KNIGHT OF CUPS Trailer

I’m going to put up a disclaimer. It won’t really do anything but it’ll explain my intentions for the rest of this trailer discussion. Movies, as an art form, are subjective to the individuals who watch them. People base their opinions on their own experiences and thinking. Furthermore, they’re allowed to think whatever they want whether it be good or bad. If a person disagrees with someone else, they’re entitled to a discussion but, in poor taste, may engage in shaming or personal attacks. But none of what I’ve just said matters, many may care but the few get to be the most vocal. With that, I present what I think is one of the most pretentious trailers I have ever seen, Knight of Cups.

I’ve seen director Terrence Malick’s other movies, I think they’re fine but more that that I do not care. This review will be relegated only to Knight of Cups disassociating it from other films as best as I can muster. It stars Christian Bale and Natalie Portman. Bale plays Rick, who is afflicted by the Hollywood way of life. He seeks success but it yields no substance of worth. Even though all he has ever known was the world of faux-reality, he yearns for what is real. As per the tarot card meaning, the knight of cups brings a warning: “don’t get too caught up in fantasy as it lacks meaning when you deny commitment to the world leading your imagination to produce nothing”.

Now, on to why the trailer seems pretentious and why that makes sense considering the theme I’m discerning from the film. The Hollywood image to everyone outside of it is that of people who assume themselves as the betters of everyone else. That decision is dependent on the exorbitant amount of wealth, the lavish lifestyle they possess and their plastic surgery. Upon deeper thinking, all that wealth shouldn’t add up to personal fulfillment. Like drug addiction, you keep on trying to reach the height of wealth but it never reaches satisfaction. It never will, but more time, more effort and more money is wasted on reaching it regardless.

In the trailer, you see magnificent shots. These are shots most people won’t get unless they have a very expensive camera, have knowledge of several types of lenses, have access to loads of equipment, teams of people who work on lighting etc and permission from the owners or cities of the buildings involved. There are tilted shots of Bale overlooking the landscape, upside down shots of trees, long tunnel shots, close-ups in a neon night club and various others. The only grounded simple shots I could find were embraces between Bale and Cate Blanchett or with Brian Dennehy. All those over-the-top shots I mentioned are representative of Hollywood in terms of style. They’re pretentious and are consistently so, but they should be. They mirror the perceived theme of Hollywood.

Unfortunately, there is an obvious downside to this type of work. More attention is focused on the camera art than the story or the storytellers (actors). We know this man is going through an existential crisis but finding the theme or main idea of the film seems to be greater bait. I’m more interested in finding the meaning behind a particular shot or series of shots than whatever Rick is doing. Is that shot up the escalator leading toward the sun supposed to represent heaven or a mother’s womb? Again, subjective opinions belong to several minds. Everything I’ve said so far could be pure nonsense and for all you know…it is.

Knight of Cups comes to U.S theaters December 11th 2015 and U.K theatres January 1st 2016. For a full list of release dates, click here.

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(top image source: Ascot Elite Entertainment Group)