The only thing I really knew about TTSS before I went to see it was the name and it's author. I have nothing against Mr. Le Carre but haven''t read even a page of his many books. I bought my ticket because of the director, actually.
Personally, Dean, I was thrilled that a movie was finally asking me to pay attention, I mean really pay attention! The film gave you everything you needed to decipher it's story, but didn't always call trumpeted attention to every facet necessary to do so with ease. I of course don't want every viewing experience to demand such focus of me, but remain thrilled that I'd just sat for two hours with a picture that asked me to do some work while I was at it.

I walked out into the day feeling I'd understood the story that had just unfolded in front of me, but already looking forward to a second viewing to really pick apart how it was presented without the burden of mystery. Rather than being a film being made for people that had already read the book, I felt it was more a film that had little regard for impatience. I actually believe that it presented the most respect for an audiences' intelligence and capabilities than any other film in recent memory!

A film like The Tree of Life asks you to make a lot of associative jumps with it, sure, but if you do you wind up with a fairly straightforward (albeit very satisfying) story.

Lixx - although I liked ToL quite a bit more that you I'd have to agree that I haven't seen much that's impressed me, as least as far as US films go, nearly so much as NCFOM & TWBB since.

Pardon the derailment --- and now back to 2011...

I saw Tailor with a friend who knew the book/bbc and a friend who didn't. I also didn't. None of us loved it. The friend who knew it enjoyed it. The other two of us found it excruciatingly dry and slightly confusing. Slow paced isn't the right word for how dull and slow it was in my opinion. I found the story to be almost none existent and some things way too subtle. Its not often that I keep checking my watch during a film to see how much longer it is.

Fair enough.
I saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with my pop (who had read the book, but it was 37 tears ago so he didn't remember a word) and we both found ourselves praising all the same aspects of the movie - and we don't agree about ANYTHING!
Different strokes, I guess!

Yeah, I wanted to like it but can safely say I hated it. I would've turned it off if it had been a dvd.
The entire theater seemed unhappy and confused as we left, and I saw it at a more art house theater, so it wasn't just a bunch of confused people in a giant multiplex.

why was kirsten dunst topless in the moonlight in melancholia? I didn't watch the whole thing, just looked up at the screen once & saw that. I read it was really boring & meh kirsten dunst so yeah,

Submarine was great, quite a surprise coming from Richard Ayoade.

Red State, saw that crap on netflix on my phone a few nights ago bc the power went out. What a bunch of crap.
His worst yet. It was like staring at pictures of those 'god hates "I'M ABOUT TO BE BANNED"' people for an hour and a half + Waco.

I also hardly have the attention span to endure an entire film these days, lots of good television shows this year though!

She was just supposed to be really depressed because she is psychic and knew the world was ending. She was just laying there being sad I guess. I thought it was a neat movie though, we really liked it.

Hear, hear. Trust me, my observation wasn't a complaint. It's a movie for adults who still have decent attention spans, which I took as a compliment. The anti-Transformers haha. At the showing I attended, the audience was the most literate-looking and well-behaved I've seen in ages.

Among things I liked about it was the overall sense of atmosphere, both cinematically and in terms of quiet mistrust among peers. I had no clue who the mole was until it was made explicit. Loved the hazy smokiness which evoked '70s movies, as well as all the countless set details that did the same. It really put you in that Cold War frame of things without over-indicating.

As for "Tree of Life" I'd probably bore everyone by rambling on about what's great about it. Let's just say that it's obviously not for everyone. In my opinion it takes several viewings to fully grok Malick films. I disliked "Thin Red Line" the first time saw it, but now think it's fantastic. Malick was looking deep within with "Tree," drawing on personal memories and emotions that not everyone will relate to. It's not perfect, but again, I really admired its reach. Some of Brad Pitt's best acting, ever.

It surprises me in some ways that "Drive" was so well received, but maybe that's because I viewed it too much as an "art house" tribute to '70s and '80s movies instead of just focussing on the story and action. I thought it was funny that when the music wasn't Baldamente referring back to his own work for David Lynch, the movie relied on a piece by Brian Eno from "For All Mankind" that has been used to death in numerous movies (e.g. Soderbergh's "Traffic.") That one composition has probably kept royalty checks coming to Eno for decades. The fake-80s pop song at the end almost had me laughing out loud. It could have been a hit by Missing Persons in 1983. Does anyone know "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" by Cassavetes? I think "Drive" owes a lot to that sort of lost-in-the-70s film.

Just a hunch here: Dunst was topless in that scene in "Melancholia" because in part, Von Trier was consciously drawing on classical German Romantic imagery in a painterly way, but also because that was a point at which Justine was casting off the everyday trappings that had to do with her depression … sort of a return-to-mother-nature thing. Remember the scene in which her mother told her to do just that? Just ditch it all, who cares what anyone thinks? And indeed Justine ends up being the most realistic and functional character when it's clear that The End Is Near, whereas her supposedly better-grounded sister falls apart pathetically.

Something I haven't seen discussed much is the catty dark humor of the movie's first half. On the surface, you're watching the most dysfunctional wedding party of all time, attended by incredibly unlikable people. But I think Charlotte Rampling and John Hurt had a ball playing super-beotch and goofy-tycoon, and the bits with Udo Kier ("I won't look at her, she ruined my party") putting his hand to his face were hilarious. "Melancholia" was my favorite of the year by far. Certainly one of the most misrepresented movies. I cringe when people call it "science fiction" or say that it's not scientifically accurate. Puh-leeze. It's artistic metaphor, not a straight narrative.

/rant

drive

Minimalist!

hahaha

I loved that part! Hilarious. I did get the dark humor. I can't wait to buy this on blu-ray and watch it again. I love Kirsten's Dunsts. I thought she was great....

we need to talk about kevin

Dean, Brad > I've been walking around doing that rigid-fingered hand gesture ever since! SO funny.

attack the block WAS really, really awesome. hood who are heroes! also, uncle boonmee who can recall his past lives.

Same here!!! I do that to my wife all the time! Hilarious.

Oh and I just watched Red State. God what a terrible piece of crap that was. He should have quit after Mallrats.

Off topic a little but here's a early entry for 2012:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/focu ... sekingdom/

Wes Anderson has yet to disappoint me.

Can't wait for this movie, Wes IS the Best!!

Ahhh actually I did think of one for 2011 but unfortunately Buffalo is one of shittiest cities in the US for getting any good films. I really really wanted to see 'The Artist' but of course it did not play here.

Yes! Excited for this.

Thanks Lixx, "Moonrise" looks like classic W.A. (and a lot of fun.) Can't wait.

Although I haven't felt like one of his movies was part of my pre-existing genetic makeup since Rushmore, I ALWAYS look forward to his efforts. I'm going to skip the trailer in an attempt to know as little as possible about this one until I'm actually sat in a theater to have a look, but it's great news that we have a new WA pic on the way.

Midnight in Paris

thanks alot for the link. looks great.

I liked the performances, but overall... I didn't like the movie.

Watched Drive last night. Bit hipster but overall very enjoyable. I was sitting on the edge of my seat all through the opening sequence. Amazing.