The Tree of Life Review

Jessica Chastain wandering in the distance in The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

A+

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

Few directors have achieved as much buzz and popularity with as few films as Terence Malick. In only his fifth film in almost just as many decades Malick is reaching for the stars (quite literally at some points). The Tree of Life is the most deeply ambitious film I have seen sense Stanly Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001 a Space Odyssey. It’s a coming of age story mixed with the evolution of life on earth and loads of dreamlike metaphors. The film at one point even has dinosaurs! Surprisingly though all of the film works together in a package that is both a brilliant piece of film making and the best film I have seen so far this year.

The meat of the film focuses on a family in a small town in Texas. Raising three young boys are their parents, a mean yet affectionate father (Brad Pitt) and a mother who seems disconnected with the world around her (Jessica Chastain). For the most part the story focuses on the elder brother Jack (Hunter McCracken as a child and Sean Penn as an adult) who has the weight of expectations on his back. As he goes through childhood he gets angrier and angrier at his parents and the world around him until his breaking point is reached.

The rest of the film is way all over the place. Some of it follows a middle age Jack struggling to find his identity and his place in the world. Then there are the scenes witch depicts both the creation of the earth, prehistoric times and the afterlife. There are also scenes of dreamlike metaphors that while slightly odd add a point to the adult Jack sections of the film.

In a way The Tree of Life is defiantly plot less. Instead of concrete scenes it uses wisps of memories and emotions to convey its point. It relies less on concrete ideas and more so on bits of sight and sound. Dialogue in this film is scarce and mostly in voiceovers. Instead the film is dominated with images and music that helps convey the mood and emotion of each scene. The Tree of Life makes us truly rethink the way film is presented. It’s scattered yet tightly controlled and while in a way that is both grand a beautiful.

If there were any complaint I have with the film is that sometimes the Sean Penn scenes feel a bit unnecessary. Sean Penn has all of two lines of dialogue and kind of feels tacked on. It never really affects the film at all but sometimes it just feels kind of there. Also while some complain about the necessity of the creation scenes I think they add a lot to the film and truly put in prospective the problems and struggles of humans in contrast to the scope and grandeur of the universe.

As far as performances go everyone is great here. Brad Pitt is brilliant as the mean and sometimes abusive father. Pitt has a great energy that he brings to the role. Jessica Chastain who is a fairly fresh face is very good as a mother who feels a bit out of this world. The best actor in the film though is truly Hunter McCracken who is stunning as a confused and angry young child. His role is quiet and subtle yet daring and personal. For a child actor he has a wonderful maturity.

The real spectacles here are the visuals and sound. From beginning The Tree of Life is a gorgeous film with beautiful cinematography and fantastic visual design. Malick creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere for most of the film that really bring you in to the experience. As well Alexandre Desplat’s score is through the roof as it adds a whole new layer to the experience. Not since films like 2001 a Space Odyssey and Amadeus has music made such an impact on the film itself.

While it may take a couple more viewings to determine whether Malick has created a true modern masterpiece, The Tree of Life is undoubtedly one of the best films I have seen in a while. It’s refreshing to see something so ambitious and intelligent hit the cinema in an age where films like this are so rare. It truly challenges the way film is structured and the way us the audience view film. Challenging, emotional and beautiful The Tree of Life is by far the best film to come out in 2011 so far.

Cowboys & Aliens Review

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford along with a lot of cowboys in Cowboys and Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

B

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

What happens when you try to mix a western and a sci-fi film together? You get Cowboys and Aliens, a film that tries to bring out the best of both genres. The question is how well does it succeed. While Cowboys and Aliens may have some flaws it’s a fun, solid summer action film.

The plot begins when Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) finds himself in the American west, in the middle of nowhere, and with a funky bracelet firmly attached to his right hand. He soon finds himself in trouble with both the local law and with the town cattle provider Cornel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Then Aliens show up. This changes everything as now the whole west must work together to stop the evil beings.

Storytelling here is surprisingly strong for this kind of film. The problem is the tone. This film attempts to be dark and compelling when in truth there’s not enough material to push the film forwards. While there are some solid thematic moments it lacks the characters to really get behind. There is the gritty old guy and the hulking hero and some more caricatures in between but again no one I really connected to. Also when it tries to have those “trying to be dark and compelling moments” it drags the film down making the 118 minutes feel a little long.

Acting is solid across the board. Daniel Craig channels a little Bond here as the outlay Lonergan. While he doesn’t say much he dose do a solid job in this film as the hero, who just like the rest of us is trying to find out what the heck is going on. Harrison Ford is awesome as the old grisly Dolarnyde. He truly has a little fun with the role and it shows as I was having fun with him. Olivia Wilde plays the townsfolk who likes to give out random information at random times (yes another one of those characters) and manages not to be annoying unlike Gemma Arterton in Clash of the Titans.

What truly takes the cake are the direction and the special effects. The whole film feels like an old western mixed with an Alien style sci-fi film. Got to hand it to Jon Favreau for setting the atmosphere right off the bat. As well the action set pieces shine with gorgeous cinematography and clean editing. I always knew what was going on at every second and never got thrown into a state of confusion or nausea. Finally the best thing about it all it’s not in 3D so no motion blurring or dull colors.

Cowboys and Aliens is good summer fun. While it doesn’t have enough dramatic material to justify the tone or the running time it still manages to entertain with great atmosphere and direction. With a summer full of 3D origin stories, sequels, and Transformers it’s nice to see something stepping out of the box and giving this summer a breath of fresh air.

Caching up on DVD: Source Code Review

Captain Colter Stevens and Christina Warren prepare to be blown up in Source Code

Source Code

B+

A review by Frederick Cholowski

2 years ago new director Duncan Jones jumped onto the scene with the amazing film Moon. Now he has a bigger budget, another solid cast, and another twisted sci-fi storyline. Jones has a great creative vision and a passion for sci-fi and it shows in Source Code. While not quite as good as Moon, Source Code is still both more innovative and intelligent than most other films in the sci-fi genre.

Source Code follows Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who right at the beginning of the film finds himself on a train as another person. Before he has any time to collect what is happening the train explodes killing everyone on board. He then wakes up in a capsule and being talked to by one of the leaders of the operation Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). Apparently Stevens is a pawn in the Source Code experiment. The U.S. government is concerned about the train bombing because they think that it will lead to another bombing in Chicago. Stevens goes to an alternate reality version of the train incident for 8 minutes disguised as a teacher to try and find the bomber.

Source Code is a very fast paced thriller. At only 93 minutes long Source Code goes by in an instant well still developing the plot and characters. It gives you the since of frantic desperation as not only is Captain Stevens being forced to race against time, but he has to find out what is going on in the process. The main problem with the film is the ending. All the way up to about the last 20 minutes the film is fast pace and frantic. Then it slows down rapidly into an ending that doesn’t work for me at all.

Performances are solid across the board here. Gyllenhaal is actually quite impressive here compared to prior performances. Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffery Wright are all solid here. No one stands out for better or for worse.

The real standouts here are the cinematography and direction. The way the Camera moves gives off the right feel at any time. When we need to feel rushed we feel rushed. When Stevens is in the capsule it feels cramped and claustrophobic. The direction works well with a mix of quick cuts and lingering shots. It gives off a very sleek and modern feel a change from the older feel of Moon.

Source Code is a good action thriller. It’s fast paced and a lot of fun. While the ending is unsatisfying and the performances unmemorable the good greatly out ways the bad. In two films Duncan Jones has managed to establish himself as one of the premier young talents of the last couple of years. He brings a breath of fresh air to sci-fi and I cannot wait for what he tries next.