first look: there will be blood

"There Will Be Blood"
dir., Paul Thomas Anderson
2007

Have you been wondering whatever happened to one of the most promising American filmmakers from the late 90s? Well, it has only been five years since Paul Thomas Anderson's last film, the underrated oddball romance "Punch Drunk Love", but in between then and now he had a baby with "Saturday Night Live"'s Maya Rudolph and became a trusted apprentice of sorts to Robert Altman, who wrote it into his contract for "A Prarie Home Companion" that if his health were to fail him during the production Anderson had creative control on set. Above is the unofficial trailer for his newest film that has been a labor of love for some time and looks to be taking Anderson in a newer, bigger direction.

My appreciation for Anderson's work extends back to my early teens. I have vivid memories of seeing "Boogie Nights" in the eighth grade and think it was smarter and funnier than some pornfest that I'd expected it to be. I staunchly defended the bizarre three hour epic "Magnolia" to friends and family who thought it was nothing more than indulgent excess with no point. His work inspired me and exposed me to all sorts of cinema that inspired him. His major influences of Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman jumped out at me but it was done in a personal and fresh approach. Altman has since died since Anderson's last film and Scorsese is latched on to DiCaprio these days, so maybe we have Anderson to look at as the cinematic voice of someone who understands the American dream, the complex mosaic of everyday life, and the faith of transcendence and progression in the self.

Oh, and it's premiering at the Venice Film Festival this fall. Judging by that trailer I can see it being a major contender.