There Will Be Blood: The Poll

There Will Be Blood: The Poll

****
20
47%
*** 1/2
12
28%
***
5
12%
** 1/2
2
5%
**
2
5%
* 1/2
0
No votes
*
2
5%
1/2 *
0
No votes
0
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 43

Penelope
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Post by Penelope »

Extremely well said, OscarGuy: it DOES feel like it could come from any era of cinema--there are elements here that are reminiscent of the greatest silent films, the expansive epics of the Cold War era, the iconoclastic films of the 70s, and the modern cynical age. And, yes, it's a film that will be cherished decades from now.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
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Post by OscarGuy »

You're lips to Oscars ears, Pen. Though I'm not as sure it can win as others, I would be ecstatic. It would be a true classic winning the Best Picture prize. It would be one that would not only earn praise now, but maintain that praise for generations to come.

And I think that's because as you say "This is classic filmmaking of the best kind". My take on it is that it feels as if it could have been a part of any Hollywood era. It would have fit into almost any golden era Hollywood has had. It feels at once a part of all generations. And that could be what wins it the prize. Other than its heavily anti-zealotry message, I can see older voters jumping on board because it DOES remind them of a bygone era and I can see the new Hollywood jumping aboard because it's stark and honest and even feels new at the same time as feeling old.

But, again, I guard myself against hoping that it can win. I've been let down countless times in the past when I heard rumblings of groundswells potentially leading to movies I love winning.
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Post by Penelope »

You know what this movie needed? A love story. Couldn't they have gotten Kiera Knightley to play a school teacher torn between Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano? ???

Ok, seriously: There Will Be Blood is quite simply amazing. I think we've all come to the realization that we walk into a theater with pre-conceived notions, based on the director, or the stars, or other aspects that color our view. In my case, it was the fact that I've never fully embraced Paul Thomas Anderson: Boogie Nights was very good, though it never completely gelled for me; I hated the first ten minutes of Magnolia so much I walked out and got my money back; and I didn't even bother to see Punch Drunk Love. So I walked into There Will Be Blood very guardedly--despite the praise, I was bracingly myself for something unendurable.

Happily, it turned out to be a hypnotic experience, even in the final reels, when I think it goes slightly off the rails. I can't recall who here said that it was too "odd" of a film, too inaccessable--was it Original BJ?--but I have to disagree. This is classic filmmaking of the best kind; it maybe too easy to compare it to Giant, but it does compare to Giant, by using an epic story of oil in the west to comment on contemporary issues--family and bigotry in Giant, commerce and religion in Blood.

2007 will stand as one of the truly great years for cinematography: Sunshine, Atonement, Assassination of Jesse James..., No Country For Old Men, Diving Bell & the Butterfly and now There Will Be Blood. I can't wait to see who's nominated, and, man, that'll be a tough decision to make. There are shots in There Will Be Blood that are breathtaking, haunting, unforgettable.

Now, Daniel Day-Lewis; the Oscar is his. But, if there's anything really controversial about the film, it's actually his performance: I wouldn't be surprised if some start saying it's pure hamola, because there ARE moments when it teeters in that direction. But I thought he hit the notes just right, a sly, smart performance that also towers. I'd still give Casey Affleck my Best Actor prize, but Day-Lewis is a very close second.

Would love to see Paul Dano nominated for Supporting--great, great performance--the scenes at the church are mesmerizing. And who was the hottie who played H.W. as an adult? Hubba, hubba! [edit: his name is Russell Harvard ...]

The only flaw was the last 15 minutes or so...as an epilogue, it didn't quite work for me; yes, it's still dazzling to watch, but I didn't get the sense that these developments grew organically from everything that had previously occurred. It seemed rushed.

Finally, I wouldn't be surprised if this movie becomes a hit; as somebody (Sonic?) mentioned elsewhere, No Country may have peaked early, and with There Will Be Blood taking off, it actually fits the Oscar meme that Atonement is failing to fill: the epic melodrama.




Edited By Penelope on 1200370846
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
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Post by abcinyvr »

I rented Treasure of the Sierra Madre last year and it contains a John Huston documentary - which I have seen several times but watched again. The interviews with Huston Jr were of him near the end of his life and it is that voice that I thought of while watching There Will Be Blood. I did not find that distracting when I was watching the film. I only thought it was interesting.
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Post by Big Magilla »

Much has been written about Daniel Day-Lewis sounding like John Huston in Chinatown. Is that who you were thnking of?

He does sound a little like John, but also like John's father Walter in Of Human Hearts in which he played a hellfie and brimstone preacher.
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Post by abcinyvr »

No, I mean vocally only.
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Post by cam »

Are you are talking about Plainview as a symbol?
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Post by abcinyvr »

Saw TWBB this afternoon. Still don't know where it is going to end up on the Best Picture list. It looked great and sounded great, with a very effective score which is sometimes more noise than score. I mostly was left thinking of Days Of Heaven, which picked up the tech nominations at the Oscars that TWWB is pretty much guaranteed.
I felt that Daniel Day Lewis was channelling some other person and it wasn't until near the end that I realized who it is. I don't want to colour anyone's enjoyment of the film so I will wait to see if there are any posts about it before I mention my suspicions.
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Post by Greg »

Zahveed wrote:Didn't someone already do The Jungle?
I checked on imdb and all I could find was a 1914 silent film.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0004182/
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Post by Eric »

I'm pretty sure a film based on The Jungle would be, um, unwatchable.
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Post by Penelope »

There are so many interesting parallels between the Gilded Age/Progressive Era and the contemporary U.S.

I'm waiting impatiently for someone to film any of William Dean Howells' great realistic novels (The Rise of Silas Lapham, A Hazard of New Fortunes), or utilize the Spanish-American War or the Philippine War as a commentary on today's events.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
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Post by Zahveed »

Didn't someone already do The Jungle?
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Post by flipp525 »

With the critical success of There Will Be Blood, shouldn’t some filmmaker attempt another Upton Sinclair classic – The Jungle? This seminal chronicling of the horrific meatpacking industry of late 19th/early 20th century Chicago would make Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop look like a Baskin Robbins.

In fact, early 20th century naturalist fiction seems (to me at least) to offer a veritable goldmine of good material for films. I could also see an updated version of Frank Norris’ McTeague (it was already filmed as the 1924 silent film Greed) being a noble venture as well as Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. I’ve never been a fan of the 1950 Lawrence Olivier/Jennifer Jones version.




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Post by OscarGuy »

I'm still formulating my thoughts on this one. Some of the images it leaves me with are indelible. I can't say for sure if it's a classic (I still need more time to think on it), but it's pretty damned near perfect. I didn't like Dano in Little Miss Sunshine, but he acquits himself nicely here. Daniel Day-Lewis blends effortlessly into Daniel Plainview. It's an astounding performance, but it wouldn't be anything without all of those great actors beside him.

More later, but this and The Orphanage bring my total of **** films to 5. I was beginning to worry when I entered December with only Bridge to Terabithia on my list, but then I caught Away from Her and it seemed to snowball to the end of the year. Granted, I think the best year for film this decade was 2004 (I gave out 10 four-star ratings), I'm glad to see the year wasn't a total waste.
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Post by kaytodd »

The trailer I saw for There Will Be Blood and Daniel Day-Lewis' performance rubbed me the wrong way because it was so much like his performance in Gangs Of New York. It seemed identical to me, the voice, appearance, mannerisms, etc.

I was a big fan of his Gangs performance. Very close second to Cage that year, IMO. But It bothers me that it seems he decided to ape it in Blood. Maybe I will feel different when I see the film itself.
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