There Will Be Blood, Untraceable, Best of 2007 Revisions

There Will Be Blood - First of all, best title for a movie ever? I think so! It's a shame I didn't see this movie two weeks earlier because my Top 10 lists would have looked A LOT different! (See end of post). Anyway, the entire movie is almost like a canvas for Daniel Day-Lewis to do with whatever he wants. As much as the music, cinematography, directing and supporting acting is fantastic, it's HIS movie. A quick look at the dialogue will prove that. What are the first words spoken in the movie (after 20 minutes without dialouge - brillaint)? Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) says, "Ladies and gentleman..." He is welcoming the audience to HIS show. The final words spoken by Plainview again (after the over the top gem of a finale)? "I'm finished." And so essentially, I could write an entire review about the powerhouse that is Day-Lewis' performance. He pretty much puts other actors to shame. There is no other living actor that is on the same level. But, it is my pleasure to say that Paul Dano (who plays Paul Sunday and then Paul's slightly evil fire and brimstones preacher twin brother Eli Sunday) holds his own. That's difficult, I'm sure. I already more than loved Dano's performances in early films but he's really grown so much even since L.I.E. He can go head to head with Day-Lewis and that's worthy of praise. Especially in that final scene, where director Paul Thomas Anderson really lets Day-Lewis off the leash, so to speak. Because, let's face it, he was a sweet kitten until that point. But Dano holds his own and it's really a shame he's gotten so overlooked during the awards season (props to the BAFTA's for recognizing him!). Although, I can understand why he's getting so snubbed. Afterall, I'm sure the majority of people who come out of the theater only want to talk about Day-Lewis. I can't say I blame them. He's really that good. No, think about how good you think he is and then multiply that by 50. And he's still probably better than that. He has officially bumped Javier Bardem out of my Best Performance of 2007 award. Since I've already talked about Day-Lewis and Dano so much, I'll simply just say this - everything about this movie is fantastic. It's beautifully done and absolutely brilliant. You really just need to see it. I think this is the first time ever that I've given three films an A+ in one year, but 2007 was one good year for movies.
Grade: A+



Untraceable - So, the basic premise (about a serial killer who kidnaps victims and hooks them up to devices and then hooks that up to the internet so that the more people who view the site speed up the death of the victim) is kind of interesting. Diane Lane is always likeable and solid. Colin Hanks is always funny and charming. Billy Burke is always hot. And... that's pretty much the end of the good things I have to say about this movie. First of all, I don't really know a lot about computers. I bet that's what the people making the movie were betting on. Because it seems to me that the killer is doing things he probably wouldn't be able to do. I also think the FBI is probably a little bit more sophisticated than they are portrayed in the movie. I think they probably have a little more internet capacity than the killer. Also, I love that the FBI urge the general public not to tune into the website because they would be accomplises in murder... and then they all go and tune in as well! I understand, as part of their investigation, they would have to watch and try to decipher clues and blah blah blah. However, I think watching on one giant screen would be sufficient. I don't think they all need to individually watch it. The beginning is decent and then it just all goes downhill. The movie is about 30 minutes too long and by the time the big grand finale comes along (the ending, by the way, is one of the worst in recent memory), you are so bored that you just don't care anymore. This movie seemed more like a lame crime show than anything else. At least crime shows are shorter. And for attempting to be a mystery / thriller movie... well, there are few thrills and no mystery. They reveal the killer about halfway through and there are no twists or turns at all. It is formulaic and predictable. In the end, when Diane Lane's life was hanging in the balance, I was secretly hoping she would die just to spice things up a little. But, no such luck. It's not as bad as, say, Captivity, but it's forgettable at best.
Grade: D


REVISIONS!



Best Films of 2007
10. Zodiac
09. Grindhoues
08. Alpha Dog
07. Bug
06. Once
05. Eastern Promises
04. Atonement
03. No Country For Old Men
02. There Will Be Blood
01. Into the Wild



Best Performances of 2007
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Julie Christie in Away From Her
Paul Dano in There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men and In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
Ellen Page in Juno
Michael Shannon in Bug