The distribution issues for Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” seem to have finally resolved themselves in a good news-bad news kind of situation. The bad news first: the new distributor has pushed the film’s release to 2011, meaning we have to go through another year of speculation and rumors before we finally get a firm look at this bizarre project. Good news: the film was picked up by Fox Searchlight, possibly the savviest awards-season campaigners out there. The delay does make a lot of sense, actually; Malick’s auteur status would make a Cannes or Venice debut the most sensible in terms of generating buzz, and Fox Searchlight already has their plate full this year with “Black Swan,” “127 Hours,” “Never Let Me Go” and “Conviction.”
Speaking of “Conviction,” initial reviews out of Toronto are decidedly unimpressive. Seems like Hilary Swank is currently on a 2 for 2 streak with Oscar turkeys after last year’s “Amelia.” What praise there is for the film is all heading straight for Sam Rockwell, who appears to still have a strong play in the Supporting Actor category.
Finally, because you can never have too much Shyamalan-bashing on one blog…
The Best Films of Our Lives 