"textbook malick"

the pineapple express review in the village voice uses this frustrating oxymoron to describe a scene in director david gordon green's new film. malick makes movies as he goes, responding to his stories' natural settings, writing as he shoots and edits -- that is to say, off-book. DGG and cinematographer tim orr only recreate the stylistic tics that are the symptoms of malick's process but separated from that process (shot at sony pictures studios in culver city, CA, produced by judd apatow, written by seth rogen and evan goldberg, edited by craig alpert) they lose their meaning.