Uninspired yawns.

You’re wrong, this is totally a monster movie! But Instead of Godzilla vs King Kong, it’s Oilman vs Preacher Boy!

As for comedy aspect, I think the best thing about PTA has been his ability to mix dramatic and comic tones skilfully. It’s like there’s a central tension in Plainview that holds him and the film together and when that snaps his character disintegrates and the film floats away into farce. I must say I think most reviews I’ve read haven’t gotten to grips with this movie in any way beyond a few bland platitudes about greed. The tone is unlike any movie I’ve seen in my life. Using comedy and bordering on farce it touched on an element of real tragedy - that a person whose life falls apart can often become a messy and exaggerated version of themselves. Maybe the will that kept plainview together has suddenly gone and after it disappears, his character falls out of coherence and becomes flabby. It feels like there’s always been a tension between the seriousness of american epics and the farce and comedy usually happens unintentionally. But PTA seems to have taken the mixing of these tones as a main aim, and the tragedy of plainview is his descent into a farce. And the performance immerses you in this decline. Looking back now what I’ve written all seems pretentious, but simply put, well done on an astute review.

Great review by the way.

Wha??? Huh???

1. He murders his fake brother. Was Plainview the real victim in that encounter?

2. His madness for oil deafens his adoptive son, whom he then cruelly abandons, twice. Poor Plainview!

3. His madness for oil kills, albeit inadvertently, workers, and we can assume more that didn’t make the film.

4. He either literally steals (milkshake!) or virtually steals (”quail prices”) a fortune from plain folk who don’t know any better.

(not to mention the final scene).

I’m sorry, but arguing his terror didn’t have victims is an extremely puzzling mischaracterization of the plot of the film.

If, after seeing TWBB, you don’t recognize the ambiguity in the above statement, you can’t begin to comprehend the genius of this movie.

For the haters:

PTA openly tips his hat to his influences (i.e. Scorsese and the like). Besides, what artist doesn’t strive for greatness equal to (if not surpassing) that of his masters, and, whether subconsciously or consciously, what artist doesn’t emulate that greatness in his own work?

Next - unoriginal?!? This movie is one of the most original interpretations of Sinclair’s Oil! imaginable. The book and the movie are often as different as night and day. Though many of the central themes remain, the characters, imagery and story found in the film belong to DDL/Dano and PTA alone.

During the bowling alley scene, I also thought Daniel’s reference to Paul’s successful oil derricks could be a metaphor for Eli’s church. Afterall, Eli was sucking the sanctity out of religion with his church of the 3rd Revelation, much like Paul was sucking the oil from the ground with his 3 derricks.

And for fun, I like to think his final internal dialogue is ‘oh crap did i just knock him out? i think i did. maybe i should . . . actually i think i like where this is going.’ *thwack*

To read a differing review, check out:
http://cinemoose.com/review-there-will-be-snores

2-DP’s son is Jesus; he marries “Mary” Magdalene, and his intials are “H.W.” (His Word); and H.W becomes “deaf” to the ills of the world. H.W. also drinks goat milk; the “lamb of God.”

3-The Church is also “a lie on Sunday” (i.e.-Eli Sunday).

4-Oil is, as DP says, “the blood of the earth,” and the Devil and the Church both drink at the same well.

You’re right about oil and family, but I saw the title as most prominently being a sly reference to the baptism scene. Filmbrain pointed out the hymn “There is Power in the Blood,” which is also featured in my favorite of the film’s trailers ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYW2ltW5SPo ), being sung while the title appears on screen. The baptismal water is referred to as the blood, complete with Plainview having to scream “I want the blood!”

In the otherwise bad Slate article about the film (”I haven’t read Sinclair but yet I’ll discuss why the film doesn’t equal the novel anyway”) the writer says that the title is taken from Exodus 7:19 ( http://bible.cc/exodus/7-19.htm ), the Lord saying what will happen to the water in Egypt. If that’s true it certainly reveals in Anderson a fondness with that section of Exodus. Though we don’t see a surreal scene like that of the raining frogs, perhaps the plague of the black blood-like liquid polluting the land and our society to this day is more horrible because it is believable and true.

Of course, though, we have the movie’s ending, with the literal blood, followed by the abrupt cut to black and then the film’s title in its big gothic letters. Not that it renders all the previous symbolism meaningless..

Still haven’t seen There Will Be Blood? Can’t convince your friend/partner/lover/spouse/dumb co-worker/roommate/priest/mother to sit through a 158 minute move? Well, if you’re in the vicinity of NYC, there’s a happening this Saturday evening (5 Jan…

http://texasgeektv.vox.com/library/post/tgtv005-paul-thomas-anderson.html

Reason why: The “Milkshake” monologue and DDL’s final, scene-stealing, end-of-film quote.

#2. That’s as crazy as the notion that DDL is simply replaying Bill The Butcher. Madness I tell you.

#3. How much more blood does one need?

#4. I’d say the movie is different, in that it seems more focused and more mature…but otherwise it’s very much Paul Thomas Anderson

#5. First of all, it you watch the baptism scene without being alternately moved, frightened and highly amused…well you’re dead inside. As for the final scene flying off the rails, all I can say is that the ending makes a very good movie brilliant. I admit the chasing around the room business is boderline slapstick, but I think this is a very clever diversion that makes the final result even more shocking. It’s like a guy doing a happy little puppet show with one hand and then he suddenly punches you in the balls with the other. Good times.