1/22/08

There Will Be Blood

"Give me the blood,
so I can get out of here!"


5 Stars



Okay, when I first walked out of the theater I was very impressed with Daniel Day-Lewis' performance, and wasn't too thrilled with the movie as a whole telling my boyfriend "It' wasn't the best movie I've ever seen."
(It has been hyped a whole lot.)
But as the days pass since I've seen it, I am more and more interested, intrigued, and excited about this movie.

On the radio I heard a reviewer say, "that you wouldn't think a movie about the oil industry in the early 1900's would be interesting." He felt it was more about a father and a son. To some extent I would agree, but there are for me so many facets that are close to home.

Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) is an oil prospector finding new oil lands and buying them up with this young son H.W. at his side.
As some of you may know, I work at my families pawnshop founded by my grandfather, ran by my mother, and sees me as VP. Just as H.W. cooed in his basket at the oil drill as a baby, I was taking naps between the VCRs that were in loan as a kid. And little is different for my mother as well. I know what it feels like to see business go on around you with youthful eyes. I may not have known exactly what was going on, but I knew it was real, and it was important.
Love a scene where Daniel tells H.W. about his plans for a pipeline. I know the feeling of having the business click for me as it did for H.W. right then.
"So we can save on shipping costs."

When Daniel decides to buy some profitable land he has to oblige the locals. He ends up butting heads with a preacher named Paul Sunday, played by Paul Dano from Little Miss Sunshine fame. When I saw him in that I looked up all I could on him, and knew he had it in him to be a good actor. Even though The King sucked, Dano was great in that too.
Come to think of it, he played a religious freak in that one too! Hmmm.
I felt the Paul Sunday character wanted to be a star, and used the stage of the church as his theater. He starts to act like a bratty celebretard too, until Daniel put him in his place.
One thing's for shure, that kid can play car-azy!

Now lets talk about the man. Daniel Day-Lewis is.. man, I'm trying to think of a way to say it without sounding like a movie poster! "Phenomenal. Chilling. Powerful. Astonishing."
As I was watching this I was genuinely concerned for the actor opposite Day-Lewis. I just kept thinking if that were me I would be Frightened to hear these words, with that much power, with that much intensity looking right into my eyes!
I think I might pee a little.

This movie totally stimulated my love for everything turn of the 20th century.
The costumes, the very dangerous working and living conditions, and most importantly the teeth!! No pearly whites in this one, A+. Not mention the best hangover scene. Ever.

Yup, Biggy was right. "Mo money, mo problems."

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