There Will Be Blood - a film by Paul Thomas Anderson

Finally got to see this tonight. I wish there were more movies made like this. Pacing was fine, cinematography was beautiful, quirky, nicely acted. A few loose ends but the movie was long enough as it was. Very glad I got to see it.

I'll try to see No Country tomorrow for a contrast.

I have a question though. In the credits there was a 3d effects group listed. Does anyone know where the computer effects came in? Was it with the oil derricks? I just couldn't see much where that kind of thing would come in.

Also that steadicam shot where Plainview gets his boy off the derrick after the explosion and carries him to the mess hall was INSANE. Damn that was a long and fast walk!
 
I'd say the computer effects were in all the deaths and the pano landscape shots. While the movie wasn't a "10" for me... there are many haunting scenes... I still see the acting and cinematography as clear as if I just finished the movie.
 
Ah yes. The deaths. I would have thought that could have been handled with visual effects. Realistic dummies. But given the unique angle of things falling down the well, perhaps it is best to handle it virtually.

In any event, I was pleased to see a movie with long takes, good acting, and a general lack of computer based effects. I'd go see a LOT more movies if they were done like this.
 
Dxmetal said:
Formula for Oscar "Epic" feel.
Click to expand...

I don't think this fits the Oscar mold at all.

If it were and oscar type movie, Daniel Plainview would have regained his son's respect, patched up his relationship with Eli Sunday, and would have realized ambition shouldn't come before family...he would have married a nice woman and settled down and the audience would feel all warm inside.

This film takes a look at the dark side of human gain; not the desire to succeed, but the sadistic desire to see other's fail. Plainview saw the twisted minds and dark secrets of humanity, and hated people for it.

This movie is way too bizarre/unconventional to be an "oscar type" movie.
 
Daniel Plainview reminded me of Simon Cowell. He wants absolutely nobody to succeed but himself.

Dxmetal - sadly, there's some truth to what you write. But I think this movie actually had some depth, which is harder for me to admit than you know, cause I'm not a P.T. Anderson fan at all.

One of the reasons I don't give him as much credit as everyone else is because of an interview he gave after Magnolia where he stated that the only reason he made the beginning of the movie what it was, was to create a beginning that had absolutely nothing to do with the movie. There was no reasoning behind it. No interesting subtext you could disect. He just wanted to say "F you" to the basic components of story structure. It's stuff like that that I hate. Although I admit that I have friends who like him for exactly that reason.
 
Happy ending movies are your typical hollywood/summer blockbuster deal.

The Oscar always pick stories with sad ending that captures your emotion and makes you think. Look at "Blood diamond, brokeback mountain, no country, there will be blood, atonement, mystic river, boys dont cry ....etc.)

cubitfox said:
I don't think this fits the Oscar mold at all.

If it were and oscar type movie, Daniel Plainview would have regained his son's respect, patched up his relationship with Eli Sunday, and would have realized ambition shouldn't come before family...he would have married a nice woman and settled down and the audience would feel all warm inside.
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Just saw this tonight... incredibly made film, but I didn't like it... I left the theater feeling sick to my stomach...
 
I left the theater yawning. This movie was LOOOOOOOONG.

I liked the baptism scene, but not so hot on DDL's John Huston impression. My opinion of him has not changed.

Not so much on the score either. Just felt like a bunch jumble musical pieces all over the place and felt WAY too loud for the film. Might have been the intent, but...When you hear PTA interviewed about the score, he doesn't sound too sure of it either.

I liked a lot of the individual elements. I loved the palette and the cinematography, and I thought the sound design was really really nice. Like so many moments when you can hear the faint thumping and grinding of the oil works in what might otherwise be an intimate scene. Very nice touches to the atmosphere.

But I felt like PTA hung too much of his direction on DDL, rather than on any vision he might have had himself. I dunno, it just felt like he got obsessed with the actor and made too much of the film about that actor's performance. Or DDL's personality overtook the process or something. Felt less like a story and more like an acting class. Which was the same for Magnolia, so maybe PTA is just like that. And as usual, DDL was acting in a completely different film than everyone else...I dunno, that is a directing weakness to me, but it seems the same weakness struck Scorcese as well.

In the end, it had less of the self-indulgence that the rest of his movies have, but it was still there. Seems to me, this movie could have been amazing if he had made it in another 20 yrs. I think the difference in sheer mastery of the medium between this and No Country(where they have more experience) is striking. (Only say that because they were both up for best pic).

Anyway, my love of westerns made me go in wanting to like this, but it just didn't stick...
 
this isnt a western i would say though. plus damn you hated pretty much what was good about it.
 
i liked the ending most people seemed to hate.


Spoiler

He become so competitive and you can tell when HW decided to start his own company and then Eli begs him for money and acts like the man who was trying to take his brother. anyone who isn't family is at war with this man and competitive nature. and I love the ending: "I'm finished", reminds much of the bible. but the dark dark humor is there.
oh and maybe this ending would have made it better.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ri33bydAavI
 
spidey said:
i liked the ending most people seemed to hate.


Spoiler

He become so competitive and you can tell when HW decided to start his own company and then Eli begs him for money and acts like the man who was trying to take his brother. anyone who isn't family is at war with this man and competitive nature. and I love the ending: "I'm finished", reminds much of the bible. but the dark dark humor is there.
oh and maybe this ending would have made it better.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ri33bydAavI
Click to expand...

I actually like the ending too.

I know it's not a "western" but to me it still kind of is because of the whole frontier mentality and the time frame it operates in.

Part of it may be that I never really care for "epic" movies. I think TV series handle long form storytelling MUCH better. Like to compare it to Deadwood, you can be in season 3 and see where a character is, and think back to ALL of the events that led the character to be there. The details are all filled in. As where with a movie, it never really sticks like that with me, when they cover long years. Dunno, maybe that I just don't care for epic films.

One thing I just thought of was the John Huston impression and the timeline and PLACE, I wondered if they were trying to suggest a young Noah Cross...though the years don't entirely match up, the Noah Cross you see in the 30's could easily have been the Plainview in this film in earlier times.
 
It was just a picture of the depravity and selfishness of a man... his anger ended up ruining his life... it was indeed a tragic story...

Mark, I do agree it was too long, but still a fantastic movie.
 
I'm the biggest PT fan in the world, hands down.

With that said, I was really disappointed in this. Probably the most self-serving tripe I've seen in a long, long time. Lewis was fabulous, but that was expected and does not make up for the drawn out scenes handed over to him without any control.

PT clearly let lewis take over, and it ultimately hurt the pace of the film. He should have been reigned in more, it was an over-indulgent performance. The writing was dull, forced and went nowhere (fast). The cinematography was ho-hum, nothing I haven't seen a million times before. I can't believe it's gotten so much attention. Set design was incredible, and I really need that bowling alley in my house.
 
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