Ace of Cups (2015) - Terrence Malick

The trailer just dropped for the new project directed and produced by Terrence Malick.
Honestly, his film The Tree of Life is still one of my absolute favorites—it’s just so stunningly beautiful...

And man, the cast is incredible; we're talking Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Ben Kingsley, and plenty of others too.

The synopsis actually sounds pretty intriguing:

Once there was a young prince whose father, the king of the East, sent him down into Egypt to find a pearl. But when the prince arrived, the people poured him a cup. Drinking it, he forgot he was the son of a king, forgot about the pearl and fell into a deep sleep.

The latest news coming out of the Sundance Film Festival included the announcement for Terrence Malick's Ace of Cups, noting that the film is set to have its world premiere in New York City this February... which really puts the spotlight on this movie since it's been filmed under such tight secrecy and we barely know anything about it.

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IMDB LINK

God, I don't know about Malick. Is this just going to be another one of his little exercises—visually stunning, sure, but ultimately just a lot of nothing?

Visually, this is going to be stunning—that’s just how it goes with every Malick film. But I can't help feeling a bit uneasy about the actual substance. I'm worried we might see a dip in quality, similar to his last two or three projects. I really hope I'm wrong about that, though.

What on earth happened to him? It feels like he’s just churning out movies every single year now. Even from this trailer, it looks exactly like his last two projects. Just a repetitive loop of the same music, a handful of famous actors hooking up while looking miserable, and then more big names staring at the sky and stretching for no apparent reason. My expectations are hitting rock bottom. Honestly, it might not even be as bad as that last one where I had to fight the urge to pass out for thirty minutes straight just watching Ben Affleck try so hard to act deadly serious and in love.☕

Cast doesn't even matter anymore.

Natalie Portman has been stuck in a mountain of garbage movies lately.

It looks like things aren't exactly hitting the jackpot on Rotten Tomatoes right now... I mean, it’s sitting at just 42%, though we have to keep in mind there are only 12 reviews in so far.

You shouldn't take Rotten Tomatoes too seriously. They have some truly ridiculous ratings, honestly just as bad as IMDb.

What we're likely looking at is one of those overly pretentious movies—stunning cinematography, sure, but loaded with endless philosophizing that can feel pretty exhausting after a while.

I sat through about 19 minutes of this... exhausting, frankly. 👎

It felt exactly like my experience with Tree of Life; I ended up turning that one off after roughly 40 minutes.

I sat through the whole thing last night. 🙂
I’m honestly at a loss for words regarding this film. It’s heavy on the philosophy and symbolism, all that contemplation on the emptiness of existence. There are certainly some beautiful shots of Los Angeles and lovely women scattered throughout...

So, tell me, were you also forced to fight for every single minute just to keep watching?

Or did you actually find some way to enjoy it in bits and pieces?

It’s both, really. 😁

Sure, you get everything you’ve come to expect from a modern-day Malick: those breathtakingly beautiful shots, sweeping vistas, hands reaching toward the sky*, deep dives into spirituality and philosophy, plenty of visceral action, and that perfect sunlight filtering through the clouds. It isn’t exactly the kind of movie you can put on repeatedly, but I didn't find it half bad... Still, there is something fundamentally different about his approach compared to how most films are shot these days, even the big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, don't you think?

*Lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven 😁

I shut it off after 30 minutes. It was just too boring to sit through. I also had to endure that old lady yelling at me in a thick accent, but I'll deal with that later... sorry, Malik, in another life.

Does anyone know if there are curtains that actually flutter in the breeze?

Grace Sanders24 said:What on earth happened to him? He’s churning out movies every single year now. Even based on this trailer, it looks identical to his last two. It’s the same formula: a steady stream of music, a handful of famous actors who seem to be hooking up while looking deeply unhappy, and then a bunch of stars staring at the sky and stretching for no apparent reason. My expectations are hitting rock bottom. Honestly, it might not even be as bad as that last one where I had to fight the urge to kill myself for thirty minutes just watching Ben Affleck try to act deadly serious and in love.☕

🤣🤣

That’s it. I’m dead. 🤣

I don't get what happened to this guy. My first encounter with his work was the masterpiece *Days of Heaven*. After that, I stumbled upon *Tree of Life* and thought, fine, I'll pretend I haven't seen it just to give him a chance... but apparently, that was the peak. This repetitive, pretentious, larger-than-life posturing just keeps going, which suggests that *Days of Heaven* was actually the outlier. 😕

Bottom line, *Knight of Cups* is garbage. It felt like sitting through a two-hour commercial for some designer perfume. They should probably screen it in Guantanamo—or if we want to be less extreme, maybe just throw it into Central Park. People would lose their minds immediately.

Grace Sanders24 said:What on earth happened to him? Why is he churning out movies every single year now? Based on this trailer, it looks identical to his last two. It’s the same old formula: a swell musical score, a bunch of A-list actors having miserable sex, and then a rotation of famous faces reaching toward the sky and stretching for absolutely no reason! My expectations just keep dropping. Maybe I won't have to struggle as much as I did during that last one, where I had to fight the urge to kill someone just watching Ben Affleck try so desperately to act serious and in love.☕

A bit too generous, if you ask me. Watching Malick lately requires a level of patience I simply don't possess anymore.

Edward Ortiz77 said:🤣🤣

That’s it. I’m dead. 🤣

I just don't get what happened to him... my first brush with his work was that masterpiece—Days of Heaven. But after that, I stumbled upon Tree of Life and thought, fine... I'll pretend I didn't see it... but now it turns out this is just who he is. This repetitive, pretentious, overblown nonsense keeps going, which only suggests that Days of Heaven was actually an outlier. 😕

Anyway, Knight of Cups is garbage. It felt like watching a two-hour commercial for some designer perfume. They should screen it in Guantanamo or—if we want to be extreme—in Central Park. Everyone would stop singing immediately.

Thin Red Line is one of the best films ever made for me. I am definitely watching this; I loved Tree of Life.

Walter Lopez84 said:Red Line is easily one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I’m definitely checking this out; I’ve loved his work my whole life.

I watched The New World and thought it was decent, but I plan on watching this over the next couple of weeks (in segments, obviously) just so I can earn the right to nominate it for worst film of 2016. The peak of the absurdity is the trivia stating they didn't even have scripts and were just "improvising."😂

This movie is... like a black spot on a wall. It's like when you close your eyes and start seeing those little flashes of light, and then you try to imagine stars, galaxies, or some grand miracle—maybe even fortune telling. I have no doubt certain people will find "deeper meaning" in this, projecting significance that even the director probably didn't intend, but for me, it’s just brutally boring and exhausting. More of the same, too. It seems Malick is just trying to "clear the air" regarding his subconscious and family background before he reaches the end of his career. It's a shame, because Days of Heaven remains one of the greatest films I've ever watched.

Edward Ortiz77 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around what happened to him... my very first encounter with his work was that absolute masterpiece — Days of Heaven.

Personally, Badlands always resonated with me more. But that was a lifetime ago, back when I was still navigating the complexities of youth and before life truly began to weigh on me...

Days of Heaven is just okay, honestly. The dialogue and acting feel pretty middle-of-the-road to me, but man, the cinematography? It’s easily some of the best work I've ever seen. Those shots... just stunning. Pure beauty. And you have to give credit to Morricone; his atmospheric score really pulls the whole thing together.

Now, Badlands is way better. In my book, it's Malick at his absolute peak, though I still have a soft spot for The Tree of Life.