Prophesies and predictions are fascinating things. They make us wonder about the future and to seek out fulfillment in past events. Most of us are familiar with Nostradamus and his predictions – hundreds of books have been written about them, in fact, so rather than rehash a tired old topic, we are presenting a list of prophesies that, hopefully, most of you have never heard of.

1. Alois Irlmaier

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Irlmaier was a simple German man who, in the 1950s, made predictions of a third world war. This is a small sampling of what he claimed the third world war would look like:
“Everything calls peace. Shalom! Then it will occur, a new Middle East war suddenly flares up, big naval forces are facing hostility in the Mediterranean. The situation is strained, but the actual firing spark is set on fire in the Balkans: I see a ‘large one’ falling, a bloody dagger lies beside him –then impact is on impact. Two men kill a third high-ranked. They were paid by other people. One of the murderers is a small black man, the other a little bit taller, with bright-coloured hair. I think it will be at the Balkans, but I cannot say it exactly. Immediately the revenge comes from across the large water. However the yellow dragon invades in Alaska and Canada at the same time. But he comes not far. And then it rains a yellow dust in a line. When the golden city is destroyed, it begins…” Most interesting in these predictions is the fact that he believes the war will begin in the Middle East which seems certain to many people in the 21st century.

1. Hildegard von Bingen

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I am a great fan of St Hildegard, a polymath nun from the 12th century and, while she is very well known for her incredible contributions to classical music and literature, she is not so well known for her prophesies (of which there were many). In one prediction it appears she is referring to the destruction of the United States:
”Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves will be devastated. It will be divided, and in great part submerged. That nation will also have many misfortunes at sea, and lose its colonies in the east through a Tiger and a Lion. The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force much out of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. [After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues. The ocean will also flood many other countries, so that all coastal cities will live in fear, with many destroyed. All sea coast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease.”
She also predicted that peace would return to Earth when the French throne is restored (very interesting when you consider that it had not been destroyed at that time).

1. Baba Vanga

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Baba Vanga was a blind Bulgarian woman (born 1911, died 1996) who was a herbalist and alleged mystic who made many predictions for the future. She became incredibly popular due to her so-called mystical powers. When she died huge crowds attended her funeral. Among her many predictions she claimed that by 4599 man would achieve immortality and that less than 100 years later we would begin assimilating with the aliens we meet on the hundreds of planets we will have populated. She claimed that in 4509 man will become sufficiently developed that he will begin to communicate with God directly. In 2221, while searching for extra-terrestrial life man will come into contact with something truly terrible (though she didn’t state what). Closer to our own time she predicted a change in the Earth’s orbit in 2023. Curiously she predicted the beginning of World War III in 2010, which does not obviously appear to have happened – though her followers say the machinations may be in place for this to happen.

1. The True Third Secret

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On June 26, 2000, the well known third secret of Fatima was revealed by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), accompanied by a theological commentary. The secret referred to a Pope being killed and a city in ruins. What most people don’t know is that during the many years in which the secret was hidden from all but a few eyes, portions of it (and hints at what it contained) were leaked, by people who had either read the secret or spoken to Sister Lucia (the seer who penned it – pictured above). The leaked information did not correspond with the secret released by the Vatican. Consequently a large number of people believe that the Vatican document is a fake, released to avoid the scandal that would occur if the real secret got out. Purportedly the real secret refers to an apostasy in the Church starting with the Pope (in other words, the Pope/Popes would stop teaching the Catholic faith and fall into error). It also describes a council which will pervert the Church (believed by many to be Vatican II which reversed many traditional Catholic principles and beliefs). This was known for at least forty years prior to the release of the Vatican version of the Secret. What is most interesting is that Sister Lucia said the secret had to be released by 1960, or after her death (whichever came first). Why she chose that specific year is unknown but, curiously, the Vatican II council was started in 1962, with both Popes of the council (John XXIII and Paul VI) saying that they would not release the third secret. Another related prophesy is also very interesting; Pope Pius XII (the Pope prior to John XXIII and the II Vatican Council) said: “We believe that the present hour is a dread phase of the events foretold by Christ. It seems that darkness is about to fall on the world. Humanity is in the grip of a supreme crisis.”

1. Ursula Southeil Prophesies

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Ursula Southeil (Mother Shipton, 1488–1561) is most likely to be the best known prophet on this list. There is much modern debate about the veracity of her predictions, but whether or not she wrote the most famous one attributed to her, she was known as a prophetess at the time of Samuel Pepys, as he wrote about the Royal family discussing her predictions. Here are some of her more interesting prophesies:

1. A carriage without horse will go, Disaster fill the world with woe. In London, Primrose Hill shall be In centre hold a bishops sea.
2. Around the world men’s thoughts will fly, Quick as the twinkling of an eye. And water shall great wonders do, How strange, and yet it shall come true.
3. In water, iron then shall float As easy as a wooden boat. Gold shall be seen in stream and stone, In land that is yet unknown.
4. And England shall admit a Jew, Do you think this strange? But it is true! The Jew that once was led in scorn, Shall of a Christian then be born. [Britain creating the Israeli state?]
5. For in those wondrous far off days, The women shall adopt a craze To dress like men, and trousers wear And to cut off all their locks of hair. They’ll ride astride with brazen brow, As witches do on broomsticks now.
   
6. Tarabich Prophesy
   

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Mitar Tarabich is a little known prophet from Serbia. He lived from 1829 – 1899, and is believed to have predicted many events relating to Serbia in the 1930s, 1940s and World War II:
“After [Tito] our land will be governed by some kind of commission, but it will never be as it was. Even though the people in our kingdom will forget about misery and hunger and will live in great wealth, brother will start to hate and think evil of brother…. The Serbs will separate from each other, and they will say: “I am not a Serb, I am not a Serb.” The unholy one will infiltrate this nation and bed with Serbian sisters, mothers and wives. He will sire such children that among the Serbs, since the beginning of the world, these will be the worst of offspring. Only weaklings will be born, and nobody will be strong enough to give a birth to a real hero.”
He also made other predictions about the future, relating mostly to technology: “Men will build a box and within will be some kind of gadget with images… “, “Man will travel to other worlds to find lifeless deserts there…”, “Those who will read and write different books with numbers will think that they know the most…”.

1. Robert Nixon Prophesies

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Robert Nixon was a young man who worked as a plowboy in the county of Cheshire, England, in the late 15th century. Because he rarely spoke, and usually babbled incomprehensibly when he did, Nixon was thought to be mentally retarded. Despite this, he came out with a number of surprising (and apparently accurate) predictions of the future. Here are a few of them:
“The weary eagle shall to an island in the sun retire, where leaves and herbs grow fresh and green. There shall he meet a lady fair” – this is believed to be a prophesy of Napoleon who was sent to St Helena in 1815 – an island with an abundance of rare plants and named for Helen of Troy who was a “lady fair”.
Another curious prophesy is believed by some to predict the worldwide use of cigarettes: “All sorts will have chimneys in their mouths”.
In addition to the above, Nixon is believed to have predicted voyages to the moon, travel by rockets, RVs, voice recording devices and lightbulbs. When he was summoned to the court of Richard III he refused to make any prophesies except that he would be starved to death. The King ordered him to be kept in the kitchen, but a cook (unwittingly) locked him in a cupboard where he starved to death.

1. Prophecy of the Popes

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The Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to Saint Malachy, is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin. They purport to describe each of the Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a pope described in the prophecy as “Peter the Roman”, whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome. What is most interesting about this prophecy is that the current pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI (listed as the “Glory of the Olive” – Benedict is the founder of the Benedictine monks whose symbol is the olive branch) is the last Pope before Peter the Roman. Tying this in with other aspects of Catholic eschatology (the study of the end times) which generally describes a great apostasy in the Church prior to the second coming of Christ, many Catholics believe that we are now in the end times and that the next pope will be the last before the final judgment. Here is the text of the prophecy as it relates to the final Pope:
“In the last persecution of the Holy Roman Church, Peter the Roman will hold the see (lit. “sit”), who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations: and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [Rome] will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people."

1. White Horse Prophesy

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Mormon readers amongst us may be familiar with this prophesy, but most of us aren’t. The White Horse Prophecy is a statement purported to have been made in 1843, by Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormon religion). According to the prophecy, the Mormons would “go to the Rocky Mountains and … be a great and mighty people”, identified figuratively with the White Horse described in the Apocalypse of St John. The prophecy further predicts that the United States Constitution will one day “hang like a thread” and will be saved “by the efforts of the White Horse”. “A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be left without a Supreme Government, and every specie of wickedness will be practiced rampantly in the land. Father will be against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of bloodshed, murder and rape that have ever been imagined or looked upon will take place.” Smith believed that the US Constitution was written by the inspiration of God and that the Mormon religion would save it , and America during this time he prophesied.

1. Prophecy of St Nilus

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St Nilus was a 5th century ascetic monk who was a disciple of St John Chrysostom (a doctor of the Church). He made a prophecy (though some dispute it dates from his time) relating to the 20th century which is striking in its foresight. Here are a few particularly pertinent sections of the prophesy, the last phrase is particularly interesting:
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, people’s minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognizable. […] People’s appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to their shamelessness in dress and style of hair. […] At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and of the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society. […] At that time men will also fly through the air like birds and descend to the bottom of the sea like fish. And when they have achieved all this, these unhappy people will spend their lives in comfort without knowing, poor souls, that it is deceit of the Antichrist…

Chris is in a relationship with my beautiful spooky sister in law (see pic!). He is still working in special effects and has his own studio here in Salt Lake City. Last night, my husband and I invited Chris and my SIL over for a watch party and we got to watch Lost Highway with his amazing commentary of his firsthand experience working on the film. Here are some fun facts, mostly about how all the effects were constructed:
-Chris created a "life cast" of Patricia Arquette's face and body, which is a sculpting technique where you apply a molding material like silicone all over the person to create an exact sculpture of them. This sculpture of Patricia was used as her dead body in the film. The blood/gore surrounding her was actually pig guts. Lynch liked to assist with the gory effects. Chris watched Lynch, who was drinking a reddish health drink/smoothie, blow all the liquid over the walls through his straw to create blood splatter. Chris said after the film, Arquette asked him to make her a Godzilla costume for her little boy!
-Chris did Balthazar Getty's facial prosthetics. Lynch actually wanted Getty's face to be half his own and half Bill Pullman's. Unfortunately, Chris and the other FX staff couldn't get this to look good enough, so they settled on Getty's face being half mangled instead. Chris said he went to Carl's Jr with Getty lol.
-When Getty kills Michael Massee (Andy) and he is lying impaled on the glass coffee table, Chris created a fiberglass mold of Andy's torso and propped him up on it so he could comfortably lay at that angle while filming.
-Robert Blake's (mystery man) ears were folded forward using putty.
-Pullman and Arquette's house (actually one of Lynch's houses) was tiny. Chris said the film crew was basically against the wall while filming in the living room and bedroom.
-When Bill Pullman slits Robert Loggia's (Dick Laurent's) throat, Chris used Karo syrup for his blood. However, Chris said it was so cold in Death Valley that night that the Karo syrup kept freezing, so there wasn't as much blood as he wanted. When Dick Laurent gets shot, his "brains" are actually an exploded condom filled with clams. Chris said he bought the condoms on the drive out to Death Valley.
-The last scene of the movie- Bill Pullman screaming while driving and his face distorting- Chris was in the back seat! He covered Pullman's face with prosthetic skin and added balloons underneath. The balloons had air tubes connected to them which Chris was manually inflating and deflating right behind Pullman to create the facial distortion.
-Chris sat next to Marilyn Manson at the screening. He said that when the screening ended, he thought to himself, "Hmm this movie isn't very good." He said that when you work on a film and you know what could have been (such as Getty's face being half Bill Pullman), it can sometimes be disappointing seeing the final product. Marilyn was only in the film because they were trying to draw a broader audience.
-Chris said in his 13 years of living in Los Angeles, he only went to two Hollywood parties, and at both of them, Gary Busey was there "drunk as hell with hookers." hahaha
Well, there it is! You can follow Chris on instagram @ docmonsterfx. He's a very cool guy.

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Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Terrence Malick's turn.
Malick's younger years faced tragedy, as his younger brother died as he faced pressure over his musical studies. Malick graduated from Harvard College in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude. He then studied philosophy at Oxford. After a disagreement with his advisor, Gilbert Ryle, over Malick's thesis on the concept of world in Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein, Malick left Oxford without a degree. One of his most notable achievements was translating Heidegger's The Essence of Reasons into English. After returning to the United States, Malick taught philosophy at MIT while freelancing as a journalist. He subsequently earned an MFA from the brand-new AFI Conservatory in 1969, and he got contacts in the industry to start working as an uncredited writer. After one of his screenplays, Deadhead Miles, was made into what Paramount Pictures believed was an unreleasable film, Malick decided to direct his own scripts.
From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

It should be noted that as he started his career in the 1970s, some of the domestic grosses here will be adjusted by inflation. The table with his highest grossing films, however, will be left in its unadjusted form, as the worldwide grosses are more difficult to adjust.

Badlands (1973)

"In 1959, a lot of people were killing time. Kit and Holly were killing people."
His directorial debut. It stars Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Ramon Bieri and Warren Oates. Loosely based on the real-life murder spree of Charles Starkweather and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate in 1958, the film follows Holly Sargis, a 15-year old who goes on a killing spree with her partner, Kit Carruthers.
In 1970, Malick started writing the script while on a road trip. Malick paid $25,000 of his own funds, while the remainder of his share was raised from professionals such as doctors and dentists. Sissy Spacek was chosen, despite being unknown and only appearing in one film, as Malick found her small-town Texas roots and accent were perfect for the part of the naive impressionable high school girl. In fact, he allowed her to help in the creative progress and accomodated the script based on her experiences. When Martin Sheen was suggested by the casting director, Malick was hesitant, thinking he was too old for the role. Spacek wrote in her autobiography that "the chemistry was immediate. He was Kit. And with him, I was Holly."
The film carried a low $300,000 budget and most of the crew was non-union. The film had a somewhat troubled production history: several members of the crew clashed with Malick, and another was severely injured when an explosion occurred while filming the fire scene. Jack Fisk served as art director for the film in his first of several collaborations with Malick. During production, Spacek and Fisk fell in love and got married one year after the year came out.
There are no available numbers for the film's original release. The only numbers we've got is a $54,396 run it had on the UK and New Zealand 15 years ago. The film received acclaim, particularly for its cinematography, soundtrack and acting, and has been named as one of the greatest films of the 1970s. It successfully launched the careers of Malick, Sheen and Spacek.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $0.
  
• Worldwide gross: $54,396.
  

Days of Heaven (1978)

"You've got to go through Hell before you get to Heaven."
His second film. It stars Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel to the Texas Panhandle to harvest crops for a wealthy farmer. Bill persuades Abby to claim the fortune of the dying farmer by tricking him into a false marriage.
While on a trip to Cuba with producer Ben Schneider, Malick started working on the film. Malick had tried and failed to get Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino to star in the film, and John Travolta auditioned for and won the lead role of Bill, but ABC-TV wouldn't let him out of his contract for his series Welcome Back Kotter. Impressed by The Wild Child, Malick asked Néstor Almendros to become the film's cinematographer, winning him over with his knowledge and willingness to use little studio lighting. They drew inspiration from painters such as Johannes Vermeer, Edward Hopper, and Andrew Wyeth, as well as photo-reporters from the start of the 20th century.
According to Almendros, the production was not "rigidly prepared", allowing for improvisation. Daily call sheets could have been more detailed, and the schedule changed to suit the weather. This upset some Hollywood crew members not used to working this way. Most crew members were used to a "glossy style of photography" and felt frustrated because Almendros did not give them much work. Daily, he asked them to turn off the lights they had prepared for him. Some crew members said that Almendros and Malick did not know what they were doing. The tension led to some of the crew quitting the production. Malick supported what Almendros was doing and pushed the film's look further, removing more lighting aids and leaving the image bare.
While the photography yielded the director satisfactory results, the rest of the production was difficult. The actors and crew reportedly viewed Malick as cold and distant. After two weeks of shooting, Malick was so disappointed with the dailies, he "decided to toss the script, go Leo Tolstoy instead of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, wide instead of deep [and] shoot miles of film with the hope of solving the problems in the editing room." Post-production took 2 years, as Malick had a difficult time shaping the film and getting the pieces to go together. He experimented with voice-overs from Linda Manz's character, scrapped much of the film's dialogue, replacing it with Manz's voice-over, which served as an oblique commentary on the story.
Schneider was disappointed with Malick. He had confronted Malick numerous times about missed deadlines and broken promises. Due to further cost overruns, he had to ask Paramount for more money, which he preferred not to do. When they screened a demo for Paramount and made their pitch, the studio was impressed and reportedly "gave Malick a very sweet deal at the studio, carte blanche, essentially".
Despite a heavy push from Paramount, the film was a box office bomb, earning just $3.4 million in its run. The film also received a polarizing response; while the cinematography was praised, the storyline and structure were points of criticism. But time was kind to the film, eventually being acknowleged as one of the best films of the 1970s. Despite losing money, Charles Bluhdorn (who ran Paramount's parent company Gulf + Western), loved it so much he offered Malick $1 million for his next project, whatever it was.
Malick began developing a project for Paramount named Q, that explored the origins of life on earth. During pre-production, he suddenly moved to Paris and disappeared from public view for years.

• Budget: $3,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $3,446,749. ($16.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $3,485,264.
  

The Thin Red Line (1998)

"Every man fights his own war."
His third film. Based on the novel by James Jones, it stars Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Jared Leto, Dash Mihok, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, Larry Romano, John Savage and John Travolta. It tells a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen, which was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, and portrays U.S. soldiers of C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.
In 1978, Malick was approached by producer Bobby Geisler, and both exchanged different ideas for films that never materialized. Ten years later, Geisler visited him in Paris, and Malick was interested in adapting either Molière's Tartuffe or James Jones' The Thin Red Line. The following year, Malick wrote a 300-page script. As he slowly worked on the film, the producers earned his trust by providing him with reliable sources, paying his travel plans and getting him a mortgage in Paris. By 1995, Sony was involved, but new studio chairman John Calley did not think Malick could make his movie with the proposed $52 million budget. 20th Century Fox picked up the project, with the condition that Malick cast five known stars.
In 1995, once word went out that Malick was making another movie after many years, numerous actors approached him, flooding the casting directors until they had to announce they wouldn't be accepting more requests. Sean Penn told Malick that he would appear for just one dollar. Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Gary Oldman, and George Clooney offered to work for a fraction and some even offered to work for free. Bruce Willis even went as far as offering to pay for first-class tickets for the casting crew, to get a few lines for the movie. Before the casting was finalized, Nicolas Cage had lunch with Malick in Hollywood in February 1996. Malick went off to scout locations and tried calling Cage that summer only to find out that his phone number had been disconnected. Tom Sizemore, however, was offered a more substantial role in Saving Private Ryan and, when he could not contact Malick for several days, decided to do Spielberg's film instead. Edward Norton flew out to Austin and met Malick, who had been impressed by the actor's screen test for Primal Fear. Matthew McConaughey reportedly took a day off filming A Time to Kill to see Malick. Others followed, including William Baldwin, Edward Burns, Josh Hartnett, Crispin Glover, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stephen Dorff, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Malick's unconventional filming techniques included shooting part of a scene during a bright, sunny morning only to finish it weeks later at sunset. He made a habit of pointing the camera away during an action sequence and focus on a parrot, a tree branch or other fauna. Malick's reputation and working methods commanded great respect among the actors, with both Woody Harrelson and John Savage staying on for an extra month after they finished all of their scenes just to watch him at work.
Despite a big cast, some names were left out. Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas and Mickey Rourke performed but their scenes were eventually cut, while Billy Bob Thornton recorded narration that was scrapped. Editor Leslie Jones was on location for 5 months and rarely saw Malick, who left her to her own devices. After principal photography wrapped, she came back with a five-hour first cut and spent 7 months editing, with Thornton contributing 3 hours of narrative voice-over material. It was at this point that editor Billy Weber joined and they spent 13 months in post-production and the last 4 months mixing the film, using four Avid machines with a fifth added at one point. Malick edited the footage one reel at a time with the sound off while listening to a Green Day CD.
The editing resulted in many of the well-known cast members being on screen for only a brief period. John Travolta and George Clooney's appearances are little more than cameos, yet Clooney's name appears prominently in the marketing of the movie. The unfinished film was screened for the New York press in December 1998 and Adrien Brody attended a screening to find that his originally significant role, "to carry the movie", as he put it, had been reduced to two lines and approximately five minutes of screen time, while Malick changed the lead role to Caviezel. Brody actually shared his frustration:

"I was so focused and professional, I gave everything to it, and then to not receive everything... in terms of witnessing my own work. It was extremely unpleasant because I’d already begun the press for a film that I wasn’t really in. Terry obviously changed the entire concept of the film. I had never experienced anything like that. You know the expression ‘Don’t believe the hype’? Well, you shouldn’t."

The film started on limited release before expanding. The film failed to double its budget, although it earned almost $100 million worldwide. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for its philosophical depiction of war, Malick's direction, musical score, cinematography, screenplay, editing, and performances. It received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, with Malick nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Malick rested for 20 years and then came back with a banger.

• Budget: $52,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $36,400,491. ($69.3 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $98,126,565.
  

The New World (2005)

"Once discovered, it was changed forever."
His fourth film. It stars Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, Yorick van Wageningen and John Savage. It depicts the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia, settlement and inspired by the historical figures Captain John Smith, Pocahontas of the Powhatan tribe, and Englishman John Rolfe.
After The Thin Red Line, Malick worked on a film about Che Guevara and his failed revolution in Bolivia. When financing had yet to come through, Malick was offered the chance to direct The New World (a project he worked on since the 1970s) and left the Guevara project in March 2004. Christopher Plummer, while respectful of Malick, found the experience very frustrating. He told Malick "to get a writer" and complained about a scene where "this very emotional scene that I had suddenly was background noise." He said he would never work with Malick ever again, also telling him "you are so boring. You get in these ruts. You’ve got to get yourself a writer."
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who disliked its unfocused narrative and runtime. The audience hated it even more, and the film bombed with just $49 million worldwide. Nevertheless, Emmanuel Lubezki received an Oscar nomination for its cinematography. In the years since, it has been re-appraised.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $12,712,093. ($20.1 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $49,334,775.
  

The Tree of Life (2011)

"Nothing stands still."
His fifth film. The film stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain and Tye Sheridan. It follows the impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
After Days of Heaven, Malick started working on Q, a film about the origin of life. Malick had an idea for a film that would be "a history of the cosmos up through the formation of the Earth and the beginnings of life." It would include elements such as a section set in the Middle East during World War I, and an underwater minotaur dreaming about the evolution of the universe. One day, Malick "just stopped" working on the film and left for Paris.
Decades later, Malick got help from a producer to get the project made. Brad Pitt got involved through his company, Plan B, and was eventually cast as the lead. At one point, Colin Farrell and Mel Gibson were attached. Heath Ledger was set to play the role of Mr. O'Brien, but dropped out (due to recurring sicknesses) a month before his death in early 2008. Sean Penn was proud of the film, although he said, "The screenplay is the most magnificent one that I've ever read but I couldn't find that same emotion on screen... A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and its impact."
Malick disliked the look of computer-generated imagery. So, after nearly 30 years away from Hollywood, famed special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey) contributed to the visual effects work on the film. Trumbull asked Malick, "Why not do it the old way? The way we did it in 2001?" Working with visual effects supervisor Dan Glass, Trumbull used a variety of materials for the creation of the universe sequence. "We worked with chemicals, paint, fluorescent dyes, smoke, liquids, CO2, flares, spin dishes, fluid dynamics, lighting and high speed photography to see how effective they might be."
Originally scheduled for 2009, the film was delayed until 2011 due to Malick still working on post-production. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it garnered a polarizing response; it was met with both boos and applause. In a surprising move, it won the Palme d'Or. At the box office, the film earned $61 million worldwide, almost doubling its budget. Even with the polarizing response, it was still received with thunderous acclaim, with some proclaiming it as Malick's magnum opus as well as one of the greatest films of the century. Malick once again received an Oscar nomination for Best Director, while the film was also nominated for Best Picture.

• Budget: $32,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $13,305,665. ($18.3 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $61,721,826.
  

To the Wonder (2013)

His sixth film. It stars Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, and Javier Bardem. The film chronicles a couple who, after falling in love in Paris, struggle to keep their relationship from falling apart after moving to the United States.
Malick and his crew adopted an experimental approach. Actors described working without a screenplay or the use of lights. Likewise, cinematographer on the film, Emmanuel Lubezki, was given instructions to be “in the eye of the hurricane” — in the middle of a scene, constantly interacting with the characters. Lubezki called the film "abstract", and described it as being less tied to theatrical conventions and more purely cinematic than any prior film directed by Malick. Jessica Chastain, Rachel Weisz, Amanda Peet, Barry Pepper and Michael Sheen were originally part of the film, but no footage of their performances was kept for the final cut.
The film only received a limited release, earning less than $3 million. It also received mixed reviews, as many found its narrative emotionally unsatisfying. Interestingly, this was the last film reviewed by Roger Ebert. He gave it a 3.5/4 and wrote:

"A more conventional film would have assigned a plot to these characters and made their motivations more clear. Malick, who is surely one of the most romantic and spiritual of filmmakers, appears almost naked here before his audience, a man not able to conceal the depth of his vision."

• Budget: $0.
  
• Domestic gross: $587,615. ($782,771 adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $2,801,166.
  

Knight of Cups (2016)

"A quest."
His seventh film. The film stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy, Antonio Banderas, Wes Bentley, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Freida Pinto, Cherry Jones, Nick Offerman, Clifton Collins Jr., Dane DeHaan, Thomas Lennon, Joel Kinnaman, Jason Clarke, Shea Whigham, Ryan O'Neal, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Corrigan, Fabio, Joe Lo Truglio, Beau Garrett and Nick Kroll. The film follows screenwriter Rick on an odyssey through Los Angeles and Las Vegas as he undertakes a series of adventures with colorful figures, identified by seven tarot cards from the Major Arcana, with Rick as the Knight of Cups.
Although a script was written, Bale received no pages from it, while all other cast members received only pages of internal and verbal monologue for each shooting day. Bale later said that while filming, he was unclear about what the final film would actually be. During production, Malick used a process he calls "torpedoing", where a character is thrown into a scene without the other actors' advance knowledge, forcing them to improvise. In addition to a traditional studio, the cast also recorded their voice-over work in nontraditional places, such as in a van or by the side of the road.
The film received mixed reviews, particularly for its story. The film was another bomb for Malick, barely making it past $1 million.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $566,006. ($731,838 adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $1,026,288.
  

Voyage of Time (2016)

"Life's journey."
His eighth film. A documentary narrated by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the film is an examination of the birth and death of the known universe.
Malick worked on the film since the 1970s, and some ideas from Q are part of the film. It was released in two versions: a forty-minute IMAX version with narration by Brad Pitt, and a 35-millimetre feature-length edition narrated by Cate Blanchett.
Even with the backing of IMAX, the film didn't even make $400,000 at the box office. The IMAX version was met with positive reviews, but the feature-length edition received a more mixed response.

• Budget: $12,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $55,409. ($71,643 adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $337,038.
  

Song to Song (2017)

"Love. Obsession. Betrayal."
His ninth film. It stars Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman, and Cate Blanchett. Set in Austin, Texas, two entangled couples — struggling songwriters Faye and BV, and music mogul Cook and the waitress whom he ensnares — chase success through a rock ’n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.
It fared similar reviews to his past films; great performances caught in an unsatisfying narrative. Once again, another box office dud.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $443,684. ($561,711 adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $1,813,453.
  

A Hidden Life (2019)

"Based on true events."
His 10th film. It stars August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Nyqvist and Bruno Ganz. The film depicts the life of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
Malick said the film would have a more structured narrative than his previous works, "Lately — I keep insisting, only very lately — have I been working without a script and I've lately repented the idea. The last picture we shot, and we're now cutting, went back to a script that was very well ordered." This makes it his first linear, plot-driven film since The New World. It was filmed in 2016, but it spent three years on post-production.
Surprise surprise, it was another box office bomb for Malick. But it received his best reviews in almost a decade, and was deemed a return to form for Malick after a slate of weak films.

• Budget: $7,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $1,730,597. ($2.1 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $4,622,354.
  

Other Projects

As mentioned, he started as an uncredited writer in the industry. One of those films was Dirty Harry, in which Malick wrote an early draft.
He was originally slated to direct a Che Guevara biopic, but abandoned the film when financing fell through. Steven Soderbergh would later direct from this script, and Malick is credited as a writer on the film.

The Future

Malick's next film is The Way of the Wind, which chronicles many chapters in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. It stars Géza Röhrig, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, Tawfeek Barhom, Aidan Turner, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, and Douglas Booth. Filming occurred in 2019, but five years later, there are no updates on the film.

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	The Thin Red Line	1998	20th Century Fox	$36,400,491	$61,726,074	$98,126,565	$52M
2	The Tree of Life	2011	Searchlight	$13,305,665	$48,416,161	$61,721,826	$32M
3	The New World	2005	New Line Cinema	$12,712,093	$36,622,682	$49,334,775	$30M
4	A Hidden Life	2019	Searchlight	$1,730,597	$2,891,757	$4,622,354	$7M
5	Days of Heaven	1978	Paramount	$3,446,749	$38,515	$3,485,264	$3M
6	To the Wonder	2013	Magnolia	$587,615	$2,213,551	$2,801,166	N/A
7	Song to Song	2017	Broad Green	$443,684	$1,369,769	$1,813,453	N/A
8	Knight of Cups	2016	Broad Green	$566,006	$460,282	$1,026,288	N/A
9	Voyage of Time	2016	Broad Green / IMAX	$55,409	$281,629	$337,038	$12M
10	Badlands	1973	Warner Bros.	$0	$54,396	$54,396	$300K

Across those 10 films, he has made $223,323,125 worldwide. That's $22,332,312 per film.

The Verdict

Unreliable. Not even close.
Malick has been unable to make a single profitable film in his career. Of course, the one exception might be Badlands, but we have no box office data from 1973 to corroborate. And that shouldn't be a surprise. His films are way too experimental, and have often been criticized for the lack of plot and character development. That's not for everyone. And some actors have expressed frustration with his post-production, especially because their roles are entirely cut from his films.
At the same time, however, there's a lot to admire about Malick. His films often read like meditative poetry, trying to convey emotion through cinematography and philosophy instead of dialogue or plot. The Thin Red Line has received a huge amount of praise in subsequent years, to the point that some might consider it superior to that year's other war film, Saving Private Ryan (like your OP here). And The Tree of Life has been one of the century's most acclaimed and analyzed films, so clearly Malick knows his magic (I'd put it in the top 5 of the century, but that's just me). Studios know they won't make any money with Malick, but they still want to see his works. And that's fine.
As a fun fact, one of Malick's favorite films is none other than... Zoolander. After hearing that Malick was a fan, Ben Stiller made an in-character happy-birthday video for the director. He not only loves the film, but he often quotes it on set. Now you gotta picture a crew member explaining something to Malick, and then Malick replying with "but why male models?"
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next director will be Guillermo del Toro. I'll have to post at least some of his projects that never materialized.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Danny Boyle. One of the most iconic British directors.
This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
April 8-14	Guillermo del Toro	So... no At the Mountains of Madness?
April 15-21	Todd Phillips	Who's laughing now?
April 22-28	John Carpenter	Is that really it? No more films?
April 29-May 5	Danny Boyle	It was a long wait, but 28 Years Later is finally happening.

Who should be next after Boyle? That's up to you.
And to finally answer your question, there's finally a date on Christopher Nolan's post. It was a long wait, but I wanted to know how it will do on Japan before calling it. The post will be on... July 20. Some might think this is too long to wait, but I think it's a fitting date. It is what it is.

I'm one of those people that once they decide to do something, they go all-in. That's how I ended up committing to an all hard-mode card for my very first bingo. Not the smartest choice, but I read a lot of great books. I'm also a chronic procrastinator, so I just finished my final read yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm going to participate next year, as now I'm in the middle of way too many series. On with the complete card and mini-reviews! (All credit goes to u/shift_shaper for the design of the card.)
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1. Title with a Title – The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

I adored The Goblin Emperor when I read it (and I still want a direct sequel with Maia as the MC again), so I knew I had to pick this spin-off up. Celehar, with his interesting profession, was a side character from the first book that I wanted to know more about. It was amazing to watch him grow and recover from his trauma over the course of the book, and gaining new allies, all while solving a multi-faceted mystery.

2. Superheroes – Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Another book I've been meaning to read for a while, but I'm just not a big superhero girly. The morally grey characters absolutely made this book. With each time jump I was left wondering who I should be rooting for. The entire concept behind the powers and where they come from is amazing. It got a little angsty at times, but was still great.

3. Bottom of the TBR – Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

My very first Sanderson novel! I've been meaning to pick this up forever, and I'm so glad I did. I loved this and I really hope it gets that sequel eventually. The characters and the magic system were definitely the best part. My only complaint was that the ending felt a little rushed.

4. Magical Realism – Bunny by Mona Awad

This was a fever dream of a book. I think I enjoyed the ride and all the commentary, but it was pretty confusing, especially the ending.

5. Young Adult – A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

I picked this up on a whim and it was a pretty good time. The atmosphere was the best part for me. I don't know if all the topics covered (mental illness, sexism, racism, etc.) were handled perfectly, but it was still good. It turned out to not be the most memorable read for me.

6. Mundane Jobs – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

I was worried to pick this up because of all the hype, but it turns out that sometimes that hype really is warranted. This book hit just the right cozy vibes without being boring. Watching Viv grow over time and creating new friendships (and a romance) was heart-warming.

7. Published in the 00s – The City & the City by China Miéville

Suffice to say I've never read anything like this; the premise, the prose, the setting, and the genre-bending weirdness all combined together to create this one-of-a-kind novel. It was definitely harder to grasp than many other speculative fictions works, at least to me. My main complaint is that the characters felt a bit flat, but everything else made it well worth the read.

8. Angels and Demons – Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater

This book was absolutely charming, and I loved the characters so much. The vibes were immaculate. I'm so glad the bingo put this on my radar.

9. Short Stories – The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

I struggled to get through this. Not because it was bad, but because it was devastating. Do not let the cover fool you, the real-world atrocities and events in Asia that inspired these stories will gut you. All the Flavors and The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary were my two favorites.

10. Horror – Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

I was so obsessed with this little book. After I finished it I spent forever researching the inspiration (which I can't get into cause spoilers). The twist is soo good. Just an incredibly written feminist piece that I adore. It's a shame the Goodreads rating is so low.

11. Self or Indie Published – Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

The character work was not my favorite. Both main characters felt bland and did not act like the near-immortal beings they were supposed to be. They felt young and inconsistent. I also found Tony to be an absolutely insufferable character who annoyed me whenever he got page-time. Honestly, I felt a lot more empathy for the little brother in comparison to the other siblings. I also think the pacing felt off. I liked the premise and initial world-building a lot, just not the execution.

12. Set in the Middle East – The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

I really didn't think I was going to enjoy this book when I picked it up (fantasy with a dose of enemies-to-lovers romance), but I wanted to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did! It made my top 10 reads last year. I thought Sylvia as a main character was great, and watching her grapple with her identity and the expectations of everyone around her was fascinating. Her journey of learning how to love and trust other people again made me so happy. I really liked the side characters, the banter, and the world-building, though I found the magic system a bit confusing. The dialogue was just a hair cringey and over-the-top at times, but I loved it all the same.

13. Published in 2023 – Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törsz

This was a little bit of a letdown, despite being good. After seeing all the glowing reviews and the excitement of the FIF book club, I expected this to be incredible. I enjoyed the Nicholas/Collins duo best of the characters which is unfortunate considering most of the focus is supposed to be on the two sisters. I also definitely preferred the pacing of the second half over the first. As far as plot, I do think everything went a little too neatly/easily, and it resolved so quickly. Don't even get me started on the insta-love with Joanna that felt right of a YA novel. I liked the writing and the world-building a lot though.

14. Multiverse – Recursion by Blake Crouch

I've been meaning to pick this book (and Dark Matter tbh) up forever. The concept of this book is just amazing. It had me pretty mind-fucked for a while. The ending dragged a bit and the writing wasn't my favorite. The main character was also pretty grating at times. Still, 10/10 for an original concept.

15. POC Author – The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older

I'm getting ready to pick up the sequel to this one! I loved the lesbian detective duo in space concept. I found a lot of the language and some of the world-building a bit confusing. Mossa and Pleiti carried this book, and I actually don't remember the mystery very well at this point. Still a good read.

16. Book Club – Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

I don't read a ton of middle-grade, but this was pretty fun. I've always hated scarecrows, so this was perfect for me. The main character is grappling with grief and having a hard-time at school, all while dealing with horrifying scarecrows (and more).

17. Novella – Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This book was a bit too British for me. There were definitely some sentences that may as well have been in anther language. The entire concept of this book (and that ending, holy shit) are incredible. I would definitely recommend this book. There were just some things that didn't quite work for me as far as writing and the MC goes.

18. Mythical Beasts – Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

The writing was beautiful, and my primary issue with this work was simply that it was too short. I would've loved more time with these characters rather than the multiple timeline jumps. If this had been a full-length stand-alone novel it would've been near-perfect. Also, I got to have my copy signed by Fonda Lee at a local book event!!!

19. Elemental Magic – Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Definitely a hard book to get through as an adult, but I think if I'd read this when I was younger I would've enjoyed it more. It definitely feels young, and in 2024 it's not going to be as interesting. The magic system is nice enough, and the (sometimes poorly done) Russian inspiration was a unique take. The characters left something to be desired.

20. Myths and Retellings – What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

I am a T. Kingfisher stan to be honest. This was an incredible retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. The whole unique nonbinary gender concept (with a nonbinary MC) in this novella was fascinating. It was sufficiently horrifying (ugh fungus). The characters are just so much fun. I already read the sequel too, and it was almost as good!

21. Queernorm Setting – The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

My last read for the bingo and thankfully it was a huge win. The magic system and world-building is unique and fascinating. The characters are pretty interesting, especially Lin. The twists had me jaw-dropped. I saw a few coming, and others just astounded me. I can't wait to read-on with the series.

22. Coastal/Island Setting – The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker

The main character of this one could sometimes get on my nerves, but it was good seeing his growth. We also love an older, bad-ass female character 'round these parts, so Lucky Meas stole the show. The concept of the bone ships was awesome. I'm not usually one for a ton of action, or even pirates to be honest, but this one was definitely a winner.

23. Druids – Becoming a Druid by Mike Mollman

I liked the nature themes and aspects of the magic system. However, the main character could be too unlikeable at times. The deaths of some of the characters didn't have weight; it felt very brushed over by our main character in particular. Also, the pacing felt choppy, like we were just jumping from one scene to the next.

24. Robots – Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

This series is one of my absolute favorites. I can't say much about this book without spoiling the others, but I just love Murderbot as an MC so, so much. Sometimes I find a robot a little too relatable. The writing, plots, and characters within this series are perfect.

25. Sequel – The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

The first book in this series is one of my favorite books hands-down, but I found this last book to be the weakest. I didn't like where the story went and the characters that were focused on. I did enjoy the ending thankfully.

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