jan 11: there will be blood

I was worried about Paul Thomas Anderson.
1996, HARD EIGHT (aka SYDNEY).
1997, BOOGIE NIGHTS.
Late 1999, MAGNOLIA.
Early 2002, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE.
Then... Nothing for five years. Oh well, better to burn out than fade out.

But he's back! Or at least, he will be soon. Opening December 26 in New York and Los Angeles (Vancouver, Jan11)...


Check out the high quality trailer (or the YouTube version) and you'll get things like...

Folks singing “There is power, power, wonderworking power
In the precious blood of the lamb...”

Daniel Day Lewis saying “I look at people and I see nothing worth liking.”

Another man saying “My son is a healer and a vessel for the Holy Spirit. He has a church.”

Oil wells gushing and blowing up, people praying and fighting, and a good old-fashioned tagline hook...

There will be greed...
There will be vengeance...
There Will Be Blood.


Based on Upton Sinclair's "Oil!", Anderson reports that his screenplay draws from only "about the first 150 pages of the novel." According to Scott Weinberg at cinematical, “The 160-minute film covers Daniel Plainview's (Daniel Day Lewis) journey from rock-scratcher to oil tycoon as it runs over the course of 29 years. His main combatant comes in the form of a young preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). The young man seems to be well aware of Plainview's rather mercenary approach to the oil game, so when the two butt heads over the oil beneath the Sundays' soil their battle of wills becomes some sort of epic clash: The rise of wealth and industry versus the sanctity of religion and faith.”

The only public showing so far was Sep 27, the secret closing-night film of Fantastic Fest 3 in Austin, Texas (the story is set in that state). Variety.com's Marjorie Baumgarten reports: “Essential to the success of the movie is the original score by Jonny Greenwood, the Radiohead guitarist and BBC composer in residence. In addition to some uniquely haunting orchestral arrangements, there's this insistent string motif that sounds like the buzzing of an insect inside one's head, a sound that grows louder and more unavoidably distressing whenever soulless events are about to occur. Greenwood's astonishing score is sure to be one of the most remarked-on aspects of the movie. . . .”

Look for regular updates on the fansite Cigarettes & Red Vines. Thanks, Jason, for the tip!

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PS Here's a link to the Charlie Rose interview with Daniel Day Lewis