bjornstar:

I drink your milkshake, I drink it up!

I got into a long, addled by the drink discussion Friday night over the biggest movies for me in 2007.

Without a question, No Country for Old Men was the best movie I saw in theaters the entire year. The acting was spot on, the writing was superb, and the directing was what made it all come together. I left that movie satisfied that I’d never see a better one all year. Sitting in a sold out hot and stuffy Union Square theater, there was not a even the sound of popcorn crunching during several enthralling scenes. That movie is gold and will win gold, deservedly so. 

But I still couldn’t stop mentioning There Will Be Blood. That movie is simply epic and Daniel Day Lewis literally gives the best performance I’ve ever seen in any medium. You can tell he has stage acting experience when he delivers the above scene. Since the movie revovles around him and his character you get scene after scene like the one above. He operates on such a higher level that I can’t even explain, but is obviously contagious as his performance elevates those of his supporting cast, most notably in Paul Dano. I mean the kid didn’t even talk in Little Miss Sunshine and comes out here and delivers monologues to chill your spine. Incredible stuff. But, the epic tale is sprawling, full of long takes, little action, and just a lot to take in, ie. not an “audience picture.” But Lewis gives the performance of anyone’s career and will be rewarded for doing so. The way he walks the line balencing brilliance and madness will be the meter for all that follow.