Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I saw this myself during Fantastic Fest and still need to write up my own thoughts. It's a good one to let sit for a while and think back on and when I do write up my fully formed opinions they will definitely be positive. THERE WILL BE BLOOD is one of the better dramas I've seen in recent times, with a very old school approach. This is a film that feels like it could have been in the '70s, something that would stand toe to toe with other fantastic dramas of that time period. There was a screening, introduced by PTA, in San Francisco last night and we had a couple readers in attendance. They wanted to share their thoughts, so here are a couple reviews! Enjoy!
Right— My name is ringtrick. A few friends of mine and I crashed a screening of There Will Be Blood at the Castro Theatre tonight in San Francisco. Here are my thoughts: After a brief intro by P.T. Anderson (who kept his speech short "because this movie's pretty long"), the movie began. Let me start by saying that I am frequently a victim of high expectations. I've been a big fan of P.T. Anderson since Boogie Nights and Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my favorite actors. The combination of these two personalities who command such respect in my mind filled me with worry as the lights dimmed. "This is not going to be as good as you want it to be. You've hyped yourself up too much. Disappointment ahead: prepare yourself." By the end of the first wordless sequence, all worries about lofty expectations were put to rest. This movie is epic. And brutal. Really brutal. A slap in the face. Or, more appropriately, a bunch of quick, stinging slaps delivered one after another -- after another. Daniel Day-Lewis takes the grizzled, Born-Of-The-American Dream asshole he embodied so completely in Gangs Of New York, trims the mustache a bit, and adds a few dozen layers of complexity. The resulting character, Daniel Plainview, is a genuine anti-hero -- one of the more interesting, fully formed characters I've seen in a long time. As the movie progresses, we see his rise and inevitable fall. Plainview is not what you'd call a "People Person". He treats all those around him with equal parts indifference and inhuman disdain. The only time he ever truly expresses himself using words, he's drunk out of his mind – and even then, he only uses those rare instances to verbally belittle and destroy his friends and family with dialog that sometimes made my jaw drop. It's the faces he makes and the expressions he hides from public view that really sell his character, though. There are moments in this movie where he stares off into space and there's the briefest contortion, a shifting in the eyes and a furrowing of the brow that implies a darkness in Plainview's heart that words can't begin to convey. Someone shortlist this man for an Oscar. Now. Anderson's script and his work behind the camera are equally impressive. A friend of mine and I were talking the other day about our feelings about the The Darjeeling Limited, and one of the things we discussed was our disappointment that Wes Anderson – who we both really, really like - seems to be making a variation of the same movie again and again. We both agreed that a truly Great Director is a person who's going to venture into areas that are completely alien and new in order to see how far he or she can push the limits of his or her creativity. P.T. Anderson takes a big risk by leaving the unhappy Souther California anti-socials that frequent his earlier films, and the result of his sudden and successful left-turn into new territory cements him in my mind as one of the Greats. Filter the above hyperbolic statement with this bit of information about my preferences: my two favorite directors are Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick. I'm a little biased. While I see the connection to Malick's Days of Heaven in Blood's cinematography and general aesthetic, I see many more similarities to Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. Both stories deal with a lower-class citizen who sacrifices everything that makes him happy in order to become someone with status. But while Barry Lyndon is stuffy, a bit more romantic, and oh-so-English, Blood is way darker, and a uniquely American tale -- a look at a time when the full scope of Industrialization finally reached the Western shore. Also: Paul Dano? Holy God, where did that guy come from? I had always pegged him as "angsty guy from Little Miss Sunshine", but I guess I was wrong. He goes toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis a bunch of times during the movie, and during every sequence (especially the last scene – WOW!), he manages to hold his own – occasionally upstaging his elder co-star, despite his youth and lack of mustache. I would be an unworthy Radiohead fan if I also didn't mention the film's score, which was fantastic. Those who heard Johnny Greenwood's score to the 2003's Bodysong might recognize a track or two; Blood's score is a bit more straightforward and way more satisfying than his earlier cinematic work, which was a bit too jarring and experimental for my taste. All in all, it was a wholly satisfying night at the cinema. As far as I'm concerned, There Will Be Blood is P.T. Anderson's first genuine, bona-fide masterpiece. When my friends and I left the theater, we were all sporting goofy grins on our faces, all of us basking in the post-movie glow. Needless to say, my worries as the lights went down were all for naught. My experience exceeded my expectations. Hope this gives people an idea of what to expect when December rolls to a close. Not exactly the family adventure that you'd expect for a Christmas Week release, but if you enjoy things that are good, I recommend you do yourself a favor and check this one out.
And review #2!
Quint, Long time blah blah blah, I was lucky enough to snag a seat for the "sneak preview" screening of P.T. Anderson's new film, "There Will Be Blood" at San Francisco's historic Castro Theater earlier tonight. The night, like nearly every other night at the Castro Theater began with David H. Hegarty playing the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. It's always a fun throwback and he of course received a mighty applause. David's set was followed immediately by Mr. Anderson's appearance on stage. He spoke only briefly. He introduced a couple of young men, the names of which I cannot recall, whom he credited for much of the great programming at the Castro Theater. He also referred to the theater as one of, if not the best theater in America (it is a beautiful site to behold and a necessary pilgrimage for all film lovers). Mr. Anderson explained that all the proceeds for the tickets sold tonight were being donated to the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California dedicated to improving the quality of life for California’s homeless children and developing policy solutions to prevent homelessness. (www.johnburtonfoundation.org) He jokingly said that this was to make amends to John Burton, whom apparently was originally in the film, but ended up on the cutting room floor. I've taken a couple hours to let the film settle in and I've come to the realization that it is amazing. More concisely put, Daniel Day Lewis is amazing and Paul Thomas Anderson's ability to appreciate and nurture that is amazing. This film is a strong and fascinating character study of a man hellbent on success, casualties be damned. Daniel Day plays this character strongly and completely envelopes the audience. Anyone who saw Gangs of New York and wished Leo and Cameron never existed and Bill The Butcher was the lead will appreciate this film. Not to say Blood's Plainview is the same as The Butcher, but both are strong, obsessive characters. However in Blood, Day Lewis is allowed to constantly build more and more layers and the audience begins to truly understand (though certainly not agree with) the character as time goes on. A pleasant surprise was Paul Dano's (Little Miss Sunshine) Eli Sunday. I don't want to give away anything here, because I went in without even knowing he was in the picture and I was very impressed by his performance as Day Lewis' unexpected foe. The craftsmanship on display is also breathtaking. The photography and set design bring the era to life with a raw, dirt under your fingernails quality. The score was intriguing, constantly working on you, tearing away at you, almost irritating at times, but it worked. It brought you into a specific frame of mind, an uneasiness about the situations and especially Daniel Day Lewis. I hope this all wasn't too vague, but I don't want to give anything away, but I did want to express my excitement for this film and encourage everyone to go see it (especially Day Lewis fans) when it is released on Dec. 26th. It's just an amazing performance by an actor at the top of his game and who may just be the greatest of his generation. thanks, od
