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wigwam wrote:I don't even recall a laundromat in this, are you talking about the appliance store they go to?

No, earlier in the film, they do go to a laundromat, which I first I thought was weird, but later thought that it was an indication of how flighty Affleck was in his feelings towards commitment. Later they go to an appliance store, and seemed to be looking at washers, and it was pretty obvious that Affleck was trying, but still couldn't get into it.

Who knew a trip to Sears could produce such emotion?

*yes, I know it wasn't a Sears, but you get the idea.

Or a trip to Sonic, or Econo Lodge.

I was pretty stoked on there being a Golden Corral in the Malick universe

August 6 BD

This film has really stuck with me.

Don't know how reliable "MatchFlick" generally are, but they appear to have been the only people to post this new press release on Magnolia's forthcoming Blu-Ray, including details of bonus features:

Bonus Features
- The Making of To the Wonder
- The Actors’ Experience
- The Ballet
- Local Flavor
- Theatrical Trailer

The middle three of which don't appear to be on the Studiocanal UK BD discussed on this thread, unless the Making Of listed is Magnolia's cutdown 3-minute version, and the other three are just the 11-min featurette from the UK BD cut into three pieces (as it is on StudioCanal's youTube channel)?

"Local Flavor" is possibly some of the deleted scenes Alexandra Malick was referring to at the Bartlesville screening in April when she said extras that have been cut will be able to see their scene in one of the special features. However, even she spoke about a length of one hour, it will probably be shorter, or if it is the case, it is doubtful the feature is in HD.
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I was very pleased when "Tree of Life" appeared, even before I saw the film I had to wipe the sweat from my forehead, as I feared he may have retired. We should all take the time to appreciate the fact that he's now in a very fertile period, regerdless of our opinions of the new film, we can at least look forward to new cinematic experiences from a great genius of the medium.

After the negative reaction to "The New World" I thought perhaps Malick might take the bitterness shown to his work to heart and turn his back forever more on his audience. I, myself, was (and still am) a major detractor of "The New World", but I knew when I left the theater after seeing "Tree of Life" that we had Malick back and he would have no problem getting his next few projects into the theaters.

I have yet to see any trailers for "To The Wonder" and I haven't read any in depth reviews or synopsis, but whatever my final opinion of the new film, I'm just glad the meastro can work and enrich his legacy. I'm not going to love everything he does, but I'm glad "The New World" dissillusioned me, giving me a more realistic expectation. I'm happy now just to sit back, watch the new pics as they appear, and love the ones I love. I hope we have a great many to look forward to.

Magnolia's BD at the Beev; surprised it's single-layered.

With Magnolia releasing it, is it safe to assume it will be released on Netflix soon? They had Melancholia and Compliance pretty quickly.

Pretty safe, yeah. And probably Showtime later in the year.

Hmm. Any word if the StudioCanal UK blu release is any better?

Edit: Bluray.com has it as a BD50. I probably need to go ahead and cancel my Amazon preorder now if I'm gonna opt for the B instead.

manicsounds wrote:The US Magnolia disc of "To The Wonder" also has imposed English subtitles for non-English parts

Since different labels have made the same decision (and isn't normal practice for either), this might well have been imposed at the request of the global rightsholder.

This film is the straw that broke the camel's back for me with Malick. I at first saw his films as a beautiful conglomeration of images, but now his aesthetic has worn on me and all I see are repetitive shots of pretty people rubbing their hands together and kissing each other's abdomens with the occasional scene of walking through a field thrown in for good measure. Tree of Life planted the seed of disillusionment, but it wasn't apparent for me till this film, a medley of Kurylenko fluctuating between looking sad or running through a field and Affleck brooding with the occassional rage-out. Everything just felt so empty, a film of prettiness, an attempt to express something about faith and love but by engaging with those concepts on merely a surface level. Perhaps there is some deeper meaning behind this I'm not privy to, but I've never been someone who can get over the impressions left by a film on first viewing, and after this and ToL I think Malick and I will go our separate ways.

I can't quite remember now if I read it here in this thread or elsewhere, but someone linked to a fascinating article, the gist of which was that this film should be viewed as Malick's attempt at a feature film ballet. Perceived in this way, and dropping any expectation of traditional narrative, I found it rather breathtaking. In fact, the weakest aspect of the film for me is Malick's interspersing of dialogue/voiceover - I found their inclusion somewhat jarring/distracting from the mood. Part of me wishes Malick's next film will explore this even further, omitting dialogue altogether and going for a strictly silent film.

Murdoch wrote:. . . repetitive shots of pretty people rubbing their hands together and kissing each other's abdomens . . .

I think it's a big mistake to try and make a film about human relationships when you have no idea how humans actually relate to one another. Believe it or not, there's actually a middle ground between kittenish nuzzling and screaming and throwing things, and that's where couples of the human variety tend to spend 99% of their time. Malick seems to have that ratio reversed.

But that's nothing compared to the howler when the heroine's plainly crazy Italian friend grabs her handbag, throws it into a shrub, and reassures her that they'll pick it up later on, on their way back from wherever - and the heroine blandly acquiesces. As my wife put it, "Has Terrence Malick never met a woman?"

Actually, in Oklahoma, women leave their bags in foliage all the time. Our state song even mentions it. Just one more way he got it dead right [-X

zedz wrote:

Murdoch wrote:. . . repetitive shots of pretty people rubbing their hands together and kissing each other's abdomens . . .

I think it's a big mistake to try and make a film about human relationships when you have no idea how humans actually relate to one another. Believe it or not, there's actually a middle ground between kittenish nuzzling and screaming and throwing things, and that's where couples of the human variety tend to spend 99% of their time. Malick seems to have that ratio reversed.

True, but who says Malick is trying to convey the totality of a relationship. The highs and lows of a relationship are often the most memorable parts, the ones that leaves a lasting impact, the ones that change us. This perspective feels appropriate, given the reflective voice-overs and the elliptical editing, which suggest someone looking back upon a string of memories. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to chart that rougher emotional terrain, and I say that as someone who felt ambivalent about To the Wonder. It probably wouldn't be a very compelling film if Malick filmed them watching reality TV and doing chores.

Murdoch wrote:. . . repetitive shots of pretty people rubbing their hands together and kissing each other's abdomens . . .

And twirling, ever twirling.

I thought that brief Malick joke on Arrested Development S4 was a real missed opportunity in this regard.

He really needs to go back to doing films about people killing each other.

karmajuice wrote:

zedz wrote:

Murdoch wrote:. . . repetitive shots of pretty people rubbing their hands together and kissing each other's abdomens . . .

I think it's a big mistake to try and make a film about human relationships when you have no idea how humans actually relate to one another. Believe it or not, there's actually a middle ground between kittenish nuzzling and screaming and throwing things, and that's where couples of the human variety tend to spend 99% of their time. Malick seems to have that ratio reversed.

True, but who says Malick is trying to convey the totality of a relationship. The highs and lows of a relationship are often the most memorable parts, the ones that leaves a lasting impact, the ones that change us. This perspective feels appropriate, given the reflective voice-overs and the elliptical editing, which suggest someone looking back upon a string of memories. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to chart that rougher emotional terrain, and I say that as someone who felt ambivalent about To the Wonder. It probably wouldn't be a very compelling film if Malick filmed them watching reality TV and doing chores.

For me what's frustrating is what Malick shows the audience feels so artificial, two people pretending to be in a relationship. They kiss when they're happy and yell when they're angry but without context. There's the showing of emotion without anything around it to provide depth or insight into these actions. What we are shown is the equivalent of a teenager's idea of passion: kissing and yelling, with sex boiled down to caresses and a voiceover speaking about love in the abstract. Perhaps it's the cynic in me, but I have a difficult time seeing Malick's vision of romance as anything more than you'd see in a paperback romance novel with Fabio on the cover.

Luke M wrote:With Magnolia releasing it, is it safe to assume it will be released on Netflix soon? They had Melancholia and Compliance pretty quickly.

It's on Netflix now \:D/

karmajuice wrote:The highs and lows of a relationship are often the most memorable parts, the ones that leaves a lasting impact, the ones that change us. This perspective feels appropriate, given the reflective voice-overs and the elliptical editing, which suggest someone looking back upon a string of memories.

All the post-rationalization in the world isn't going to turn the figures in this film into plausible characters.

And seriously, moments of pleasurable companionship, weird experiences that you share, making meals or doing chores together, private jokes, trips to the beach are all forgettable parts of a relationship?

I think Murdoch has this pegged as an adolescent fantasy of an adult relationship.

zedz wrote:I think Murdoch has this pegged as an adolescent fantasy of an adult relationship.

Is that really so problematic though when it's clearly presented through such a veil of innocence?

Well, that's something that I find about as interesting and pertinent as an adolescent fantasy of quantum physics or the history of the Third Reich. It's not as if American movies are brimful of mature and insightful portraits of marriages and sentimentalized simplifications are a refreshing twist!