[Movies] There Will Be Blood

Howdy folks! This is my, Marcus Baker's, first post after I gladly accepted Kyle's offer to handle most of the movie recommendations here from now on. 

Little bit of background on myself: I’m a recent college student with an emphasis in humanities and film. I’ve worked on a couple productions in the past and I’m currently working on a few projects of my own as well. For those interested, you can follow my film-related escapades here.

My recommendation for today is the modern classic, There Will Be Blood.

There Will Be Blood is a story about family, greed, religion, and oil. Nominated for eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor), Blood is set around the turn of the century and traces the rise of American capitalism through the eyes of oil prospector Daniel Plainview. The film stands as a towering artistic achievement for Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who solidified his place among the pantheon of cinema’s great storytellers with this film. Daniel Day-Lewis, who won his second of three Oscars for his work here, delivers a performance for the ages as the sadistic, calculating Plainview, a man whose soul is every bit as black as the oil he’s searching for. And though it may not necessarily be the feel-good hit of the year, Blood wields a wicked sense of black humor throughout. Anderson even allows the film to border on satire for a while before reigning it back in, all the while demonstrating an incredible mastery of the form. If you like to walk away from your films pondering life’s tough questions as well as thoroughly entertained, then There Will Be Blood is sure to deliver.