Director: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Sean Patrick Thomas (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: As a 16th-century conquistador, Tom (Jackman) discovers the Tree of Life. He spends the next 1,000 years searching for a way to save his love, Izzi (Weisz), as he begins to develop an understanding of the mysteries that have plagued him for centuries.

THE BUZZ: This production rose and crashed around writer-director Darren Aronofsky so many times, we still feel as though we'll never be sitting in a theater, moments from the flicker of the first reel. After months with only a teaser poster, a couple stills, and an information-less official site, Venice announced they'd host the world premiere (Aronfsky turned down a non-competition slot at Cannes, saying it was full-on Palme d'Or eligibility or nothing). And then came the boos ... Or the reports of people booing the film, which bloated into prognostications of criticial and commercial failure. So much pressure on the man we've been calling the next Kubrick since ... the year 2000, come to think of it.

For what it's worth, we do believe this won't be the most-discussed multi-layered story of the year; that honor will belong to Babel, whose stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, were originally set to make this film together.