The new one from Paul Thomas Anderson and I saw it yesterday. Very good with a stunning central performance from Daniel Day Lewis (who looks like Nick Cave with that moustache) as Daniel Plainview. The film has been hailed as a major breakthrough in cinema by many reviewers (one went so far as to say that PTA was inventing a new grammar of cinema, whatever that means :blink: ), which is a shame as it works in a very traditional way and adheres to the traditional framework throughout. Unlike INLAND EMPIRE which is genuinely revolutionary :rolleyes: . Imagine Treasure of the sierra madre crossed with Citizen Kane (I'm not sure it's as good as either of those though). Worth seeing though if you can.

I agree with you, Marshall, that IE is revolutionary, but THIS? This is one of the finest cinematic experiences I have experienced in the last decade. Everything just comes together so powerfully and beautifully. I was smitten by this so hard that I'd occasionally rewatch the trailer on YouTube just to relive parts of it. Brilliant fucking stunner of a film and DDL deserved every bit of praise he got. I just wish PTA had received more.

Saw this again with the wife. Very good. Very subtle. And astonishingly bleak. Not quite the Citizen Kane de nos jours (oooHHH :ohdear: ) but certainly better than most I've seen. It's all in Daniel Day Lewis's eyes. An astonishing performance.

Are Rex and I the only ones who've seen it?

saw it on saturday. amazing performance by Daniel Day Lewis, I found I was sympathetic to his character, at least in relation to the young preacher.

Yeah so was I.

Fantastic film. Great ending too

****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!****

The ending almost warranted a comedy music cue... :lol:

My one criticism is that I was confused by the fact that the two brothers were played by the one actor - the official explanation is that the actor who was playing Eli was fired, and Paul Dano, who was cast as Paul Sunday, was drafted in to play Eli too. But watching the film, I wasn't sure whether Eli was pulling a scam (though it would have been a pretty lame one!), or had a mental disorder, or what - and, if I remember correctly, Paul wasn't mentioned again after his initial appearance until the final scene. It's very possible I missed something, but did anyone else have a similar experience?

Great score too.

Regarding the Eli/Paul thing, from what I recall it plays with the ambiguity throughout the film, but in the end is an insignificant detail.

Saw it this week when it finally came to my local independant cinema, and I agree pretty much with what's been said.

DDL is fantastic, great soundtrack, sound design and cinematography.

The first reel is really astonishing it plays and looks (in places) a bit like a silent film.

Not sure it redifines the grammar of cinema, but it at least doesn't pander to current Hollywood stylings of volume, frantic editing and poor music to heighten tension.

This film was extremely disappointing. I expected something better and whilst Day-Lewis gave a solid performance I found the character totally unconvincing. He was one-dimensional and failed to generate any kind of emotional response. I felt nothing when he died, and after watching some of the watershed moments in his life for two hours one would've expected to feel something at least. Instead, there was nothing.

ermm, he didn't die. not in the version I saw anyway.

I read somewhere around the time of it's cinema release that he quit due to finding DDL far too heavy and intimidating to work alongside.

I saw the film on it's cinema release which is a while ago now and I'd like to watch it again. I was disappointed at the time but they may be because I had such high hopes for it. I genuinely didn't find any of the chracters portrayed engaging enough to give a toss about them and lost interest. I'll also confess to finding DDL a bit of a ham.

It looks well though but then most films do these days don't they?

Well it can't be worse than Magnolia....

Doesnt he have some kind of stroke or heart attack at the end?

It sounds like you're describing the ending of another movie that's in the cinemas now, which I don't want to name as it could spoil it for others.

If it is Benji Button, then I agree. What a pile of crap. The most stupid premise for a film I've seen in awhile.