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Harry says Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a brilliant, masterful film! Daniel Day Lewis owns this year's Oscar!
As one of the programmers of FANTASTIC FEST, working hand in hand with Tim League, Matt Dentler and all the others – it's not often when you know you’ve hit the jackpot. About 3 weeks ago, we realized that we were going to be the first place on Planet Earth to screen THERE WILL BE BLOOD, based upon Upton Sinclair’s novel OIL! and adapted for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson. As a genre festival – it didn’t entirely seem appropriate that the film would play, but Tim, Dentler and I discussed – at length – what this festival means to us. The tag line, “A Film Festival With The Boring Parts Cut Out” was coined by me. Our goal is to create a film festival made up of fantastic experiences, fantastic screenings and fantastic guests. Playing a film like PERSEPOLIS – an animated tale about growing up during the last 30 or so years in Iran… Doesn’t necessarily fit, but the film is FANTASTIC. However, as I watched THERE WILL BE BLOOD last night for the very first time – I realized that to me, THERE WILL BE BLOOD embodies everything that I want from a film at Fantastic Fest. This is a film about the dark places in men’s souls. It is a film at the highest possible quality – comparable to many of my favorite films of all time. Movies about monsters on quests like CITIZEN KANE, TREASURE OF SIERRE MADRE, GONE WITH THE WIND, GIANT, OLDBOY, THE GODFATHER and TAXI DRIVER. When Upton Sinclair wrote OIL! – it was when he discovered how greed can destroy a community, here – PTA has created a masterpiece. It begins simply – a lone man, digging down. Swinging his sparking pick-axe carving with a desperate drive to find gold. He places a stick of dynamite into a crack he made – lights it and gets out of the hole, trying desperately to pull his tools up with him. The blast goes off – he anxiously tries to make his way into the hole, only to fall and break his leg. There – at the bottom of this man made pit – he finds some gold. He stuffs some of the ore into his shirt and begins the desperate one legged climb out of the hole – pushing himself on his back, to where? We cut to him laying on his back inside a building where he’s selling his ore – it’s 1897 and he just made $347. Next we cut back to the same hole – this time he has men working with him. This time, it’s a few years later – and they’re digging, by hand… for oil. Daniel Day Lewis’ character of Daniel Plainview is there in the pit – alongside another man digging – when the rigging above falls killing the other man. Daniel now has a son, his partner’s son. Shortly after, they strike oil. It’s hauled up by buckets. The buckets poured into a pool up on the surface to be placed in barrels for sale. Through all of this – the men do not speak, they’re working with a determination. There is a drive in Daniel Plainview that is evident – he is not afraid of hard labor or pain. This is a man that will claim his fortune from the Earth. He will dig and claim it as his own. Like Dobbs or Scarlett O’Hara – he will never go hungry again. He’s been there and he will not go back. We cut to a few years later – his adopted son and Daniel are dressed nicely addressing a community that has had a well come in. He’s working to gain their trust to allow him to develop the strike – the community is too excitable – each neighbor making demands, a cacophony of greed – Daniel leaves telling them, he would not develop their claim even if they gave it to him as a gift. This community had turned to wolves, and he is looking for sheep. Daniel has one strong strike that’s paying him $5,000 a week in Oil production. But it is not enough for this man. He has a competition in him. He is driven to succeed without parallel. He begrudges paying for shipping, he begrudges the land owners that sit upon gold that they are not willing to work for to mine. HE made his wealth with his own hands – and if these people are too complacent, too lazy and too ignorant to work for their own riches – why should he hand them to them? The contempt for humanity is palpable. In many ways the film, above all others, that this film reminds me of is Billy Wilder’s brilliant ACE IN THE HOLE (aka THE BIG CARNIVAL) – as it happens, earlier this day I was watching this classic Kirk Douglas movie on TCM – it seems the movie gods were smiling upon me – to make the comparison so ready, willing and available. In that film, Kirk Douglas is a man that is determined, no matter what, to use men as he saw fit to get his way back to the top. His actions are pre-meditated and cruel. He twists people, playing on their greed, fears and hopes to orchestrate his own success. Daniel Plainview is of the same cloth. He’s a man that believes in revenge, that gives into anger and allows it to drive his success. He sees the world as a hard bitter cruel place where you have to be hard bitter and cruel to succeed. The only other person on the planet he loves is his son – but even there, he uses the image of his son to just gain the trust of others. He needs them to see him as a family man, because it’s easier to trust a family man. His every action is premeditated. That said – he is always ever that man we saw at the beginning of the film pounding his fortune out by his own blood, sweat and tears. As Plainview is clued into a community sitting upon an “ocean of oil” he sees his chance to be everything he’s ever wanted to be. A powerful man, a rich man – a man dependent upon no man. A chance to be independent, wealthy and successful. This community has been untapped. He is the sole wolf hunting this community of sheep. He clues his son in on it all. Teaching him how to be as cut-throat as he. The film that follows exposes the greed of a “prophet” played by Paul Dano with the exact right level of Elmer Gantry-ism. You can see the ambition he has. The profit of being a prophet. More than that – you can see the contempt that Plainview has for what he considers a sly con man. As tragedy hits Daniel’s life, as obstacles come, he brushes them to the side – it’s important that he win. He has to tie up the entire community to own the ocean of oil beneath it – then he needs to tie up the land he needs to build a pipeline. What is it that makes this film utterly brilliant? Well – as with all fantastic movies – it’s a combination of talents rising to the occasion. First and foremost is Paul Thomas Anderson. He set out to make a film like TREASURE OF SIERRE MADRE – and he did. His decisions with sound, image, dialogue and direction were all absolutely masterful. I know that’s easy to say, but his work here is just perfect. Like – at this one moment when two characters are brought back together after an amazingly bombastic scene… he serves it all in long shot – just hearing the voices. Not giving us the typical close-ups – rather letting us distill the emotion from the voice of Daniel Day Lewis in the scene. It’s incredibly powerful. Did I mention Daniel Day Lewis? The man is in nearly every scene in the film. It is a legendary performance. Iconic and powerful. It is his absolute best work, which is saying something as he has never ever been anything other than great. Here though – he’s given a role that every great actor waits patiently for. Like Bogart and Dobbs. Like Brando and The Godfather. Like DeNiro with Raging Bull. Here you have an actor so alive, so vital and so naturally bigger than life that I was left in awe of the performance. This is not just the best performance of the year to date, but one of the great performance period. Robert Elswit's photography is breathtaking. Amongst my favorite aspects of the film is the score, which was brilliantly created by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. The score is a direct echo of Daniel Plainview's soul... At times classical- quaint, at other times experimental and atonal - symbolizing the noise in his soul or echoing the pounding of the drilling for oil. The score and the use of it added towards the intensity of the experience. A fellow critic at the screening began comparing the film to CITIZEN KANE, GIANT and other classics – it was nice to read that – because it meant I wasn’t the only one thinking that. This film doesn’t hit till late December – but I’m telling you – when it does, hold on to your hat. It’s a gusher!
Readers Talkback
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Can't wait to see this one.
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Sept. 28, 2007, 6:19 p.m. CST
So much gushing and queefing on this site these days.
by Zompar Usilon
Not that I complain.
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I love all cast and crew involved... but even after reading this review (and seeing the first trailer, although I hear the second is much better) I have no desire to see this.. other than the fact that it has so much talent involved.
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I can't wait to get my hands on that score.
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"As one of the programmers of FANTASTIC FEST, working hand in hand with Tim League, Matt Dentler and all the others – where you know you’ve hit the jackpot." Unfuckingbelievable. When it starts like that, why should we waste out time reading the review at all? I'm not a stringent ball buster about grammar and spelling mistakes, but the first fucking sentence? I wouldn't mind as much if Harry wasn't the worst writer ever. He has either an - or an ellipses (...) bookmarking every single phrase. I assume he has to do that because he is incapable of even basic sentence structure. He overuses them like crazy, it makes his awful reviews unbearable to read. Fuck's sakes.
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but frankly - this far out of the film - it would be grotesque to describe it all. This is a film you should discover - go into wondering why you're there to watch a film about the birth of the Oil Industry - and stumble out of 2 and a half hours later stunned having seen brilliance by all the talent involved.
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Great review, Harry. I don't think I could be more excited to see this one. And I'm especially glad to hear that Jonny's score came out sounding fantastic. I'm so jealous right now. Also, thanks for the linkage. Off to No Country in a few...
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I think his movies are too stylistically derivative of Altman, Scorsese...and this looks like he's going for Malick. And while I know it shouldn't matter, I find his personality to be too arrogant and asshole-ish. But I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to this and hoping for a turnaround in my opinion, if for no other reason than because DDL is an actor to rule them all.
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Yes, but have you seen the stage musical of "The Little Mermaid"? The actors skate around on healies for almost three hours with fish tails sticking out of their asses!
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Interesting. God forbid we have directors that listen to or follow in the path laid down by Altman or Scorsese. And when that end game is THERE WILL BE BLOOD - it is something to be celebrated. As for PTA in person. I spent about 3 hours drinking with PTA last night at the closing night party. He took time to shake every fan's hands and always returned to our conversation where he left off. He spoke with young filmmmakers and offered them encouragement and well-wishes - and when I left he was out on the patio talking with Tim League and a group of Fantastic Fest goers talking, not so much about his film as much as film in general. There was no signs of Arrogance or assholishness - rather he was actually shy and humble.
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is spoiling us. No Country, Eastern Promises, Darjeeling (where's your review Mori?), Nothing is Private, and this. Best film year since '99? Could be so.
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i just checked imdb's worst 100 list and was astounded that there are so many from 07 on there, but not surprised of many 2000s on there, remember the early 2000s reeked and being known as the remake decade even makes the sequel decade 80s look better.
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holy shit. i only cautiously scanned the main body of the review but I'm glad harry liked it. even for his standards this thing sounds exciting. i just love pta's filmmaking (and as he comes across as pure charismatic flesh ...not that bad either I must say). He's a fucking magician.
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True - a whole lotta crap released this year too, but - I'm not watching the crap! I'm just excited to see so much good stuff in the next few months. Too bad that it has to be all in a 3 - 4 month clump, but I guess them's the breaks.
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you know that friend that you have that sees a sweet movie and tells you how great it is and then BAM! huge fuckin spoiler out of nowhere. thats harry. so i skipped to the bottom to get that conclusion "so yeah great film bla bla", got some shit about the score so i scrolled up a tad...BAM! huge fuckin spoiler. god damn it harry.
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I'm glad PT was nice to you while you were screening his movie. What a shock.
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There's a big differnece between someone who's inflluenced and inspired by Altman and Scorsese, and someone who lifts from them. I think PT has tended to fall into the latter category. I'm glad you disagree, and I already said I was looking forward to this. I have no problem giving him his day in court.
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Seen boogie and magnolia and wow, this guy is really good... I really don't get why people compare him to Wes Anderson?
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Ok - so you're calling PTA a ripoff artist stealing from Altman and Scorsese. Would this be because he makes stunningly personal and introspective films filled with honest emotional moments? - And at least in terms of Scorsese - while he's brilliant - he lifts from his heroes as wel. As for PTA being nice to me - given I've known him and have shared letters with him ever since MAGNOLIA premiered at the first BUTT-NUMB-A-THON - the fact is - he spent time chatting with everybody. Not just "the people he needed to" - and I do know THOSE types of celebrities - he was not.
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well so far - we have reviews of this screening in Variety, Twitch, Cinematical and Indiewire - all of which are calling the film a brilliant leap forward for PTA - nearly all comparing the film to some of the greatest films of all time - most often CITIZEN KANE and TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE. And none of those film writers programmed it or know PTA.
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I swear MrMonkey that, til your post, I was thinking that animation was from Bobby's World opening credits. REALLY. Guess its because I never gave enough shit about it in order to watch til the end of it (that's like what, 45 minutes long?). Or maybe I'm just stupid.
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Hey Harry, Extremely excited to hear There Will Be Blood is garnering comparisons to Citizen Kane and Ace in the Hole. I can't remember hearing ANY film released in my lifetime get those kinds of comparisons. Anyhow, how would you compare this latest offering with all his previous films? Beyond the fact it looks to be a complete 180 from Punch Drunk Love (another film I'm extremely fond), do the characters sound or act differently from the material he has written before? Is it actually better than his other films based on the fact it's adapting a pre-existing work? It's a tricky question, I know, but couldn't help to throw it out there.
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To spin off from what Film Whisperer's been saying regarding his filmic inspirations, I felt like Punch Drunk Love was in many ways his most mature and personal film to date; namely because it seemed so unfamiliar and nakedly honest. Whatever cinematic influences he pulled from (Jacques Tati maybe?) didn't seem obtrusive or ostentatious. Take for instance the "I Am Brazil" shot in Boogie Nights, which is wonderful in its own right but very much serving as a postmodern footnote intended to specifically reference that moment in that film. I felt like, with Punch Drunk Love he weaved together such a tense, raw experience that didn't abide by simple genre conventions and wasn't afraid to completely buck tradition. I honestly couldn't recognize any influences in PDL; it felt so much like HIS story. Aside from the period change, does Paul Anderson's new film seem to harken back to his earlier films, or is it as unrecognizeable and foreign and new as Punch Drunk Love is?
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the dark knight has 08 in a headlock
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In 1999, you promised us a Magnolia review. I have remembered that vow to this day, and have been looking forward to it ever since.
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I will review the film when one more relative passes away.
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who is the most subtly complex badass of the two?
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Easily one of the year's best films (so far), There Will Be Blood presents a side of Paul Thomas Anderson that we haven't really seen yet -- but it's proof positive that he's still one of the finest directors out there right now. You probably won't believe that this film came from the same man who directed (the awesome) Boogie Nights, and I mean that as a big compliment. It's just that different -- and just that damned good.
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A movie reference and a political phrase -- all wrapped in one compound sentence!
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I'd much, much rather Drew finish his 90s list than to see Harry write his review Magnolia. Fuck that's morbid.
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with Anderson using Altman and Scorsese's style, if it ain't broke don't fix it. To me that's the style of film i like the best.
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I've talked shit about most of the other secret screenings held at the Fantastic Fest this year, but I'm not on this one.<br> <br> THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a breathtaking, mammoth masterpiece. It's the best film I've seen so far this year, and is one of the best movies ever made. It's absolutely brilliant.<br> <br> Daniel Day Lewis isn't an actor, he's a goddamn force of nature. To watch him on screen in this movie is to watch one of the greatest performances of this generation.<br> <br> Paul Dano is equally as wonderful, keeping his feet while being in the frame with Day Lewis. His Eli character is achingly naive, but fierce when need be.<br> <br> Harry should attest, that final showdown between Eli and Daniel is the stuff of fucking legend. I can't say enough great things about this movie.<br> <br> But I will say this. I'm a HUGE PTA fan. And to have him inches from me, talking to me about movies was as close to a dream come true as I can imagine. I never thought I'd meet him, much less in Austin. It was a highlight of my life and of the fest.<br> <br> Thank you Harry and Tim. See ya next year.
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the shot you are referring to is from "i am CUBA", not "i am Brazil". i cannot wait for this flic! thank you harry for your enthusiasm fot this film!!! PTA is the SHIT!!! I've LOVED him ever since sydney! this and jesse james have been THE flics i've been salivating for. the book Oil! is out of print?! do you know harry if it will be re-released when the movie comes out? would love to read it before watching film. BTW, my best friend kwame is in jesse james, opening train robbery scene, featured extra, black dude with service vest & white dress shirt! sam FUCKING shepard pulled him aside and thanked him for "reacting" authentically take after take!!!!!!!!!!!! andrew dominik spoke with kwame and signed a copy of chopper for him as well!!! PTA & ANDREW DOMINIK are THE directors that will get my ass into a theatre and pay $12 bucks to see a FILM....oh yeah, SEAN PENN too! thx cp
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He may have gone a bit overboard with Magnolia (everybody screech simultaneously!), but he has a great visual flair, and working with source material from a great novelist like Upton Sinclair (how come this was never turned into a movie before?), and with DDL onboard, it can hardly fail.
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Shit, I can't believe I wrote that.
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no harm, no foul homie! lol!
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appallingly overrated directors than Paul Thomas Anderson and David Fincher.<p>Those who gush endlessly about the "brilliance" of PTA are perhaps a tad too easily impressed.<br>And yes, I do plan to see There Will Be Blood. I'm hoping this time I'll be proved wrong.
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LOL.
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The writer Sinclair is left of center politically, and early write ups on this movie noted the relevance of the subjects of oil and religon to today. For those who watched this film, did you feel that PTA was using a historical subject to speak directly about issues out of today's headlines like the oil price rise, Iraq, Halliburton, religon, etc., or is it more of an attempt at a timeless statement about universal human conditions like greed, ambition, and treachery? Or just an entertaining epic drama?
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Sounds like this one is a must see. Thanks, Harry.
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I love Sierra Madre. Can't wait for this.
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The film could be an allegory about the evil that has surrounded the oil industry since its beginnings - but having had an extensive conversation with PTA about his motivation and desire behind making the movie - it was more about the timeless and universal constant themes about greed, ambition, family and self-made men.
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the spawn of capitalism
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I don't think many of you fanboys can look past the most superficial things. I.E., shots and camera movement. In that regard, sure PTA gleefully takes inspiration from Altman and Scorcese (and perhaps Malick in this one). But PTA's substance has always outweighed his style. His writing and the performances he gets out of his actors are no gimmick. The stories he tells are not stolen from other filmmakers. He is a complete original, and one of our very best.
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Without a doubt, my most anticipated movie for a year or two. Whenever I heard Tim League talking about how he met up with this director just a few months ago, I knew instantly that we were about to watch There Will Be Blood. I really just wish I could have made it to that special screening of Boogie Nights in LA, which is hands down my favorite movie. By god, if Daniel Day Lewis doesn't get an oscar, I'll have to be toppled over by whomever takes his place instead. Thanks to the whole programming team for making the ending to such a great festival even better.
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well said. and to answer my question above, the book will be released on dec. 18 with the title There Will Be Blood, not Oil!.
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...cocaine-fuelled narcissist or a man more humble that the CGI pig in CHARLOTTE'S WEB, I don't give a rodent's behind which he is, as long as we're getting good films. Let's judge the filmmakers on the quality of their movies,not on their personal foibles, real or imagined. A part from Bay and Paul WS Anderson, naturally, who are exempt from this, and the only logical explanation for their cinematic offerings can be a combination of personal moral depravity (I'm not saying Bay's a pigfucker, you understand, I just wouldn't be surprised if he were caught one day, in drag, with his weiner in a hog's chutney funnel) and insufficient dosages of Librium.
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And Paul Thomas Anderson has captured Him on the miracle that is celluloid.
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... soooooo fuckin drunk....
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And this film is endorsed by the P.T.A, so i can't argue with that.
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Let it go, brother. Don't bring Transformers into a PTA talkback. Please, I'm begging you. Just put down the gun...
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Did you happen to talk to PTA about any future projects he's thinking of working on? I know he usually takes a few years off between films, but maybe with the potential success of TWBB, he jump back in the seat and kick off another masterpiece . . . huh?
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Having this film mentioned along with Citizen Kane and Oldboy only gets me further excited.
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and that was a piece of cunt. Though Paul Thomas Anderson owns my life.
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as convincing as Day lewis is, Bale becomes the character without the silly method techniques like staying in character and absurd things like listening to eminem to have the self righteous feel to play bill the butcher. Bale just says "I am Batman" and he is. But yeah just because Bale is better in my eyes doesn't mean Day Lewis is bad, Day lewis fucking owns.
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hundreds of wogs will flock to the movie, expecting a horror movie. <P> they'll throw there nine cells and gold chains at the screen, <P> and pimp-walk out.
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aka 2 hours of my life spent sitting around seeing adam sandler sit around.
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Sept. 29, 2007, 10:56 a.m. CST
Viggo gets the Oscar... is Day-Lewis really better?
by where_are_quints_hobbit_set_reports
I am thrilled to see this now. I know Day-Lewis is amazing, but could he REALLY be better that Viggo in Eastern Promises?
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not perfect, from what i've seen. but good.
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My first job in Hollywood was at New Line Cinema in '96 when Boogie Nights was in principal photography. I remember then the controversy within the ranks at NL - some thought PTA was a genius filmaker-in-the-making, while others thought he was a spoiled brat with far too many toys at his disposal. And sometimes he acted the part of the child - rash, petulant, stubborn. But many of us saw then the potential for PTA to become great. His next several films - for me - were a disappointment. None of them topped Boogie Nights and I feared he would never again deliver the way he did with that film. But now it appears PTA has turned a corner with this film, the way all great filmmakers have done before him: Kubrick with DR. STRANGELOVE, Scorsese with RAGING BULL, Wilder with SUNSET BLVD (ironically, Wilder's next movie after that was ACE IN THE HOLE). I've alway had friends within PTA's "inner circle" of collaborators - and they have always told stories of his eccentricities and megalomania. It seems he's finally caught up to the hype BOOGIE NIGHTS afforded him. I can't fucking wait to see this flick!! So jealous of Harry and all the Fantastic Festers. (heh... I said "fester")
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i agree about those 2 greats, and i think - while DDL is a magnificent artist - that method acting shit is kinda junior varsity. if he can't get into character at the drop of a hat at this point, i mean, come on, dude. and el mono, you're right. i used to work in PR with most of the high-powered players in the business and i can tell you as somebody who wrote the press packets, anytime there's an asshole rumor, it's there for a reason. talent aside, there's no excuse for megalomania, even if you're bathing in money and fiona apple is fingering your dumphole.
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I only skim read that review I like to know as little as possible about a movie if I know I'm definitely going to watch it. Daniel Day Lewis giving one of his best ever performances?! That plus PTA directing has me sold. Magnolia had its weaknesses but I've always had a lot of respect for PTA as a director (don't really care what he's like as a person, as long as he creates good movies).
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Harry doesn't write using "proper" grammar or whatever for a reason. He writes in a way that is more like speaking than what you'd read in any other review from the print rags. And I love him for that. Who gives a flying fuck if he uses a bunch of elipses and has....heaven forbid....bad grammar. While the spelling mistakes and occasion factual errors irk me (there's no reason for that Harry given spellcheckers are common), the other stuff doesn't. It makes his reviews unique. So basically if you don't like it then don't read it and shut the fuck up about it.
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Atrociously written review Harry. Sorry but it's true.
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As all movies from Paul Anderson are (yes, boogie nights included.) I really don't care about his films, but I could see a movie based on OIL!
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actually its great. <P> fuck mao.
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With NCFOM, Jesse James, and 3:10 this is the year of the Western. Not really a fan of PTA but I'm always willing to see DDL in full ham mode anyday.
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again. because he kicks much of the ass and is also very hot. but not as hot as thom. thank you for allowing me to make my useless commentary.
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Say no more. I'm already there.
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I just saw that pompous jackass couldn't even make it through this TB without a "Bayformers" reference.
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...Daniel Day Lewis is about as good as it gets. He's right up there with Gary Oldman. And he's one of the few who can make a half-baked film (i.e GANGS OF NEW YORK) worth watching...if only for his sole performance.
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There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, American Gangster, what others am I missing? <BR> <BR> BTW, quick threadjack: Go see Eastern Promises. Great, great movie. OK, done. <BR> <BR> I think the selling point for this movie will be Daniel Day-Lewis, who seems to inhabit characters in a way few actors can.
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although I wonder where clooney is at. This is usually his forte.
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Listen, Bale is fine. He's usually pretty consistent and picks good projects. His versatility is still a question mark. But Daniel Day-Lewis is THE_GREATEST_LIVING_ACTOR. Got that? All of you talking about him being a "Method" actor don't know what you're talking about. First of all, you don't even know what the Method is. Second of all, he's not a Method actor. Go watch My Left Foot before you run your mouth. That's the best post-Brando performance in cinema.
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I fucking love this guy. PTA is MOST DEFINATELY the greatest filmmaker (so far) of my generation. He's the one left standing. What I mean by that is, remeber in the earrly 90's when all these young 20 something filmmakers where all touted to be the next great director because they made a kickass first film? Then they made there second or sometimes third and it sucks and it becomes obvious that they only had one great story in them, maybe two. PTA was one of those guys, except HE"S NEVER MADE A BAD FILM. Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love (which I didn't care for the first time I saw it but fell in love with it on my second viewing). How the fuck do you make 4 films in this day and age and they all rock? Every single one of them firing on all cylinders. How? The man is a fucking genius. Magnolia, jesus. To make me sit through 3 hours of some seriously heavy emotional drama and chaos, all to wait for Melora Walters to smile at the end and it's WORTH THE WAIT. What a guy.If i was a chick I would totally fuck this dude just on general principle. Harry, don't even bother to review the movie anymore. Let's just accept it as a foregone conclusion that it will theatrically bitch slap us all with it's immersive storyline. Now only if we can find a genre director as good as PTA is with character dramas. I nominate Fincher.
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is like Nicholson in that you could watch them recite a 5000 word thesis on "the inside of a ping pong ball" and know they're going to make it interesting.
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DDL is an interesting chap who seems to give his all to a performance. <P> jack was brill in thee crossing guard, but other than that, he plays jack. <P> sorry, papabendi, i hafta disagree, about Nicholson.
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this above all, to thine own self be true. <P> or "the" crossing guard.
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It sounds like an exploitation flick a la "I Spit On Your Grave". Wonder why they just didn't go with "Oil".
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Sept. 29, 2007, 4:37 p.m. CST
Christian Bale is a good actor, but in my mind
by where_are_quints_hobbit_set_reports
he is closer to George Clooney, Russell Crowe or Mark Wahlberg... solid, reliably excellent leading men who are worth seeing a movie for. <p> Bale has a long career ahead of him, so he may yet prove me wrong, but I would not class him with Daniel Day-Lewis or Viggo Mortenson. <p>That said, I thought Bale out-acted Crowe by about 5 to 1 in "Yuma." I have been a fan of Crowe's work for ages, but I thought his performance in Yuma was lazy and disappointing.
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When you put him up against Reeker, who's going to fuckin' drill his way in as the fuckin' underdog. All I can say on the subject is ole Daniel Day Lewis should try pokin' out Reeker's fuckin' Oil Mine and see how it works out for him. He'd be on the receiving end of a fuckin' drilling I can guarantee.
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Sept. 29, 2007, 4:46 p.m. CST
On another Earth, Daniel Day Lewis would play Jigsaw!
by MrMysteryGuest
And Tobin Bell would be in "There Will Be Blood!" -- directed by Paul W.S. Anderson!
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to SCREAM out "MALACHAI" at some point in this flic.
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has no clue about acting. period. not an opinion. a fact.
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Yeah Nicholson. The only one left of his generation who is still interesting.
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was great in BLOOD & WINE.
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totally unsuitable for Transformers. And proved it by making a piece of shit worse than I imagined he could make. This action didn't make sense. Even scenes between Shia Labouf and Megan Fox were destroyed by swirling slow mo, overly dramatic shots of them touching hands drowned out by heavy bombastic music. It was like the man was making an Aerosmith video
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Wow! Harry is blown away by yet another movie by one of his boys! Tell me, is this one as good as "Hostel pt. 2"? I swear, every movie Harry reviews is a monumental accomplishment that should rank as one of the triumphs of whatever genre it falls into. Give me a break. I have no faith in anything the man says.
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...that came up with this one?
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You have the Hillary Clinton Story personified.
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Don't revolt. Paul is a great director and deserves film watchers support. I am so very happy about this. (Harry? Is there humor? PT is so funny when he wants to be.)
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DDL should portray every 19th century figure ffom now on.
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when DDL shot 'mohicans' he became one of like 3 living people who could load a long gun while running at top speed? i have no idea why i know that piece of information, but it's never leaving my head. the very best part of 'gangs' was when he tapped that fucking eagle eyeball of his with the tip of his knife.
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best movie on the diamond trade. also bond on a moon buggy C'MON
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DAYS OF HEAVEN 2 the oil years
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After the Coen Brother's No Country For Old Men, this is the most imortant and exciting film coming out this winter.
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you lost all respect when you put bale in the same category as George Clooney. Bale is one of if not The Best actor on the planet, he becomes characters and you believe it, Clooney plays himself in most movies, and Crowe is an alternate earth Bale but not as good. Bale is Earth 1 bale, Crowe is wildstorm bale, makes little sense but there is method in the madness.
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...let's get on with the new album please
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Harry, that took me 5 seconds to write. OK, so I'm a slow typist...
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Daniel Day Lewis will save this train plagiaristic wreck just like he saved Gangs Of New York from disaster!
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Why can't Anderson stop ripping off directors on every film project he does? There is a huge difference between homage and lifting!
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I sometimes use excalamation points for emphasis. And so does he. He totally lifted that from me. See how ridiculous that sounds?
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WOW. It's becoming such a joy to watch you further expose your lunacy.<P>I pity you.
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In fact, he should probably get his own wing. I don't think the guy has ever posted without getting a response. Lots of them, usually. Sure, it's a completely worthless skill. But damn if he hasn't perfected it.
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apparently, I am seriously missing some 'brian' cells.
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i love that dude. he was the dark prince of creepy hair extensions.
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That's cuz i'm getting some kinda cheap thrill torturing all you weasley PTA fanboys! : )
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little shop of horrors. <P> but a silly joker.
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I'm really curious to read why those of you who articulated those thoughts think PTA's "films are shit" and he's an overrated director. What is it, for example, about Punchdrunk Love or Magnolia you don't like?
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Sept. 30, 2007, 2:09 p.m. CST
Halfbreedqueen, you've crystalized my thoughs exactly
by seniorspeilbergio
99 was thw last good year, that's true. Fight Club, The Matrix, Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, I even liked The Phantom Menace (except for Jar Jar). And Children of Men was the best Science Fiction Film since Minority Report.
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The MOST OVERRATED DIRECTOR OF HIS GENERATION : )
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thanks 4 the spoilers!!!! its okay i could care less. atleast PTA is so much better than the lame paul haggis. bond should be written by some one else, PTA would be a better choice.
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... the charge that he's ripped off other directors is worth considering. I haven't seen NASHVILLE, which I think is what MAGNOLIA is usually accused of copying; but I've seen GOODFELLAS many times, and the similarities between it and BOOGIE NIGHTS are striking. Not just superficially, as in BN's opening tracking shot, that mimics the GOODFEllAS Copacabana shot; or Phillip Seymour Hofman's first view of Mark Wahlberg, that mimics the engagement ring shot in THE AGE OF INNOCENCE; or Philip Baker Hall's introduction, that mimics Daniel Day Lewis's meeting a character whose name I forget in AGE OF INNOCENCE; but in a larger sense, the story itself seems to imitate the whole GOODFELLAS/CASINO model, where an outsider enters some lurid but lucrative world, meets with early success, and then through hubris is brought low. Granted, that's a broad plot description; but BOOGIE NIGHTS really felt to me like GOODFELLAS in porn, long before I heard others crying "copycat". If MAGNOLIA is equally indebted to NASHVILLE, its detractors may have a point.
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On Boogie Nights By Jonathan Rosenbaum From the Chicago Reader Moreover, just as his first feature, Hard Eight, at times slavishly depended on Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le flambeur, Anderson here attempts to "outdo" Tarantino (in a fabulous late sequence with Alfred Molina) and to plagiarize a sequence from Raging Bull that itself quotes from On the Waterfront, rather than come up with something original.
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Cause I dont think thats clear.
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I think PTA is one of the most consistently engaging and ambitious filmmakers out there and I definitely think he ahs his own voice, regardless of what others might say. Anderson swings for the fences every time out of the gate, plus he can write like a motherfucker which is a rare talent in directors these days. I'm looking forward to this one.
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Our oil-hungry manic consumption of this non-renewable energy source is destroying the soul of our nation and if don't do something about it our future is bleak. Please contact your utility company and switch to alternative energy if possible. and if you can't do it yourself, ask your mommy and daddy to do it!!!!!!
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Bay's crimes must never be forgotten. If we forget, we may as well flush the whole concept of justice down the toilet.
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if your film is of high quality? Get real - Magnolia was self indulgent rubbish of the worst kind, Boogie Nights was half and hour from being a classic.. and his other "work" isn't worth my time to pick apart. PTA is a pretentious arse who treats people like scum, burns every bridge and is basically a non-functioning person. I don't know why he gets a free kick for being that kind of "person", but he's not getting my box office dollar. Why the hell does this site support utter wankers like him - oh wait, it's because he plays you like the manipulative jerk he always has been. Shameful, AICN, shameful. Good work is never enough to override treating human beings like crap in the name of "art".
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...over stupid shitty Transformers any fucking day of the week.
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Impress me, Paul. Leave PSH out just for this movie, okay?
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Shrek 3?
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Good call QUEEN. The best movie about a modern incursion with the middle east yet made. Kubrick's my favorite as well. In fact I work at a soundstage and we had the entire cast of WEEDS there including Matthew Modine.I knew he was coming so I brought my copy of FULL METAL JACKET DIARIES then when he was leaving, I asked him if he could sign it. He was very pleased that I had bought his book and was very gracious and generous. He flipped through the book and started telling me stories about the photos. Then, i asked him about KUBRICK and he started telling me KUBRICK stories. It was fucking amazing. I had Private Joker telling me STANLEY KUBRICK stories! He then shook my hand walked out then at the door, he turned around and said "Best independent filmmaker ever." And i said "hell yeah". It was a good day. And yes, I would put Children of Men above Minority Report as well despite the slightly flawed third act.
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DDL really created an incredible baddy for that film and should have won the Oscar that year. I'm hoping his performance in this one is as good as Harry says.
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I've been a big fan of PTA since BOOGIE NIGHTS, so I'm looking forward to it!
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That is all.
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for best actor.
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This talkback is about THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
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Okay, good.
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What makes Citizen Kane inventive for cinema is not the grandiose story, nor the madenning pursuit of an incessant personality at all costs (character reflecting filmmaker). It was the complexity of narrative structure, the multiple perspectives of the story and its bends, the nesting of time frames. And the visual eye of the camera basically broke from the accepted language of the period. The positions and angles which have absolutely nothing to do with a human eye level observation. Welles is in the club with Kurosawa and Kubrick and Tarkovsky (and Malick) for those reasons. Defining what cinema can be. Anderson is incredible, and incredibly ambitious. He's not as focused as the masters though, and he relies more upon the masters than breaking new ground cinematically. Remixing and perfecting what has come before is not enough to compare his films to the masters. Unless There Will Be Blood some serious breakthroughs occured *in the right coordinates*. Apart from that possibility, the only filmmaker that I believe is a serious contender for the masters club is Wong Kar Kai, because he really is bringing new visual language to cinema, things we simply have not experienced before. just some thoughts, j
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...you suck, Harry.
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I remember one critic claiming geeks would be reciting Daniel's lines from Gangs for years to come. "Oopsy Daisy!" Didn't happen. Hopefully he'll get his due with this one.
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I've enjoyed Transformers, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, Gangs of New York, Armageddon, The Island, etc., you-get-the-point... and I'm looking forward to this movie. And no I didn't enjoy Eragon for those of you who had that question burning in your mind.
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This movie was amazing, it's hardly left my thoughts in the month since I saw it. (Has it really been this long?) The movie was beautiful and riveting and unlike anything that PTA has ever attempted before. Which is great, because despite wearing his influences on his sleeve, he still makes movies that highly original, both from each other and other movies. He has yet to repeat himself. Daniel Day Lewis gave an impossibly amazing performance, but Paul Dano held his own surprisingly well. I wouldn't be surprised if he walked away with an Oscar. I was so happy to talk to PTA and ask him what movies most influenced the look and feel of TWBB, and surprisingly Days of Heaven was not one of them. The all-natural lighting cinematography is definitely reminiscent of DOH, but that could have more to do with the technique, and setting (historical and regional). He said "Giant" was a big influence but they were basically trying to remake "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." And while I can definitely spot the influence, this is in no way a remake or retread of that movie. Man, I seriously cannot wait until I can see "There Will Be Blood" again.
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sort of a crash-course on the use of storytelling. I like some of it, and other parts didn't really work but that's not the point. I think Anderson had to do it. Because while Boogie Nights was a good film, it wasn't ground-breaking and if the director would have continued in that vein and style he would have become a boring director that keeps repeating himself. Boogie Nights was a film that several directors copied afterwards becoming the cliches "indie movie with known actors" with a certain kind of look and music and so forth with the last of that kind "Stranger than Fiction" while being also cliche didn't not totally failed but it proves that years later people are still making these kind of films. Anderson broke all that with Magnolia, doing a sudden left turn that he needed to do. It was necessary for him to do that so he could have all the tools and go into a frame of mind to make a true great film. I hope There Will Be Blood is that film.
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Seriously, why all the hate for Magnolia? It gets better with every watching. Even if you don't like PT's Deus Ex Machina stuff, the film's acting and originality is awe inspiring. Boogie Nights was fun, but nothing groundbreaking. I'm as excited to see There Will Be Blood as any movie in a decade. Daniel Day is the greatest actor alive, and the trailers for this look incredible.
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Nov. 16, 2007, 2:11 a.m. CST
Jesus Fucking Christ! I just saw this movie, and it's sublime.
by heywood jablomie
One of the greatest of all time. Daniel Day Lewis crushes the earth with every footfall. Everything about this movie is flabbergastingly brilliant.
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TWBB is Deadwood with oil on top
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I liked Boogie Nights and Magnolia but this one? No thanks.
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well I can say that ddl acting in this film gives the film an enormous breath. For those that thing this film is subtle and stretched out and is the typical greed, power at any cost film, watch DdL face when he cries out as he is hit. Then watch his face as he is hit again. The entire film is anchored in this subtle moral moment and movement. Both men seal their fate. I haven't seen a film defined in a few seconds of acting in a long time in film. Very cool and praise to the PT pathos.
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Grammer not mportant not spell good nether Harry rite like reglar personnot some fukkin critic from New Yrok (wich is full of fags anyway)!!! Me like harry, like ordinary guy not pretentush asshole GO HARRY!!!!!!
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Great, great, great. Saw TWBB last night. Liked it. Mesmerising. Not for those with ADD. Hilariously funny in places. The final scene manages to trigger reactions of both hysterical laughter and fist-in-mouth horror.
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It's a difficult decision. I've seen both performances - equally impressive. However, DDL delivers the better performance imo. There is no rest for DDL, he's in every single scene. DDL comes out of his cave every 9 years or so for that special role - he found it in "Blood". TLJ gives an incredibly moving, yet often silent performance definitely worthy of a nod but I don't feel it's his year to shine. However, his performance in Elah is far superior to his oscar win in "The Fugitive". I think closer competition for DDL would be Viggo (Eastern Promises). If there is going to be a surprise come Oscar night it would be Viggo getting the Oscar over DDL.
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I loved this film.
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