When you hear that title, the moniker given to Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, what images spring to mind? Gothic vampires, sure. A revenge film? Serial killer thriller, perhaps? Torture porn?
Judging by the trailer posted here, you’ll get none of the above. Based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, its about a greedy Texas oil prospector (Daniel Day Lewis). Now, he might (or might not) kill folks, but that’s sort of beside the point. (As is whether or not the film is any good. Which it very well might be, given Anderson’s track record.) The question is: Would you feel swindled if you showed up to see a movie called There Will Be Blood and got a period piece about crude drilling? Is this a case of smart marketing, or a shifty bait-and-switch?
Oil is often referred to as blood. The blood of the earth. The blood of which our society still fights over.
I thought this was another ‘Saw’ rip off when I forst geard the title a few weeks ago and thought, ‘Daniel Day Lewis is so much better than that.’ Thank God it’s an entirely different movie.
Since Oil is none as blood in the oil industry, this title seems perfect. I’m a big Paul T. Anderson fan, and this movie looks awesome.
And what about the fact that all the publicity photos make it look like it stars Tom Selleck? Daniel Day-Lewis is a genius of artful-immersion disguise, but whoa! Scary . . .
After this preview showed in the theater, I exclaimed in utter confusion, “What the hell was that about!” And even though my statement received a coupld of snickers from the audience, deep down I knew they were wondering the same exact thing.
I just saw an advance screening of this movie and, believe it or not, the trailer is a pretty good representation of what to expect. It’s a very visual movie (there’s no dialogue for the first 15 minutes). Daniel Day Lewis’s performance is AMAZING! My wife turned to me at one point and said, “If I didn’t know we were seeing the new Daniel Day Lewis movie, I would never have known that was him.” It’s dark, strange, dirty, and beautiful. it’s easily the most challenging movie I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not likely to win over lots of fans, but patient people (it’s almost 3 hours long) will be richly rewarded for having seen one the greatest actors alive give an astonishing performance.
I was a guest of my dear friend Lois Dengrove at a writer’s guild screening and the movie is P.T .Anderson’s greatest achievement yet. DDL’s performance is mind blowing and perfectly anchors this well crafted stunning movie. From the cinematography, editing, sound work and score every aspect of this film is top notch and engaging. The movie is 2hr 40 mins long and yet every minute is engaging and it surprises you when it ends, I wouldn’t take a scene out or change anything about this masterly well told tale of oil, greed and yes blood. DDL’s performance is pitch perfect and his portrait of absolute evil is wondrous to behold. Kudos to the TWBB crew for their efforts in crafting a true modern day masterpiece. I have no doubt that in addition to blood there will be Oscars come Academy Award Time
It’s kinda dumb that the title of this post is “There Will Be Blood is about what, exactly?” when you clearly know the answer: “Based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, its about a greedy Texas oil prospector (Daniel Day Lewis.”)
And I think in a time where movie tickets are $10, it’s stupid to show up to a theater without having at least watched a preview or read something about the movie beforehand. So, I really have no sympathy for people who go to “There Will Be Blood” thinking it will be like “Saw.”
This post reminded me of Elaine from Seinfeld picking movies to watch instead of The English Patient.
ELAINE: What about Sack Lunch?
BLAINE: How about The English Patient? It’s up for all those Oscars.
Elaine makes a face, like she’s really not interested.
ELAINE: Oh, c’mon Blaine. I mean, look at the poster for Sack Lunch.
BLAINE: It’s a family in a brown paper bag.
ELAINE: (laughing) Don’t you wanna know how they got in there?
BLAINE: No.
Elaine and Blaine reach the front of the queue, just as the guy in the ticket booth puts a sign up on the window saying ‘Sack Lunch Sold Out’.
ELAINE: (disappointment) Aww. Sold out.
BLAINE: (to the booth guy) Oh, two for The English Patient.
Elaine studies the Sack Lunch poster, while Blaine buys tickets.
ELAINE: So d’you think they got shrunk down, or is it just a giant sack?
Anyways, anyone who picks movies just based on titles deserves to be ripped off.
I actually caught a trailer for this in front of “3:10 to Yuma” (weak film) which I haven’t seen anywhere online, but I think it ensured a ticket purchase from me when DD-Lewis growled “I’ve beaten you boy!”
Paul Thomas Anderson is so hit and miss with me. I liked BOOGIE NIGHTS but hated MAGNOLIA. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE was good, but not great. I’ll probably see this (depending on the reviews) but not until it comes out on DVD. It doesn’t strike me as the type of movie I run out to see in theaters.
“TWBB” is an overly long, bloated movie with an annoying soundtrack. DDL is a tremendous actor, but the storytelling here is weak. Want to see an ENTERTAINING holiday movie? Check out “Bucket List” or “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Both are solid and each runs just under ONE hour and 40 minutes.
The writer of this is really dumb, and since he clearly knows nothing about entertainment, should not be writing for an entertainment publication.
Marc Bernardin?
Does he get paid to write this garbage?
This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read.
I have to say t husband and I are dying to see this movie. And I agree with the first two comments. This guy is a kind of dumb.