thecinemaniaclife

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Skies Alexandre Desplat The Tree of Life 

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The Tree of Life: A cinematic poem

"The Tree of Life", directed by Terrence Malick, it's a film that really defies any description possible, it’s by far one of the most visually beautiful films I’ve ever seen. While there is definitely a story running through the film, there's barely any dialogue and the story is non-linear.

"The Tree of Life" deals with some of the biggest and most complex spiritual and philosophical questions that we ask ourselves through our lives. It’s a very bold and challenging concept for a film and it is only possible from the mind of writer and director, Terrence Malick. The main focus of the film is on the contrast between nature and grace.  

The film focuses on the O’Brien family. Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt) symbolically represents the harsh realities and self-interest of nature and Mrs. O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) symbolically represents the mystery and wonder of grace. The interaction between them, their personalities, and the philosophies they represent is the heart of the film.

Another theme in the film is the relationship between the oldest son, Jack (as a boy played by Hunter McCracken, as a man played by Sean Penn) and his father. Mr. O’Brien clearly loves his sons, but he is also very strict and demanding. Young Jack struggles with his father’s personality and seeming hypocrisy.  

The contrasting force in the house is the loving and free-spirited Mrs. O’Brien. She balances out the harshness of her husband and provides a gateway for the boys to experience the world and enjoy the wonder through a child’s eyes.

The spiritual and philosophical themes are accentuated by the narrations that we hear throughout the movie, frequently by Mrs. O’Brien. It accents the story and asks many of the questions that the characters are thinking. 

The film itself is truly the masterpiece of director Terrence Malick, and iconic cinematographer Emmanuel Lubeski. It's an intense and amazing film. If you’ve never seen it, I would highly recommend it.

#Movie blog #cinematography #terrence malick #movie review #lubeski

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The nuns taught us there are two ways through life … the way of Nature… and the way of Grace. You have to choose which one you'll follow.

-The Tree of Life (2011)

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"Grace doesn't try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries."

"Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. Likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy... when all the world is shining around it... when love is smiling through all things."

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"I was one of the insatiables. The ones you’d always find sitting closest to the screen. Why do we sit so close? Maybe it was because we wanted to receive the images first. When they were still new, still fresh. Before they cleared the hurdles of the rows behind us. Before they’d been relayed back from row to row, spectator to spectator; until worn out, secondhand, the size of a postage stamp, it returned to the projectionist’s cabin. Maybe, too, the screen was really a screen. It screened us… from the world."

The Dreamers (2003)

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What if modern films belonged to another era?

Classic films often get remade with new actors and sometimes modern storyline, but what would happen if it went the other way? Imagine what if movies of the present age were thrown back to the old era? Who would star? How would the posters look like? 

Artist Peter Stults created some wonderfully creative posters reimagining what popular movies of today would be like if they have been made in a different time with the Hollywood stars of yore.

To see Peter Stults' entire "What If" collection visit: 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/2783319/What-if-Movies-reimagined-for-another-time-place

#what if #peter stults #Movie blog #movie posters

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Which Woody Allen phase suits you best?

Woody Allen is an acclaimed well-known director, writer and actor. He is one of the most important figures in American cinema, and is best known for his quirky and smart style. He has written and directed forty-five films in the last forty-eight years. But there are a lot of mixed feelings towards his work, wether people love him or hate him. Why is that? 

Throughout his career he has gone through different stages, he has been evolving every year and maybe that’s the reason some people seem to love some of his work, but hate other things he’s done. In his early years he was more of a comedy writer, and as the years passed by, he evolved into a more romantic, serious and even dramatic story teller.

Phase 1: The Comedian 1965-1975

In his first ten years of career he was recognized by his goofy, incongruous style, someway similar to the Marx brothers films in the use of physical and verbal comedy. Since those years he created a clumsy, jew character that will follow him through almost the rest of his movies, but in his early years it lacked of the melancholy and intellect that would characterized him as a Woody Allen persona later on.

Some of the movies that shape this Comedian phase are “Bananas”, “What’s up, tiger Lily?”, “Take the money and run”, “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask”, and my personal favorite “Sleeper”. 

So if you are more into deep, melancholic or romantic stories, this Woody Allen phase will definitely disappoint you. 

But if you're up to something simple and funny, you can find a lot of options in this era

Phase 2: The Serious Man 1976 - 1987

He was no longer satisfied with easy comedy, so he turned to a more serious, insightful look at love, and as with all his films that would come next, he has a fundamentally pessimistic view of love, but its tone is airy and accessible. His fascination of literature and philosophy reflects for the first time in this era. He creates a new discursive structure, in which he uses elements like talking directly to camera, moving back and forth in time, and using random gags when he feels they’re necessary. It wasn’t until this years that he finally got the recognition he deserved. 

"Annie Hall" is the most successful film of this phase, because it is the birth of modern-romantic American comedy as we know it, becoming the first Woody Allen movie to receive numerous awards. 

Some films that belong to this more serious phase are “Stardust Memories”, “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy”, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, “Hannah and Her Sisters”, “Radio Days”, and my personal favorite ones “Manhattan”, “Zelig” and of course “Annie Hall”. 

If you don’t enjoy any of the films that belong to this stage, Woody Allen is probably not meant for you, because it is here where he finally found his own label.  

Phase 3: When He Sold His Soul To Hollywood 1988-2006

He had already defined his style, and he knew the formula that best worked on the audience. So, for now on he would dedicate his time to create box-office films. He probably over-used his well-known formula, but don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that he lost his autonomy and his amazing writing and directing talent, he just reached to the popularity that every film director looks for, and exploited it as much as he could. 

He kept doing romantic stories, but also experienced with crime-scene movies, dramas and of course continued using his witty humor anytime he could.

"Celebrity", "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", "Hollywood Ending", "Anything Else", "Melinda and Melinda", "Scoop", and my favorite ones "Cassandra’s Dream" and "Match Point", are just some examples of movies from this Allen’s phase. 

If you are a Woody Allen fan, but enjoy more easy going movies, you will probably find your favorite one in this era. 

Phase 4: The Tour Guide 2007-2012

He took a leap, and decided to finally leave New York behind, immerse himself in different countries and cultures, and he knew exactly how to do it. He portrayed beautifully each country, capturing the atmosphere of this places so amazingly, that almost anyone who sees this movies, immediately has the urge to buy plane tickets. 

Maybe the reason he takes place in different countries is because his stories no longer work in America, he also takes this opportunity to make contrast between Europe and America.

He experiences with more witty, sexy and vibrant elements, like in “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona” in which he manages to be somehow both skeptical about love and infectiously enthusiastic about romance. 

"Midnight in Paris" is a smart commentary on art and the human desire to live in a better time, Allen observes the flaws of idealizing a specific period, and shows how people from those periods likewise look back to an even earlier past with the same nostalgia.

"To Rome With Love", in my personal opinion, besides being a very well done portrait of the beauty of Rome, it lacks profoundness, and the humor is no longer impressive. 

  Phase 5: To Be Seen 2013-2014

I haven’t seen his latest film “Magic in the Moonlight”, but my opinion of “Blue Jasmine” is that he tried to go back to his Serious Man phase, and  being an expert in this story telling mode, he manages it very well. He captivated us with a tragical character. It might be one of his cruelest films and yet one of the most human. 

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Not only a beautiful movie, but also a beautiful soundtrack. (:

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“Here. Here is simple and happy. That’s what I meant to give you.” -Oliver (Ewan McGregor)

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"Our good fortune allowed us to feel a sadness our parents never had time for."

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Mourning is an experience

2010, directed by Mike Mills

"Beginners" is a film defined by grace, for the way it all comes together quite beautifully and with certainty. It revolves around a man who is dealing with the death of his father who came out of the closet just a few years before his death. It is a comedy-drama, about the way love changes over time and the high but necessary cost of being true to your heart. 

Oliver, our main character deals with the recent death of his father as he tries to move forward by taking tentative steps into a relationship with Anna. The film is told as if we lived inside Oliver's memories, it delicately captures the nature of memories.  The transitions are never as obvious as traditional flashbacks, Mills moves around Oliver's life rummaging through his heart, jumping from one moment to another, from one sentiment to another, shuffling between moments of joy and sorrow with a skill that seems effortless and feels natural. 

Beginners isn't about winning every battle, but deciding when to fight. As we see Oliver learning how to survive without his father, we see him learn how to live. 

#beginners #moviefreak #movies that rock #movies #film #filmography #review #beautiful #cinema #movie blog #ewan mcgregor #mike mills

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Beginners  (2010) directed by Mike Mills

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“There was a moment, when I used to blame everything and everyone for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed white people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn’t get no answers ‘cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions”

"Like what?"

"American History X" (1998) directed by Tony Kaye

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"Hate is baggage"

It's hard to shake off the deep effects this film has on you. American History X certainly doesn't hold back in its mission to unsettle and disturb, But still, this is an important movie to see because of the unique way it teaches about tolerance and compassion. The importance of this subject has trascended every era, even nowadays is still trascending. 

Some of American History X is in black-and-white and the rest is in color. The black-and-white portions of the movie are flashbacks that tell the story of Derek Vinyard, a white supremacist portrayed beautifully by the great Edward Norton, and how his life went to pieces after the death of his father, who inspired him to become the violent, rascist neo-Nazi he is.

The color-parts of the film are set in the “present” and focus on Derek’s younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong), who looks up to his now imprisoned brother and is also becoming a neo-Nazi. Meanwhile, Derek is released from prison, but he is now a whole new man, and is shocked to find that his little brother has become just like the old him.

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"For years I thought we’ve shared this secret that we would be wonderful in the world. I don’t know exactly how, but just the possibility kept me hoping. How pathetic is that? So stupid. To put all your hopes in a promise that was never made."

- Revolutionary Road