I've been a fan of Malick for some time...

...but I have to say his filmmaking at this stage seems to have become a series of personal ticks. Also, I once watched a film that mocked foreign "art house" films and hilariously To the Wonder ticked every box that this film made fun of. From the camera movements, to the randomly composed shots of the characters that sometimes only showed their torso or nose in the frame...or arm or whatever...to his now risible habit of having characters whisper their "thoughts" over random images to just random shots of nature or houses or fences or windows.

Ok...I understood the film and what he was going for but he has now settled into what I guess you would call a "style" that while often beautiful to look at is so bloody stultified it nearly destroys the message he seems to want to get across.

I mean it has sort of become the film equivalent of a guy walking down the street mumbling to himself.

All that said I still sort of enjoyed the film but also found that if you want to cast Ben Affleck to be a plank of lumber he does a good impression of a piece of lumber. Also no matter what situation you put Javier Bardem in he seems to be able to come across as a very interesting screen presence and brings even a film like To the Wonder magically to life.

I'll still keep watching everything Malick does but Tree of Life and To the Wonder seem to indicate the man may actually disappear into his own navel.