there has been blood (and now QT's review of CMBB)

Started by pete, November 06, 2007, 01:06:10 AM

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pete

fuck.  I saw it.  it happened.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

B.C. Long

I think Paul has finally found his voice. And by "his voice" I mean the movie feels like it's entirely his own, rather than noticable influences from other directors. (ie. Scorsese-esque directing in Magnolia)
Magnolia WAS his (flawed)masterpiece and I always kinda thought it would stay that way (So did Paul, from what I've read). But this my friends...has just catapulted that film into the 5th dinemsion. This is a MASTERPIECE through and through on every fucking level. The craft in this flick is just untouchable. This is a father/son saga to end all father/son sagas. Oh yeah, Paul was there too, to present the film. I didn't expect that. I'm tired. Must sleep and dream about Daniel kicking Eli's face in.


On a side note, Did anyone see the dude with the shirt that said "Plainview"?

Stefen

What the fuck? I went to bed specifically to wake up and read reviews. I get up and look and all you guys can muster is "I'm tired and will write more tomorrow"?

There is no tired in this game. Write more. WRITE MORE!!!
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

john

I want to write something, but everything I want to share seems like it would possibly spoil something. I think anything is going to spoil something, but I'll avoid plot, dialogue, performances, and shots... lets see where that gets us...

The movie:

What struck me watching this film is that PTA is a director filled with influences, but he never mimicks them. For all the talk of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Days of Heaven, neither of those films are similiar to TWBB. In fact, there were moments of this film that were wholly original. Moments where I felt like I've never seen anything like it and it excited me more than anything I'd seen in years. PTA doesn't want to emulate his heroes, he just constructs in a voice just as valid and as exciting as them.

The sound design, again, was incredible. Probably the best use of sound in a PTA film yet - which, I think, is saying quite a lot. It's very restrained, and very loud when it needs to be. PTA has always made me "feel" exactly what I'm hearing and here he uses that trick masterfully. The score is fantastic, too. And, listening to Greenwood's work, after working almost specifically with Jon Brion, it reminded me how much of a collaborative effort the score is between PTA and his composer. He seems to get musicians to articulate exactly what he needs while still providing their own sound. There were moments where the music felt similiar to Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. Not derivative, mind you, but certainly coming from the same part of the brain.

Before the film, when talking about the John Burton foundation, PTA mentioned that John Burton had a role in the film, but it was cut due to time. I haven't read the script yet, so I'm not sure how much else was cut. The film never feels indulgent in it's length, or truncated... but I still would have liked it to be longer. The last twenty minutes felts a bit rushed compaired to everything that had happened before.

But that is the smallest of quibbles - one that I'll probably reject on further viewing. This film is a rush. It's big, scary, and potent. As enthusiastic as I was going into it. As excited as I was to see a new PTA film, I still tried to reserve my praise for it. I didn't want to unabashedly claim genius because I love the director. Rehardless of any of that, this is a spectacular film. If this was his first film, and there were no expectations attached to it, it would still be magificent. But it is certainy a film no other director could have made. It is unique and new and, no matter what you expect, it will surprise you.

The screening:

When PTA introduced to the film, he said something to the effect of the Castro being one of the finest, if not best, theaters in America. I'm inclined to agree. Whoever books it's schedule is certainly enthusiastic enough. But there are enthusiastic bookers in most towns. It's the theater that speaks for itself. I also forget how fucking huge the place is. I'm not sure if the screening sold out, but I am sure that tickets were available for a longer time than I would have guessed. It wasn't an empty theatre, by any means, but it seemed to take a little effort to fill up the place. Which is good, because these goddamn AMC auditoriums seem content on getting smaller and smaller - it's nice to see a movie in a real, honest-to-God movie theater.

The film wasn't spoiled by the unitiated, even though I heard, more than once, onversations to the effect of, "I don't even know what this movie is, but it doesn't come out for, like, months."

The film wasn't even ruined by the dude who sat in front of me, apparently a Castro "regular", who smelled of garbage and sweat, carried two paper bags filled food and bottles of Clorox, and would occassionally reamrk to the similiarly crazy fella next to him about what was happening on screen. I did talk to this guy afterwards, and he seemed very adament that Daniel-Day Lewis reminded him "A LOT" of Tom Selleck. He also ate cake with his hands.
Maybe every day is Saturday morning.

©brad

Quote from: john on November 06, 2007, 12:57:26 PM
I want to write something, but everything I want to share seems like it would possibly spoil something. I think anything is going to spoil something, but I'll avoid plot, dialogue, performances, and shots... lets see where that gets us...

but you see, you can talk about that stuff. that's why we created this special sub-forum! just be sure to give us a spoiler-free taste in the regular forum.

okay, this is seriously the last time i enter this thread.

pete

nobody said hi to anybody else!
I loved it, one of the strongest endings in any movie ever.  I love a movie that knows how to end itself.
In my mind this was a straightfoward story - it focuses on one fascinating character, and goes through a series of scenes to depict his complexity.  He doesn't "develop" in the traditional sense, ie. one thing happens to him and he reacts and changes  and then something else happesn...etc.; Daniel Plainview has always been capable of intense animosity, and whatever darkness in him is gradually revealed to the audience.  He has a tender side, and the movie seems to ask, just exactly how far can he go, if he can prove to be loving and protective?  The film ends as soon as it is satisfied with its answer.  It is a fascinating portrayal of hubris, everything else -- greed, religion, industrialization, guilt...etc., become playgrounds for Plainview's hubris.
The movie is handsomely crafted, I have no complaints about any of the directorial decisions.  One thing that was kinda strange was how familiar the performances seemed by Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano - from Gangs of New York and The King, respectively.  They seemed to be playing more human, more spectacular incarnations of their previous characters.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

Stefen

What about the ending? Was it as chilling as it was written in the script?

Break it down shot by shot.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

john

Quote from: ©brad on November 06, 2007, 01:24:19 PM

but you see, you can talk about that stuff. that's why we created this special sub-forum! just be sure to give us a spoiler-free taste in the regular forum.

okay, this is seriously the last time i enter this thread.


Yeah, sorry about that.... I wasn't paying too much attention to where I was posting.

Incidentally, now that I've seen this... is the script still online anywhere? Does anyone have a PDF of ths?

I need to read that final line again.

"I'm done." correct?

Best conclusion to a PTA film yet, really. Just a pitch-perfect final scene. Made my heart race.
Maybe every day is Saturday morning.


B.C. Long


bluejaytwist

the dude in the plainview shirt was albert, paul's assistant.
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xerxes

Quote from: bluejaytwist on November 07, 2007, 06:42:17 PM
the dude in the plainview shirt was albert, paul's assistant.

Who was the guy going up and down the line asking everyone if they were you? And did he ever find you?


Sal

Why aren't we talking about this?

I saw a screening of the film last night at the WGA theater. Anderson, Day-Lewis and Dano were all there after to field questions. My fandom for Anderson goes back awhile, and this was my most anticipated movie this year. That preface stated, I have to make the concession that this was not a perfect movie.

It goes without saying Day-Lewis owns everything in this. It's a vehicle for him to just explode and really you cannot ask more of him from a movie, especially in the final closing scenes in 1927. He makes everyone else just look bad. I think Paul Dano was the biggest casualty. As his nemesis, he did alright...but two things irritated me. One, I could not read his face that well. I wanted very badly to understand the difference between the "showman" and the regular kid who is just a boy using religion for his own personal gain. Two, I had no idea he even played two twin brothers. Even without an obvious shot of Paul sitting with Eli (that would have helped clear things up quite a bit!) there were little to no character distinctions. The entire audience after the show continued asking questions about it. They just didn't get it. I did not get it, either. PTA looked unsettled by this but he must have heard this before, which seems to mean he just dropped the ball.  A second viewing will help--of course--but why would you risk confusing your audience the first time? It's two hours and 40 minutes long. That's a hell of a stretch to sit there wondering if you're looking at one person or a twin.

The score by Greenwood is being met with a lot of buzz and I think people are being very generous about it. Yes, it's reminiscent of Penderecki and the strings fit the mood well. But this was not scored with the kind of deliberate intent you would see in The Shining for example.  It was laid over the picture and so there aren't really cues and there isn't an identifiable structure. It's avant garde but I don't think anything is really done with this that is memorable or even briefly effective. Ultimately it is a bit derivative.   

There's not really a single word to describe Paul's unique directing style. There is a freedom and energy to what he does (which Elswit is significant in contributing) that is lacking from any other filmmaker working today. He opens it up and uses space well. The scene where Daniel hugs his son after his return from San Francisco was stirring because you heard him tell his boy "this does me well" and it's special when you see it from a distance and the menacing man that lumbered around has to kneel so he can embrace his son. Talking about memorable scenes, I have to mention that the entire sequence involving the derrick's destruction/HW's loss of hearing was the most compelling material short of the "1927" sequence.  Seeing time pass as the derrick kept burning—and Plainview never returning to his son—was just combined so well together that it really epitomizes the film in a way. If you had to take out a scene that summed up what Blood was about, that was it.

ponceludon

I thought that Paul and Eli were the same person until the very end of the movie, when there was no big scene that shows that Eli has been pulling a fast one.

You are very brave to not be unconditionally and unilaterally praising this movie to the heavens.

SiliasRuby

Thought there was a possability of a there being a ban against him. Joking...sorry for interrupting.
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