In Contention

Tag: The Tree of Life

  • New ‘Tree of Life’ poster, plus Brits to get first dibs?

    UPDATE: According to Anne Thompson, Fox Searchlight have denied reports of the early UK release date. Empire, however, is standing by their story, based on the word of UK distributor Icon. Watch this space.

    EARLIER: I’ll admit that when this Empire scoop first popped up on my Twitter feed, I had to check my diary to make sure I hadn’t slept through to April 1. But there it is. While Terrence Malick’s endlessly awaited “The Tree of Life” will play Cannes in May, as was confirmed last week, the film will not have its world premiere at the festival. That honor apparently falls to the UK, where the film will hit screens on May 4 — one week ahead of Cannes’s opening day, and just over three weeks ahead of its Stateside release.

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  • Shedding more light on ‘Tree of Life’

    Apologies for the radio silence last week — Kris is still enjoying his hiatus, while I had all manner of dull earthbound duties to take care of. As I kept one eye on Twitter and my regular blog roll, however, I didn’t feel I was missing matters of paramount importance: I have nothing to say about the much-vaunted trailer for “Super 8,” though I look forward to the film, and as much as I’d love to be at SXSW right now, little about the Texan fest is crying out for discussion from a distance.

    But one thing I know we’re all hungry for is “The Tree of Life” — and with the Cannes Film Festival now less than two months away, Terrence Malick’s fifth feature is beginning to seem like a real, tangible prospect rather than a rainbow’s-end myth. To fuel the excitement stoked a few months back by the trailer (which I’ve still managed not to see), Russian site Kinopoisk has unearthed over 70 images — many of them set photos rather than stills — for the faithful to pore over. I’ve selected a couple after the cut.

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  • Lubezki opens up on ‘Tree of Life’

    If, as is the accepted (if hardly certain) wisdom, the Academy makes up their debt to Roger Deakins next month, it’s tempting to speculate that 2011 could be the year for another shamefully unrewarded lenser: Emmanuel Lubezki.

    The ace Mexican DP, whom pretty much everyone but a majority of AMPAS voters agrees was robbed of the win for “Children of Men” in 2006, earned a nomination for his first collaboration with Terrence Malick on “The New World” — and expectations are already off the charts for their second teaming. (Do I need to give the title?) But while we know, from our glimpses of the loooong-delayed film thus far, to expect some lush imagery, this LA Times interview with Lubezki suggests they’re not making things easy for themselves.

    It seems Malick and Lubezki dispensed with traditional “coverage” of actors, instead taking a more intuitive approach.

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  • THE LONG SHOT: A new year wishlist

    [Guy’s updated predictions here.]

    Okay, I won’t lie to you: I initially conceived this column in my head last week as a Christmas Eve wishlist, but then got too busy mulling wine and Christmas shopping in Dublin snowdrifts to actually write it.

    So a New Year’s Eve wishlist it is, then. Under either name, with the season currently in stasis until January’s Guild awards usher in the next phase of competition, here’s a list of ten open requests (or distant hopes) for Academy members currently hemming and hawing over their ballots.

    Go forth into the world: Okay, I’ve given up my fight for a foreign-language Best Picture contender for yet another year. And despite a banner year for the form, a documentary nominee ain’t happening either. But is it too much to ask the Academy to recognize that not all notable filmmaking happens within U.S. borders? We’re looking at the sad likelihood of 90% of the Best Picture race being given over to American productions, with the lone exception, “The King’s Speech,” about as authentically British as a “Mind the Gap” T-shirt. Wouldn’t “Another Year” or “Animal Kingdom” be slightly more interesting stamps in Oscar’s passport?

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Network’ sweep, Globes outrage, best of 2010

    • Kris listed his 10 favorite films of 2010 in black-and-white, later adding his dream Oscar ballot and winners list.

    • The critics’ award beat turned into a “Social Network” landslide, as New York, Los Angeles, Boston and many, many other groups lined up behind the film.

    • Away from the critics’ circuit, Team Fincher didn’t have it all their own way, as “The King’s Speech” led a widely derided list of Golden Globe nominees.

    • When it was the Screen Actors’ Guild’s turn to announce their nominees, however, the royal biopic had to settle for sharing the lead with “The Fighter.”

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  • ‘The Tree of Life’ trailer

    It’s heeeeeeere. Honestly, I’m not sure I even want to watch this, so I’ll leave it to you guys to comment. Click on the image below to watch it at Apple, or check out the embed after the jump.

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  • Bring on spring already

    Okay, I know we’re all jacked up for the next few months of awards-watching, but would anyone mind if we just fast-forwarded straight to May? I’ll miss the Oscars, but frankly, the winter freeze is getting me down, the movies have petered out, and then I read a Cannes-teasing tweet like this from the ever well-informed Cédric Succivalli. Here it is, short and (very) sweet:

    Almodovar, Despentes, Kar Wai, Malick, Ramsay, Sorrentino, von Trier on their way to Cannes ’11.

    Cédric is a reliable source on all matters Croisette-related — so this would appear to cement the LA Times’s report yesterday of a “likely” Cannes debut for “Tree of Life,” though the film’s festival-shadowing US release date of May 27 was already something of a clue. In that LAT piece, meanwhile, Steven Zeitchik writes that Fox Searchlight plan to market Malick’s long-delayed opus as an “event” befitting its summer status.

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  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Black Swan’

    Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” opens in eight cities today, so a considerable portion of our audience finally gets a look at the film (and at the attached trailer for “The Tree of Life,” for that matter).  We’ve been discussing it since it bowed at Venice (where Guy gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up) and Telluride (where I caught up with it).  And you can expect some interviews with those involved later in the season, but for now, we’d love to hear your thoughts.  If you’re able to catch it this weekend, head on back here and give us your take (or re-visit this post when the film reaches your neck of the woods).

  • Annual Fox holiday bash draws filmmakers and talent

    20th Century Fox held its annual holiday party on the roof of the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills last night. It afforded a good opportunity to corral press members into a tight space with talent from the studio’s five awards season contenders.

    Newly tapped Oscar host Anne Hathaway was on hand (with “Love & Other Drugs” co-star Jake Gyllenhaal), but her co-host James Franco couldn’t make it.  I chatted briefly with “127 Hours” director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, as well as “Never Let Me Go” composer Rachel Portman (who seemed quite prim and shy).  I know “Conviction” screenwriter Pamela Gray was making the rounds but I never got a chance to say hi.

    I did, however, finally meet one of the cinematographers from “127 Hours,” Enrique Chediak.  And as we were talking, a publicist tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to talk to Anthony Dod Mantle?”  Of course I would, so I turned and staring back at me was Mantle live via Skype from Cape Town, South Africa, where he’s currently filming Pete Travis’s “Judge Dredd” reboot with Karl Urban.

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  • ‘Tree of Life’ trailer attached to ‘Black Swan’

    If you live in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto or Washington, D.C. and you’re somehow on the fence about seeing Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” when it opens in limited release Friday, maybe this will help you make up your mind.

    JoBlo confirmed with Fox Searchlight and reported via Twitter that the trailer for Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” will be attached to prints of the film.  Anticipation for Malick’s latest has reached a fever pitch and this will be our first glimpse.

    I recently spoke to someone who’s seen it and was blown away, but I really can’t divulge further.  (What a douche move, I know.)  If it indeed changes the language of cinema, as has been the line on it for some time, we’ll all be in for a real treat when it inevitably bows at Cannes in May.

    [Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures]

  • ‘The Tree of Life’ gets a poster… and a synopsis

    The pieces are gradually — very gradually — falling into place for Terrence Malick’s endlessly delayed “The Tree of Life.” First, new adoptive parent Fox Searchlight revealed a US release date of May 27, 2011. Now, courtesy of Collider, we have our first glimpse, albeit not of the finest quality, of a sales poster for the film. A bit of a half-and-halfer, as far as I’m concerned: the image is stark yet subtle, but the clunky typography carries a fan-made look to it.

    In addition to the poster, the studious Collider folks have also dug up a synopsis — one that’s been kicking around for a while, I hear — for those itching to know what the hell the film is actually about. It carries a spoiler warning, so I can’t say I’ve read it myself, but it’s also included after the jump if you feel so inclined. Now the only remaining question is: when, are where, are we finally going to clap eyes on it? Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, or none of the above?

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  • Malick’s ‘Tree of Life’ gets a release date?

    Oh the drama of Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” At some point I just shut down and dutifully conveyed all of the pointless back-and-forth nuggets, because really, this kind of hype and spectatorship is just unhealthy for a film sight-unseen.

    But now you can mark your calendars, because according to a Box Office Mojo scheduling update, Fox Searchlight (which recently acquired the film) will be releasing the film on May 27, 2011.  If you’re keeping score at home, that’s just five days after the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival closes up shop, so I suppose it’s fair to still hold out hope for a bow at that festival.

    However, there is still the scuttlebutt regarding Malick’s history with the Berlinale, so it could pop up there first.  The film was slated by EuropaCorp for a February bow in France, but that seems unlikely to me now.

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: Fincher reflection, ‘Way Back’ in, ‘Valentine’ blues

    • As robust box-office returns for “The Social Network” amplified its Oscar buzz, this week’s Off the Carpet column warned that the awards race is “a marathon, not a sprint.”

    • Keeping the conversation on David Fincher, we counted down the greatest technical achievements in his filmmography…

    • …and invited you to name your favorite Fincher film in our new poll.

    • Oscar-watchers got a new title to play with this week, as it was revealed that Peter Weir’s “The Way Back” will qualify for the 2010 awards after all.

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  • ‘Tree of Life’ not waiting for Cannes?

    When Terrence Malick’s endlessly postponed “The Tree of Life” was finally handed over to Fox Searchlight and ruled a 2011 release, the conversation turned to which festival would get to host the film’s premiere. Many pundits (myself included) assumed that Cannes’s top dog status — in terms of both red-carpet allure and awards heft — would get it the gig, but if this tweet from the ever well-informed Cédric Succivalli is to be believed, we could be seeing it earlier than that.

    Succivalli writes that the film’s French distributor EuropaCorp has confirmed a February 23 release date, obviously ruling out a Cannes appointment three months later. That leaves only two major fests where it could potentially bow: Sundance (an idea Anne Thompson previously floated on Oscar Talk) and Berlin.

    Interestingly, the mid-February Berlinale was the festival of choice for both “The Thin Red Line” (which won the Golden Bear) and “The New World” (which played out of competition), even if neither film actually had its world premiere there. So it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see “The Tree of Life” extend that relationship.

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 31 – Searchlight’s busy season, ‘The Way Back’ and a not so brave new world for similar filmmaking, Toronto anticipations

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk.

    In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, a one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change on route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.

    Today Anne is calling from Toronto after a long journey from the Venice film festival, while I’m back home in LA following a great Telluride fest last weekend. We’re both able to talk from a more informed perspective on a number of the season’s hotly anticipated films, so let’s see what’s on the docket today…

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  • Searchlight acquires ‘Tree of Life’ for 2011 release

    Well, things just took a turn for the worse if you’re a Terrence Malick fan desperate to feast your eyes on his latest film, “The Tree of Life.” But they took a turn for the absolute best if you want the film to be taken care of by a studio with resources and savvy awards planning.

    Tuesday it was reported that Bill Pohlad was essentially looking to clean house at Apparition by dumping off the film and drastically cutting the staff.  Word was Pohlad was being shown to distributors, looking for a buyer.

    Well, he found one: Fox Searchlight, but the film will be released in 2011.  When you think about it, it’s a smart move to hold it.  They’re just getting into the project and would have only three months to really prime release and awards strategies.  And the studio already has four horses in the race this year as it is.  So, be patient, and maybe next year we’ll have a real stallion on our hands.

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  • Apparition looking to secure ‘Tree of Life’ distribution deal

    Boy, the story on Apparition and Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” just keeps stacking up the drama.  Mike Fleming reports this afternoon the company has obliterated much of its staff because “there were no films to distribute,” and that Bill Pohlad has been showing the film to studios and is looking for a distribution deal for the film.

    What a difference a year makes, huh?  Just 12 months ago it seemed like there might be a bright new day for indie distributors.  Companies like Apparition, Overture Films, Summit Entertainment, etc. were beginning to get a foothold in what was looking more and more like an underdog season.  The Best Picture winner was a film that came and went at the box office.  Now a guy like Peter Weir can’t get arrested and a Malick film is looking for a little help.

    I imagine at this point we’re probably looking at a 2010 release for the film after all.  Someone is bound to take the plunge (since it’s been since way back in August of last year that Apparition acquired the title).  Let’s hope so, anyway, lest we have another situation akin to “The Way Back.” Meanwhile, another home for this kind of cinema is slowly biting the dust (a downward spiral initiated with Bob Berney’s abrupt pre-Cannes departure).

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Commence au festival (season)!

    Without question, the film launching full speed ahead and into the Oscar season this week is Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech.” I truly haven’t heard an unkind word about the film all weekend here in Telluride, and I imagine that goodwill will continue into the Toronto fest this week as well.

    I can easily see nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Art Direction.  Nods for the cinematography and costumes wouldn’t be all that shocking, either, so I’d say nine is the ceiling.  And I imagine we may see a win or two, as well.

    Let’s face it.  As overdue as Jeff Bridges was last year, there are many who think Colin Firth was robbed for his work in “A Single Man.” It could conceivably be makeup time when the Oscars roll around in February.  My interview with Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Hooper was interrupted Friday by a woman who wanted to let Firth know she thought he was robbed.  How deep does that sentiment go with voters?

    I imagine The Weinstein Company is breathing a sigh of relief with the favorable reaction, as “Miral” was met with blanket disapproval in Venice (here is Guy’s review).  The studio has a few other tricks up its sleeve, but none so critical as Hooper’s film.

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