The Fountain
The Fountain ★★ 2006 (PG-13)
Given the pic's long and troubled production history, maybe Aronofsky getting anything onscreen is a miracle. Of course this fantastical odyssey may be considered as a new “2001” and best seen by an audience in the same trippy condition. Anyway, Jackman and Weisz tackle three time periods and three characters but not in a linear fashion. In the 16th-century, Spanish conquistador Tomas is dispatched by Queen Isabel to find the Tree of Life worshipped by the Mayans. In the present, Tommy is a medical researcher who is trying to cure his dying wife, Izzi, who's writing a novel called “The Fountain.” And in the 26th century, Tom is floating in a space bubble towards a nebula and Izzi shows up in his dreams. Or something. Feel free to interpret as you wish or just call it hooey and forget it. 95m/ C DVD, Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD . US Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Clifford Curtis, Mark Margolis; D: Darren Aronofsky; W: Darren Aronofsky; C: Matthew Libatique; M: Clint Mansell.