Well, does this 'Tree of Life' bear fruit?

Can the rest of us play Terrence Malick's game and get away with it?

If I were to try, I'd put out word that I've been working on a movie for 10 years. Why be skimpy? Let's say I've been working on it 20 years. The concept is elusive. I can't tell you anything about it. It's secret. Interviews are out of the question.

Would that make it the most anticipated movie of the year? Would you call me genius and expect the oncoming film to be a masterpiece? Apparently, from what happened with the advance hoopla on "The Tree of Life," it's not as far-fetched as you might think.

There's something irresistibly intriguing about the unknown. For this reason, dumb, quiet people often get more credit than relatively smart, talkative people. Think about it.

Malick surely is in a different league. Not since Orson Welles has there been so much oohing and ahhing about so little. He's made only five movies in 45 years, but nonetheless, he is often hailed as a legendary American filmmaker.

To be honest (aren't I always?), his movies can be stunning but just as often exasperating. "Badlands" with Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen had a rough Americana about it, although, like most of his films, it tended to tell us what it should have shown. The photography in "Days of Heaven" was as beautiful as any caught on film. "The Thin Red Line" tried to make World War II poetic, although it was way too long.

"The New World," filmed locally, was a beautiful bore and the one I can't quite forgive. It failed in making its point that the transference of European greed was not really a "new" world at all. Although mist-ily photographed, it was shabbily edited and altogether his worst film.

Malick's idea for "The Tree of Life," a film to explore the origins of life on Earth, has been in the works since the 1970s. Heath Ledger was set for the lead and Colin Farrell was discussed. Brad Pitt, who is one of the producers, eventually took the part of the strict father. News got out that it took three years just to edit the film and that its proposed premiere at the Cannes Film Festival had been delayed for several years. That's a lot of information for a film supposedly shrouded in secrecy.

Though Malick took the time to fly to France for the festival, he refused all interviews and didn't show up to accept the coveted top prize. The film received boos as well as applause at Cannes.

Pictures of Brad Pitt on World War Z Set

Brad Pitt looked especially sexy on the set of World War Z in Valletta today. He was back in his scarf and Theory shirt with his iPad under his arm to get to work, though he broke from the cameras for a quick trip to the nearby Mediterranean Conference Center. Brad was solo after enjoying the company of his kids on location over the last few days. Angelina Jolie brought Shiloh and Zahara to visit Brad on Tuesday, and Pax stopped by yesterday. When they weren't checking out the action last week, Angelina took all six little ones to an indoor play park. Brad and Angelina have had time away from their kids though, and they shared a romantic date night together earlier this week.

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