Valley of the Gods

Even though this movie didn't make any sense it was a decent watch because of the visuals and acting.

Not bad, not memorable either. "Art nuveao" cinematography, form over substance. Like a splash of paint on a canvas that's supposed to mean whatever the viewer wants. Well acted and directed at times, clumsy at other. A better soundtrack would have helped such a project, but worth a watch.

What Alan Watts penned, 'The Game', what the Wachowski's call, 'The Matrix'. It's a hard idea to capture tangibley without producing something quite literal. This films seemingly separate narratives, forms an allegory in an attempt to capture this universal material. Any effort towards this material deserves acknowledgement.

Sex with a rock. Not sex with The Rock, just A rock. A Navajo native awkwardly makes love to a mountain top, in what may symbolizes a connection with the land? Guessing is the number one activity in this absolutely bizarre sensual feast of a movie.

Owning a Terrence Malik Stanley Kubrik David Lynch surrealistic bent, complete with stunning cinematography, a sweet soundtrack, dedicated yet stunted acting, and puzzling tangents, "Valley of the Gods" is deliciously perfect for mushroom season. It also features Keir Dullea (you know who you are).

All through his varied screen career, John Malkovich has always been best when bad, and here he gets to flex his wicked muscle. As the world's richest dude and eccentric oddball, he gets to play tennis inside his palatial manor on a marble floor, catapult a rolls royce off a cliff, and mummy wrap a bunch of dogs. Or is it deer? Some kinda animal. Whatever the case, Malkovich musta had hisself a helluva time shooting this thing.

There is some semblance of a plot that involves a struggling writer, the prospect of a uranium mine, sacred Native ground, and a wacky dude playing god, but it exists merely to pose way more questions than answers. Do stay for the jaw dropping ending, which tries to wrap this crazy mess in some kind of circular fashion, if that is possible. It is not. But wow, what a heckuva swing!

Audacious to say the least, "Valley of the Gods" is an impressionistic head scratcher, and in the days of lazy cookie cutter flicks, that may not be such a bad thing.

• hipCRANK

Valley of the Gods (2019). Josh Hartnett and John Malkovich star in this off-beat allegorical film directed by Polish director Lech Majewski. Likely filmed partly on location in Monument Valley, Utah. The movie echoes the stark Melancholia (2011) artistic style. Relatively hard to follow for those who prefer their movies straight forward and literally interpreted, Valley of the Gods is deliberately photographed with a beautiful and lush palette as a major backdrop. The storyline however is obtuse and surrealistic and becomes more of mood piece with inductive scenes that necessarily require flexible and adaptative mental osmosis where the mind brings together the slow paced pieces of an eclectic plot known mostly in the imagination of the director. If one can bring oneself to watch one of the worst movies in a number of ways, The Loneliest Planet (2011), however, Valley of the Gods could actually be a rather stimulating and creatively intriguing experience. Definitely not for everybody. It is watchable and preferably with a sense of patient wonder and a love of nature.