Will There Be Spring - Maria Solheim

Advantages: An immediate classic
Disadvantages: As it never doubts its viewers' intelligence it's not for everyone

...Ostensibly 'There will be Blood' is a film about oil, what it's actually about is much harder to define. The bare bones of the plot are taken from a 1927 novel, straightforwardly titled 'Oil!', and at its simplest it's the story of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his rise to wealth and power in that business over the first thirty years of the 20th Century. The bulk of the narrative takes place in the California community of Little Boston, which Plainview descends on after a tip they're sat on top of an ocean of oil. Here he meets resistance from Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), the local self-styled church leader, and competition from larger oil companies. As its title suggests 'There will be Blood' is concerned with religion, and fittingly its themes are large and biblical. It is a film about fathers and sons, about duelling brothers... Read review

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Advantages: Spooky, mad movie
Disadvantages: A bit long

...There Will be Blood - I think this title is very fitting for this movie. It's like a warning, there will be blood and oh my gosh, how definitely true this statement was. There Will be Blood is a 2007 film staring Daniel Day Lewis in the lead role. He actually went on to win the 2007 Academy Award for best Actor for his portrayal of Daniel Plainview. Overall the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards. The film is set in California at the turn of the 20th century and follows the fortunes of oil prospectors. Daniel and his son begin a ruthless quest for wealth and oil field domination and are determined that nothing will get in their way. The film starts out quite eerily in setting the scene. In fact for the first 15 minutes or so there is no talking and the only sounds we hear is from the spooky cello and piano music... Read review

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Advantages: Astounding cinematography, grpping plot, mesmerising lead performance.
Disadvantages: That ending might throw some viewers a touch.

...Brilliant as he is, the "auteur" tag flung about in relation to Paul Thomas Anderson from at least Boogie Nights has always seemed a touch premature. Yes, those films were astounding, but could were they REALLY the work of a wholly unique voice? The truth is, Boogie Nights was the best film Martin Scorsese never made and Magnolia could've easily fallen from Robert Altman's fingers (albeit with a touch of post-MTV sheen). Only Punch Drunk Love, his fourth feature, felt in any way distinctive (and even it had a fair wallop of the Kubrick's about it). With There Will Be Blood, though, Anderson has crafted a film that truly feels like it could have been made by nobody else. It is a bold, idiosyncratic epic shot through with a lo-fi, indie-flick intimacy. It is at once cacophonous and quiet. A contradictory, Old Testament fable... Read review

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