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. 

TIFF 2015: COLONIA Review

Colonia is one of those movies where you can tell from the opening moments that at the very least it's going to be a snappy little thriller. There is a certain charisma to the camera movements and to the way the period elements compliment the filmmaking techniques. Everything about it simply screams validity and slickness. There is nothing amateur about the film, it is a movie made by professionals for mainstream movie goers and contains a compelling story with interesting enough characters to make you feel you haven't wasted two hours of your life when the credits begin to roll. That said, there is hardly anything exceptional about Colonia either. The fact that it does operate under such traditional methods allow for it to be a handsomely mounted film, but offers nothing in the way of being interesting or different. If you see the trailer or even stills from the film you can likely guess what you're getting yourself into here. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if you're director Florian Gallenberger making your English-language debut. The director, who is originally from Germany and has worked with star Daniel Brühl before, gives his latest film a strict sense of tension while loading on the information about the titular cult located in the South of Chile. Whereas something such as Argo or Munich thrive on capturing their period espionage thriller through the lens of the time period they're set in Colonia more or less tells us what we need to know, hopes we get wrapped up in it and if not, moves on to the next act.

A MOST WANTED MAN Review

Anton Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man is one of those movies I can appreciate, but will likely never have the desire to sit through again. Funny enough, you could say the same of his previous film, The American, which was my introduction to the filmmaker. The American was a surprisingly restrained film in almost every aspect of its being-from the images we saw, the music that complimented them and on to the central performance from George Clooney. In many ways it was a break into the studio system for Corbijn while showing the suits he very much had his own way of telling a story. If A Most Wanted Man does anything with this kind of power it actually plays more in tune with what we have grown accustomed to in the genre of spy thrillers while still keeping the pacing at a slow boil and the action to a minimum. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this of course, especially when you have the source material of John le Carré (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) to work with and as well pedigreed a cast as is on display here. By virtue of its cast and credentials alone this would strike most as an interesting film, but as a mature audience you come to actually appreciate the film for the line of thinking it promotes. It is a slow, methodical film that deals as much in the details of its plot as it represents the perceived perception of man in his many different incarnations. This theme, while heavily influenced by the title, is demonstrated in Corbijn's film by how individuals may be portrayed in certain circles as perfectly respectable, harmless even yet in others are wanted for possible terror motives. Obviously, the film depicts an extreme case of this nature, but it still conveys the necessary needs to see the bigger picture and describes how recognizing the smaller aspects might compliment said bigger picture rather than going bullet by bullet and crossing them off. It is an intriguing approach and one that makes you consider the nature of absolutes while never painting any of its multiple characters as necessarily bad or evil, but simply as people trying to do a job and come off as successful as possible. It is impossible to facilitate a fair and unbiased opinion in every situation, but A Most Wanted Man's characters strive for this ideal in each of their actions.