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Went to AMC yesterday, I've now seen all the nominees.
Here are my reviews in order of who I believe deserves to win. From last to first.
There Will Be Blood (Anderson, 2007)
There Will Be Blood is the 4th major studio release from Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Known for his large, star-studded casts, PT Anderson went a completely different route with this film.
Blood is loosely based off of the Upton Sinclair novel "Oil!"
In There Will Be Blood we follow the rise of one Daniel Plainview. A caustic fellow who loves money and not much more. The movie opens with about 15 or 20 minutes worth of silence. No dialogue, just grunts and nods. PT Anderson really didn't open the film strongly with this. The filming is beautiful and the actors do the best they can, but I think Anderson made a serious mistake letting it go as long as he did. It got to the point where you could tell he was intentionally trying to not have anyone talk. No matter what his purpose, it just became annoying when words were necessary and all we saw was Daniel Day-Lewis grimace and nod his head.
PT Anderson needs to take a lesson from Sergio Leone and Once Upon a Time in the West. The art and the way Leone paints the silence of the three outlaws waiting in an empty station was much more effective and not as forced as Anderson's direction in the opening 15 minutes. That's just where my problems begin.
After the death of one of his workers, Daniel Plainview adopts the man's child and decides to raise him.
One day, business very good, but not quite booming, Plainview gets a visit from a man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) who informs him that there is endless amounts of oil nearby and he'll tell him the location in exchange for money.
Daniel, a little skeptical, agrees and he and his son H.W. head off to the Sunday ranch, the home of Paul's family. He quickly discovers oil there and tries and gets the land from them for a cheap price, hoping they don't realize what's there. Eli, Paul's "Twin brother", recognizes that oil is there, and bargains for a higher price and 5,000 dollars for his church. Still, a steal for Daniel.
Throughout the next two hours, we track Daniel from what at first seems like a kind man (Good to his son, stopping an abusive father, generally courteous to the locals. etc.) to someone who is manipulative, greedy, and violent.
Daniel Plainview's rise and life spent polarizing those close to him is so close to Citizen Kane that it borders on plagiarism. The difference in this movie is only that it's Oil instead of newspapers, the character depth of the lead isn't as good, and the ending is much worse.
Daniel Day-Lewis adapts his role to the point that it's scary. I believed him 100% and he deserves the Oscar, but a few scenes aside (Mainly the church scene where Daniel is told to repent) this isn't anything special, IMO. It was a technical masterpiece, but overall it was disappointing.
4/10
More to come...
Here are my reviews in order of who I believe deserves to win. From last to first.
There Will Be Blood (Anderson, 2007)
There Will Be Blood is the 4th major studio release from Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Known for his large, star-studded casts, PT Anderson went a completely different route with this film.
Blood is loosely based off of the Upton Sinclair novel "Oil!"
In There Will Be Blood we follow the rise of one Daniel Plainview. A caustic fellow who loves money and not much more. The movie opens with about 15 or 20 minutes worth of silence. No dialogue, just grunts and nods. PT Anderson really didn't open the film strongly with this. The filming is beautiful and the actors do the best they can, but I think Anderson made a serious mistake letting it go as long as he did. It got to the point where you could tell he was intentionally trying to not have anyone talk. No matter what his purpose, it just became annoying when words were necessary and all we saw was Daniel Day-Lewis grimace and nod his head.
PT Anderson needs to take a lesson from Sergio Leone and Once Upon a Time in the West. The art and the way Leone paints the silence of the three outlaws waiting in an empty station was much more effective and not as forced as Anderson's direction in the opening 15 minutes. That's just where my problems begin.
After the death of one of his workers, Daniel Plainview adopts the man's child and decides to raise him.
One day, business very good, but not quite booming, Plainview gets a visit from a man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) who informs him that there is endless amounts of oil nearby and he'll tell him the location in exchange for money.
Daniel, a little skeptical, agrees and he and his son H.W. head off to the Sunday ranch, the home of Paul's family. He quickly discovers oil there and tries and gets the land from them for a cheap price, hoping they don't realize what's there. Eli, Paul's "Twin brother", recognizes that oil is there, and bargains for a higher price and 5,000 dollars for his church. Still, a steal for Daniel.
Throughout the next two hours, we track Daniel from what at first seems like a kind man (Good to his son, stopping an abusive father, generally courteous to the locals. etc.) to someone who is manipulative, greedy, and violent.
Daniel Plainview's rise and life spent polarizing those close to him is so close to Citizen Kane that it borders on plagiarism. The difference in this movie is only that it's Oil instead of newspapers, the character depth of the lead isn't as good, and the ending is much worse.
Daniel Day-Lewis adapts his role to the point that it's scary. I believed him 100% and he deserves the Oscar, but a few scenes aside (Mainly the church scene where Daniel is told to repent) this isn't anything special, IMO. It was a technical masterpiece, but overall it was disappointing.
4/10
More to come...