Movie Box Review

Sad news, folks. I'm having to put a hold on my Summer of Sci Fi and epic exploration of tons of the awesome sub-genres, niche genres and genre mashing goodness. Originally I just delayed the marathon but I've realized it's just too much at the moment. I've never, ever, stopped a marathon, challenge or anything-a-thon once I've started our of the 16 I've participated in, led or done on my own over the years. Since I first announced the Summer of SciFi I've found out that I'll be moving smack-dab in the middle of summer and I know with that in mind I can't do this marathon to justice with the time and attention it deserves. I'll still be reviewing all the 2011 summer science fiction films that I see (and that's still lots!) and hope to come back to this exploration in the future.

I'll keep the original post as a home base for reviews for summer SciFi films, and it already includes X-Men First Class and the awesome film Super 8 and I look forward to Cowboys and Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and many more of the films coming out this summer.

Thanks so much for your understanding! Looking forward to getting settled in a new place soon.

Sad news, folks. I'm having to put a hold on my Summer of Sci Fi and epic exploration of tons of the awesome sub-genres, niche genres and genre mashing goodness. Originally I just delayed the marathon but I've realized it's just too much at the moment. I've never, ever, stopped a marathon, challenge or anything-a-thon once I've started our of the 16 I've participated in, led or done on my own over the years. Since I first announced the Summer of SciFi I've found out that I'll be moving smack-dab in the middle of summer and I know with that in mind I can't do this marathon to justice with the time and attention it deserves. I'll still be reviewing all the 2011 summer science fiction films that I see (and that's still lots!) and hope to come back to this exploration in the future.

I'll keep the original post as a home base for reviews for summer SciFi films, and it already includes X-Men First Class and the awesome film Super 8 and I look forward to Cowboys and Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and many more of the films coming out this summer.

Thanks so much for your understanding! Looking forward to getting settled in a new place soon.

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares her spoiler-free reviews of recent releases of The Tree of Life and X-Men: First Class along with an update on the Summer of SciFi and as always looks at recent DVD releases & upcoming theatrical releases.

You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

0:00 - 0:45 Intro
0:45 - 4:20 World Domination Summit-ness
4:20 - 11:10 The Tree of Life Review
11:10 - 14:35 Summer of Sci Fi Annoucement
14:35 - 21:35 X-Men: First Class Review
21:35 - 24:00 2D & 3D Thinking, Seeing & Visualization tangent
24:00 - 27:45 DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
27:45 - 28:40 Upcoming Releases for June 17, 2011
28:40 - 29:59 Outro

Show Notes

• The Tree of Life Review
• I talk about the Summer of Sci Fi
• DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
• Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review)
• Kill the Irishman DVD Review
• I mention the World Domination Summit
• I mention Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural podcast I co-host

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares her spoiler-free reviews of recent releases of The Tree of Life and X-Men: First Class along with an update on the Summer of SciFi and as always looks at recent DVD releases & upcoming theatrical releases.

You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

0:00 - 0:45 Intro
0:45 - 4:20 World Domination Summit-ness
4:20 - 11:10 The Tree of Life Review
11:10 - 14:35 Summer of Sci Fi Annoucement
14:35 - 21:35 X-Men: First Class Review
21:35 - 24:00 2D & 3D Thinking, Seeing & Visualization tangent
24:00 - 27:45 DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
27:45 - 28:40 Upcoming Releases for June 17, 2011
28:40 - 29:59 Outro

Show Notes

• The Tree of Life Review
• I talk about the Summer of Sci Fi
• DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
• Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review)
• Kill the Irishman DVD Review
• I mention the World Domination Summit
• I mention Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural podcast I co-host

Image: Mr. O'Brien (Brad Pitt) and his son, in The Tree of Life. Courtesy of eOne Films

Writer/Dir: Terrence Malick (The New World, The Thin Red Line, Badlands)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan
USA, 2011

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#15)

I absolutely loved The Tree of Life. It's powerful, it's smart, it made me feel and it made me think. It almost made me cry. I'm actually surprized it didn't make me cry, actually. It likely will on repeat viewings, which I look forward to even though it's 2 hours and 18 minutes and often is in no hurry to get where it's going. It felt felt oddly optimistic and idealistic even though it was often a very dark journey. It seems so throwaway to set the setting stage of following a family in the 1950's including the parents (played by Brad Pitt & Jessica Chastain) and their three sons, but in calm sea of a wildly experiential film we do need an anchor so they are are our anchor. It is fair to say the film is about life, and it is about family but it's also plays like science fiction which is oddly unsettling with this 1950's family that feels so accessible and real.

The Tree of Life is a film where after I've recovered from the power experiential process of getting thought it, I want to call it 'smart SciFi', but that feels almost like a disservice for some reason, even though I'm a huge fan of science fiction, and likely will talk about this film during my Summer of SciFi Marathon. It is more comfortable, or perhaps safer, to call it spiritual but in all honesty it firmly feels like both to me. It's about the journey. It's experiential. And it's an extremely powerful film.

One of the things that makes it so powerful is that it is rich in it's visual depiction of complicated emotions. The film weighs on you with the emotional journeys of the characters, from their love to their neediness. From their hurt to their desire. From their pain and their sorrow. There is a lot of emotion here and it's so clear that it almost defies words. The cast brings this to life with their all around formidable performances from Brad Pitt & Jessica Chastain but I was particularly taken with Hunter McCracken who plays one of the sons. I also was blown away but the weight of Sean Penn's performance. They were all exceptional. The oddest thing for me about the film was seeing Brad Pitt playing a character that literally felt like the embodying my own grandfather (brown sweater and all!), but somehow that just continued to add to the beauty of the film.

The Tree of Life provides a truly rare and beautiful film going experience. It's a film where I can say with certainly I don't understand everything about it, and that is completely fine. In fact, I think it would be strange to not end up reflecting about the film for a long time after seeing it. It really stays with you. highly & widely recommend it. You do not want to miss experiencing this film. It's a Perfect Film.

The Tree of Life opens in the following cities across Canada:
Friday June 10, 2011 in Toronto
Friday June 17, 2011 in Vancouver, Montreal
Friday June 24, 2011 in Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Winnipeg
Friday July 1, 2011 in Ottawa

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it.
I can't wait to watch it again.
I highly and widely recommend it. It's a Perfect Film.

If you enjoyed The Tree of Life, I'd also recommend watching Mr. Nobody, Never Let Me Go and The Adjustment Bureau. For those feeling really adventurous, try Enter the Void.

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011 and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Image: Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain in THE TREE OF LIFE Courtesy of eOne Films


Image: Mrs. O'Brien (Jessica Chastain) with her two boys in The Tree of Life. Courtesy of eOne Films

Image: Mr. O'Brien (Brad Pitt) and his son, in The Tree of Life. Courtesy of eOne Films

Writer/Dir: Terrence Malick (The New World, The Thin Red Line, Badlands)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan
USA, 2011

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#15)

I absolutely loved The Tree of Life. It's powerful, it's smart, it made me feel and it made me think. It almost made me cry. I'm actually surprized it didn't make me cry, actually. It likely will on repeat viewings, which I look forward to even though it's 2 hours and 18 minutes and often is in no hurry to get where it's going. It felt felt oddly optimistic and idealistic even though it was often a very dark journey. It seems so throwaway to set the setting stage of following a family in the 1950's including the parents (played by Brad Pitt & Jessica Chastain) and their three sons, but in calm sea of a wildly experiential film we do need an anchor so they are are our anchor. It is fair to say the film is about life, and it is about family but it's also plays like science fiction which is oddly unsettling with this 1950's family that feels so accessible and real.

The Tree of Life is a film where after I've recovered from the power experiential process of getting thought it, I want to call it 'smart SciFi', but that feels almost like a disservice for some reason, even though I'm a huge fan of science fiction, and likely will talk about this film during my Summer of SciFi Marathon. It is more comfortable, or perhaps safer, to call it spiritual but in all honesty it firmly feels like both to me. It's about the journey. It's experiential. And it's an extremely powerful film.

One of the things that makes it so powerful is that it is rich in it's visual depiction of complicated emotions. The film weighs on you with the emotional journeys of the characters, from their love to their neediness. From their hurt to their desire. From their pain and their sorrow. There is a lot of emotion here and it's so clear that it almost defies words. The cast brings this to life with their all around formidable performances from Brad Pitt & Jessica Chastain but I was particularly taken with Hunter McCracken who plays one of the sons. I also was blown away but the weight of Sean Penn's performance. They were all exceptional. The oddest thing for me about the film was seeing Brad Pitt playing a character that literally felt like the embodying my own grandfather (brown sweater and all!), but somehow that just continued to add to the beauty of the film.

The Tree of Life provides a truly rare and beautiful film going experience. It's a film where I can say with certainly I don't understand everything about it, and that is completely fine. In fact, I think it would be strange to not end up reflecting about the film for a long time after seeing it. It really stays with you. highly & widely recommend it. You do not want to miss experiencing this film. It's a Perfect Film.

The Tree of Life opens in the following cities across Canada:
Friday June 10, 2011 in Toronto
Friday June 17, 2011 in Vancouver, Montreal
Friday June 24, 2011 in Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Winnipeg
Friday July 1, 2011 in Ottawa

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it.
I can't wait to watch it again.
I highly and widely recommend it. It's a Perfect Film.

If you enjoyed The Tree of Life, I'd also recommend watching Mr. Nobody, Never Let Me Go and The Adjustment Bureau. For those feeling really adventurous, try Enter the Void.

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011 and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Image: Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain in THE TREE OF LIFE Courtesy of eOne Films


Image: Mrs. O'Brien (Jessica Chastain) with her two boys in The Tree of Life. Courtesy of eOne Films

Note: I have no idea what settings my camera was on to get such a crazy washed out pic!

So. Today was to be my first post and review and exploration for the epicness of Summer of SciFi. But, here's the thing. Somehow I didn't really factor in the fact I would be away for a week while at the World Domination Summit and that during that time, I may ... perhaps... may not see a SciFi film. Ah, I should have seen that one coming! Must have been distracted by all the great coffee and general awesomeness of Portland. But don't worry, I'll still have 12 weeks of SciFi goodness to share and explore.

For those chomping at the bit to get going, I'll be starting next week with X-Men: First Class and/or Super 8 and/or The Tree of Life and their possible SciFi goodness (still have to see Super 8 to figure out which subgenre category it fits in). I've also posted a poll where you can vote for which of the subgenres you are most interested in. It's a vote for as many as you like poll, so click as many options as you like!

Thanks for your patience.

Note: I have no idea what settings my camera was on to get such a crazy washed out pic!

So. Today was to be my first post and review and exploration for the epicness of Summer of SciFi. But, here's the thing. Somehow I didn't really factor in the fact I would be away for a week while at the World Domination Summit and that during that time, I may ... perhaps... may not see a SciFi film. Ah, I should have seen that one coming! Must have been distracted by all the great coffee and general awesomeness of Portland. But don't worry, I'll still have 12 weeks of SciFi goodness to share and explore.

For those chomping at the bit to get going, I'll be starting next week with X-Men: First Class and/or Super 8 and/or The Tree of Life and their possible SciFi goodness (still have to see Super 8 to figure out which subgenre category it fits in). I've also posted a poll where you can vote for which of the subgenres you are most interested in. It's a vote for as many as you like poll, so click as many options as you like!

Thanks for your patience.

Please note that the Summer of SciFi is on hiatus, see announcement here.

Yes, it's time. Time to take on a new marathon. After the epic 33 genres analyzed on the Movie Moxie Podcast I've decided to take a less lengthy, but still genre-centric marathon with: Movie Moxie's Summer of Sci Fi. That's right, it's time to open those pod bay doors and see what's out there.

Every week I'll be taking on a subgenre or microgenre of science fiction films and looking at it through reviewing and older and/or new theatrical release on the site & the Movie Moxie Podcast through June, July and August. Subgenres can including anything from disaster films to dystopic film, robots to aliens, time travel to space travel. Originally I thought it might be a stretch to get 12 weeks worth of minigenres but I actually have a list of 37 (an counting!) so far. It's going to be so much fun and there are so many great films to explore. I'm really looking forward to revisiting some classic science fiction (see header for hints) as well as enjoying many of the theatrical releases will see through the summer months.

Summer 2011 titles for consideration include: X-Men: First Class, The Tree of Life, Super 8, The Green Lantern, Captain America: The First Avenger, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cowboys & Aliens. And although it's not likely that I'll be taking in Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, but for the super-completist it techincally is science fiction.

When I'm back in town I'll be sharing more on the specifics, but I'll hint now that I'm a big fan of 70's SciFi, dystopic/uptopic SciFi, realistic & futuristic SciFi and of course aliens. Feel free to join me in watching along. I can't wait to get started!

Movie Moxie's Summer of SciFi - Delayed (see announcement):
Begins: Wednesday June 15, 2011 (revised)
Ends: Wednesday August 31, 2011

Reviews of 2011 Summer SciFi Films:
Super 8
The Tree of Life
X-Men: First Class

Please note that the Summer of SciFi is on hiatus, see announcement here.

Yes, it's time. Time to take on a new marathon. After the epic 33 genres analyzed on the Movie Moxie Podcast I've decided to take a less lengthy, but still genre-centric marathon with: Movie Moxie's Summer of Sci Fi. That's right, it's time to open those pod bay doors and see what's out there.

Every week I'll be taking on a subgenre or microgenre of science fiction films and looking at it through reviewing and older and/or new theatrical release on the site & the Movie Moxie Podcast through June, July and August. Subgenres can including anything from disaster films to dystopic film, robots to aliens, time travel to space travel. Originally I thought it might be a stretch to get 12 weeks worth of minigenres but I actually have a list of 37 (an counting!) so far. It's going to be so much fun and there are so many great films to explore. I'm really looking forward to revisiting some classic science fiction (see header for hints) as well as enjoying many of the theatrical releases will see through the summer months.

Summer 2011 titles for consideration include: X-Men: First Class, The Tree of Life, Super 8, The Green Lantern, Captain America: The First Avenger, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cowboys & Aliens. And although it's not likely that I'll be taking in Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, but for the super-completist it techincally is science fiction.

When I'm back in town I'll be sharing more on the specifics, but I'll hint now that I'm a big fan of 70's SciFi, dystopic/uptopic SciFi, realistic & futuristic SciFi and of course aliens. Feel free to join me in watching along. I can't wait to get started!

Movie Moxie's Summer of SciFi - Delayed (see announcement):
Begins: Wednesday June 15, 2011 (revised)
Ends: Wednesday August 31, 2011

Reviews of 2011 Summer SciFi Films:
Super 8
The Tree of Life
X-Men: First Class