Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Alex]

I loved the theme of conflict between religion and capitalism for control of society. I love that capitalism won and it wasn't shown as a gentle "good" victory.

I loved the performance from Day-Lewis. I loved the cinematography.


I did not love the Paul Dano performance. I thought it was really weak, especially when being forced to go toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis. I did not like the length, feeling it meandered too much and undercut its own story with a languid pace. Despite providing the resolution of the greater conflict, I though the final act was too over the top and too odd when viewed from the personal character perspective.

The end result for me was a lot of respect for Paul Thomas Anderson's vision as a filmmaker, amazement he got it made, and regret that he doesn't seem to have a filter on the worst of his excesses. In the end I left feeling "meh."

It has settled on me over the moths and I think my memory of it now is better than my experience of it was then.