The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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I'd say there is about 2% shouting in There Will be Blood, my #24. Plainview is a salesman, and if you haven't been exposed to a certain type of salesman, then you should count yourself lucky and use this film as an innocent way to experience them without literally getting locked in a room with one or more. Some people believe that the final scene is over-the-top; the whole milkshake/bowling alley diptych, but it actually is a mirror of the earlier scene where Daniel spent his most-open, honest exchanges in the film. Those were with his "brother" Henry. They talked about what they shared in the past and what's "inside" Daniel as he becomes more and more successful and why he acts the way he does; at least his rationalization of why he does what he does. And to tell you the truth, you don't have to be an American capitalist to relate to his thoughts. He wants to win at all costs and doesn't enjoy seeing others do well. Sure, it could be a capitalist who thinks such things, but it could also be a socialist dictator or an imperialist from our ancient past. The fact that when Daniel finds that there is a bit of his exposed soul out there with Henry, who turns out to not be his brother, means that Daniel has to kill him and get rid of any evidence of his true feelings from anyone who isn't of his own blood. This can also be seen as a parallel theme to why Daniel isn't as open and honest with his "son" because he, too, is not "of his blood".
A weird thing is that back in the day I used to feel like this sequence was a bit odd and out of place, and maybe a a low point in the film... but now it's probably one of my favorites, precisely for the reasons you mention. It is indeed odd, but it is supposed to feel like that. Love it.
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Awards




Now to the awards received by There Will Be Blood...

  • Academy Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
  • Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Robert Elswit)
  • BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • SAG Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • AFI Award for Movie of the Year
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Actor of the Decade (Day-Lewis)
  • Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • Chlotrudis Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  • Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor (Paul Dano)
  • Faro Island Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film
  • Faro Island Film Festival Audience Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • Gold Derby Award for Lead Actor of the Decade (Day-Lewis)
  • Golden Globe for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • Golden Schmoes Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)
  • Golden Schmoes Award for Best Line of the Year ("I drink your milkshake!")
  • Village Voice Film Poll Award for Best Film
  • Village Voice Film Poll Award for Best Actor (Day-Lewis)

Among many, many others.





I'm not sure that this will change your opinion, but while Paul Dano's performance was initially one of my issues with the film, I warmed up to it over time. Both Daniel Plainsview and Eli Sunday are con artists. Due to that, their characters are both performing at all times since they enjoy the power it gives them. The difference between the two of them, however, is that Plainsview is much smarter than Sunday and, therefore, is a more convincing actor. Dano's performance makes it apparent that his character is trying way too hard. The over-the-topness of his performance allows for Plainsview to see through his ruse and dislike his character. I still prefer Day-Lewis's performance, but I also think Dano's performance works, just in a different way.



And today's announcement wraps up my list. Quick recap:

Memento @ #11 was my #1. The gimmick is what makes this so much fun for me ("what am i doing? I'm chasing this guy. *BANG* *BANG* Okay, he's chasing me") and is another movie I can watch over and over. Love the scene where Carrie Anne Moss plays on Lenny's condition to have him help her. Great stuff. Remember Sammy Jenkins....

At #7 was my #10 Spirited Away. This was the first anime movie I ever watched and it blew me away. Watched it again the other day and nothing has changed. Movie flies by and still love them cute, little, sooty balls.

Pan's Labyrinth @ #7 is another from my ballot. I had it at #4.

There Will Be Blood was my #23. DDL is just amazing. Not my favorite performance from him this decade (oooh billy, billy billly, billy, billy) but it was his best movie. I actually didn't like this much when I first watched it but PTA is one of those directors whose movies I'll usually give a second chance, if at first I didn't enjoy it. This and Mulholland Drive, which just missed my list, are two movies that really benefit from a re-watch.

Seen 77/100

Movies I forgot about:
The Biggest is Dogville. That's a top 5 for me. The other one I wish I would have remembered is Gosford Park, but that would have been at the lower end of my ballot. Also left off two Dynamite movies, Black and Napoleon, in favor of the comedy that gave me the biggest laughs on first viewing. Can't remember which one it was, must've had a little too much of Grandpa's cough medicine last night.



There Will be Blood was #19 on my ballot.

I know this review of There Will Be Blood contradicts how I just defended Dano's performance (keep in mind that I wrote it a while ago when I still had an issue with his performance), but here's what I wrote on the film a while ago:

While this isn't quite a great film for me, it's definitely one of the most compelling character studies I've come across in recent years. What I love most about Anderson's handling of Daniel Plainview is how his true colors are gradually revealed throughout the film as opposed to painting him as a murderer right at the start. In the opening 15 minutes, him adopting H.W. after his father dies makes him seem like a kind man who we're going to come to root for. As the film continues on though, he's revealed to be more untrustworthy, and as the conflict between Eli Sunday and him intensifies in several expressive scenes, his true colors are gradually revealed, making for a truly horrifying character who stomps on everyone in his way to accomplish his goals, yet always gets away with it. While I've recommended rewatching several of the films I've written about in the past, I can't recommend doing so enough for this one since the first couple acts feel entirely different once you're made aware of his personality. Seemingly harmless scenes such as Anderson removing Plainview's journey back to the assay office after breaking his leg and Plainview staring at Eli after he demands $10,000 from him begin to take on double meanings. As many other people pointed out, Daniel Day-Lewis's performance is quite remarkable as it's full of subtle undertones of hatred and manipulation which uncomfortably get under your skin throughout the picture. In addition, the cinematography was great as, not only does the oil rig fire, combined with the lively score, make for a truly phenomenal visual set piece, but the shots of the environment feel vast and as if there's a myriad of land past the hills and valleys. Despite all this, I do have a couple issues with it as Paul Dano, who doesn't even remotely hold up to Day-Lewis, felt over-the-top and annoying since he often overacted to the point where he'd literally start squeaking in various scenes, and, although I initially loved its near wordless intro, the more I think about it, the more it feels like it was an excuse to show off. I think Magnolia is Anderson's best film, but I can't blame anyone who names this as his best work as it accomplishes an awful lot.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (#78)
2. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
3.
4. Children of Men (#17)
5.
6.
7. A Serious Man (#66)
8.
9. 28 Days Later (#45)
10.
11. Memento (#11)
12. Mulholland Drive (#4)
13. Shaun of the Dead (#20)
14.
15. In the Mood for Love (#12)
16. Requiem For a Dream (#16)
17.
18. The Pianist (#31)
19. There Will Be Blood (#3)
20. Moon (#48)
21.
22.
23. Sunshine (#88)
24. Zodiac (#9)
25. The New World (#99)



I'm not sure that this will change your opinion, but while Paul Dano's performance was initially one of my issues with the film, I warmed up to it over time. Both Daniel Plainsview and Eli Sunday are con artists. Due to that, their characters are both performing at all times since they enjoy the power it gives them. The difference between the two of them, however, is that Plainsview is much smarter than Sunday and, therefore, is a more convincing actor. Dano's performance makes it apparent that his character is trying way too hard. The over-the-topness of his performance allows for Plainsview to see through his ruse and dislike his character. I still prefer Day-Lewis's performance, but I also think Dano's performance works, just in a different way.
I suspect it's a case where I find an actor's screen presence off putting enough to override any artistic intent in his choices. Going up against DDL dialed up to 11 did him no favours.



Think again Triangle definitely isn't my kind of movie. I wouldn't call it bad, but I just generally dislike movies like that. In other words, I just finished it and would probably have skipped had I known what it was about.
Sorry you didn't like it. I thought it handled its twists and turns in a fairly clever way. I don't really get into specifics, but here's my review, FWIW.



I suspect it's a case where I find an actor's screen presence off putting enough to override any artistic intent in his choices. Going up against DDL dialed up to 11 did him no favours.
Fair enough.



I suspect it's a case where I find an actor's screen presence off putting enough to override any artistic intent in his choices. Going up against DDL dialed up to 11 did him no favours.
I never had any big issues with Dano, but I actually think the opposite in that seeing him hold his own against "DDL dialed up to 11" has made me respect his performance even more. Like Speling said, he's a performer, and having seen my fair share of "theatrical" Bible-thumpers in real life, I couldn't help but see them reflected in Dano and viceversa.

I also think that a bit of context helps make the case for Dano more impressive, in that he was not meant to play Eli, but had to step in when the other actor couldn't hold his own. Dano only had *four days* to prepare for the role of Eli, and to deliver such a complex performance under these circumstances, I think it's amazing.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
For you Open Range fans it did place well on the MoFo Top 100 Westerns List at number thirty-six.



The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The Proposition, 3:10 to Yuma, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and There Will Be Blood were the other films from this decade that placed on that list. Three of which made this countdown.
It was a solid place for the Western Countdown, thanks for the post, Holden!
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Trivia




There Will Be Blood



Did you know that...
  • Paul Thomas Anderson bought a copy of Oil! while in London because he felt homesick? He has said that he changed the title because he only used the first hundred pages or so as a stepping stone so he didn't feel it was a "proper adaptation".
  • the famous "milkshake" line was paraphrased from a quote by former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Senator Albert Fall, during a Congress investigation into a 1920s oil-related scandal?
  • Anderson was also inspired by John Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre since it also deals with "greed and ambition and paranoia and looking at the worst parts of yourself"? While writing the script, he would put the film on before he went to bed at night.
  • Dillon Freasier, the boy that plays Daniel Plainview's son, was not an actor, but a Texas boy that lived close to the shooting location? When the production team approached his mother, she rented Gangs of New York to see who DDL was, but panicked at the idea of her son spending time with the man who played a "murderous gang leader". As a result, the casting department rushed to her a copy of The Age of Innocence where Day-Lewis plays a "civilized and gentle man".
  • both this film and No Country for Old Men were shooting at the same time in Marfa, Texas? When PTA and his crew were testing the effects of the oil derrick fire, the huge smoke column delayed the filming of the Coen brothers until the next day.
  • the actor originally cast as Eli Sunday was Kel O'Neill? Some sources claim that he was intimidated by DDL's intensity, but PTA and Day-Lewis deny the claim.




Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
There Will Be Blood was my one pointer. I put it at #25 because I was sure it will get huge support.
Saw it in the theater when it came out and couple more times through the years. This film turned me completely toward Daniel Day-Lewis who was outstanding here. Until then, my attitude was quite cold to this actor. From this point onward, I started enjoying all his appearances on the screen.




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my stats

Top 100 seen 58/97.
(seen one pointers 3/38 • seen 101-110: 5/10)
--
My list:
...
3. Amélie [#16.]
4. Snatch [#71.]
5. The Royal Tenenbaums [#35.]
...
8. Sideways [#39.]
9. Amores perros [#81.]
10. The Wrestler [#54.]
...
12. The Pianist [#31.]
14. The Man Who Wasn't There [#84.]
16. In the Mood for Love [#12.]
19. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 [#14.]
...
24. WALL·E [#13.]
25. There Will Be Blood [#3.]
...


--

Not on my ballot Top 100 movies I'd support:  
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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I have always been amazed by the dedication and intensity Daniel Day-Lewis brings to his characters. It remains a vital factor in my enjoyment of any given film that he is part of.
I have only seen There Will Be Blood twice and at a wide juncture apart from the other. The last was a bit too far for me to make a concrete decision regarding whether I should include it. Instead, knowing it would do quite well without my assistance, I did not add it to this list of favorites that I thoroughly enjoy and happily revisit.



Films Watched 71 out of 98 (72.45%)
1. Amélie (#16)
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (#21)
3. Ratatouille (#23)
4.
5. Gladiator (#40)
6. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
7.
8. The Incredibles (#36)
9. V for Vendetta (#58)
10. The Dark Knight (#10)
11. WALL·E (#13)
12.
13. Memories of Murder (#27)
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (#76)
15.
16. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
17. Mother (#96)
18. The Departed (#19)
19. The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)
20. Memento (#11)
21. In the Mood for Love (#12)
22. Downfall (#28)
23. Quills (#67)
24. Oldboy (#22)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)


One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)