To the Wonder (2012)

You spin me right round baby, right round

Neil and Marina are in love.  Then they're not.  And there's a priest.  And some twirling around.  Like every other Terrance Malick film, this one is gorgeously shot.  It is atmospheric and fluid.  Sadly, it is also tedious and boring.  About halfway into it, I was already wishing it was over.  Don't get me wrong, I am big fan of Terrance Malick and think he is brilliant.  Lots of pointless twirling, an overdose of voice overs, and not much story cause this one to fall way short of Malick's past masterpieces.

I usually don't quote other critics' reviews, but I came across two reviews that sum up the film really well, so I couldn't resist.  Michael Posner called it "a project that veers perilously close to self-parody."  Another review from John Anderson, likened the film it to a perfume commercial. 

Disappointingly, To the Wonder only gets 2 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Terrence Malick

Writer: Terrance Malick

Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams

Rotten Tomatoes: 44%

Metacritic: 58%

Gravity 3D (2013)

Oh the wonder

A routine space shuttle mission to repair the Hubble telescope goes horribly wrong.  The next two hours is a white knuckle ride through space.  My buddy Landon who saw it with me described Gravity with one perfect word - wonder.  It is rare than a film provokes a sense of wonder.  I think the last film I saw that really did this was Terrance Malick's Tree of Life. Gravity is a showcase for Cuarón's mastery of writing, imagination, and film making.  He resists the tendency to focus on anything else but the action.  And even when things slow down in this film, it is still tense.  Actually calling this film 'tense' is an understatement, like calling the new pope a nice guy.  Gravity is pure thriller at heart.  This film singlehandedly convinced me that I never ever want to go into space.  Lastly, I don't care for the new Hollywood wave of making almost every film a 3D movie, but having seen this one in 3D, I can't even imagine seeing it in regular 2D.  The 3D presentation was as much a character as the actors and added so much to an already amazing film. 

Gravity 3D showed some serious wow factor to get 5 out of 5 Poblanos!!

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writer: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 96%

Upstream Color (2013)

So dreamy...

Two people's lives are intertwined when they are infected by the same parasite.  Sounds weird?  It is, a little, but in a good way.  Shane Carruth (Primer) returns with a very different, yet equally engaging film.  Watching it made me feel like I was seeing a Terrance Malick film.  Carruth gives us narrative wrapped in a dream-like atmosphere which is part sci-fi, part thriller, part love story.  This is one of those rare films that is good on every level.  Carruth is one of my favorite younger filmmakers and I can't wait to see what the rest of his career looks like.  Bring it on Shane!!

Upstream Color earns every one of its 5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Shane Carruth
Writer: Shane Carruth
Starring: Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz, Frank Mosley
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 81 out of 100

The Tree of Life (2011)

Feeling that transcends film
Childhood memories and family tensions populate Terrance Malick's Cannes favorite.  The plot meanders through time, but emotion holds center stage.  Brad Pitt shows his acting prowess as the father of three young boys.  A great display of film as art which invokes many emotions.  Recommended if you like The Thin Red Line.

Ambitious, transcendent, thoughtful, and impacting, Malick's The Tree of Life produces 5 out of 5 Poblanos!


Director:  Terrance Malick
Writer:  Terrance Malick
Starring:  Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain
Rotten Tomatoes -  85%
Metacritic - 85 out of 100