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I was lucky enough to see this film on Tuesday. If you like the works of Paul Thomas Anderson, or any well-written, magnificently executed character-driven film, then you should see this as soon as you can. Phantom Thread ("PT") has quite a lot in common with The Master - both are set in the post-war period, both are full of exquisite period detail (PT even more so than the Master), both have a charismatic male lead and a towering central performance, extremely strong supporting female roles, and engage with the difficulty that some men have with connection and relating. In other areas, however, they differ widely. PT is set in London of the 50s, before the wave of modernity that was the 60s had crashed on its shores. Daniel Day-Lewis, in what is probably his final role, plays Reynolds Woodcock, one of the finest fashion designers of his day. He makes dresses for countesses and princesses - the Establishment - with pearl, lace, silk etc. When a new woman enters his life, things start to change in ways which to me at least were unexpected. Needless to say, DDL is magnificent, and will certainly get an Oscar nomination if not a win. (Here is a fascinating interview with DDL about giving up acting, and the film https://www.wmagazine.com/story/exclusive-daniel-day-lewis-giving-up-acting-phantom-thread ) The acting is top-notch across the board: Vicky Krieps (who will probably get a nomination for female lead playing Alma) and Lesley Manville (as Woodcock's sister Cyril - supporting nomination) are extremely good, and match DDL's intensity in a way which is remarkable (see also Paul Dano in There Will Be Blood, but not Leonardo Di Caprio in Gangs of New York). Much is done through subtle gesture, the raised eyebrow, small movements and expressions, which nonetheless convey a great deal. It's an acting and directing masterclass all round. PTA is the uncredited cinematographer, with the film being shot in 35mm. There is a beautiful grain and warmth to it which really suits the subject matter of exquisite attention to detail and craftsmanship in making haute couture dresses. As with every other technical aspect, the photography is immaculate. Mark Bridges is my tip to win the Oscar for costume designer. I am not going to dwell much on the story until others have seen it, but there is quite a lot to talk about in the shifting dynamics and relationships between Alma, Reynolds and Cyril, and this is really where the meat of the film is. PTA details these relationships with complexity, subtlety and nuance, and leaves a lot ambiguous and open to interpretation, which makes it satisfying to discuss. The story, such as it is (if there is any criticism it's perhaps that the story is a bit thin) takes a couple of unexpected and rewarding turns.
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Dec 7, 2017 11:55
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Electronico6 posted:Did cool dude Jonny Greenwood do a good soundtrack again? That's what's important about this thing. He did do a good soundtrack again. It's very different from TWBB, especially in tone and setting. That said, there a similarity with the very driven monomaniacal central character. He's not as rage- and hate-filled though.
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Dec 7, 2017 12:29
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Electronico6 posted:I can see it, but if you cut the "extremely strong supporting female roles" from your description, you just described TWBB. I don't think it's not without purpose that DDL is back, and that Thread is pealing away the bigger cast dynamics of The Master/Inherent Vice, and just focusing one one Man and his insane issues. It looks like PTA is revisiting both himself and the Plainview, it's been 10 years after all, time to see what changed and what has grown since then. I guess I'm sounding more negative than it is. It's not TWBB in that this is much more of a two-hander with Vicky Kreis's character as second lead. Therefore it's more about their relationship, with the added dynamic of his sister too.
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Dec 7, 2017 14:30
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Thanks! I enjoyed that.
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Dec 13, 2017 22:45
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Nroo posted:I assumed it had something to do with The War. Yes, there was a bit of fuss about that. People moved around a bit as a result.
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Jan 17, 2018 10:30
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Flambeau posted:I was engaged the whole time, never got bored at all. However, I didn't find the characters so much 'ambiguous and indecipherable' as just unevenly developed. One dude I saw it with is a huge PTA fan and came out underwhelmed. You’ll need to get them from the ecclesiastical shop in Rome that supplies them to cardinals.
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Jan 20, 2018 08:18
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I’d totally see it in 70mm if I could. It’s beautifully shot.
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Jan 24, 2018 17:05
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basic hitler posted:DDL should have collected best actor and this just shows that the academy is a circle jerk that's not actually for anyone but the voters and people seated in that theater because by no metric did gary oldman outperform ddl Yeah. DDL created and inhabited a character; Oldman did a good impersonation.
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Mar 5, 2018 11:03
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Doctor Malaver posted:I did try to get an "understanding of the material" just like I do with every film or theatre show. Why wouldn't I? I didn't come to the cinema with arms crossed and a "let's see this crap" attitude. Why did you come here to post? You knew that you'd missed vital elements of the film which wholly change the way it's perceived. Basically, you're saying that you are judging the film on the portion you saw, which you acknowledge is not representative of the whole piece, but you are making judgments anyway. Any comments you make have basically zero validity, so i am left wondering why you bothered in the first place. About the most you could reasonably say was that you left after the first half because you found it boring.
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Mar 12, 2018 14:16
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Dr. S.O. Feelgood posted:Not liking it is fine. Walking out half way through because you thought it was boring and confusing is also fine I guess, but I’m not sure why you would expect anyone to care about your opinion in that case. Like, why bother? Forget it, Jake. It’s CineD.
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Mar 12, 2018 20:11
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Miss Lonelyhearts posted:Turning this into a Jennifer Lawrence discussion - I don't agree with her conclusions, and she was being snotty on purpose imo, but she obviously has personal experiences re: relationships that hit a little too close to home. Based on the first three minutes, sure. She might have enjoyed how the relationship evolved though.
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Mar 15, 2018 09:13
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