I finally got around to seeing Anderson's There Will Be Blood, which I thought was masterful. I have been thinking about it all night in my sleep -- having dreams about unclogging pipes and overflowing sinks. That movie watched like an excellent book, probably because it was based on such a good adaptation, and I really loved the way the credits were done...and the music was really good, very Hitchcockian, actually -- where the music enhances the suspense, but doesn't compete with the scene.
What I'm trying to figure out is why I didn't particularly care for Paul Dano's performance as Eli Sunday. I really liked him in Little Miss Sunshine. He's a good screamer, and there were moments where he shone, but for some reason I kept thinking, while I was watching him that he wasn't believable. Of course, you have got to hand it to anyone who dare act against Day-Lewis. Come to think of it, I hated DiCaprio's performance in Gangs, too. So maybe I'm just witnessing an eclipse. When ol' Eli gets it in the bowling alley, I was a little relieved.
I want to see it again, though it is a hard watch. A lot of the scenery reminded me of our road trip, and make me hungry for America again. Now that I've seen TWBB, I don't know what to do with myself, cinematically. But I think the Art Theater in Long Beach is having it's final pre-restoration showing tonight. So we better get there early.
2 comments:
It takes a powerful actor/actress to go up against Daniel Day-Lewis and not be overwhelmed. Paul Dano is a good actor, and I liked his work in Little Miss Sunshine too. But you're right. He just can't hold his own here. It's as if he has to compete against a hurricane or some other powerful force of nature. TWBB really does dazzle thanks to the performance that Day-Lewis gives.
And I never liked any of Leonardo Dicaprio's performances until The Departed. It was the first movie that made me realize what all the fuss has been about. But he certainly is an amateur when he's put up against King Daniel.
I liked Dicaprio's performances as a young actor. Basketball Diaries comes to mind, and I even enjoyed his turn in Total Eclipse, although I haven't seen that movie in ten years, and might not feel the same way about it if I saw it again, and of course his run in Gilbert Grape was brilliant. Catch Me If You Can was also watchable, but it's his youth that makes the role shine. He definitely doesn't have a draw for me, but I think that he's capable of performing well. I haven't seen The Departed yet, but I'm looking forward to getting around to it. I think he is often miscast -- I didn't find him believable in The Aviator, and he just about ruined Gangs for me. Gangs of New York had so much potential, and Day-Lewis is simply hypnotizing as Bill, but flanked by Dicaprio and Diaz (a half-witted comedic actor at best), the movie sank. It would have been riveting had their roles been cut and Day-Lewis simply talked to the air. In fact, that's what I thought TWBB actualized, a movie where you get Day-Lewis in almost every frame. Somebody finally got it right.
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