Mustache Marathon Movie 9: There Will Be Blood


Right now, I am sitting here on November 30th beginning to type up the write-up for the final movie of my Mustache Movie Marathon.  It’s been an interesting month.  I’ll get to that tomorrow.  Today, I’m here to discuss with myself how much I liked or disliked There Will Be Blood.  That is right.  The final movie of the Mustache Movie Marathon was There Will Be Blood.

There Will Be Blood stars Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview, an oil baron in the early 20th century western United States.  The movie tells the tale of Daniel Plainview getting oil from beneath a small town that grows as his wealth grows.  Also in the town is preacher Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano.

There is so much good in this movie that I could fill many, many pages with it.  I’m not going to get into all of that stuff because the write-up shouldn’t take forever to read.  Let’s just say that it’s wonderfully acted, the movie looks spectacular, and I get completely engrossed in it whenever I see it.  Simple as that.  The movie sucks me in every time, mostly through Daniel Day Lewis’s perfect portrayal of Daniel Plainview.  Nobody else could have played that character as well as he did.

I cannot call this a perfect film.  I have one problem with it.  My problem comes in the form of Eli Sunday.  This isn’t a big thing.  His last name just seems too obvious to me.  He’s a preacher, he runs the town church, and his last name is Sunday.  Get it?  It’s because the Christians and Catholics go to church on Sundays.  Right?  Right?  That seems forced.

Now, onto the mustache.  This is the Mustache Movie Marathon so I must discuss it.  Daniel Plainview is as much anything in his personality as his ‘stache.  There is bearded Daniel.  There is clean ‘stache Plainview.  There is dirty ‘stache Plainview.  And at another point there is ‘stache and stubble Daniel Plainview.  He has a range with his facial hair which helps to add to the performance itself.  It’s a great work of facial hair.

There is one thing I really want to discuss that I am blown away by every time I see this movie.  The first fourteen minutes have no dialogue, and are as gripping as any other scene in the movie.  Not many talking movies have managed to get me so engrossed without the use of dialogue.  There Will Be Blood did and I am always amazed by how great that section of the film is.

What a great way to end the Mustache Movie Marathon.  Coming up in the next couple days will be the wrap-up, and the awards.  If you have any award ideas feel free to tell me.  I would at least take them into consideration.  Until then, fight the good fight every moment.

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