100 Things: The Fountain (2006)
This post is part of the 100 Things: A Blogging Challenge; please click here to learn more about the challenge and the full list of topics I've discussed.
THE FOUNTAIN (2006)
This is one of those movies that has so much going on that it leaves the audience either loving it or hating it. I fall under the first category (see my review here). I remember hearing it in passing back when it was first released but it wasn't until the end of 2010 when I finally got around to watching it (in part because I heard the soundtrack first--highly recommended, by the way, it's absolutely beautiful. Probably my favourite soundtrack hands down).
What really amazes me about this movie is how all-encompassing it is. The themes discussed in the movie ranges from love to the concept of death to darkness/light and overcoming one's fears. Some people have criticised the movie for cramming all of these themes into the movie and presenting them in such symbolism that you leave the theatre unsure of what you really watched (and yes, there is a sense of that; I too had to mull over what I had just seen after watching it the first time around) but that's what makes this movie not only different but very much at home in the science ficton genre. At the same time (and I picked this up during my second watch of the movie) it's a visual play on post-modern storytelling, crossing over between what is meta and what is fiction. Perhaps the whole movie is simply a coping mechanism for Tommy, who knows? But that's the fun part of the movie, figuring out what it was really all about.
But at the end of the day, the core of the movie is Tommy any Izzi and the love the have for each other (more on them in this entry). The adventure, the haunting travels through space in the future (I love that they went for an organic approach to space travel in the future--very cool, very different) becomes secondary to this. I personally think it's a movie worth checking out though I also agree that it's not a movie for everyone.
One thing that is also worth checking out is the accompanying graphic novel that was published just prior to the movie (long story about budget issues and Aronofsky opting to make it a graphic novel during the pauses); it's essentially the same story but it does explain a few things that may not have been as clear in the movie.
And if anything, do check out the soundtrack. It's just phenomenal.
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/388565.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
THE FOUNTAIN (2006)
This is one of those movies that has so much going on that it leaves the audience either loving it or hating it. I fall under the first category (see my review here). I remember hearing it in passing back when it was first released but it wasn't until the end of 2010 when I finally got around to watching it (in part because I heard the soundtrack first--highly recommended, by the way, it's absolutely beautiful. Probably my favourite soundtrack hands down).
What really amazes me about this movie is how all-encompassing it is. The themes discussed in the movie ranges from love to the concept of death to darkness/light and overcoming one's fears. Some people have criticised the movie for cramming all of these themes into the movie and presenting them in such symbolism that you leave the theatre unsure of what you really watched (and yes, there is a sense of that; I too had to mull over what I had just seen after watching it the first time around) but that's what makes this movie not only different but very much at home in the science ficton genre. At the same time (and I picked this up during my second watch of the movie) it's a visual play on post-modern storytelling, crossing over between what is meta and what is fiction. Perhaps the whole movie is simply a coping mechanism for Tommy, who knows? But that's the fun part of the movie, figuring out what it was really all about.
But at the end of the day, the core of the movie is Tommy any Izzi and the love the have for each other (more on them in this entry). The adventure, the haunting travels through space in the future (I love that they went for an organic approach to space travel in the future--very cool, very different) becomes secondary to this. I personally think it's a movie worth checking out though I also agree that it's not a movie for everyone.
One thing that is also worth checking out is the accompanying graphic novel that was published just prior to the movie (long story about budget issues and Aronofsky opting to make it a graphic novel during the pauses); it's essentially the same story but it does explain a few things that may not have been as clear in the movie.
And if anything, do check out the soundtrack. It's just phenomenal.
Click to viewThis entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/388565.html. Please comment there using OpenID.