there will be blood.....its like watching paint dry
Actually watching paint dry was a little more entertaining than There will be blood.
Worst movie I ever saw that everyone was raving about. The life aquatic, I even watched it twice to make sure it was really that bad, yep, it was. A movie that could drive you to drink.
Now there have been hundreds of movies that I just didn't get wher the director was going with the film.
But was there even anythng to get in Life Aquatic? Oh yeah, there was.
I loved There Will Be Blood and I look forward to buying it on dvd. It is a little over the top, but Daniel Day Lewis is fascinating and the film itself is beautifully shot.
Of course I just watched it a few days ago (thanks "watch instantly"). Yes, Monument Valley looks great, but after that.....John Wayne has less dramatic range than Arnold Schwarzenegger and the phases of his moral "transformation" were well beyond his skill. My biggest complaint was how offensively inadequate it was as a cautionary tale against racism(which is how it's often billed). It seemed to be a sub-standard oater with delusions of significance.
No, those aren't delusions of significance, that greatness was thrust upon it and deservedly so. It's a prime example of "pure cinema," or a visually told movie where information isn't spoken, it's relayed through the visual medium.
The movie isn't acautionary tale agaisnt racism, and is considered pretty racist by today's standards, which is why its critical support has been faltering in recent years. Indians are portrayed as either stupid or savage, and whites are clearly shown to be the superior race. I don't agree with either assesment, but that's definitely how John Ford portrays them in this movie. As a reaction to the negativity, Ford made CHEYENNE AUTUMN to show Native Americans in a more positive light.
As for Wayne's transformation, I don't think there was one. Was his intent to actually kill Debbie? A girl who, as it's been argued, might have been his daughter? While you didn't like his performance, I find it his most nuanced and restrained.
Hmmmmm....perhaps I'll start a thread on this one in the Classic Cinema Group so as not to take up to much away from the topic at hand...
You gotta love discussions like this that are basically meaningless. After all I might love a movie, and you might hate it. That's the joy of movies, and what gives us something to do at the end of the day. Come online and rant and rave :)
though i will say certain classics I don't like... like Gone with the Wind, I still have to give props to for being well made, even if I hated them...
I agree that Babel is way overrated and BrokeBack Mountain is really broing. Both of these movies had big time Oscar buzz, but I didn't get it. I also didn't really like Crash that much
Crash had some good performances, but the message is so in your face that it loses much of its effectiveness. I didn't make it through Brokeback Mountain and it wasn't because of the gay aspect. I found the movie to be horribly boring and maybe I will give it another shot later, but I was not impressed upon first viewing.