A dense, complex, and excessive film, There Will Be Blood (PC rating: 4/5) is more admirable than likable–a nod to a past cinematic era, when filmmakers were not afraid to betray artistic ambition (in this regard, one thinks of, say, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 or Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now). And, indeed, There Will Be Blood is nothing if not ambitious: boasting stark, arresting visuals, and an unsettling, if somewhat overbearing, soundtrack, it tells the story of a California oilman (expertly played by Daniel Day-Lewis) and his slow but certain descent into nihilism. In the process, it depicts just about everything that seems wrong with America–its tendencies toward greed, wastefulness, and religious hypocrisy–and yet does so with such partiality that the film loses credibility toward the end, as the enigmatic humanity of the characters begins to give way to their grim archetypal significance.

There Will Be Blood (Petróleo Sangriento) es la más reciente peli de Paul Thomas Anderson, otro de mis directores favoritos (ya habrá tiempo para hablar de todas y cada una de las películas del resto de favoritos como Wes Anderson, Bryan Singer, Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne, David Fincher, Los Hermanos Cohen, Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, entre otros). Como casi todos ellos, mi juicio es parcializado hacia sus pelis pero es que no puedo sentirme culpable si cada vez que veo una de ellas no me defraudan y me cobijan en un ámparo súper bien estructurado. There Will Be Blood es una peli que es rica en historia, en actuación, en musicalización, en fotografía, en diseño de arte, en simbología y además como si fuera poco en profundidad de contenido.

Las actuaciones son impecables desde el pequeño Dillon Freasier interpretando a H.W hijo de Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) pasando por Paul Dano o Ciaran Hinds quien con un sencillo papel de soporte da vida a la personalidad del protagonista. A mi me sucedió, que salí enamorado de la maldad de este personaje que interpreta Daniel Day-Lewis, un ser seriamente complejo, introvertido y profundamente analítico, estricto, fiel a su moral y por lo mismo un ganador. No deja de darme escalofríos, por lo mismo, que uno salga con ganas de un bife de chorizo, un trago doble de whisky y con ganas de golpear una cabeza con un pino. Paul Thomas Anderson nos trae un perfecto anti-héroe a las pantallas y lo terminamos alabando, terminamos amando al antagónico, terminamos celebrando sus perversas hazañas y terminamos siendo conscientes de que ese sueño americano que nos vendía Hollywood hace unas décadas no puede lograrse si no se practica un estricto neoliberalismo salvaje.

La peli entonces es perversamente bella, la música y su diseño de sonido son oscuros como el mismo color del petróleo que abunda en las subtierras de Little Boston, una serie de percusiones sincopadas, un concierto para violines y orquesta o un estruendoso chelo animan la tensión reinante de la peli (y el silencio, el silencio en las escenas más dramáticas es una pincelada de color rojo intenso protagonista al igual que el petróleo durante toda la obra). La fotografía está pensada para espacios abiertos de colores intensos con poca saturación y se contrarresta con una iluminación, tanto de día como de noche, donde abundan las sombras fuertes y contrastadas que al final nos esgrime nuevas y dramáticas facetas de este gran personaje que es Daniel Plainview.

Merecido el oscar que alcanzó Day-Lewis, aplausos y venias, merecidísimas las nominaciones de su director lástimosamente no todos pueden ganar pero por lo menos perdió frente a otra muy buena peli (No Country For Old Men de Los Hermanos Cohen) que no nos deja con el sinsabor de la desdicha, fue incluso un buen año para Anderson ya que las nominaciones no faltaron e incluso los premios no fueron pocos.

There Will Be Blood es una peli ruda, hermosa, entretenida y  por lo mismo no se sienten las casi dos horas y media de celuloide que pasan frente a nuestros ojos cada vez que presenciamos esta obra de arte. Con gusto me la seguiré repitiendo.

As I said, I would be making Oscar Predictions on a monthly basis now, starting with the ones I made last month, and July is no different and it comes with some interesting additions, especially because, as I reported, the Best Picture race has been widened to include ten nominees.

So yeah, the 9 main categories will be listed here with my personal five picks for them (or ten in the Best Picture category), obviously these are bound to change radically from month to month since the vast majority of these films haven’t even been released and most don’t even have a trailer to account for either, so I’m basing my decisions on buzz, trailers (when available), and just sheer gut feeling. My picks will be in order of preference, and my picks for the Screenplay categories will be pretty much just guesses since I haven’t read most of the scripts nor seen the films cause they haven’t been released yet. Here we go,

Note: After each nominee I will put, in italics, a number which represents where I had it at last month’s predictions.

BEST PICTURE

1. The Lovely Bones (1)
2. Nine (2)
3. The Hurt Locker (N/A)
4. Invictus (3)
5. An Education (N/A)
6. Up (5)
7. Shutter Island (4)
8. Avatar (N/A)
9. The Road (N/A)
10. Precious (N/A)

Other favorites: Public Enemies

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Rob Marshall (Nine) (1)
2. Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones) (2)
3. Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) (N/A)
4. Clint Eastwood (Invictus) (4)
5. Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) (3)

Other Favorites: James Cameron (Avatar), Lone Scherfig (An Education)

Dropped out from Top 5: James Cameron (Avatar)

BEST ACTOR (LEAD)

1. Morgan Freeman (Invictus) (1)
2. Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) (2)
3. Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) (N/A)
4. Leonard DiCaprio (Shutter Island) (3)
5. Sam Rockwell (Moon) (N/A)

Other favorites: Adam Sandler (Funny People), Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine)

Dropped out of Top 5: Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine), Johnny Depp (Public Enemies)

BEST ACTRESS (LEAD)

1. Michelle Pfeiffer (Chéri) (1)
2. Emily Watson (Within The Whirlwind) (3)
3. Hilary Swank (Amelia) (4)
4. Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) (5)
5. Amy Adams (Julie & Julia) (2)

Other favorites: Carey Mulligan (An Education), Penelope Cruz (Los Abrazos Rotos), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)

BEST ACTOR (SUPPORTING)

1. Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) (1)
2. Matt Damon (Invictus) (5)
3. Alfred Molina (An Education) (N/A)
4. James McAvoy (The Last Station) (N/A)
5. Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) (N/A)

Other favorites: Richard Kind (A Serious Man)

Dropped out of Top 5: Philip Baker Hall (All Good Things), Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island), Bill Nighy (The Boat that Rocked)

BEST ACTRESS (SUPPORTING)

1. Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) (1)
2. Rachel Weisz (The Lovely Bones) (4)
3. Mo’Nique (Precious) (2)
4. Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island) (N/A)
5. Leslie Mann (Funny People) (N/A)

Other favorites: Michelle Williams (Shutter Island), Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)

BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL)

1. Funny People (2)
2. The Hurt Locker (5)
3. Up (3)
4. Los Abrazos Rotos (N/A)
5. Away We Go (N/A)

BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED)

1. The Lovely Bones (1)
2. An Education (3)
3. Precious (N/A)
4. Invictus (2)
5. Nine (4)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Up (1)
2. The Princess And The Frog (2)
3. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (3)

Other favorites: Coraline, Ponyo

Brothers é o novo projeto do irlandês Jim Sheridan (Em Nome do Pai; Meu Pé Esquerdo, ambos estrelados por Daniel Day-Lewis) e, antes de afirmar o que quer que seja a respeito, é importante apresentar a sinopse e o trailer:

“Natalie Portman interpreta uma mãe de familia cujo marido desaparece em uma missão militar no Afeganistão e é declarado morto. Ela encontra conforto nos braços do irmão de seu marido, até que este retorna… vivo, claro” [alô Pearl Harbor]

Bom, a premissa é ruim, o trailer (que combina tragédia, romance e suspense, envoltos em uma trilha sonora que beira o ridículo) é pior ainda… mas tem a Natalie Portman, então who cares? Ok, ok, se você joga em outro time, também tem Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko; Zodíaco) como o irmão garanhão e o eterno Homem-Aranha, Tobey Maguire como o corno marido ausente.

Para bem ou para mal, o filme estreia dia 4 de dezembro nos EUA.

From There Will Be Blood

Detail

In the film There Will Be Blood by the always outstanding P.T. Anderson. But it was the bee’s knees. the Best movie I saw last year. Great pacing and story telling, incredible camerawork. Every scene is… every shot is a masterpiece in and of itself. It may be party due to the locations Anderson used, primarily, the capital to all Texan aurteurs Marfa. Granted I’m partial to the film, I was so enamored with the cinematography that I’ve begun a series of oil paintings based on my favorite shots. Below are two in progress now. But besides that Daniel Day tears the screen apart and then stiches it back together with golden threads woven on the finest wheels that the Roal Shakespeare Company has to offer. Ok he wasn’t that good but I’ve only seen a few performances that topped his. Paul Dano did an equally incredible job playing two roles, twin brothers, one a crazy-ass priest and the other a not-so-crazy priests brother. P.T. previous Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk while great films barely illuminate the massive light switch powering the 1000-watt spotlight pointed directly at There Will.  So see it, and if you’ve seen it see it again.. multiple times. Peace yo.

This weekend sees the annual Gay Pride march in London which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York which represented a watershed in the fight for gay and lesbian rights not just in the USA but in other Western countries.  With this in mind, On Celluloid presents a list of 10 gay themed films which you really should see.

1.Brokeback Mountain (2005, Directed by Ang Lee): This film may prove to be the one that took gay themed films into the mainstream taking 3 Oscars including best director but being cruelly overlooked for best picture.  Starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as the star-crossed lovers who have to come to terms with their feelings for each other whilst they tend the sheep up on Brokeback Mountain.  A beautiful film which features tender performances from its leading men and stunning cinematography.

2. Victim (1961, directed by Basil Dearden): A film which has a place in queer film history as Dirk Bogarde becomes the first person in film to say the word “homosexual” whilst playing a successful, married barrister who is approached by a young professional man with whom he previously had a relationship who is, in turn, being blackmailed by a gang for his sexuality.  Released in the years preceeding the Wolfenden Report and the subsequent decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK in 1967, this was an incredibly brave film and one which shows just how far the UK has come on gay rights in the last fifty years.

3. Latter Days (2003, directed by C. Jay Cox): Telling the story of a Mormon missionary who is sent to Los Angeles to preach his church’s teachings who ends up in the same apartment complex as a gay party boy.  As they get to know each other, their relationship blossoms and missionary Aaron is forced to choose between his church and his feelings.  This film, written and directed by a former member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, has a superb performance from Steve Sandvoss as Elder Aaron which makes this film.

4. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985, directed by Stephen Frears): A landmark film for a number of reasons, not least because it brought the talents of actor Daniel Day Lewis and director Steven Frears to popular attention.  However, it is also significant for the fact that this is a film set during the Thatcher-era showing an inter-racial relationship and for challenging the public perception of gays as effete, weak and feminine.

5. My Summer of Love (2004, directed by Pawel Palikowski): Bringing Emily Blunt to prominence, My Summer of Love tells the story not just of a blossoming  relationship between 2 young women but also of romance between the class divide as toffee nosed school girl Tasmin (Blunt) falls for working class girl Mona (played by Natalie Press).  Add in the presence of always reliable Paddy Considine as Mona’s troubled Born Again Christian and you can see the class of this film based on the novel by Helen Cross.

6. Get Real (1998, directed by Simon Shore ): Growing up and realising a difference between you and the other boys at school is the central theme of Get Real which pits Ben Silverstone and Brad Gordon together as Simon and John, one of whom has come to terms with his sexuality but not found a way to come out whilst at school and the high school jock who is fighting his urges.  Silverstone plays his role well and the final scene at the prizegiving will have even the hardest heart in tears.

7. The Laramie Project (2002, directed by Moises Kaufman): Matthew Shepard was a young man in Laramie, Wyoming brutally murdered by men who he met in a bar who objected to his sexuality, one of the highest profile gay hate crimes.  The Laramie Project was put together by Moises Kaufman to make sense of the aftermath of such a crime in smalltown America.  A heartbreaking film and a fitting tribute to all those who suffer hate crime of any kind.

8. Beautiful Thing (1996 directed by Hettie Macdonald): Another British film which combines the issues of sexuality and class although this time the protagonists are all working class living in a council high rise in South East London.  This story tells the tale of the burgeoning relationship and coming to terms with it of Ste and Jamie, two young lads who get throw together as misfits on the estate.  This film is particularly interesting for the performance of Linda Henry as Jamie’s mother who goes through the tempest of emotions when a child comes out.

9. Cruising (1980, directed by William Friedkin): Probably the most controversial film on the list as Al Pacino stars as an undercover cop in New York City on the hunt for a serial killer who targets gay men.  Set largely in the S&M fetish scene, this film caused controversy during its filming for its depiction of gay life.

10. Boys Don’t Cry (1999, directed by Kimberley Peirce): An Oscar winning performance from Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in this cinematic retelling of a true story set in rural Nebraska.  Swank’s character is a girl who turns herself into a boy to attract local women and bonding with new male friends in the process.  Swank is heartbreaking in the lead role and her tender romance with Chloe Sevingny’s character feels real enough to allow the viewer to invest emotionally in the film.

I suppose I have a highly developed capacity for self-delusion, so it’s no problem for me to believe that I’m somebody else.

- Daniel Day-Lewis

It was completely silent in the room. My girlfriends and I sat on the couch, assorted junk food in our laps, but no one was eating. We were all holding on to the same collective breath.

On the tube, the water rushed off the the cliffside with an intensity only diminished by the one between the two main characters. Both are dripping wet. This doesn’t matter. This makes it sexy.

Hawkeye grabs Cora, his piercing stare zeroed in on her mesmerized face.

You stay alive!

Then he rambles on minor details about Huron lands, etc. But to the important part…

You stay alive! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far. I will find you!

“Find ME!” I blurted out into the silence. The others shhh’d angrily.

Was this particular movie scene from Last of the Mohicans an Oscar moment? Probably not.

But the reaction he elicited reaffirmed what I already knew about Daniel Day-Lewis.

…

Let there be no mistake: My Left Foot is a movie for which not enough can be said. I was hardly a movie sophisticate when I first saw it, but I was still old enough to be astounded by the story. And by Daniel’s pivotal performance.

How do you assume that character for a day – let alone for an entire movie? And it wasn’t until much later that I learned Daniel remained in character during much of the film’s creation, on and off set.

Who does that?

What’s wrong with him?

And can he keep doing it?

Then he gave us There Will Be Blood.

A cinematic experience that I would truly enjoy. This was just off-kilter enough, brooding enough, heady enough for me fall in love with it within the first 20 minutes.

Paul Thomas Anderson, who also did the great Punch-Drunk Love, beautifully showcased his directing abilities. Jonny Greenwood created a marvelous soundtrack that has taken up permanent residence in my brain. Numerous elements coalesced into a masterpiece of a film.

But Daniel’s performance was beyond estimable. His transformations are so assiduous and consummate, no matter if he has a wheelchair, a loin cloth, or just a plain old suit.

And how amazing is that line at the end?

I drink your milkshake!

Next to Benicio Del Toro, Johnny Depp, and – my personal favorite – Al Pacino, Daniel Day-Lewis can do no wrong in my wholly biased opinion.

…

But now he has Nine.

As much as I am a fan of music, I cannot cope with musicals. Detest them. Flee from them. In a sheer panic.

The only one I have ever suffered through was Grease, and, along with the nuns from my childhood, I remember it as a psychologically scarring experience.

The Grease Lightening scene? Oh, god…

I do enjoy Andrew Lloyd Weber’s works but have not braved any of the corresponding Broadway shows.

I deferred from watching Across the Universe despite my devotion to the Beatles.

I slunk away from Sweeney Todd even though it was the beloved combination of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

The storyline for Nine itself doesn’t seem particularly appealing to me. It’s flashy, pageantry, and so…razzmatazz.

But it’s Daniel.

I’m neither a fan of Leo DiCaprio or (especially) Cameron Diaz, but I suffered through them to watch Gangs of New York and yet another stellar Daniel performance.

Couldn’t I then work through my song & dance phobia for Daniel here?

I suppose I’ll know come November…

La primera vez que vi a Daniel Day Lewis, fué en la película “Gangs of New York” del legendario Martin Scorsese, su actuación me pareció destacable y no en vano fue nominado al Oscar por su papel como Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting, asi que cuando le volví a ver en la entrega oscaril de cinco años despues nominado por su papel como Daniel Plainview en el film “Tere will be Blood” de Paul Thomas Anderson por el cual ganó su segunda estatuilla, no dude en ver la peli en el cine semenas despues cuando llegó a México. Salí convencido de la sala ya que su actuación magnifíca la pelicula y cada vez que Day Lewis aparece en cámara vale la pena. Estando convencido de que este sujeto es uno de los mejores actores me dedique a investigar y me entero de que en mas de 35 años de carrera actoral apenas a participado en unas 20 películas de las cuales sus actuaciones le han valido 4 nominaciones al premio de la academia y en dos oportunidades ha vencido, ademas de un monton de premios de otras asociaciones de críticos y festivales cinematográficos que en total suman 55, y notando tambien que la gran mayoría de sus pelis no son muy conocidas.

Un día durante una inevitablemente larga e indescisa elección entre peliculas por rentar en conocido videoclub me tope con una cara conocida que abarcaba toda la portada de la caja vacía en el anaquel, se trataba de Daniel y el título rezaba “En el Nombre del Padre”. En ese momento lanzé por los aires las demás opciones y tome mencionada caja vacía para disponerme a pagar unos 32 varitos.

Recuerdo que la ví en la madrugada siguiente en la comodidad de mi cama, temí que el sueño me impidiese verla de un solo jalón, pero el inició volcado y las escenas de enfrentamientos entre milicia e inconformes ciudadanos que de paso ecubrían a nuestro protagonista Gerry Conlon(Day-Lewis) de un lío grave en el que se habia metido, me quitaron todo el cansancio y me mantuve despierto y enganchado hasta el final. La película narra la verdadera historia de “Los cuatro de Guilford”, nada menos que Conlon y 3 de sus amigos que son acusados y sentenciados a diferente condenas(cadena perpetua en el caso de Conlon), bajo caros de terrorismo. El “Guilford Four” es uno de los casos mas vergonzosos de baches legales en la historia de la humanidad, luego de un atentado terrorista de la organización IRA, en un pub londinense, Conlon y sus desafortunados compañeros son detenidos segun la ley de prevencion terrorista que les permite a las autoridades llevar a cabo detenciones sin levantar cargos y mantener el arraigo por 7 días, durante los cuales los conspirados fueron maltratados y abusados hasta hacerles confesarse autores de un crimen que no cometieron. Las cosas para Gerry empeoran cuando su padre Giussepe es encarcelado tambien bajo cargos injustos relacionados con el mismo ataque terrorista. Luego de varios años de campaña de la familia Conlon, Gareth Pierce una abogada inglesa logra apelar al caso y recopilando informacion durante algunos años logra hacer justicia luego de catorce años.

Sin duda una gran película, le valió nominación a premio de la academia como mejor actor a Day-Lewis, asi como destacan las actuaciones del tambien nominado Pete Postlethwaite quien interpreta a Giussepe Conlon y la de Emma Thompson como Gareth Pierce.

Es la recomendación de la semana, basada en un desgarrador libro autobiografico de Gerald Conlon, el director es el irlandes Jim Sheridan, quien tambien dirigió a Day-Lewis en “My Left Foot” donde el histrion ingles lleva a la pantalla el personaje de Christy Brown un hombre que con una discapacidad casi total destacó como escritor y pintor, por aquel papel ganó en 1989 si primera estatuilla dorada.

Need to watch this film again. Daniel Day-Lewis & Paul Dano’s performances are brilliant, particularly Dano, who manages to play two identical twins. One of the greatest films of our decade.

Speaking of which…

This is out this week and looks fantastic. I can never tell with Johnny Depp or Christian Bale if I should like their acting, but some of their works are undeniably ace, like Once Upon A Time In Mexico and The Machinist respectively. Going to see this next weekend and I reckon it could be film of the year.

The Machinist reminds me of the song of the same name by my favourite band, Have Heart. Pat Flynn cries out about the importance of resisting stagnant ’scenes’ and using the power of your voice and reasoning to create. It’s powerful, but the message isn’t overly complex, it’s a life lesson we should all take into consideration. I can’t wait to see them live in Leeds on the 20th July, their live show looks absolutely amazing.

“I can be the knife in your back
the noose around your neck
the bullet right through your skull
but I’d rather be the force of my spoken word
let our voices form the weapons”

Can’t wait for either of these things. Going to make sure summer is a good one this time. Tomorrow I’m going to the second of James’ organized discussion meeting things, the last one was a good laugh and fun so I’ll probably report back here about it if I find the time. Still getting my head round using this site, can’t make my mind up if it’s pretentious and indulgent, in the same preaching way of false prophet Eli in There Will Be Blood, or rather a positive way of practicing writing. I’ll make my mind up soon.

Natalie Portman wird an der Seite von James Franco und Danny McBride in YOUR HIGHNESS als eine Art Warrior-Princess und wahrscheinlich als love interest der beiden verzogenen Prinzen in Aktion treten. Die Dreharbeiten sollen im Juli in Belfast beginnen.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio del Toro und Gael Garcia Bernal werden vermutlich als Jesuitenpriester in SILENCE unter der Regie von Martin Scorsese als Missionare das Japan des 17. Jahrhunderts bereisen und dort allerlei Gefahren und Schwierigkeiten zu meistern haben. Noch gibt es keine offiziellen Infos zu diesem Projekt, es kann sich daher eventuell auch um eine von vielen imdb-Leichen handeln. Abwarten.

Title: There Will Be Blood
Year: 2007
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson, based on a novel by Upton Sinclair
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Dillon Freasier, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor
Music: Jonny Greenwood (and non-original music)
Distinctions: Oscars for best actor (Day-Lewis) and cinematography; currently #128 on IMDb’s Top 250
Length: 158 minutes
Synopsis: a successful oil man is revealed to be a misanthropic sociopath
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 5/10
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for concept, story and pacing)

I don’t really get the point of this. It’s very well shot, the acting is great, the music is great. The writing of any given scene is great. But it’s very slow, and there’s just not much of a story. I expect more than subtle character development when I sit down for a period epic.

Nothing beats a musical for escapism, no other genre embraces surreality as openly and with such ardor. The glamour, the dancing, the sequins – every element designed to transport us from the world of reality and into something heightened and fantastical. When the chips are down this breed of fantasy becomes even more alluring. Who can stay sad when they see dancers glide across the screen with unparalleled grace? The very sight is a pick-me-up, a little burst of happiness that makes you want to try the moves for yourself.

The new trailer for Rob Marshall’s decadent adaptation of the Nine ( Nine Trailer ) is as engaging a treat as one could ask for. For those familiar with the Fellini inspired musical and its grandeur the adaptation looks lush and completely worthy of the source material. For those unfamiliar it simply marks another good ol’ fashioned glamour fest – akin to Marshall’s glitzy Chicago. Movie stars being movie stars, high drama song and dance and the added oomph of some dramatic set design and costuming? Sounds like pure unfettered entertainment.

On the sartorial tip the trailer itself looks like a particularly bouyant Vogue Italia editorial come to life. The term ‘fashion film’ is thrown around a great deal but already one can see that the retro ensembles and more outlandish costumes are impeccably done. Even something as simple as Day-Lewis’ tortoise shell Persols look delightfully fashionable.

The fact is, evil is just more interesting. And at ‘A Very Expensive Death’ we tend to gravitate to anything worth really talking about. And ‘greatest movie villains’ has always been a great discussion. But not any more, because here is the definitive list. Our Top Ten Greatest Movie Villains of All Time. Which is word…

10. Alex DeLarge, played by Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange 

Like any true villain, Alex’s interests are Beethoven, violence, and rape. In one scene he beats an old man for singing and being drunk in public. In another, he’s brutally raping a wife in front her husband, while singing and dancing to Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain”. And this all happens in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. The worst part is, it’s his idea of a fun night out.

9. John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey in Se7en

Although his character is only on film for about twenty minutes, his ‘work’ is displayed throughout. His crimes are inspired by the seven deadly sins and each is more gruesome then the last. And even though he only shows himself in the end, he makes sure it’s just in time for his final and most horrendous act.

8. Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining

When Jack Torrance wound up at the Overlook Hotel, he was nothing  more than a bad father, known to slap his kid around when he drank a little too much. But a few weeks at an isolated hotel in Colorado, and he turned into one of the most memorable characters ever put on film. Jack went from a loving dad taking his family on a trip to an attempted murderer, hunting his wife and son with an axe through a frozen maze.

7. Bill The Butcher, played by Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York

There’s a scene in Gangs of New York where Bill has thwarted an assassination attempt by the movie’s protagonist, Amsterdam. Rather than kill him off and be done with him, he proceeds to repeatedly head butt him in the nose. More unsettling than Bill’s increasingly bloody face, though, is his obvious lack of restraint. It is clear he enjoys the mayhem, and relishes the fact that he’s causing somebody else pain. Unlike most movie villains, Bill is in no way psychotic or delusional. He just loves violence.

6. Frank Booth, played by Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet

Absolutely demented and sadistic just begin to describe Frank Booth. Probably the most unpredictable movie character I have ever seen. So unpredictable in fact, he’s almost frightening. He holds a woman’s son for ransom, and uses the son as leverage to make her perform his sexual fetishes. If that’s not enough, well, there is plenty more. Truly one of the most disturbing characters I’ve seen in a film.

5. Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino in The Godfather I, II, and III

The most notorious villain in a movie full of them, Michael Corleone is simply ruthless. He may not be your prototypical shoot ‘em, dice ‘em, or even eat ‘em bad guy, but theres no denying his evil. It takes evil to be the head of something so big that’s run on greed and power. Ordering hit after hit. Killing your own brother just because that’s business. You never go against the family, and when you know what happens when you do, why would you even challenge him?

4. Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men

Chigurh is a working man’s villain. He’s just doing his job. But there is more to him than just business, something much more profound. Anton Chigurh is fate, chance, whatever you want to call it. In the same way that time itself is indifferent to pleas of forgiveness and understanding, Chigurh’s justice knows no code and follows no logic. Your only hope is to stay out of his way.

3. Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones in the Star Wars trilogy

 Easily the most recognizable and iconic villainess character to ever be put on the screen, Darth Vader is the symbol for all things “dark side”. Able to kill with his mind and summon the ‘force’ for his bidding, his evil potential is just about limitless. In Darth Vader, George Lucas was able to embody everything we might think evil would look and sound like and in a way that is still as popular and relevant today as it was thirty years ago.

2. The Joker, played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight 

Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as a psychopathic clown was one of the most celebrated performances of all time. By virtually disappearing behind the Joker’s trademark grin, Ledger helped push the genre as a whole into a new direction. Comic book villains can be more than just somebody the good guy has to fight, they can carry the whole movie. You want to be with him while he wrecks havoc and destroys the city’s concept of good an evil. You never root for the Joker, and you never sympathize with him. But despite that, you never want him to leave the screen.

1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and The Red Dragon

If you’re like me, you like your mass murderers to be charismatic, suave, and sophisticated and no one is more so then Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He not only knows which part of the brain to take out to keep you alive but immobile, he also knows which part is the tastiest. This character is simply iconic and is among the most quoted villains on this list. He’s also probably the smartest, which is scary in itself.  

CW, JB

Fiction.

Reality.

Wiki:

Edward Laurence Doheny (August 10, 1856 – September 8, 1935) was an Irish American oil tycoon, who in 1892, along with partner Charles A. Canfield, drilled the first successful well in the Los Angeles City oil field, setting off the petroleum boom in southern California. Formerly an unsuccessful prospector in New Mexico and the American Southwest, the Wisconsin-born Doheny became wealthy through his California oil interests, and was later also successful in the oil fields of Tampico, Mexico. During the administration of President Warren G. Harding, Doheny was implicated in the Teapot Dome Scandal and was accused of offering a $100,000 bribe to Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall in order to secure drilling rights without competitive bidding to the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve in central California. He was twice acquitted of offering the bribe that Fall was convicted of accepting. Doheny and his second wife and widow, Carrie Estelle, were noted philanthropists in Los Angeles. The character Vern Roscoe in Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! (the inspiration for the 2007 film There Will Be Blood) is loosely based on Doheny.

I updated the Film Reviews page with my review of ‘The Ballad of Jack and Rose‘. I also just recently added my review of Taxi Driver. Meghan just added reviews for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Anything Else. I just added my review for Adaptation.

There Will Be Cornflakes.

Originally uploaded by korymatthew

Academy-Award winner!

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I say I’m a Cereal man…”

- Daniel Plainview

Just as a warning: This post is going to contain spoilers for the endings to movies – and more importantly, characters that die; or get hurt real bad (see the title) – so, feel free to skip this post, or continue reading at your own peril. (See what I did there? I’m the main character, cuz it’s my blog, and you – the reader – are the sidekick, sort of, and it’s your peril…nevermind.)

So one of my favorite movies of last summer was PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, and in that movie there is a character named Red who repeatedly gets abused and disfigured and shot and blown up and all kinds of crazy stuff…and then at the very end while our heroes are sitting in a diner, he dies. Seemingly. But, seeing the things that this character (played magnificently by Danny McBride) goes through was the first thing that I thought of – after crying a little bit – after seeing one of the movies I’m going to talk about.

First, is the 1974 movie written and directed by Michael Cimino – in his first directorial role – and starring Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy, with the sidekick role played by Jeff Bridges. THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT, is about two guys who seem to accidentally run into each other (literally) and go on a little jaunt of stealing cars, screwing women and plotting bank robberies. Thunderbolt (Eastwood) and Lightfoot (Bridges) are forced to join forces with former partners of Eastwood’s – played by Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis – and put into effect robbing the same armored car company that they hit a number of years ago.

The movie is mostly light and fun, for the most part. There’s the never-ending threats of violence to Lightfoot, by Kennedy’s character, the intricate – if eventually unnecessary – plot to keep the alarms from going off, Bridges both on camera (and apparently off-screen) attempts to just Eastwood to laugh. The movie spends a good amount of time showing the characters getting jobs to surveil the place and delivering ice cream. Eventually, after the successful heist, the plan falls apart and Lewis’ character winds up getting shot and dumped out of the car, but it’s Kennedy’s final double-cross, where he pistol whips Eastwood and then viciously beats and kicks Bridge’s Lightfoot, that leads to this fun, young character down the road to dying in a very sad and tragic way.

After awaking from their beatings, they both catch a ride and get out of the small town. They’re taken to the outskirts of a place where after Eastwood’s previous robbery, he had hid the money in a one-room schoolhouse, that had seemingly been torn down. And while walking along a highway, they come upon a site where a number of historic buildings from the town had been relocated and turned into a tourist stop. Going inside, they find that the money is still there, hidden behind a chalkboard. It’s during this scene that Lightfoot starts going unconscious and not being able to use his left arm. Soon, the whole left side of his body has gone numb and he’s slurring his speech.

During the final scene when they’re driving in their new white Cadillac convertible, Bridges finally succumbs, just being there one moment then gone. It’s a horrible scene to see this exuberant character reduced to a half paralyzed man on the verge of death. And it’s sold even more by the reaction to Eastwood’s Thunderbolt, seeing his friend and partner die in front of him. This is something kind of echoed in the movie UNFORGIVEN, where the kid who talks Eastwood’s Will Munny into going on that job quits after realizing that the life of an outlaw isn’t for him. (That movie also containing the tragic death of a sidekick character.)

Bridges received and Oscar nomination for his role in this movie, and is great throughout.

The other character is in a smaller role, but with his death and the resulting battle, I felt more sympathy for those characters than I did for the leads. The movie is the 1992 Michael Mann written and directed story based on the James Fenimore Cooper story THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, starring Daniel Day Lewis, Madelline Stowe, Wes Studi and playing Lewis’ adopted Mohican brother and father, Eric Schweig as the titular character, Uncas and Russell Means as Chingachgook. During the climax of the movie, Stowe and her sister, Alice (played by Jodhi May) have been taken by Studi’s character Magua. Lewis’ character is able to get Stowe’s character released, but the sister is lead away and when Uncas attempts to save her, in a short fight he is quickly dispatched by Magua, only to then be thrown off the cliff they’d been walking along.

This is sad enough, but then when Alice, instead of continuing on with she also jumps off the cliff. It’s meant to be the payoff to a not too well developed romance between these characters, but it’s still very poignant. Having seen this, Chingachgook, runs after Magua where they then face off and Magua is killed and then Lewis and the father mourn the loss.

This little scene was more effecting to me than the rest of the movie and I have to say that for a movie called THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, and seeming to not really develop the character that the story seems to be about; it’s amazing that his death is still the part that really stuck with me.

Sidekicks dying or being severely hurt are not uncommon in movies, and usually played to pull on the heart-strings and usually it seems kind of cliched, but this time these movies got me.

As a regular feature here at To Bathe in Filmic Waters we’ve decided to give the people what they want with a weekly helping of beautiful movie-oriented wallpapers. Several different images will be made available for download, as well as five different sizes so as to keep everyone happy. First up is a film that quickly attained cult status when it was released almost two years ago, Paul Thomas Anderson’s oil epic There Will Be Blood. Enjoy, and simply Right click>Save as to download each wallpaper.

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x1024 | 1280x800 | 1024x768

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x1024 | 1280x800 | 1024x768

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x1024 | 1280x800 | 1024x768

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x1024 | 1280x800 | 1024x768

1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x1024 | 1280x800 | 1024x768

Please feel free to request a particular size or image from the film by commenting below, or alternatively suggest a film to be featured on next week’s Wallpaper Wednesday! Thank you.

Other Wallpaper Wednesdays can be found here>>>