Five years since “Punch-Drunk Love,” Paul Thomas Anderson has returned with a loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s book, Oil!, and proves that his vision is just as insane as his material. If his Adam Sandler dramedy went under the radar, then “There Will Be Blood” is a grandiose thunderclap to all the critics and Academy voters; a tour-de-force to be reckoned with. Regardless of those who preach its perfection, or to those who say it lacks the operatic drama imposed by its otherwise meticulous staging, it does prove one thing: the idea of the auteur is alive and well.
Despite criticisms, this film is too easily recommended. Everything it accomplishes, it does in spades, and stars and stripes, and all the colors of the rainbow.
3 Comments to “Movie Review - “There Will Be Blood””
Sunday January 20, 2008
What’s Peter’s gripe about the “film-making far exceeding the story telling”
I thought he watched No Country…
Sunday January 20, 2008
Even with some plot holes and the anticlimax of “No Country for Old Men,” the movie never felt dissatisfying. Because even the plot holes and the anticlimax felt intentional. It’s the Coens and McCarthy we’re talking about, men who toy with structure and convention.
“There Will Be Blood” was such an ambitious movie that, in hindsight, didn’t feel as dramatic as the scope would lead you to believe. I still loved it; but I find that a small-scale success is more satisfying than a large-scale misstep.
Thursday March 27, 2008
finally got to see the infamous There Will Be Blood… Daniel-Day Lewis’ performance was top-notch. He takes well to the overbearing, violent father-figure role — he also did this in Gangs of New York.
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