Well I got to see There Will Be Blood tonight. Finally.
And it met and even far exceeded my expectations. I'm way too tired right now to write up anything thorough, and a good night's sleep will do me well for analysis (drove to NYC and back from South Jersey for this).
But it's definitely one for the ages, has the most stimulating and rewarding script Anderson has ever written (the parallels between scenes and characters are fucking brilliant, and always unpredictable, anyone complaining about the way PTA handles character in his films won't be able to make such claims after this one). The scenes are really so deep, and the content so rich it's nearly impossible to wrap my mind around it all after just one excited viewing, and I'll definitely be waiting anxiously to get the chance to see this again in theaters.
Film this year has been fantastic, and they seemed to get better as the months went along. I know I already said this a few times this year, but now I've seen (not quite) all the films I wanted to see this year (a few exceptions I'll be taking care of this month), and this really is the best of 2007.
And it's already given my friend and I the best film quote of the year, from the jaw-dropping finale:
I drink your milkshake!
Trust me, it's the best line of the year, just wait.
edit: and I didn't even mention Greenwood's score, which is really one of the finest aspects of this film's design. It's truly one of the best film scores in recent years, if not ever, up there with the best stuff Morricone's ever done. PTA takes a cue from Kubrick here as well with an inspired non-original musical selection that appears here and there.
), and it wasn't a one trick pony type deal like so many others of that genre can be (I'm looking at you, Blades of Glory).
