-res cogitans-

ROCKSTAR

I'm so sad I haven't seen this. I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me. I still have time to catch it, but I wanted to see it before the Oscars.

Thanks for this thread!

ash515

DDL was fantastic in this movie. I'm so stoked that he won.

this movie is like a really great character study. he's just totally delves into this role as Daniel Plainview

"I want no one else to succeed"

goodnightboy

Same, and I'm going to watch it on Thursday, but I wish I could have seen it before the Oscars, it'd've been better. Never mind, better late than never!

You know, as a Radiohead fan I was first interested in it because I knew Jonny was doing the score for the movie. But now that I've heard such good things about it, I want to watch it myself. I have the score - 'Prospectors Arrive' is flat out amazing - but I really want to see it in context. I'm sure it'll be mindblowing.

Jezebel In Hell

Yes! The score gave me goosebumps. I realize that might make me sound really lame, but it's true.

This was a really excellent movie.

goodnightboy

That's not lame at all! A good score should do that. Come on, I'm watching the movie primarily to see how good the score is with the movie, so if you're lame, then I'm lamer than you are

The score is great though. 'Prospectors Arrive' alone is worth the price of the movie ticket. It's flat-out amazing as a piece of music and I can't wait to hear it and see the movie's images at the same time. I'm still pissed Jonny was ruled ineligible for the Oscar nomination - he would have been one of the frontrunners for sure

goodnightboy

So, I finally watched it yesterday. Oh my god, what a movie. It was grand and terrible, so mad and yet completely captivating. Daniel Day-Lewis more than deserved the Oscar, he was terrifying. I think Paul Dano should have been nominated for Best Supporting actor though, he was really underrated as the weaselly Eli Sunday. Silly Academy voting block

The score was good (better with the visual counterpart, obviously). The cinemaography was grand, the images stark (the burning derrick!), and the plot twists were a shock to me. But honestly, this was really all about the acting. It really drives the movie and makes it as great and insane as it is.

There was nothing in the film that I didn't like, but I ****ing hated the audience. They were laughing at bits in the movie, specifically the baptism scene where Eli makes Daniel speak louder, and the last showdown with the "I drink your milkshake" and Daniel clobbering Eli to death. Someone actually clapped. What the hell? It's not funny! It's not meant to be funny, it's meant to be powerful and scary and the audience completely ruined the mood for me. Bastards. I wanted to yell at them to shut up at one point but I decided there wouldn't be any point. And people were outright talking at the end.

But despite the idiot audience, the movie was still staggeringly good. I can't get it out of my head, it's just a complete tour de force, a masterpiece. I've now watched both this and No Country for Old Men. And while I insert a caution that says I might not be totally unbiased because TWBB is still fresh in my mind and NCFOM isn't, I think that TWBB just might have been the better film. Don't get me wrong, I love NCFOM, but it's more conventional. TWBB was more weird, in a sense, and probably polairised the voting block more. Which is a real shame, because TWBB is more of a risk but is better for it. Now that I think about it, it really got jipped at the Oscars. But it's okay, it's really a masterpiece and I think both this and NCFOM, two movies I can call "great", will be remembered over the years to come

jackiehydelover

Question: Do you think TWBB would still be a masterpiece if Daniel Day Lewis wasn't in it? This was a conversation my friends and I had while trying to figure out which was the better film, No Country or TWBB. Our conclusion was that No Country was the overall better film but Daniel Day was incredible in TWBB. If it wasn't for him, I'm not sure if people would think Blood was better than No Country.

Note: This is just a conversation starter. In no way is it meant to say the TWBB is a bad film. I thought it was incredible

goodnightboy

I agree. No Country is a better movie overall. A lot (but not all) of TWBB's genius is because of DDL and his mad, beautiful performance as Plainview. How do I put this... okay. If any other actor had been able to portray Plainview the way DDL did, then the movie would be a masterpiece. If not, then it would not have been as incredible as it is. So it's not actor-specific, but character-specific. But I can't really think of any actor today that could nail Plainview the way DDL did, so this is rather academic.

But that's not to say the rest of TWBB is bad, just that DDL's Plainview is the driving force behind the movie. For example, I think Paul Dano was ridiculously underrated in TWBB. It takes a master performance to hold your own against Plainview, and Paul Dano's Eli Sunday did it.

-res cogitans-

I think TWBB is a much better film than NCFOM.

It's a true classic and timeless masterpiece.

I truly dont think anyone will even remember NCFOM in a few years time.

I completely forgot it after i saw it but TWBB has stayed with the whole time after i saw it and is still with me.

TWBB was powerful and meaningful and resonated with me very deeply. Plus it was so daring and unconventional yet classic at the same time, theres a not another film like it.

NCFOM was great but just isn't in the same league imo.

JackersandJen

i think TWBB is the best film of the year and it deserved the oscar for best picture. Still im not sure i would have loved this so much if DDL was not in it. Im a big fan of his for years and he never fails me!

NCFOM was a good movie as well, but TWBB was much more powerful as far as im concerned. I need to watch this again!

goodnightboy

Well no not exactly, Shay, because I think No Country is a very good movie as well... it's just that TWBB is more daring, more unconventional, weirder. Both are very good movies, and I'm glad that I managed to see both when they were released.

I do think that TWBB should have won Best Picture over No Country, now that I've seen both. No Country definitely gets Best Directing, for sure, but Best Picture... if it's about overall effort, the different elements coming together then No Country wins it, but if it's in terms of sheer power then it's TWBB. Ultimately I think TWBB was just a bit too weird for the Academy voters. It's a shame, but TWBB will definitely be one of the greats in time to come.

The funny thing is, I don't know if I can watch TWBB again. It's the kind of movie that takes a lot out of the viewer, it leaves you feeling singularly repulsed, but in a good way. It takes a lot to watch it, you know? It's not easy viewing. No Country is definitely easier to watch, I watched that twice and neither occasion did it leave me feeling as drained as TWBB did.

-res cogitans-

Well that's just my opinion

And it's not wrong, its just what I think.

Sure NCFOM was a great film but to me TWBB was as close to flawless as I've ever seen.

I can find many flaws in NCFOM.

goodnightboy

Well, okay then. Not trying to argue with you, come on, I think TWBB is the better movie too!

But I do have to ask: why did H.W. set fire to Henry's bed? Did he know he was an imposter? I've been wondering about that... and just curious, why do you think Daniel killed Eli?

S.A.S.H.A.

I just saw it this weekend. Loved the first half of the movie, but the second half had me going WTF?! I'll have to watch it again soon.

Sasha