Black Gold
There Will Be Blood
Review by Ross Anthony

The small story fills the screen with confidence and unwinds with academy award winning grace, then ends disappointingly.

Daniel Day-Lewis is flat out one of the greatest actors of our time. He's magnificent in "There Will Be Blood," although, I think he was even better in Gangs of New York. Interestingly, he plays a power monger in both films with a vulnerability for family, and in both films takes under his wings a surrogate son.

I'm also a big fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. I loved his Magnolia - one of my all time favorite films actually. But, I've since not been as impressed with his work. His talent in scripting and directing is always obvious, but at least here, it's the follow through that's lacking. It's the absence of a resounding emotional climax, for which the work so deservingly seems to promise. Everything is ...

ross books

... top notch from the get go, the acting, the scripting, the cinematography – the score. The score is perhaps one of the best of the year. All elements resonate like a tea kettle under a campfire. It's as if you can feel the oil flowing under the ground, bubbling, seeking a weak patch of earth from which to spew. But, the emotional equivalent never occurs. Despite its 2.5 hour length, when the screen went black, I was shocked. Where was the rest of the film? Where was that magnificent scene toward which the whole film had been building?

Overall, a convergence of many excellent elements that misses.

This film screened at a Krikorian Theatre.

twbblood

-- Book Contest --


  • There Will Be Blood. Copyright © 2007.
  • Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciaran Hinds, Dillon Freasier.
  • Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
  • Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson.
  • Produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi.

Grade..........................B (2/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Monday, 04-Feb-2008 08:52:02 PST