Terrence Malick, USA, 20052.5 out of 4 stars
When I watch a movie like this, I feel like I am still trying to calibrate my exact level of snobbery and/pompousness. While I clearly register higher on that scale than most of my friends, this film, which has been lionized on various film websites including the ones I frequent as the best film ever and so on, shows me that I’m not going to max it out anytime soon. I just don’t really get it. Pompous, slow, stereotypical (supposedly it transcends or undermines stereotypes but I don’t see it)… what’s to like exactly? Yet I can’t really justify in any absolute terms why I love most of Wong Kar-Wai’s films and dislike this. Although some film geeks seem to like designating certain movies as those you must like if you are to show that you have any choice, I would never try to argue to somebody about the absolute aesthetic value of Wong over Terrence Malick (even if I had seen Malick’s earlier films), because I don’t believe the argument can be made. It’s not that every aesthetic judment needs to be preceeded by “it’s just my opinion but…” It’s merely that I don’t think anyone has the right to assert an opinion as fact (well you know unless it’s really obvious). This seems self-evident but it’s not at some of the places I spend time in online.
Source: New Line recut 35mm print
29 January, 12:45 PM
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