Latest news with #TerrenceMalick
Tom's Guide
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Prime Video is about to lose one of the best war movies ever made — and it's just as good as ‘Saving Private Ryan'
'Saving Private Ryan' casts a pretty long shadow over the war movie genre. The 1998 Steven Spielberg classic is beloved and acclaimed for very good reason. It's fantastic. But did you know that in the very same year, another WWII movie hit theaters, and it's every bit as powerful and well-crafted. I'm, of course, talking about Terrence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line.' Released on Christmas Day 1998, it grossed less than a quarter of 'Saving Private Ryan's' total, and while it picked up seven Oscar nominations ('Ryan' scooped 11, winning five), it never managed to get out of such a heavy shadow. Over the years, it has remained a cult classic of the genre, and several acclaimed filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, have lauded it among their favorite flicks of the decade. And right now, you can stream 'The Thin Red Line' on Prime Video in the U.S. Unfortunately, it won't be around much longer, as it's set to be removed from the streaming service on Saturday, May 31. Here's why you need to make time to stream it before then. Based on the novel of the same name by American author James Jones, who served in the United States Army during World War II, 'The Thin Red Line' is a fictional story, but inspired by Jones' own experience during the global conflict. Set in the Pacific Theatre, it centers on Charlie Company, a group of young soldiers deployed to the island of Guadalcanal to help secure key military locations in an effort to prevent the Japanese forces from advancing further. As the true horrors and the scale of the conflict dawn on the members of Charlie Company, their reasons for enlisting fade into the background, and their battle becomes one of survival. Tight friendships are formed on the frontline as they rely on each other, and they become a band of brothers. 'The Thin Red Line' stars Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto and John Travolta. How's that for a star-filled cast? One of my favorite war movies of all time is 'All Quiet on the Western Front,' and in many ways, 'The Thin Red Line' feels cut from the same cloth. This is a war movie where conflict is not presented as some valiant battleground where action heroes are born, but instead as a truly traumatizing nightmare that sees good men pay the ultimate price to protect others. There's no denying that it's a heavy watch. Clocking in at almost three hours, it borders on relentlessly grim on occasion, and thanks to Malick's incredible direction, you always feel right there alongside the soldiers of Charlie Company facing these unbearable horrors on the frontlines. The score by the legendary Hans Zimmer plays a huge part in making each emotional moment truly connect. Each dramatic scene is appropriately matched with a musical cue that only heightens the impact. Even better, the cast performances measure up. There's no frontrunner in the bunch, like Tom Hanks in 'Private Ryan." Instead, the focus is on the ensemble with each character bringing something to the table and leaving a mark. As noted, Martin Scorsese ranked it as his second-favorite movie of the 1990s (the very under-seen 'Horse Thief' took the top spot), while legendary film critic Gene Siskel was seriously impressed as well. 'This is the finest contemporary war film I've seen, supplanting Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' from earlier this year, or even Oliver Stone's 'Platoon' from 1986,' Siskel said on an episode of 'Siskel & Ebert' and awarded it the show's highest rating, two thumbs up. I implore you to give 'The Thin Red Line' a watch this week before it leaves Prime Video at the end of the month. It may not offer hours of thrilling entertainment, but it's a masterful war movie made by a director at the peak of their powers. Just remember, you've only got until May 28 to watch. Watch "The Thin Red Line" on Prime Video until May 28
Vogue
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Dispatch From Cannes: Kristen Stewart Makes Her Striking Feature Filmmaking Debut With The Chronology of Water
The Chronology of Water takes its haunting title from American author Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir. And yet, few films feel as deeply personal as this debut by Kristen Stewart, who emerges here as a natural filmmaker. Like many first-time features, references abound, whether deliberate or subconscious: You can't help but think of the faded hues of Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides (Coppola is even thanked in the credits for her feedback), the urgent sound editing of Terrence Malick, or even the experimental rhythm of Jean-Luc Godard. But from its opening moments, The Chronology of Water reveals itself as a film that lingers long after the screen goes dark. With Imogen Poots in the lead role, Stewart adapts Yuknavitch's memoir to depict something raw and unsparing about the female experience—its violence, its trauma, its reckonings. The result is a harrowing, nearly overwhelming work, saved—and elevated—by the radical beauty of its direction. Voiceover narration in literary adaptations is often a shortcut—a way to mask a lack of cinematic imagination. Stewart takes this risky tack with The Chronology of Water, managing to transcend the cliché. From the first scene—flickering, almost stolen underwater footage—it's clear this is a film driven by a singular vision. Water, as the title suggests, is everywhere. It becomes a realm unto itself: a space where noise fades, and with it, pain. But it's the sound design that truly disorients. The rush of water, whispers, screams—you might think the theater's audio is too loud or poorly mixed. Not so: Every element is calibrated to create discomfort, pushing the audience to the edge of horror. Horror, after all, is at the heart of Yuknavitch's life story. Abused physically, verbally, and sexually by her violent father, the author recounts in her memoir a life shaped by trauma and constant escape—literal and figurative. Swimming, BDSM, drugs, writing—all were tools for survival, ways to erase memory. Stewart conveys this violence not through graphic imagery but through sound. Though blood appears to flow freely, mingling with the purity of water, brutality is never shown head-on. Instead, she lets imagination do the work, choosing soft hues and cutting away just before the breaking point. She pushes us to the brink—then pulls back. As Yuknavitch, Imogen Poots —often an understated presence in British cinema—delivers a career-defining performance. The camera often closing in on her so tightly, it feels like we're brushing against her skin, she is both searing and stripped bare. Her body becomes the film's narrative core—abused, observed, dissected, caressed, devoured. Over the course of more than two hours, it undergoes every imaginable transformation, dragging the audience into a deeply visceral, sensory experience.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro to receive an honorary Palme d'Or in Cannes
Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a culmination for the 81-year-old actor whose history with the French film festival stretches back half a century. In 1976, De Niro starred in two films – Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 – that premiered in competition at Cannes. Taxi Driver was an immediate sensation, and went home with the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. Since then, De Niro has been a regular on the Croisette, returning with The King of Comedy in 1983, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America in 1984 and Roland Joffe's The Mission in 1986. Joffe's film also won the Palme, making De Niro the rare actor to star in two Palme d'Or winners. Though De Niro helps run his own film festival back in New York, the Tribeca Festival, he has remained a mainstay in Cannes. He presided over the jury in 2011 that selected Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life for the Palme. Most recently, he and Scorsese returned to premiere Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. "I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes," De Niro said when his honorary Palme d'Or was announced last month. "Especially now when there's so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together – storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It's like coming home."
Associated Press
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d'Or in Cannes. Here's his history with the festival
CANNES, France (AP) — Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a culmination for the 81-year-old actor whose history with the French film festival stretches back half a century. In 1976, De Niro starred in two films — Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' and Bernardo Bertolucci's '1900" — that premiered in competition at Cannes. 'Taxi Driver' was an immediate sensation, and went home with the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. Since then, De Niro has been a regular on the Croisette, returning with 'The King of Comedy' in 1983, Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in America' in 1984 and Roland Joffé's 'The Mission' in 1986. Joffé's film also won the Palme, making De Niro the rare actor to star in two Palme d'Or winners. Though De Niro helps run his own film festival back in New York, the Tribeca Festival, he has remained a mainstay in Cannes. He presided over the jury in 2011 that selected Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life' for the Palme. Most recently, he and Scorsese returned to premiere 'Killers of the Flower Moon' in 2023. 'I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes,' De Niro said when his honorary Palme d'Or was announced last month. 'Especially now when there's so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It's like coming home.' De Niro is to receive the award in the festival's opening ceremony on May 13. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit:
