Reel to Reel

A great idea, hope it takes off. :)

There Will Be Blood

The best movie of the year and one of the best acting performances of all time comes to DVD carrying a cartload of critical praise and awards.. and deservedly so.

Paul Thomas Anderson is not the most prolific of directors. Since his breakthrough with the wonderful BOOGIE NIGHTS eleven years ago, he has given us just two titles – the excellent MAGNOLIA (1999) and the flawed, but nonetheless curious PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002).
Perhaps such reluctance to “churn them out” as it were has been a significant factor in shaping and developing an entirely singular cinematic consciousness. For this is what he has achieved with THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
Right from the off, with an extended opening sequence that has no dialogue, Anderson relies on the language of cinema itself to set his stall out. And what better way to catalyse this expression than through the awesome presence of the greatest actor on the planet today.

It is not through speaking that we begin to know Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) during the film’s opening. It is through this immediate, powerful presence – a man possessing the very physical manifestation of unstoppable, driven determination. Switching from silver prospecting to oil, Plainview senses exploitation at the expense of a farming family (the Sundays, in particular the young goatherd Paul) who speak of oil to be found on their land. Plainview could easily strike a deal with them. But, being a compulsive cheat, he chooses to swindle.
Adopting the baby of a miner who dies in an accident, Plainview embraces the boy, HW, as a surrogate son, but he uses him to project the image of a family man to the Sundays, claiming that God sent him their way. Yet, it is at the hands of Paul’s religious zealot brother Eli (played by the same actor, Paul Dano) that Plainview finds his enterprise constantly thwarted.

It is this zealotry, together with greed for money and power, that make up the combined themes of THERE WILL BE BLOOD and while Anderson and Day-Lewis have denied an intended allegory, the film inevitably strikes a contemporary relevance.

Yet, like all great epic stories, there are moments of intimate, tragic humanism. For all the steel and cold seduction of Plainview’s character, and his apparent lack of caring or emotion, he is humanised – to a point – in his relationship with HW , and when that point is reached, the film becomes heartbreaking.

Day-Lewis is absolutely outstanding. He strides this film like a Colossus. A power-performance of volcanic ferocity, yet brilliantly weighted with slithering charm and stealth.. and one that deservedly won him a second Oscar earlier this year.

It feels almost like divine providence that both director and star came together at the right time to bring about this masterpiece.

Praise be :)

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heard the one about two film critics ? first one says “I’d like to mention kubrick’s I’m Spartacus scene”

second one says “No, I’D like to mention kubricks…………..”

cool thread
x

THE DARK KNIGHT

Christopher Nolan’s second turn at writing/directing the trials and tribulations of the famously troubled superhero is remarkable in so many ways.
First up, there is the morbidly tempting, rubbernecking frisson of seeing the late Heath Ledger in “Dead Man Acting” mode. Freaky this fascination may be, but let’s face it, it’s real and representative. “Who’d want to see a dead person,” Jack Warner bluntly asked when James Dean passed away before GIANT was released. Judging by the ticket sales for THE DARK KNIGHT, a lot of people do. Maybe not so remarkable afterall :roll: .
But what is remarkable is this young lad’s performance. Banishing forever the camp histrionics of previous interpretations, Ledger’s Joker is an intriguing product of twisted nature and malevolent nurture.

As sequels go, this ticks most of the boxes regarding successful formula.. and even conjures up a few more!
Gone is the need to navigate the more dense pools of exposition, in favour of a darker, commanding and more intense beast. The swirling, multi dimensional plot shows moribund moneybags Bruce Wayne (played with a capable, swelling maturity by the ever dependable Chrsitian Bale) disaffected yet again. Weary of the role of superhero, he longs to settle down with former squeeze Rachel Dawes (the beautifully bumcheeked Maggie Gyllenhaal) but is thwarted on two fronts by her political golden boy boyfriend (Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent) and newly arrived demented nemesis – The Joker.
Throw in the banter and compassion of Michael Caine’s witty and sensitive Alfred, the understated and unexpectedly affecting performance that is Gary Oldman’s Commisioner Gordon, not to mention the gravitas personified that is always Morgan Freeman.. well, one would be forgiven the urge to bleat “Too many cooks…” :?

But it is the adroit screenplay, the very juggling of all these seemingly frenetic elements that (together with Ledger’s performance) make THE DARK KNIGHT an exceptional piece of work. The powerhouse story arcs gain urgency from dynamic editing and from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s graceful score. All of which blend beautifully under Nolan’s richly imaginative and boldly assured direction.

Which brings us finally to The Joker himself..
Ledger’s performance is in some ways a curiously mannered one. His joker is no eccentric, criminal prankster driven by greed and recognition. No, this is a sadist with elements of masochism. A being so amoral as to lack any sense of human consequence as he sets on watching “the world burn”. Menacing and sinister, he also contrives to convince Bruce he’s just as bonkers as he is. And then, as we get to know the Joker, the film gets to the root of his evil, revealed in a backstory of a horrific childhood experience that illustrates how he acquired the “smile” that became his criminal trademark.
The whole Hero / Villain coin-flip is hardly groundbreaking, but there are so many ideas flying around in this layered, intelligent script, that surely inspired and catalysed Ledger to produce such an electrifying, truly grandstanding performance.

Go see it.. Now :)

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