This?
Thanks to The Playlist‘s Simon Dang for his mildly funny posting of what’s being hailed as the “first behind-the-scenes production still” of Jessica Chastain on the set of Terrence Malick ‘s The Tree Of Life, pictured with a “crew member.” Both of them silhouetted within an inch of their lives, like it’s a joke or something.
How does Dang (or rather the guy who sent it to him, “Graham from Minnesota”) know it’s a crew member? it could be Brad Pitt or Malick’s teenage cousin or a pizza delivery guy. How do we know it’s Chastain for that matter? This could be a shot of Kate Winslet and a producer (or a pizza delivery guy) on the set of Revolutionary Road.
The Tree of Life will presumably have its preem at the Venice Film Festival and then the Toronto Film Festival, followed by a theatrical debut in November. It will mark the first time in the history of either of these festivals in which a respected world-class auteur unveils a film involving two major-league actors (Pitt, Sean Penn ) and dinosaurs. Never before, in other words, has anyone dared or dreamed to offer this particular combination at either of these festivals.
If it’s not a joke, they should fire their stills photographer.
If I was looking at the image without any knowledge of what it actually is, I would say it was Paul Thomas Anderson’s soon to be shooting Scientology take-down.
How much does it look like PTA in the image, and also his colour lensing?
Well, no, it’s pretty clearly not Brad Pitt.
Although, what do I know, I thought that Colin Ferrell still a few weeks back looked like it was Pitt.
How does Jessica Chastain (who?) get to start off in a TERRENCE MALICK movie from the jump? Juilliard trained, per her IMDB, but looks like only TV guest spots so far. How do you make THAT leap? It’s like when Carey Mulligan went from being an obscure British TV bit player to somehow having the ear of Mann and Sheridan.
I would do AAAANYTHING to audition for the ON THE ROAD movie, but with no agent or manager, I don’t expect they’re taking auditions from fat guys from the Internet.
If I knew how to start a website, I’d start CASTLEXG.COM, which would feature a petition to get me in for a mere AUDITION for On the Road or Breaking Dawn.
Plus a PayPal section for all you guys to contribute to my hair transplant fund.
Back silliness aside, how does a minor, MINOR TV actress get an agent who can get you in with Terrence Malick? It’s like when Kubrick made Eyes Wide Shut… How the HELL did he know who Leelee Sobieski was, for example?
The idea of being in a Malick or Kubrick (formerly) movie is so far beyond supernatural, I’d think the chances for ANY actor would be on par with a trip to Mars. But like Stanley, apparently he’s… what, big on watching CW shows and teen comedies for casting ideas?
I think it’s pretty safe to say that it ain’t Brad Pitt at least…
Lightened version of the photo
It seems we have finally found a replacement for the day when Dennis Woodruff retires. Can’t wait to see the LexG-mobile Taurus cruising Sunset, with a 60″ LCD screen rigged up to display his current ALL CAPS infused rants.
LexG: It was Carey Mulligan’s star-making turn as Sally Sparrow in Steven Moffat’s ‘Blink’ episode of ‘Doctor Who’ that put her on the radar of everyone in Hollywood.
Fuck Malick and all these boring old timers who won’t get out of the way. BORING! Let the next young directors in!
Say what you will about Bay, Tony Scott, etc., but atleast they’re interesting. Malick’s movies are slower than a disabled turtle. Give me the next Transformers over Tree of Life any day.
DTG: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Totally. Almost there.
CASTLEXG.COM.
Get me in ON THE ROAD as some sleazy trailer park dude trying to cop a glance at Kirsten and Kristen’s toes.
You KNOW this needs to happen; Seriously, imagine if there was a Lex bit part in ANY movie this summer, how much DELIGHT it would bring you guys. Between all the insider blogs where I’m a mainstay, why that’s at LEAST, er, 17 or 18 tickets I’d sell just showing up, everyone here checking it out to see just how bad my acting is. CLASSICALLY TRAINED, not photogenic in the least, overweight, weidest bald pattern ever….
Hey, maybe if they remake JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR I can recreate my role from my 2004 stage production, where I channeled Doug Henning w my hair and STACHE:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/268/smirk0001.jpg
Way to troll, bligh. You over here from 4chan?
I’d rather let something like THE THIN RED LINE wash over me than let a Michael Bay movie cum all over my face.
Not a troll at all, I just can’t stand Malick’s movies.
markj: I doubt anyone in Hollywood is watching Doctor Who, or David Tennant would be a big star right now.
LexG: It was Carey Mulligan’s star-making turn as Sally Sparrow in Steven Moffat’s ‘Blink’ episode of ‘Doctor Who’ that put her on the radar of everyone in Hollywood.
You hate Terrence Malick but love Michael Bay. If you’re not a troll then you’re definitely an idiot. But I say you’re both.
As long as you link to it, we don’t care what you think, but yes, it is who we said it is.
I never said I loved Michael Bay, I said I’d rather see his next movie than Malick’s. Reading comprehension is your friend.
Have you ever seen Badlands or Days of Heaven? You would honestly want to watch Transformers 2 over either one of those films? I mean, even if you find Malick’s style and pacing too slow, Transformers 2 is such an abortion that even Megan Fox thinks it’s shit. I realize Malick’s style isn’t for everyone and maybe I reacted a little strongly, but I have a cognitive dissonance with the idea that Bay could ever be “better” than Malick.
No worries. Malick’s movies have me checking my watch every ten minutes They seem to be striving for a level of profundity that they never even come close to reaching. His name gets mentioned and people nod and look thoughtful, but I think he’s a sham. Nice images, no doubt. If i wanted to be a cinematographer I’d be all over his movies. As a viewer I checked out after slogging through The Thin Red Line.
>If I knew how to start a website, I’d start CASTLEXG.COM, which would feature a petition to get me in for a mere AUDITION for On the Road or Breaking Dawn.
Dude… wordpress or typepad or blogspot or whatever. Plus a few bucks. Plus KNOWING HOW TO READ POWER.
It’s well within your capabilities. Stop with the damn “if” statements. I feel like you talking to DZ.
>His name gets mentioned and people nod and look thoughtful, but I think he’s a sham.
Not Days of Heaven… undecided on the rest.
“They seem to be striving for a level of profundity that they never even come close to reaching. ”
How did you determine this?
Malick makes his point with images, not with traditional three-act structure. Thin Red Line is a meditation on war, not a war movie.
But the guy can direct an action sequence if he wants to. Case in point is the sequence with the Japanese machine gun nest in TRL.
Clearly a poor producer. Does he think it really would deceive the eye?
Car Leasing
“How did you determine this?”
By watching his movies and feeling he’s striving to reach a certain level and failing. Maybe I’m wrong and what I’m seeing is exactly what he’s going for. Either way, it doesn’t work for me.
“Malick makes his point with images, not with traditional three-act structure. Thin Red Line is a meditation on war, not a war movie.”
*nods and looks thoughtful*
Even if it’s true that Malick’s films are “striving for a profundity that they never come close to reaching” (which I really don’t agree with at all, with a couple very small exceptions), isn’t that at least somewhat respectable, and preferable to being force-fed mind-numbing entertainment?
It’s not being force-fed. I’ve seen his movies, I’m not interested, so the only force-feeding would be to continue to tune in to Malick when I’m not interested. I don’t agree it’s more respectable. Malick is, in my opinion, striving for something and failing. Mind-numbing entertainment is doing exactly what it sets out to do. There’s nothing wrong with mind-numbing entertainment, and a choice between that and choking down another austere Malick meditation is no choice at all.
Michael Bay sure as hell would never make a movie with a title as EMBARRASSING, LUDICROUS, CRINGE-INDUCING, LAUGHABLE, OH MY GOD DON’T MAKE ME SAY IT as “Tree of Life.”
The TREEEEEE OF LIFE.
TREE OF LIFE.
So fucking embarrassing. So New Agey, limp-dick, cornball, embarrassing, like the word “sustenance.” Just disgusting and shameful, you hear it and just SHRINK.
The TREE OF LIFE. What, was “The Woopy Woopy Zoinky Stinky Jinky Wigwam Movie Boovie” taken?
Fucking “Tree of Life.” HOLY SHIT, you guys can hear that title and not duck for cover like a 1984 nuke drill in elementary school?
Michael Bay might be a lot of things, but he’d never make a movie with a title so goddamn horrible.
Yet somehow Tree of Life is still a less pretentious title than Pearl Harbor.
Like there was only one way that battle went down, and Michael Bay is deliver “the truth.” Via Cubing Gooding Jr. (“show me the bombbbbbbies!”).
Fucking ridiculous.
get this one — i love bay AND malick. boo-yaka!
“Michael Bay might be a lot of things, but he’d never make a movie with a title so goddamn horrible.”
Okay, so his titles shine and his movies suck. Glad we settled that.
I’ve heard Michael Bay called plenty of things on-line… but pretentious? Brother, that’s a new one.
I think you’re reading a lot into the title that, like everything else in that movie, is just thuddingly obvious.
I love Malick, but I would agree with Lex that his titles are pretty generic pretentious shit.