Some reviewers have even remarked that Van Sant appears to be in a rut, going over much of the same territory he explored in his earlier films. This complaint echoes many of those made about the recent films of Wes Anderson. What these reviewers seem to ignore is that this is precisely what artists do: find a subject and repeatedly explore it in order to reveal new perspectives and deeper meanings.These reviewers (and others) don't ignore this so much as they remain blissfully unaware of it. Yet it seems obviously true to me.
(Oh, and please check out David's excellent new blog. He's been posting some very interesting stuff over there.)