridiculous; they seem less ridiculous because they are familiar. The superhero battle scenes were more strange than cool, and they broke up the flow of the movie. It is not that interesting watching someone wield magnetic force. The final battle did not seem climatic or dramatic or fun. 

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Rating: 2.5 stars; An interesting and entertaining movie, but not that fun to watch.

More: 

Hank McCoy: You have no idea what I'd give to feel...
Raven Darkholme: Normal.