* Film: There Will Be Blood * Year: 2007 * Writer & Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (36), loosely based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair * Country of origin: United States * Starring & age at the time of filming:Daniel Day-Lewis 49, Paul Dano 22, Ciarán Hinds 53, Kevin J. O’Connor 42, and Dillon Freasier 10 At the beginning of There Will Be Blood, there are almost no words. Just Daniel Plainview, alone in a hole, hacking at the earth, looking for something valuable. He falls. He breaks himself. And yet, he crawls back out. In many ways, THIS is the whole film. Paul Thomas Anderson’s American masterpiece follows Daniel across three decades, (1898, 1902, 1911 and 1927) - from desperate miner to enormously wealthy oil baron. He travels with his young son H.W., presenting them as a family business, promising towns schools, roads and prosperity. But beneath the oil, this is a story about fathers and sons… and their fakes… Daniel arrives almost without a past. We know practically nothing about where he came from, who raised him, or who taught him how to love. Then fatherhood is placed into his hands. H.W. could be the relationship that changes everything. Instead, Daniel increasingly turns even family into transaction. When oil is discovered beneath the Sunday family’s land, Daniel meets Eli Sunday, a young preacher with an appetite as fierce as his own. Daniel seeks power through money. Eli seeks it through religion. Daniel promises prosperity. Eli promises salvation. Neither can stand somebody else being in charge. This is a film about appetite—that bottomless voice whispering: more. Daniel wants wealth, but wealth is measurable. His hunger isn’t. He wants independence so complete that he will never need another human being. He is offered a son, a brother, a community—people he might belong to rather than possess—and chooses himself. Daniel succeeds spectacularly. He gets the land. The oil. The money. The power. But he loses his son. And finally, the film leaves Daniel exactly where it found him. Alone. Underground. In a hole. The all new Popcorn Propaganda M.O.V.I.E. SCORECARD {every area get’s a possible score out of 20} M - MECHANICS - Story logic, script utility, and pacing structure. O - ORCHESTRATION - Score, mix, foley, and auditory atmosphere. V - VISUALS - Cinematography, lighting, and production design. I - IDENTITY - Acting conviction, chemistry, and performance depth. E - ESSENCE - Directorial voice, spiritual resonance, and vibe. TOTAL OUT OF 100 **** see below for our first results: FINAL VERDICT SCALE: 0–20: Abysmal 21–40: Poor 41–60: Passable 61–80: Solid 81–100: Essential M - MECHANICS - DJ: 17 - Judah: 19 O - ORCHESTRATION - DJ: 18 - Judah: 15 V - VISUALS - DJ: 20 - Judah: 18 I - IDENTITY - DJ: 18 - Judah: 20 E - ESSENCE - DJ: 18 - Judah: 19 DJ’s total score 91 “Masterpiece” Judah’s total score 91 “Truth”Popcorn Propaganda: 91 = Top Ten? Get full access to Popcorn Propaganda at popcornpropaganda.substack.com/subscribe
