PHANTOM THREAD Review

Phantom Thread, the latest film from auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, There Will be Blood) that once again stars Daniel Day-Lewis (in what may very well be the actor's final on-screen performance, but probably isn't), centers around Day-Lewis's renowned dressmaker, Reynolds Woodcock, and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) who are at the center of British fashion in 1950's post-war London as Woodcock designs for royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames alike. The appearance of Alma (Vicky Krieps) in Woodcock's routine then tends to upend every aspect of his life in slow, methodical, and often times even conniving ways. This is an odd movie, but it wouldn't be a Paul Thomas Anderson movie if it wasn't mostly off-kilter and if it didn't go into the numerous layers of meaning and substance coated in what is a seemingly simple and straightforward narrative. This short summary is more or less what the plot of Phantom Thread entails, but Phantom Thread of course concerns itself with more than just the toppling of the structure that is Woodcock's life made relevant by the appearance of Alma, but more it is about the inner-dynamics of a relationship, the give and take that is necessary if even able to bring one's self to compromise in such a way. This is a question the film and Woodcock ponder endlessly as our protagonist is someone who seemingly knows what he wants and what he expects out of himself in his life and by living according to that standard never lets himself down and fulfills each of his expectations. This lifestyle also allows for his focus to lie solely on what he desires and to not be distracted by the passions or interests of another. In essence, Phantom Thread is about that struggle that naturally takes place in all of us that pulls between what society and tradition tell us we should want out of life that can often times be opposed by our more personal desires and ambitions. That is, of course, unless your sole desire in life is to find a mate and pro-create. It is true that often times our ambitions and desires remain a certain degree of selfish in that to solely give them their due would result in a life of satisfaction and maybe even one of great legacy, but one that lacks a certain meaning while fully giving over to what we're naturally pulled to accomplish in life leaves a greater sense of meaning if not as grand a legacy as one might have imagined for themselves. Either way, the meaning is what the individual makes of it and Phantom Thread is the journey of Woodcock having to learn that balance for the first time in his life as Alma is apparently the first in a long line of muses that challenges the meticulous and powerful mentality that Woodcock has effortlessly exuded over those in his life up to this point.

First PHANTOM THREAD Trailer Starring Daniel Day-Lewis

Our first look at the latest from auteur Paul Thomas Anderson has arrived just two months before its debut in theaters and while I'm still not sure exactly what this movie is about or what kind of thematic ground it will cover, as always when it comes to PTA, I'm intrigued. In his latest film, titled Phantom Thread, Anderson once again teams with Daniel Day-Lewis after their previous and award-winning collaboration in There Will Be Blood, to tell a story set in the couture world of 1950's London that follows Day-Lewis' Reynolds Woodcock who is a dress-maker that is commissioned to design for members of high society and the royal family. Per usual, this is a trailer for a film that likely has more going on and more varied purposes than that of whatever a short synopsis might provide. While Inherent Vice was supposedly a crime drama of sorts it obviously turned out to be less conventional and more elusive than anything Anderson had done previously and we're talking about the guy who wrote and directed The Master. While PTA's films are nothing if not divisive they can also prove to be extremely compelling and, if nothing else, should certainly be appreciated for the level of craft that is being operated on. I don't need to know much about what Phantom Thread is about or what themes, ideas, or issues the writer/director might be trying to work through with it; I just need to know that this is an authentic piece of work from a very unique voice in the cinematic landscape that just so happens to feature one of if not the greatest living actor of his generation in what could potentially be his final film role. I didn't even have to see a trailer to convince myself to watch this film, but here we are and the trailer is perfectly acceptable in that it has only piqued my interest further. It seems PTA's more definitive aesthetic style as of late suits this world of 1950's high-fashion rather well and there is a constant air of intrigue around the intentions of Day-Lewis' character and whether or not they seem to be sinister. Where this thing might lead is anyone's guess as the film comes from an original screenplay by PTA, but while the director is allowed to create such staggering works as this too seems to be I'm curious if anyone outside the film critics bubble is anxiously awaiting such a feature. Phantom Thread also stars Lesley Manville, Camilla Rutherford, Vicky Krieps, Richard Graham, Jane Perry, Bern Collaço, Pip Phillips, Ingrid Sophie Schram, Sarah Lamesch, Lujza Richter, and opens on Christmas Day. 

LINCOLN Review

When coming from a generation where director Steven Spielberg has already been placed upon a pedestal as an iconic director it is hard to look at anything the guy does with anything less than high expectations. While other times it will naturally feel as if the man is skating by on his reputation rather than his abilities that could have easily come to a halt once reaching such a status. I have always wondered about this, wondered if Spielberg had what it takes to continue walking his line between serious films and blockbuster money-makers while maintaining his credibility with the critics and keeping the general public intrigued no matter what type of project he chose to take on next. In the time since I began seriously loving films (say, the last ten years) the director has created two genuinely great films and a slew of others that are very good. One thing was ultimately clear, these movies were made by a filmmaker who knew what he wanted and no matter the genre or the size has the power to make you feel something, an inherent reaction to what is happening on screen. While I have always been a fan of Spielberg and of course have wrestled with what some of his films might have become were they made by a less established name, none of this came into consideration when reflecting upon Lincoln many hours after the credits rolled. A film that has been in the works for over fifteen years, it is simply rewarding to see this work finally come to fruition. An intense and stirring look behind closed doors that doesn't cover Lincoln from birth to death but instead focuses on a small window in his life that very well defines why the man still commands an iconic status today.