Eight down, one more to go...

The Tree of Life

Last night I finally watched the copy of The Tree of Life that has been sitting on my entertainment center for over 2 weeks now. I kept putting it off, waiting until I'd be in the right mindset to watch it. Then I realized that there is probably no such thing as being in the right mindset for a movie like this, so I put it on.

What does one even say about a movie like this. There are those that think this movie is a masterpiece, a grand accomplishment of film making. Others find it to be pretentious nonsense, worst movie ever made. I can recognize this film for it's artistic accomplishments. It has gorgeous cinematography and excellent acting performances by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. This impressionistic narrative surly is ambitious.

With that being said, I did not enjoy this film. I had a difficult time finding a connection with what was going on. I kept flashing back to all of the art films that I had to endure in my college art history classes. While I love the art of film making, I prefer when art is used to enhance a film, rather than when film is used to enhance art. Like all pieces of art, it is not going to reach everyone. Without that connection, one is just left sitting in the dark wondering 'Why am I still watching this?'

So is this movie a masterpiece? Possibly, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it.



I'm in the final stretch. One week left until the Oscars and only one more Best Picture Nominee to see.