#Marvellous Melvyn
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Official MoM Concept Art for 'Marvellous Melvyn', a street magician variant of Strange without any magic:
Concept Artist is Darrell Warner (link to his IG): "‘Marvellous Melvyn’ was a piece I completed very early on in the first lockdown following one aspect/alternative ‘Strange’ universe within the Scott Derrickson script that subsequently changed with the arrival of Sam Remi"
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DrStrangetober Day 4 First Meeting / Marvellous Melvyn
At first, I really didn't like this variant of Doctor Strange. He has a silly smile, as well as his facial expression, although it is clear that this is only part of the job. We are used to seeing this character as a hero, selfish and very proud, even in his worst days, his sense of self-respect, dignity only receded, but did not dissolve completely. The work of a street magician means that he literally has to fool around every day to make people laugh at him and do all sorts of tricks to make them throw some coins into his hat.
Аnd then I heard his silent request "Try me Beyonce" and decided to draw their possible meeting with Сhristine.
Could he simply suppress his pride or did it torment him after work? Аll Stephen Stranges have a good sense of humor, so this variant just allowed himself to joke more often. He subconsciously dreamed of magic all his life, although he knew that in his world there was only a parody of it and still made magic a part of his life. And who but us, all those who at least once dreamed of being a sorcerer, can know how sad it is that it's impossible.
He had to see dreams. Dreams where he flies, and the red cloak behind him flutters in the wind. Dreams in which his magical boots lift him up so high in a jump that he almost flies, and his tail hits his neck when he turns around to hit the monster with his amazing real magic. Nightmares, where two worlds fall on each other because of his fault, and his forces, so incredibly huge, can neither stop it, nor save his beloved woman, who for some reason exists in both universes at once. Or that nightmare where his friends kill him, although he has done nothing wrong, and he feels how atoms are separated from his body and wakes up, breathing heavily and with a pounding heart.
Yes, it is difficult to be Stephen Strange without magic, neither a sorcerer nor a doctor, but only a street magician full of tricks.
It was his egoism and pride that prevented him from being with Christine. This time everything should definitely be different, and perhaps this time the watch on his hand is not just a memory of the lost, but a gift from his beloved wife. While I was drawing, I came up with a story about them, quite detailed, and I hope to draw it one day.
I will continue working on this art later, add some shadows, color it (correct mistakes🙄), and I would be interested to know your thoughts of this version of Stephen Strange.
#A Deleted Doctor Strange Variant#Marvellous Melvyn#doctor strange#benedict cumberbatch#stephen strange#marvel#Christine Palmer#Stephen and Christine#PalmerStrange#Palmer-Strange#DrStrangetober#DrStrangetober Day 4#Inktober#Inktober Day 4#Inktober 2022#Street Magician#Fanart#Pensil Drawing#Doctor Strange fanart#Fanartka art#art#Doctor Strange art#Marvel art#my art
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the most important thing about marvellous melvyn is that he, too, is wearing THE WATCH and that he probably succeeded where all of his other variants we have seen so far haven't succeeded just yet ; he married his christine 🥹❤️
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Marvelous Melvyn | Concept Art
#*#marveledit#mcuedit#doctorstrangeedit#stephenstrangeedit#multiverse of madness#marvelous melvyn#melvin strange#concept art
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jack lemmon presenting patty duke presenting best supporting actor at the 1964 oscars and brandon dewilde in glasses accepting on behalf of melvyn douglas for hud......the oscars used to be so fucking cool now you're lucky if a b-lister whose only claim to fame is being the fifth lead in a marvel movie shows up
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// if you know me you know i love my aus and doctor strange variants
thinking of slowly bringing over my portrayals of them over to this blog
might start with precious baby Marvellous Melvyn 👀
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The Shining Hour
She enters dancing. Though she’s not as graceful as the best dancers, she has great extension, and her spirit is so light she seems to be floating on air. If you’ve only seen Joan Crawford in her later films, seeing her in her prime in Frank Borzage’s THE SHINING HOUR (1938, TCM, Plex) can be a surprise. It’s a pity the rest of the film doesn’t carry out the buoyancy of her first appearance. The courtship scene with Melvyn Douglas that follows keeps the ball in the air. He's an expert romantic comic, and Crawford rises to his level. She even wrote some autobiographical lines that mirror her own upbringing in poverty. When he takes her to his family’s Wisconsin estate, the stage is set for a brittle comedy about the clash between city folk and country folk, redolent of early American bucolic comedies. There are even scenes that suggest how good it could be — a contretemps over tea, and a moment in which Crawford dances to the radio as her sister-in-law (Fay Bainter) looks on disapprovingly. But no, the material instead descends into turgid melodrama as Crawford finds herself drawn to her married brother-in-law (Robert Young), as if any sane woman would give up Douglas for Young or any sane man, for that matter, would give up Young’s on-screen wife, Margaret Sullivan, for Crawford.
It's all very frustrating, as there’s a good story trapped inside the soap. Crawford’s main adversary is her sister-in-law, and Bainter is another surprise. Her film roles were largely benevolent, but she had also made a hit on stage as the wife in DODSWORTH, and she draws on that bile here. Her Hannah is tight and judgmental. She knits socks with yarn and needles so tight it’s amazing she can force a single stitch out. Until the script does her dirt at the end, she’s a marvel of subtextual malice.
But the script does almost everyone dirt. Crawford is light and charming until she has to start playing forbidden passion for Young. Then she turns to heavy emoting marred by her inability to play against the meanings of her lines. And Young is just hopeless. He seems physically uncomfortable trying to make love to her. Only two performers survive all this. Sullavan is so lustrous she makes her longsuffering character seem noble and even intelligent. She’s got the most Borzagian character in the film, and he lavishes beautiful closeups on her as her voice quivers and she fights back tears that just make her eyes glow even more. Even better is Hattie McDaniel as Crawford’s maid, Belvedere. She’s the only character who gets to play fish-out-of-water comedy throughout (no hidden passions for her!), and though she’s missing for a lot of the final act, she gets the last word in a way that cuts through the foolishness of all these idiotic WASPS so repressed they never even get around to explaining what the title means. While they’re on screen, the hour doesn’t shine; it just sputters.
#frank borzage#joan crawford#melvyn douglas#robert young#margaret sullavan#fay bainter#hattie mcdaniel
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Tonight or Never
(Esta noite ou nunca)
EUA, 1931
Melvyn LeRoy
7/10
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American Gigolo
Gloria Swanson e Melvyn Douglas protagonizam uma farsa romântica com mais glamour que comédia, mas ainda assim com o charme da época que a torna agradável e interessante, noventa anos depois.
É surpreendente como estas divas e empresários viajavam de Veneza para Budapeste, do La Fenice para a Real Ópera via expresso, sem nunca saírem dos estúdios de Santa Mónica Boulevard. E o público maravilhava-se com os grandes salões e os ambientes sumptuosos da realeza europeia, correndo o mundo em fantasia, sem sequer imaginar que tudo acontecia a fingir, nas traseiras das suas casas.
Não resisto a mencionar a insólita aparição de Bela Lugosi no papel de um mordomo alcoviteiro, no que talvez tenha sido a melhor piada do filme.
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American Gigolo
Gloria Swanson and Melvyn Douglas star in a romantic farce that's more glamor than comedy, yet still has a period charm that makes it enjoyable and interesting ninety years later.
It's surprising how these divas and entrepreneurs traveled from Venice to Budapest, from La Fenice to the Royal Opera via expressway, without ever leaving the Santa Monica Boulevard studios. And the public marveled at the great halls and sumptuous environments of European royalty, traveling the world in fantasy, without even imagining that everything was happening in pretend, in the back of their homes.
I can't resist mentioning the unusual appearance of Bela Lugosi in the role of a pimp butler, which was perhaps the best joke in the film.
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We do not talk about Ninotchka enough. Garbo has absolutely marvellous timing and her and Melvyn Douglas together are… quite sexy honestly.
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“90s rogue flats” from Gat Melvyn.
Deez
@Deezer509
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Iceman! Another of the original X-Men. He was actually the first X-Men I learned about thanks to the old Spiderman and his Amazing Friends cartoon. Colors cooly down by talented, Gat Melvyn!
Iceman (c) Marvel Comics
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Weekend Top Ten #399
Top Ten Skeletons
It’s Halloween! Wooooooo! Spooky noises! Pretend cobwebs! Too many sweets! Bwahahahaha!
Anyway, now that’s out of the way, on with the list. Dead simple this weekend. Basically, coz it’s Halloween next week, I wanted to do something vaguely ghoulish. And what could be more ghoulish than a skeleton? It’s like a skinnier version of you without all the juices or wobbly bits.
Are skeletons scary? I guess if you saw one ambulating its way towards you then yes, yes they are. But they don’t quite hit the gory heights of zombies, ghosts, or demons when it comes to putting the willies up people (also, technically, none of them even have willies). You can cover them with blood, pus, and bits of rotten flesh, but the more you do then the blurrier the line becomes between zombie and skeleton. It’s for this reason that I’ve excluded the likes of the Cryptkeeper, or Iron Maiden’s Eddie; for me, they’re both too raggedy of skin to be classed as a straight-up skellington.
I take this stuff very seriously.
So, what we have here is a list of ten bone-bags, minus any soppy organs (okay, technically, a few of them appear to have eyes). They run the gamut from sublime to ridiculous, from scary to, well, children’s preschool picture books. They are my favourite set of stiffs, out and about without their wet bits.
Enjoy – if you dare!
Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993): I mean, come on; if we’re talking about skeletons at Halloween we have to talk about the Pumpkin King. He’s literally royalty. Delightfully skinny and bony, he’s a tortured, poetic soul who loves to bring joy and also make you wee yourself a bit. Has a ghost dog. Can take off his head to recite Shakespearean quotation. And marks a disturbing trend of skeletons with faces that look, well, like a normal head with a skull painted on.
Big Skeleton, Little Skeleton, and Dog Skeleton (Funnybones, Janet & Allan Ahlberg, 1980): cheating a bit by including three characters – and already we’re onto our second dead dog mention – but these two dudes and their hound (are they father and son? Brothers? Lovers?) know how to party. They live (or, well – anyway…) to scare, and if they can’t find anyone down a dark, dark street or some dark, dark stairs, they’ll just straight up scare each other. No messing.
Manuel Calavera (Grim Fandango, 1998): our second dubious skull-face, but at least Manny has the excuse that he’s all Día de Muertos-ed up. A wonderfully multifaceted character – part hero, part patsy, sometime Grim Reaper – in a delightfully art deco vision of the afterlife, he’s a joy to inhabit and spend some time with.
Skeleton (SuperTed, 1982): I’m not sure if Skeleton was a fixture in the original SuperTed books, but regardless, he just couldn’t be the same without Melvyn Hayes’ voice work (apologies to the original Welsh actor). Partly it’s the delightfully bonkers premise that appeals – for some reason this teddy bear has, for his villains, a literal cowboy, a fat explorer, and, well, the campest skeleton in all of fiction – but, regardless, Skeleton (for that is he) is a delight, from his shiny round head to his bright pink slippers.
The Children of the Hydra’s Teeth (Jason and the Argonauts, 1963): long before dinosaurs broke from their paddocks, spaceships blew up the White House, or Marvel decided to cast middle-aged men as twenty-year-olds, the most impressive special effect was Ray Harryhausen’s sublime, wonderful, joyous depiction of an army of skeletons rising from the ground to fight real-life human actors. A simply stunning feat of stop-motion, the skeletons imbued with exquisite characterisation, and the choreography just spot-on. Really quite creepy when you’re a kid, too.
Murray the Invincible Demonic Skull (The Curse of Money Island, 1997): our second LucasArts adventure game character, and another one that I guess is technically a cheat. Because Murray is literally just a skull. Does that count as a skeleton? Well it’s certainly a bit of a skeleton, so I’m allowing it. Because Murray is very funny: one part vengeful demonic undead pirate, one part grumpy doorstop. You can pick him up and carry him about! He talks to you! He’s so cool.
Archie the Skeleton (Scotch commercials, 1980s): This is the way it’s going to be, with Scotch’s lifetime guarantee… he’s a well-to-do skeleton with a collar and tie (and slippers again, if I remember rightly) who just wants to tell you about how long Scotch VHS tapes will last. A staple of ‘80s adverts, with a nice design and voice, and it was always good fun to watch stop-motion animation during an ad break. Re-record not fade away, re-record not fade away…
T-800 (The Terminator, 1984): whilst we all obviously think of the Terminator as Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’m raising a glass here to what’s on the inside. The moment when that mechanical endoskeleton emerges from the burning truck, striding through the fire, is simply terrifying, revealing for the first time the inhuman monstrosity that pursues our heroes. It’s vaguely human-shaped in its orientation, but also unquestionably mechanical, with servos and pistons and its glowing red eyes. All capped off, creepily enough, with human teeth. It’s a movie monster, and despite being made of metal, it still counts as a skeleton, so there.
Héctor Rivera (Coco, 2017): one of those characters who starts out like a scoundrel but reveals a heart of gold, Héctor is a great Pixar creation, lovingly brought to vocal life by Gael García Bernal, which is ironic coz he’s dead. Comic relief, guide to a strange new world, best friend-slash-big brother to main character Miguel, Héctor reveals tragic hidden depths as his backstory is uncovered, becoming a hero and inspiring one of the biggest tear-jerking moments in Pixar history (which, let’s face it, is really saying something).
Bones (Quake III Arena, 1999): sometimes in this list I’ve picked characters who generate a real emotional connection, like Manny or Héctor. Sometimes I’ve picked ones who cast visceral, terrifying imagery, like the Terminator or the Hydra’s Teeth. But sometimes you just want to look at a skeleton running round with a bloody big rocket launcher, leaping through the air and shooting dudes in the face. Bones was always a great character to see in Quake III because, well, he’s just a skeleton. Nowt fancy about him. I don’t remember his backstory, such as it was. I don’t remember if there was any tactical advantage to playing as him, if his hit box was smaller or anything. He’s just, well, a skeleton. Running around. Shooting people. And sometimes that’s all you want.
So. That’s it. Oh yeah – no Skeletor. That should be obvious; he’s not a skeleton. He’s got a skull face, but the rest of his body is totally ripped (and blue, natch). He’s just some dude who is alive but who’s got a skull for a face. I mean, yeah, sure, that’s pretty badass, but he’s most clearly not a skeleton.
Also: Death. I had Death on the list for a long time, but really the fact that he’s more of a metaphysical concept than a character dissuaded me (I’ve not read enough Discworld to specifically call out that iteration, for instance). But, for what it’s worth, as simple imagery goes, I do love a skeletal Grim Reaper, especially if he’s allowed some kind of characterisation that runs counter to his appearance.
Anyway, happy Halloween! Cue the music! “This is Halloween, this is Halloween…”
#top ten#halloween#skeletons#nightmare before christmas#lucasarts#pixar#jason and the argonauts#quake#scotch skeleton#terminator#funny bones
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Who is Marvellous Melvyn?
"A Deleted Doctor Strange Variant.
Marvel costume concept artist Darrell Warner revealed a deleted Doctor Strange variant that never made it into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Warner posted on his personal Instagram a concept piece showcasing a version of Stephen Strange wearing a red fez and pulling a rabbit out of a hat like a classical magician.
The caption revealed that the piece was titled "Marvellous Melvyn" and was done "very early on in the first lockdown" as a part of the "the Scott Derrickson script that subsequently changed with the arrival of Sam Raimi:"
"I am honoured to be amongst such hallowed company and have this Watercolour progress through to be one of the Finalists of the ‘Live Action Feature Character’ at this years Concept Art Association Awards | ‘Marvellous Melvyn’ was a piece I completed very early on in the first lockdown following one aspect/alternative ‘Strange’ universe within the Scott Derrickson script that subsequently changed with the arrival of Sam Raimi | It is quite rare to be allowed to follow one’s intuition as regards to a given character and I need to extend many thanks to the Costume Designer Graham Churchyard for allowing me to develop and produce this concept | All in all it was an absolute joy to complete and so very pleased it has found some recognition"
This "Marvellous Melvyn" is seemingly the same Strange that was mentioned in the Multiverse of Madness by writer Michael Waldron, where Waldron revealed there was once a moment in the script where the characters met a Variant of Doctor Strange named "Melvin Strange, a street magician who was a version of Strange without any magic:”
“…went to a universe and met a character called Melvin Strange, a street magician who was a version of Strange without any magic.”
#Marvellous Melvyn#doctor strange#benedict cumberbatch#stephen strange#marvel#doctor stephen strange#Doctor Strange Deleted Scene#Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness#MoM#MCU#Street Magician#Street Magician Strange
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Trivia: 2018 Oscar Winners
Green Book is the worst movie to win Best Picture since Crash in 2005! Exciting times!
With Roma’s all-but-guaranteed win in Foreign Language Film, it marks Mexico’s first ever win in that category. It is the fourth win in the category for a Latin American country (the third was last year, for Chile’s A Fantastic Woman).
Also for Roma -- director/cinematographer/writer Alfonso Cuarón became the first ever winner of the Best Cinematography category to also serve as director for his film. It is also the first black-and-white film to win this category since Schindler’s List in 1993. Similarly, Cuarón is the first person to win Best Director for a film he acted as cinematographer on.
Similarly, Roma is the first foreign language film to win Best Director.
In decades past, there would be a split between the Best Picture winner and the Best Director winner approximately once every ten years. However, since the implementing of the preferential ballot system for Best Picture, the Green Book/Roma split is the fifth one since 2010. In all situations, the Best Director winner was tech-heavy (Life of Pi, Gravity, The Revenant, La La Land, Roma) while the Best Picture winner was decidedly more a showcase for acting and writing (Argo, 12 Years a Slave, Spotlight, Moonlight, Green Book). It’s important to note all of the Best Director winners won at least tech award and all of the Best Picture winners won for screenplay.
Another Roma stat! Cuarón’s victory in Director is the fifth win for a Mexican director since 2013 (when Cuarón won his first Oscar for Gravity). Alejandro G. Iñárritu won in back-to-back years (2014′s Birdman and 2015′s The Revenant) while Guillermo del Toro won last year for The Shape of Water.
And final Roma stat, I promise: Alfonso Cuarón is now the fourth person to win two Best Director Oscars for two Best Picture losers. He joins Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005, and Life of Pi, 2012), George Stevens (A Place in the Sun, 1951, and Giant, 1956), and Frank Borzage (Seventh Heaven, 1928, and Bad Girl, 1932).
The 21st Century Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter: Glenn Close and Amy Adams keep their records as the living actors with most nominations and no wins. Close has seven; Adams has six. Both lost to first-time nominees this year.
Olivia Colman’s somewhat surprising win for The Favourite marks the second time someone won in the Best Actress category for playing a queen. The first was Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen in 2006.
Every Best Picture nominee left the ceremony with at least one win.
Green Book is Universal’s first Best Picture winner since 1993′s Schindler’s List. It’s the first time one of the old major Hollywood studios has won Best Picture since Warner Bros.’s Argo in 2012.
Mahershala Ali is the 4th person to win two acting Oscars in two different Best Picture winners. His win for Green Book was his second after he won for Moonlight in 2016. He joins Marlon Brando (Best Actor 1954 for On the Waterfront and Best Actor 1972 for The Godfather), Gene Hackman (Best Actor 1971 for The French Connection and Best Supporting Actor 1992 for Unforgiven), Dustin Hoffman (Best Actor 1979 for Kramer vs. Kramer and Best Actor 1988 for Rain Man), and Jack Nicholson (Best Actor 1975 for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Best Supporting Actor 1983 for Terms of Endearment -- he would also later win Best Actor 1997 for Best Picture nominee As Good As It Gets). He is the first actor of color with this distinction. Only men have achieved this distinction so far.
Mahershala Ali joins Michael Caine, Melvyn Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Jason Robards, Peter Ustinov, and Christoph Waltz as two-time Supporting Actor winners. He is the first black actor to achieve this. Walter Brennan still holds the record in the category with three wins.
Two for two: Mahershala Ali also joins Vivien Leigh, Luise Rainer, Hilary Swank, Christoph Waltz, and Kevin Spacey as two-time acting winners for only two nominations.
Rami Malek is the first non-black person of color to win Best Actor since Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, 1982).
Wakanda, indeed, forever: Hannah Beachler and Ruth Carter (both for Black Panther) made history as the first black women to win Production Design and Costume Design, respectfully.
Black Panther’s three wins mark the first wins ever for a Marvel movie.
Bohemian Rhapsody is the first music-themed film to win Sound Editing. The award has traditionally gone to action or war films.
Domee Shi (Bao) is the first Asian woman to win Animated Short.
Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is the first black director to win an Oscar as a director. The category for Best Director has still never had a black winner.
Of all 91 Best Picture winners, the color green is still the only color to be featured in the title of a Best Picture winner: How Green Was My Valley (1941) and Green Book (2018).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the first non-Disney/Pixar winner in Animated Feature since Rango in 2011. Unlike Spider-Verse, Rango had no Disney/Pixar competitors.
Green Book is the third film to win Best Picture after winning the Golden Globe Best Picture (Comedy/Musical) Award since 2000. The other two are Chicago (2002) and The Artist (2011).
For the first time in Oscar history, three of the four acting winners are people of color.
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I Like to Watch | Tree of Life (2011)
by Don Hall
In episode four of the new I Like to Watch podcast with Donnie Smith, he and I disagreed pretty significantly about the 1981 'anti-musical' Pennies from Heaven. While Donnie had some issues with the film, what he did appreciate about it was the artists creating this odd film really "swung for the fences."
As a fan of visual entertainment, of film and television, I find that while I certainly have a pedestrian strain in my viewing—I love Survivor and anything involving Gordon Ramsey, I'm an avid fan of everything Marvel and Star Trek, I can't get enough of greasy cheeseburgers like Armageddon, The Rock, and John Wick—I have a real sweet tooth for the artists who swing for those fences and go above beyond, even if the result is convoluted or frustrating.
In eighth grade, I was in love with my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Schuytler. She was a movie geek. I was a movie geek. She liked science fiction. I spent my recesses reading Asimov. This was all before the dark realities of grown women teachers having sex with their thirteen-year-old students so the fantasy was just that. I did, however, try to impress her any chance I could.
Mrs. Schuytler annually took her classes to a pizza and a movie field trip and she asked my class what movie we wanted to see. Half the class voted to see The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. The other half voted to see The Black Hole. I could tell she was not inspired by either choice so I suggested Being There
Being There starred Peter Sellers as Chance, a gardener who has resided in the Washington, D.C., townhouse of his wealthy patron for his entire life and been educated only by television. When he is forced to vacate his home when his employer dies, he encounters business mogul Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas), who assumes Chance to be a fellow upper-class gentleman. Soon Chance is ushered into high society, and his unaffected gardening wisdom makes him a messianic figure.
Mrs. Schuytler was thrilled. The rest of the class was not but cared less about the movie than they did escaping the walls of Benton Elementary for an afternoon. We sat in the theater and watched. Mrs. Schuytler and I both laughed and laughed. We loved it. The rest of the gang of simians were bored.
The first movie I remember seeing is Harold and Maude so it stands to reason I might have a weakness for the weird and unwieldy.
If you are completely married to the idea of a traditional narrative or have a hard time looking at paintings for any extended period of time, Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is not your cup of tea. I have heard from intelligent, open-minded folks who sat through the first thirty minutes of Malick's opus and given up, leaving the theater without hope that there was a point or an actual movie going to occur. In fact, Joe Janes and I went to Landmark Century on a Thursday at 5PM in 2011 and were among, perhaps, 15 other people and app. thirty minutes in, a couple got up and left.
No question, Tree of Life is a challenge. Malick creates a film that puts in contrast the very idea of what a film can be. A short description might go like this: a beautifully rendered Creation of the World and an anti-narrative that plays like the most gorgeously shot and expensive home movie ever made starring Brad Pitt with (mostly) silent appearances by Sean Penn.
But that really doesn't do it justice.
"The nuns taught us that that there were two paths - that of Nature and that of Grace." intones the Mother of the 1950's family at the center of the film. Malick proceeds to visually (and with a lot of incredibly potent musical choices that range from Brahms to Mahler to Holst in pretty exceptional crossovers between the eye and the ear) show us a journey taken by Man since there was Man—the purpose of the Universe, the value or lack thereof of Death, the helplessness of Life on the Planet, all framed by the Mother's search for why her son was killed. This is not a "popcorn" movie with a wisecracking sidekick and a "Boy Gets Girl" sort of formula—Malick is going for the Big Questions of Life. This is heady shit, brother. This is the very definition of swinging for the fences artistically.
Brad Pitt, in a phenomenal performance, is the patriarch of the family and, in essence, represents Nature; Jessica Chastain is the matriarch and represents Grace. There is no simple story to follow but a series of memories that take the viewer on a journey through a single life—Jack's (played by Hunter McCracken as a boy and Sean Penn as an adult)—as he is born, grows, learns, and is shaped by his circumstances and choices.
At one point, Pitt looks at his son and asks him "Do you trust your father to do exactly what he asks without question. Good. Then, for the next thirty minutes, say nothing unless it is important." Malick seems to be following this advice throughout as this 138-minute film could fit all the words spoken in it inside of ten or twelve typed pages but when someone speaks, it is essential.
The imagery is intoxicating and filled with nostalgia and regret and wonder:
Boys running through the clouds of a DDT truck
A dinosaur washed up upon the shoreline, discovered mobility on land
Pitt having a random court proceeding wherein his patent idea is stolen from him
Chastain teaching Jack the names of animals using painted wooden alligators and kangaroos
Jellyfish evolving from cells
Two boys mimicking the walk of a town drunk seeing a crippled man walking the same way
A boy drowning in a pre-chlorine public swimming pool
Jack deciding to break windows with a rock
The narrative is not one of character arcs or story but the narrative of daily living on an evolving planet and Malick manages to find connections between the mundane and the miraculous that bridges the violence of Nature with the wisdom of Grace. What's Tree of Life about, you may ask?
It's about the molecular connection we all have with the planet and the universe and each other. It's about primordial soup evolving over time into weeds that Jack is instructed to pull from the root, not just the top. It's about the brief glimpse of a human life, filled with pettiness and violence and sex and love and hate.
One moment that struck me to the core—Mr. O'Brien (Pitt) has established that he is a strict disciplinarian. Over the course of the film, Jack develops the love/hate relationship with his father that we all do. Pitt is working on a car, the jack holding it above him. Jack looks at the car and contemplates killing his father by dropping the car on him, looking around to see if anyone would see. And, in a quick flash, decides not to.
Such are the fleeting but significant moments in life. The moment you discover that your parents are real, flawed human beings. When you discover the talent that defines you. When, like most humans on the planet, you recognize the finite nature of Life and the conditions we all have for our love.
When Joe and I left the theater, I was less than enthusiastic about Tree of Life. Two hours later, I began to appreciate the experience more and more, the images recurring in my head, disconnected to a specific storyline but connected somewhere inside my own experiences growing up.
Ten years later, my appreciation for Tree of Life has grown as each year has passed. Here's to the artists who swing for the fences because they create the stuff of magic.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, June 7th
[Drabbles & Short Fiction]
Just Popping By (Spike/Angel, E) by CiaraFox
may (heartache, i’ve heard, is part of life) (Willow/Kennedy, T) by danverspotsticker
The Archer's Slayer (Crossover with Marvel, NR) by Whedonista93
Tu Omnia (Buffy/Giles, T) by PeverellSlytherin
Familiar (Giles/Ethan Rayne, T) by Jaspergirl
no one else could heal my pain (Giles/Jenny, T) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Les chaînes de Spike (Spike, T- French language) by oOoPlumeStilinskioOo
[Chaptered Fiction]
Remaking Monsters, Chapter 5 (Crossover with Westworld, M) by StrangeBint
Angelicus, Chapter 6 (Angelus/Wesley, M) by PeverellSlytherin
Compelled By Love, Chapter 21 (Crossover with Vampire Diaries, M) by Buffyworldbuilder
Let The World Weep Crimson, Chapter 2 (ATS ensemble, E) by VampireSuccubusHellGirl
Diane The Ronin Slayer, Chapter 11 (OC, M) by IAmMattis
Anarchy's Child, Chapter 3 (Crossover with Sons of Anarchy, E) by FaithWinchester
What You Sow, Chapter 13 (Crossover with Hunger Games, E) by EllanaSan
To Live and Die in L.A.: Book Two, Chapter 11 (Crossover with Supernatural, T) by Johngoode
A White Knight in the Cove, Chapter 12 (Crossover with Dante's Cove, M) by WhiteKnightDragon
Visiting Family, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Giles, E) by rip24
Here we Go Again, Chapter 7 (Giles, T) by PeverellSlytherin
An Act of Faith, Chapter 4 (Crossover with Avengers, NR) by Buffyworldbuilder
Compelled By Love, Chapter 21 (Crossover with Vampire Diaries, M) by Buffyworldbuilder
if it's wrong or if it's right, i am beside you, Chapter 6 (Willow, Jenny, T) by danverpotsticker
A Series of Statements Regarding Sunnydale, California, Chapter 1 (Crossover with The Magnus Archives, T) by eagle_eyes
Listen for The Melody of a Flute, Alone in Sorrow, Chapter 1 (Crossover with The Untamed, M) by LLN3dseestheLight
When Buffy Knew, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, T) by violettathepiratequeen
Remnants, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, T) by 3xy
More Grimm Tales, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Twinkles
Sweet El Paso, Texas, Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, R) by rkm
Safe, Chpter 24 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty
Bygone Days, Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ginger
Crossing the Line, Chapter 15 (Crossover with Twilight, FR15) by TDWidow
Ramblings of a 'attention... ohh shiny' mind, Chapter 5 (Multiple Crossovers, FR18) by KevinM
[Images, Audio & Video]
Artwork:Here is the final colored version of Faith (worksafe) by richbernatovech and Gat Melvyn
Artwork:Buffy (worksafe) by Aaron Loprsti
Artwork:Here is the final colored version of Spike (worksafe) by richbernatovech and Gat Melvyn
Icons: Here is the final colored version of Giles (worksafe) by richbernatovech and Gat Melvyn
[Reviews & Recaps]
PODCAST: Him/Spin The Bottle by mmpodcastnetwork
PODCAST: Underneath/Origin by Once More with Commentary
[Community Announcements]
June 20th is the Solstice Free-For-All! by Seasonal-Spuffy
Multifandom Drabble Exchange 2020 - Nominations are open! by tigerlily
[Fandom Discussions]
dk what Kennedy and Jenny cage match means but my lesbian interest is Piqued by jenny-calendar
i’m watching the episode of Buffy where her mom dies and it’s so painfully sad by mrdistracted
Listen: those monks who hid the key... by nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather
Fic Recommendation #105 by little-read-a-lot
I like Xander which is sad because he’s basically Joss Whedon’s self insert... by sakebytheriver
Buffy: Season 2 by takaraphoenix
Buffy S3E3 ‘Faith, Hope, and Trick’ by pass-the-bechdel
Oh. In “Helpless”–when Buffy’s powers are taking away for the test... by oveliagirlhaditright
Season 7 by Bluebird
Gingerbread by purplemackem
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4.22 Restless by number1angels
Theme music an obvious rip off of DoF's Codo by centre_colour
Buffy Novels by crystalyarn
Any recommendations for shows/series that are similar to Buffy/Angel? by Ryzerules
Xander being weird by LilyyZara
What are your thoughts on The Intervention ending by Knicks1986
Would you be here for a Netflix series on The First Slayer aka Sineya? by jdpm1991
Why won't Joss & Co. ever make a Fray mini series? by jdpm1991
Buffy/Faith in revelations by purplemackem
Why did Joyce move to Sunnydale? by decoy88
[spoilers!] plot hole in season 4 by rp663
Spikes face when doc got the better of him 😢 (Fan art). Excellent Episode. by Atreyu_Kenobi
Plot Hole in Season 5 by DBones90
Collecting Issues by Wattryn
Buffy Rewatch: The Trial of Xander. Week 5 (s02e05-e09) by tjareth
Is anyone interested in watching The Gift with me on Hulu? by easy_breezy_marzipan
Which episode of angel felt most like a Buffy episode by RedditLoserLosing
Who are your top five Buffyverse characters? by spuffy-tillow
What's your favourite bit of Buffy trivia? by Smitho15
This outtake tho... by Garlicknottodaysatan
Best/favourite character development/arc? by South-Brain
[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]
PUBLICATION: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Why The Network Made Joss Whedon Recast Cordelia via Screen Rant
PUBLICATION: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Angel's 10 Most Quotable Lines via Screen Rant
PUBLICATION: 7 Shows With Same-Sex, LGBTQ Couples You Can Get Obsessed With During Pride Month via Showbiz Cheat Sheet
PUBLICATION: Top 5 Comics Moments of the Week: The past gets its due as nostalgia haunts both present and future via meaww
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