Interview with Cynthia Piromalli from the National Film and Sound Archive
Living in Canberra, I am lucky enough to be very close to the National Film and Sound Archive. One of the best parts about this cultural institution is the Arc Cinema (more details here), which showcases an incredible array of films. From ongoing exposure of films that only get tiny cinematic releases with the ‘Blink and you Miss Them’ series, through to Japanese silents and everything in between.
Cynthia Piromalli, the Assistant Manager of the Arc Cinema Program, was kind enough to answer some questions for me, so check out the below interview, which I think is a pretty good read. Of course all opinions are Cyn’s alone and do not reflect the National Film and Sound Archive more broadly.
Thanks so much to Cyn for doing the interview. I think there is some really fantastic insight here into both the history of cinema and its future too.
Q: Your job title is … Could you give us an insight into a typical day at work for you? In my head, you probably go in to the archives, watch some old movies, maybe organise a dream program, and then watch some more old movies. But I am guessing I am a little way off.
I’m Assistant Manager of the Arc Cinema Program, which runs at the National Film and Sound Archive’s HQ in Canberra. There’s only two of us programming the cinema, so a typical day for me is quite simply madness. There are so many elements to administering the program (as well as programming it) and will generally involve anything from sourcing films and their prints and fees from distributors and private collectors over the world, doing financials, reporting statistics (as we are part of a Government organisation this is an integral part of the job), social media marketing, strategic and operational meetings, working on partnerships (we have long running ones with the US Embassy and the Canberra Film Festival, and lots more short term ones), answering lots of emails, writing calendar notes, scheduling … Sadly we don’t get to sit down and watch a lot of films during the day, so you can very often take the job home with you.
The awesome NFSA building in Canberra
Q: What was your path into this particular role? I.e. uni, other work experience etc.
I was already working at the NFSA when the cinema opened, and was administering the branch that the cinema was in, so it was an easy transition from one job to the other. Like many programmers, it just happens because of other skills you have (research and the like) and of course your interest in cinema.
Q: Why do you think it is important for institutions such as the NFSA to be maintained? And what, if anything, separates the importance of film preservation from the preservation of art and literature, as is achieved by other national, cultural institutions?
From the point of view of an exhibitor, the decline of the use of 35mm film in production is the example I’ll use: the recent introduction of DCP (digital cinema) has been embraced by both filmmakers and commercial exhibitors alike (including us, we had a 4K projector installed in July 2012). However it does create a problem for cinemas like ours: now when classic films are restored, they’re generally only re-released on DCP, and the film prints are getting destroyed as part of that process. However, 35mm film projection is still of great importance to archival and retrospective cinemas and, let’s face it, we already know it lasts 100 years. Because of the cost of storing the prints, distributors and filmmakers are happy to destroy them and move to digital cinema instead, but archives like ourselves are very happy to take them. It’s extra insurance in case files are corrupted or destroyed. We hope that this message reaches a lot of the industry – we are here to archive and preserve, in any format, but film is such an integral part of our cinema history. And it’s such a beautiful format to watch. Appreciation for it – on a global scale – will return, I have no doubt of that (such as the popular re-emergence of vinyl in recent years, and thank heavens for that). That’s when the collections of archives will be truly appreciated. Arc Cinema – using these resources already – already appreciate it.
As far as our importance compared to other cultural institutions: I won’t say we’re more important, but we would like to be on the same level, certainly. Audiovisual archiving doesn’t seem to have the exposure of other collecting institutions, and yet the history we hold is just as relevant. Arc Cinema is like an art gallery – we’re there to show off our collection and the collections of other archives around the world. It’s just a different format, a different way of viewing culture and history.
Q: What is the one thing at the Archives that people should make the time to see?
Everything! It’s not a huge building, so you can really take your time in our gallery. At the moment we have Goyte’s Fractured Heart as part of our exhibition, which has been very popular and very exciting for us. And of course our gorgeous cinema, both indoors and outdoors.
Q: Do you have a particular cinematic passion, i.e. Australian film, or French film, or do you have a broader interest in anything on the big screen?
Disaster films. There, I said it.
I’m also documentary person. Particularly contemporary documentaries because they really have refined the art of making a great doco: not just information, but multi-layered opinion. I especially love the ones that make me angry, because I know its done its job.
Q: Is there a particular Arc screening you are most proud of?
John Carpenter’s They Live. I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to come and see it – it was part of an overall Carpenter retrospective which included films like Halloween and The Thing which you already know people are going to come and see. But, for me, They Live encompasses so much of Carpenter as a filmmaker, and what he was trying to convey to the world through his art form. We had nearly 80 people there. It was my best day of 2011.
But in reality, we’re proud of all of them. They take so much work to get from our brains to the screen, and each one is an achievement. We’re not picking DVDs off a shelf, or signing up to 3 months of the latest blockbuster. It takes a lot of persistence to find the titles we put on, and each one is something to be proud of.
Q: Is there a dream film or program of films you would love to put on at Arc, but have not gotten the chance as yet?
Done and done, good sir, with the Carpenter films. I would also love to do a Cyborg series, to compare how different filmmaking cultures conceive the future via artificial intelligence (not to mention the various FX seeing as most of these films were made in the 80s). I wanted to do an homage to Stan Winston, but I think the time may have come and gone for that, we’ll see.
Q: I noticed that there is a fantastic line-up of Universal Monster films coming up soon at Arc. Could you tell us a little about the program, and perhaps why you think these films have managed to transcend their ‘B-movie’ origins, to become classics?
Sadly I was too swamped to return your questions in time, so that part of the series has passed. However we are continuing our series of Universal Films into 2013 to celebrate their 100th birthday. Early in the year we’ll be looking at the noir films, which is another fascinating part of their history. Retrospectively discussing the monster films, at the time of their release they were incredibly artful and showed great bounds in special effects. In some ways, they were the Terminator 2 and Avatar of their day – with new filmmaking and special effects methods being created to bring these stories to the big screen. Knowing those back stories (which is part of our aim at Arc Cinema, to give the audience context to each film) you can appreciate them for what they were then, rather than comparing them against the special effects of today. Either that, or the B-Grade has gone down a lot since then!
Q: Do you have a favourite old school monster flick (can be one that is not showing)?
You can’t go past the classic Godzilla films. And I still prefer the King Kong of the 30s than any of the ones that came after it. I do love a bit of stop-motion!
Q: Do you frequent mainstream cinemas outside of Arc? If so, what are your favourite kind of films to see?
I don’t get to commercial cinemas a lot, so if I do go, it’s to something I really want to spend the money on and see. I love escapism, so my taste is very mainstream when I’m watching movies in my spare time (I get exposure to very broad genres at work, so going to a cinema socially must involve intellectual chocolate). I was a child of the 80s, so anything with explosions will do me just fine. And where the good guy wins, because that very rarely happens in real life (and European cinema).
Q: Have you seen anything recently that you loved?
Expendables 2 was the movie of 2012. I’ll stand by that.
Cynthia’s favourite film of 2012
Q: Outside of cinema, do you have any other passions?
There is life outside of cinema? 😉 I have two brilliant kids who are also movie-mad, so our lives revolve around movies. And Mario Kart. And op-shopping.
I’ll finish up with 5 Quick Ones:
James Bond or Jason Bourne?
Bond. But only if it’s George Lazenby.
Terrence Malick: Utter genius or utter wanker?
Hahahaha – well, that could very well depend on your mood and how many grains of salt you have on you at any one time.
Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin?
Keaton.
Favourite film of all time?
Predator. It’s a rich tapestry, really it is.
Favourite director of all time?
John Carpenter.
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Serpico
Before you see any images onscreen in Serpico (1973), you hear the urgent wail of a police siren. In case you didn’t already know, this lets you know that this is a film all about the police. Good cops (well one, possibly two) and bad cops (numerous).
The film opens with Pacino’s titular whistleblower cop being rushed to the hospital with a nasty gunshot wound to the face. The audience soon learns that Frank Serpico had very few friends on the force, casting suspicion on a fellow policeman being the perpetrator of the shooting. From this point, the film goes back and paints a picture of what led to Serpico’s shooting. One of the real achievements from director Sydney Lumet is that he is able to successfully portray the institutionalised corruption of the NYPD. Things start out small, free lunches and other tiny perks in return for the fuzz looking the other way. But increasingly, as Serpico spends more time on the force, the corruption seeps deeper and deeper. Pacino’s stand-up cop refuses to be a part of it, ironically drawing suspicion from his colleagues because he is too honest to take money on the side. Most of the film sees Serpico attempting to get the powers that be to act on the rampant corruption that is plaguing the force.
Serpico is shot with a gritty realism which enhances its impact. Early on Pacino’s young cop is an idealistic, clean cut rookie. He is immediately an outsider with his colleagues. In a workplace where everyone must conform, hence the uniform, Serpico stands out with his ever-growing beard and increasingly ‘hippyish’ interests. I mean he reads books – what a weirdo. This is a masculine world, and only what the folk of the NYPD consider ‘manly’ will be accepted. It is when shot with this realistic, at times confronting style (an early rape is especially stark in its rendering) that Serpico works best. A couple of regressions into sappy montage, a particularly bad one establishes his idealism with a longing gaze at the framed photo of the ‘Patrolman of the Month’, are not nearly as appreciated. The character of Serpico is an interesting one, he is not just a good cop trying to get the force back on track. His interest in philosophy and ballet are counteracted by a nasty temper, often directed harshly at the women in his life. These women, despite deserving better, always become secondary to Frank’s endless pursuit of bringing to light the corruption of the force. As such, Serpico pushes them, and his only true friend, away from him.
Despite being a relatively simple story (the story not really being the point), Serpico is a morally dense film, exploring amongst other things the nature of crime & punishment; and the relationship between the two. If you consider what is occurring onscreen, you can take a lot away from this film. It will make you reconsider the nature of the police force and the role that they have, and should have in a society. It will also cause you to ponder who should police the police (probably not “the coastguard” as Homer Simpson once suggested). As well as being all of these things, Serpico is also the tale of a man’s failed ambition. Serpico is a man who wants nothing more than to be a good, honest, successful policeman. The son of a shoe repairer, he has raised himself up to this honourable position and he yearns to raise himself to the level of detective. But all that occurs is that these ambitions are shot down by treachery and corruption, things that Serpico has no interest in.
Featuring a really good performance from Pacino, sans his patented histrionics, Serpico is a cop film well worth catching up with. It is a film that is to be both enjoyed, and thought about, including long after the final credits roll.
Verdict: Pint of Kilkenny
Progress: 71/1001
Trailer for your Weekend: Identity Thief
Even though I thought 2012 was a relatively good year for comedy, my default reaction to a new mainstream entry into the genre is skepticism.
So I am naturally skeptical about Identity Thief. I think it has some things going for it. I was a fan of Horrible Bosses and a few of the same people seem to be involved in this. And despite being one of the few people who hated Bridesmaids, I thought Melissa McCarthy was by far and away the best thing about the film. I think the cast is pretty interesting actually, I’m a big fan of Amanda Peet and she has not been in much lately. There is nothing in this trailer which convinces me this is going to be impressive, but I will be certainly checking it out when it is released to see the result.
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Cabaret
Set in early 1930s Germany, the Liza Minnelli starring Cabaret (1972), is considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. Whilst there are definitely song & dance numbers that are a large part of the film, for me the film does not feel like a musical as such. The songs merely form part of the background to what is an exceptionally clever and adult piece of filmmaking.
Cabaret is an incredibly original film. From the big opening musical number where the focus is on other dancers in the club, rather than Minnelli who is hidden away at the back, the film just does things differently. Plot wise, the film is a love story of sorts between Minnelli’s bombastic Sally Bowles and the newcomer to Berlin, the Brit Brian Roberts played by Michael York. Brian is a naive force, not ready for the swirling mix of a new country, cabaret, cigarettes, booze and sex which revolves around Minnelli’s character. In its second half the film descends into ever evolving triumvirates of jealousy, the last one which takes up the most time, is the boldest and the cleverest. It leaves you questioning and double questioning the motives, love and lust of all those involved. Whilst the first half of the film is good, though a little up and down, the second is exceptional, taking the film to places I could not have dreamt of. Complex, dense and brilliant places. I won’t go into too much detail of what they are, because it is best to discover these surprises with minimal knowledge of what is to come. Needless to say though, it is a pretty bold narrative that is willing to aim its story and message at a genuinely adult audience unlike so many films, even ‘serious’ ones, which feel the need to dumb down their message.
I thought I had the film pegged, I knew it was going to descend into a Nazi-centric ordeal in the later stages. But director Bob Fosse is too clever to take it such an obvious direction. Rather the Nazis continue to loom over the film as an ominous presence, occasionally coming out of the shadows to lay a beating on someone or murder a Jew’s dog, but generally remaining on the periphery of the action. In some ways, they are all the more ominous for this fact as they remain not quite central, leaving the audience to ponder when they will next be injected into the action. The effect is also that the viewer is left to ponder what effect they will have on the characters after the film has finished, as the war years continue to ramp up. The attitudes of some of the characters to the Nazis are also very interesting, especially if they are historically accurate. Viewed by some as nothing more than a fad of young thugs, others (the richer Germans) consider them a good thing. They will get rid of the Commies, and then we (i.e. the German Germans) will get rid of the Nazis. Obviously history shows that is definitely not how things turned out. The film also portrays the ugly narcissism and sheep mentality of Nazism that allowed the scourge to spread throughout Germany like wildfire.
Minelli as she appears in the film
The film is really highly stylised in its shooting, costuming and just overall presentation. It looks excellent and takes you to the time and place that the film is set. The songs, which move from setting the background atmosphere of the cabaret club, to reflecting the narrative action are also really quite good. They are employed very differently to those in a traditional musical. Whilst they do begin to reflect the story, they are never used to drive the narrative. Rather they reflect on it, provide more detailed comment, but do not move the story along. As a young woman experiencing a bold European lifestyle, Minnelli is fantastic, having a unique and very expressive (in a good way) method of acting. Hers is a much more complicated and intriguing character than one is conditioned to expect from Hollywood filmmaking. She is promiscuous, vulnerable, strong, has her hang ups including daddy issues and harbours dreams (or is that delusions) of film stardom. A woman who cannot bear to be constrained by domesticity and family. Whilst Minnelli is undoubtedly the star of the film and the focus of the narrative, all of the smaller roles are equally as interesting and just as well performed by the actors who inhabit them.
Never mind being one of the best musicals of all time, Cabaret is one of the better films of all time. It is a wonderfully eccentric love story, the kind that it is so rare in film history to get. Singularly original and challenging filmmaking, be sure to check it out if you have never seen it.
Verdict: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter
Progress: 70/1001
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Worth Watching December 2012
Finally back on deck after a couple of weeks away for Christmas and New Year’s. Will be working hard to update the site, though the next week and a little bit will probably be devoted to catching up on some final films in order to do my 2012 review.
Worth Watching:
- The Sessions (2012), Ben Lewin – An exceptional film, with three of the best performances you will see. William H. Macy, Helen Hunt and John Hawkes are all brilliant and make this a must. This is simultaneously a touching personal tale of one man’s sexual journey, but also everyone’s sexuality. In addition the film manages to weave poetry and faith into the story masterfully. A story that on paper could have so easily been cliché, but here it is told intelligently, boldly and dare I say it, brilliantly.
These three all give fantastic performances in The Sessions
- Oliver and Company (1988), George Scribner – This very New York centric story is a lesser known Disney effort. Despite the failings, I’ve never seen an uglier Disney film and the odd annoying character spouting annoying ‘streetwise’ dialogue for starters, this has enough charm to win you over. You can really relate to Oliver, the main character and there is a definite charm to the dynamic of the gang. Also interesting to see a homeless dude at the centre of a Disney narrative.
- Choke (1999), Robert Raphael Goodman – This doco brings a philosophical bent to Vale Tudo, the spiritual successor of Mixed Martial Arts. It chronicles Rickson Gracie’s attempt to defend his title in Japan. The effects this has on Gracie’s wife and the politics of the age old striker vs grappler debate are both nicely shown. Less interesting, even for a fan of martial arts like myself, is the presentation of the actual tournament. Here is the film in full, it is quite violent, but there is plenty to interest here.
- Into the Abyss (2011), Werner Herzog – An exceptional examination of one crime and the societal causes and implications of it. Also an examination of crime more generally, the death penalty and the implications of both. Herzog is probably the greatest documentarian of our time. This is a dense, intelligent film – a beautiful examination of something incredibly dark.
- Bigfoot (2012), Bruce Davison – Oh man, starring a former Brady Bunch icon, there is plenty of so bad its good moments here. Lots of CGI madness to keep everyone happy even if it does go on just a little. But if you like comical performances, B-movie fantasticness and plenty of Bigfoot chompin on heads, you will probably get something out of this one.
Not Worth Watching:
- My Week with Marilyn (2011), Simon Curtis – Michelle Williams is a fine actress, but no one can mimic Marilyn Monroe’s sass and charisma, not even her. This should be such an interesting film, but it is bland with no sharpness or edge to it whatsoever. Williams is just a little hollow and Kenneth Branagh is disappointing as a leering Laurence Olivier. Not even fantastic performances from Emma Watson, Judi Dench and Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh make this worth the time.
- Here Comes the Boom (2012), Frank Coraci – This is amiable enough for much of its running time, but the second half is naff as it comes. By the numbers, ‘save the school’ story is not helped by Henry Winkler hamming it up in uber-annoying form. Though Selma Hayek, Kevin James and even MMA legend Bas Rutten in a relatively major role deliver much better turns.
If you only have time to watch one The Sessions
Avoid at all costs My Week with Marilyn
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Trailer for your Weekend: Pacific Rim
Guillermo Del Toro has not been seen behind the director’s chair too much since dropping out of The Hobbit (correct me if I’m wrong – I was too lazy to google this). But here comes Pacific Rim, his long gestating tale of robots taking on monsters.
Del Toro is one of the most beloved visionaries working in film today. I must admit I have not seen too many of his films. Pacific Rim looks pretty epic though with stunning visuals – that huge whale skeleton early on blew my mind a little bit. Aside from the terrible Independence Day style jingoism that I am not at all keen on, this has me relatively excited to check the film out. Those monsters running rampant should be incredible viewing. Here’s hoping there is some narrative originality to go with the visuals though.
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Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2013
Alright, before I can into this post proper, I have to admit that I am shamelessly stealing this idea from a blog I read a week or two ago. My intention was to give that person a big plug and shout out. But now, for the life of me, I can’t remember who’s blog it was I read the list on. So I’m really sorry whosoever idea I have stolen. Feel free to abuse me.
I thought that given Boxing Day is probably the biggest film release day of the year, it would be a good time to peer into the future at what the next 12 months will hold for cinemagoers. These are the 10 films that I am most looking forward to most next year (that have an Australian release date and a trailer I could find) in no particular order. This list will be different to most you see, because Australian release dates seem to be getting worse and worse. So whilst some of these films have been out for months elsewhere, I’m still really hanging out for them. Share your thoughts on your most anticipated films in the comments below.
Django Unchained
Sorta like a new Malick film, a new Tarantino film is something to be cherished. After conquering the war genre with his last effort Inglorious Basterds, cinema’s alpha nerd turns his attention to the movie world’s most iconic genre, that of the Western. This will no doubt be controversially violent and more than likely pretty awesome.
Life of Pi
This film was not really on my radar until I saw the trailer at the cinema. Now it is all up in my radar’s face. It looks a little sentimental, but more importantly it looks truly mind-blowing visually. It may have substance, but I want to see this and have my mind blown by style.
Gangster Squad
I almost disqualified this film on the basis of its utterly shit title. Disgraceful. But have you seen that cast? I love a good gangster flick and unfortunately they are relatively rare these days. But hopefully this can deliver on its (delayed) promise.
Flight
I’ve heard mixed things about this film. But I am a big Denzel and an even bigger Zemeckis fan (I think he is one of the more underrated directors still working). This makes the list simply because of those two members of the personnel behind it.
Anna Karenina
Much like Life of Pi, I was not really tracking this film until the trailer blew my mind in cinemas a couple months ago. Another that many of you lucky jerks have already seen, I am keen to see how this one goes down. Especially keen to see how Kick Ass himself does in a serious role.
Oz the Great and Powerful
Blah, blah, blah, not on my radar, blah, til I saw the trailer, blah. Actually this pretty much mirrors my reasons for The LIfe of Pi. Looks like it has the potential to be visually stunning and am intrigued to see Mr Raimi’s take on this universe. James Franco is one of the couple of most interesting actors in the world too, so will be great to see what drew him to this.
World War Z
Brad Pitt taking on the zombie hordes. I have not really gotten into this whole zombie renaissance that we have going on. But i have heard so many interesting things about the book from a huge variety of people that I am keen to see what the fuss is about.
Monsters University
Wall-E is the best film Pixar have ever made. But Monsters Inc is my absolute favourite. I watch it at least once a year. And I know many are complaining about Pixar’s recent move to sequel territory. Usually I would be somewhat with you, but not in this case. I want to be drawn back into this world.
Star Trek into Darkness
I’m no Trekkie, but I quite liked the preceding film. And I adore Benedict Cumberbatch, I think he is so brilliant in Sherlock, so definitely keen to see him have a crack at a Trek villain.
To The Wonder
It’s Terrence Malick, he’s all of a sudden sorta prolific. In my eyes he is close to the greatest artistic film director in history and I rush out and see every film he releases.
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Season’s Greetings
Folks, whatever it is that you and yours celebrate at this time of year, I hope you spend it with those you love most and plenty of good beer and food. I’m off driving all over the Australian countryside for Christmas over the next week or so. I have a couple of posts scheduled, but things will be pretty quiet until the new year.
Thanks to everyone who has read, liked and commented on what I have written this year. From a pretty flat period where I did not write for the best part of a month due to a crappy previous blog platform, to the flurry of activity of the last couple of months, it has been a bit of a ride. Look forward to getting to know all of you over the next year and hopefully a few new readers too. And most importantly talking endlessly about the movies we love (and hate).
I’ll leave you with the trailer for my favourite of all Christmas movies.
Peace
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Woodley Week: Bemusement Park
Here we go with the final entry of Woodley Week. Don’t forget that there are double entries for the competition up for grabs on this post, which is a review of the DVD being given away, Bemusement Park.
In my review of Woodley a couple of days ago, I repeated a couple of times how it illustrated the range of Frank Woodley as a performer, with its heartfelt edge. Well Bemusement Park is yet another example of his range, this time delivering a more ‘straight’ stand-up routine, full of observational jokes and the weaving in of hilarious tales from Woodley’s real life. The previous stand-up shows of Woodley’s that I had seen as a solo performer were not like this at all. They were long, ambitious one-man narratives. Here the construction is him standing and delivering jokes. And he is really quite good at it. That is not to say that every joke hits home with the audience in attendance. But the ones that fall flat provide some of the funniest moments, as Woodley is a fantastic improviser and riffs on these jokes that didn’t work. It is clear that he is still polishing the overall show, but he is open about this fact and shares the polishing of it with the audience. For someone who has not done a whole lot of this style of comedy (at least to my knowledge) Woodley has wonderful comedic timing and pacing.
This is not to say that Woodley has abandoned his former silly self entirely. The set opens with probably its silliest moment as he attempts to extricate himself comically from a Cathy Freeman circa 2000 Olympics style running suit. It’s no spoiler to say that he gets a little stuck whilst doing so. It is also nice to see Woodley showing off his musical gifts once again too. Some years ago, Lano and Woodley did a tour entitled Sing Songs and released a CD of the same name. These hilarious songs showed the musical ability of them both and it is great to see Frank whip out the ukulele and guitar at various points throughout this show. He really does have a lovely voice and is a great crafter of sharply funny songs too. Overall, despite slowing a little over the second half, this performance probably got the most out and out belly laughs out of all the Woodley Week entries from me.
Bemusement Park is a great way to finish off Woodley Week, because it shows off even more of the man’s talents. The jokes are taut and well crafted, not just throwaway lines or observations. He is just such an over the top extrovert and brilliant comedian, and much of that is on show here. And where else would you get to see a man pretending to be a chimpanzee pretending to be a meerkat?
Verdict: Pint of Kilkenny
Want to win a copy of Frank Woodley’s new show Bemusement Park on DVD courtesy of Madman Entertainment? Then head here for the details.
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Trailer for your Weekend: To the Wonder
Taking a little break from Woodley Week for Friday’s usual trailer. Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time will know of my love for the films of Terrence Malick. Tree of Life was easily my number one film of 2011 and I consider it one of my top 5 favourite films ever.
To The Wonder, due next year, is the latest in Malick’s late career prolific period. Despite reception being mixed at the festival it premiered at this year (Venice from memory) there is no film I am more hanging out for next year. The trailer is quite Tree of Lifeey, but the film appears to be set in more modern times. It also appears to be zeroing in on a single film, that of love, rather than attempting to encompass life the universe and everything like Malick’s last effort. I just cannot wait to see this film. A new Malick film is something to be cherished and this film has me all giddy with anticipation.
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Beermovie.net 