There Will Be Blood - now with child/partner forum we call H.W.

[Alexandro]

Does 3 1/2 stars mean hes lost it?

half a star off cos it doesn't hav any chicks. dude's a total perv.

EDIT: holy shit i was kidding when i wrote that, then i read his review.

his reason why CMBB is not "perfect": "its lack of women".. geez, sorry you couldn't get your rocks off, roger.

it's definetely a badly written review. i love ebert, but he seems to be praising the film and then suddenly makes it feel as if the flick "ain't that bad", which sounds ridiculous.

it is true that in the last few years this guys has had a soft spot for hot chicks in movies, and that's sort of disturbing. i was sure that, with the insane amount of four stars review he's been dispatching lately this film would certainly be there.

[Ravi]

it is true that in the last few years this guys has had a soft spot for hot chicks in movies, and that's sort of disturbing. i was sure that, with the insane amount of four stars review he's been dispatching lately this film would certainly be there.

If CMBB had a lesbian love scene he would have given it four stars.

[Gamblour.]

it is true that in the last few years this guys has had a soft spot for hot chicks in movies, and that's sort of disturbing. i was sure that, with the insane amount of four stars review he's been dispatching lately this film would certainly be there.

If CMBB had a lesbian love scene he would have given it four stars.

It doesn't?? 

[Pozer]

is it just me, or is that brown long-sleeve/blue t-shirt the only shirts that Paul owns?

seriously.

soon im gonna compile all the pix of him from different events/photo shoots wearing that brown long-sleeve shirt.

[Pubrick]

oh come on, he does hav some variety

[Ravi]

Can't spell "pirate" without PTA.

That jokes has multiple layers since he is bootlegging The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.

[Gamblour.]

So I've seen it. I'll just describe some things, experiences I had. (right now, I can hear a train whistle and I feel like I'm standing on those tracks in the film)

A few facts to begin: I have avoided EVERY single piece of information about the film, except the trailer. I abstained from reading any article or listening or watching to any other form of media. I knew nothing about this film, except what I remember from the trailer. "I like to go in fresh" as Frank Costanza would say.

Watcing: So I was sitting 6 rows from the front of the theater, but not too close to the screen. Sitting through that overcooked trailer for "Funny Games", not fully understanding it's been 4 years (?) since I bought PDL on dvd. This was the first time I was sitting in a theater watching a PTA picture. I'm more virginal than I thought.

And then those four words pop on the screen, and Johnny Greenwood's score is so loud that I feel my bones rattle, that piece on the website I had heard so often checking for midnight screening times. I begin the film by overanalyzing it, piecing each shot and comparing it to his previous films, because it's just kinda natural at the moment. I eventually let go of that because there is no real show-off moment to spot. The filmmaking is matter-of-fact, necessary, and, for those reasons, powerful. But it's because there isn't one element to stand out, not a tracking shot or the score (the score does come close) or a composition or anything like that. It's the scene before, the context, and the elements on the screen that create, perhaps the first time for PTA, the sublime image. His other films have been good, don't get me wrong, but I've always actively enjoyed watching those. This film, you sort of sit and watch it unfold, aghast. Like a genocide.

Speaking of, the film is violent. But it does not contain many violent acts. It's no where near No Country, with that large body count. But the filmmaking is fucking brutal. I left the theater feeling sick in my gut, close to throwing up, really. I had to eat something when I got home, I couldn't stomach the waves of nausea I had. Visceral isn't the right word, but it was probably like the way in Poltergeist, when the little girl runs through her mother. Though this sensation felt like dread and worse.

The film never settles for anything less than what it depicts. It's so accurate and so real to watch, you feel every second and the weight of every consequence. Even now, I have the slideshow of images and scenes flying through my head, and can't grasp what I saw. It's a superior period film, the details are so ingrained in the image, nothing seems calculated or falsified. PTA's script, I can't imagine it on paper. I wonder what DDL thought as he read it.

Daniel Day: How do you describe the best onscreen performance of all time? He will need a completely separate category for awards, because for everyone else, it's like, Here's a nod for that thing you call acting, nice try at it. DDL doesn't create a character. He doesn't create an idea, like Javier Bardem in No Country (which I loved, not trying to bash, and loved Bardem). He...fuck I can't describe it. How do you say he is the darkness, the pit of one's soul, of humanity, without sounding stupid? His is an actualization of this man named Daniel Plainview. Despair and malice, mania, sick hatred, disgust. Word salad.

Dano: He pulls off a performance opposite DDL and doesn't fuck it up, he did great. He's powerful and feeble and perfect.

The score: It adds so much to the film, which would've worked without a score probably. The fact that it draws attention to itself in some scenes only enlightens what's happening onscreen, because often it's completely what you wouldn't expect, and you realize you're hearing and seeing something in a combination like never before, and the moment is wholly unique.

Alright. I feel slightly drained and out of words. I hope this benefits those who haven't seen it. I tried to write up some initial thoughts here and be vivid about the experience, but it was an experience that I can explain but never really describe. I have lots of threads, articles, podcasts, videos, etc to catch up on.

[Fernando]

Do you know how lucky all of you R1 bastards are? (movie releases wise) Of course you don't! Then let me tell you something, do you know what is the 'big' opening of the week here?  The Black FUCKING Dahlia!!!

Of course I'll make the trip to the states when cmbb opens in the nearest city but still, in order to not wait months to see it I'll be spending close to $200 (or more) that includes, gas, tolls, car insurance, ticket and meals, for that price I should be aloud to sleep between maya and pta.


*sigh* I needed to get all that off my chest, I feel better already.

xixax: a place to vent. 

[cine]

So I've seen it. I'll just describe some things, experiences I had.

k but for the record, nobody is discussing the movie in this thread.. they're posting that stuff here and have been all along. 

[Gamblour.]

Uh.

I hope this benefits those who haven't seen it.

Non spoiler reviews aren't good anymore? Besides, that thread is huge, I need to read it first.

[tpfkabi]

DDL called Paul his 'evil twin brother' in his Critic's Choice acceptance speech.

[hedwig]

DDL called Paul his 'evil twin brother' in his Critic's Choice acceptance speech.

[B.C. Long]

So a screener that actually works this time. For Realz. This ain't no 12.2% tease.

http://www.newtorrents.info/torrent/34591/There.Will.Be.Blood.TELECINE.XViD-PUKKA.html

[picolas]

Uh.

I hope this benefits those who haven't seen it.

Non spoiler reviews aren't good anymore? Besides, that thread is huge, I need to read it first.

i think people should feel free to post non-spoiler reviews in here. it's for non-spoilers and those who haven't seen the movie. that never changed.

[cine]

thats fine, i'd read it the post.. i was making it clear nobody's discussing it because some people forget theres another thread. i know that wasn't you but it was a courtesy heads up nonetheless.