There Will Be Oscars

This is not to say that there is actually going to be an Academy Awards ceremony this year---apparently it's still up in the air---but no matter what, I have complete faith that There Will Be Blood will snag wins for nearly all of its nominations, except for Best Animated Feature, because it's not nominated.

No spoilers below.

I saw it last night for the first time. And it's safe to say that this movie is the reason why I want to be in movies and work on movies and direct movies and compose for movies and write movies (...maybe). The performances are gritty and selfless, and though Daniel Day-Lewis has received a bulk of the credit---just like he should---the actors playing the younger and older versions of his son, the adorable Dillon Freasier and the tragically composed Russell Harvard, deserve praise as well. I did get a lot out of Paul Dano as Daniel Day-Lewis's fanatically religious nemesis, yet somehow I think that he was the only actor overshadowed by Daniel Day-Lewis. Don't get me wrong, IMO Paul Dano delivered a wonderfully perverse performance; however, I found his youngness all wrong. I mean, look at Daniel Day-Lewis's character. You do not mess unless you are twice as bulky and twice as nasty. Dano was too young for me.

There was a surprising battle in the film between faith and greed and how the two repulsed one another. I loved how each character dealt with and evaluated each in his life, and how all their lives changed depending on which they pursued.

There will be Oscars for Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson for Direction and the Cinematography category...but I'm still mulling over Best Picture. I bet it's between There Will Be Blood and Atonement, and we all know how I feel about Atonement (...lustily). I'm not willing to give up that dream yet.

Go see There Will Be Blood. And PS: though the music wasn't nominated, it should have been. It will blow you away.

Picture credit: Playbackstl.com