It's been a very long time since I saw a movie that REALLY amazed me, or made me reflect on my life in an introspective way. But that all changed last week when I saw No Country for Old Men and then There Will Be Blood last night.
Both movies absolutely blew me away with their storytelling, settings and acting.
No Country for Old Men
First off, I'm a huge coens nerd. I've loved everything they've ever made (yes, even including intolerable cruelty, which received its fair share of cruelty from the critics) and though I tend to like their more oddball-oriented pieces than the more serious and violent films they've done, I think they've made the film of their career. Fargo is my favorite of their movies. It is such a perfect balance of everything they're good at, and came at just the right time. That said, even though Fargo is still my favorite, No Country for Old Men is the BEST movie they've made. It's an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. Perfectly paced, MASTERFULLY acted, and absolutely absorbing with Javier Bardem putting in the performance of his career as.. well pretty much the scariest dude in history. A lot of people are kicking up serious static about the ending, but I thought it was the perfect way to wrap up such a violent and random piece of art.
There Will Be Blood
PT Anderson ALSO made the movie of his career. While his other films have been wildly entertaining and inventive and excellent in pretty much every way, There Will Be Blood is an absolute "LEVEL UP" in his abilities as a writer and filmmaker. From easily the best establishing scenes I've ever encountered in a movie to the setting and cinematography to the performance of Daniel Day Lewis that borders on supernatural - it's nothing short of astounding. All the other performances were excellent, but Daniel Day Lewis turned in work that creeped into my brain and has kept me thinking for quite a while now - the mark of excellence that all good movies provide.
Of the two, I do think that There Will Be Blood is the better - but I'd be hard pressed to think of a better movie I've seen in the last five years. Maybe ever. They are up there with the best I've ever seen, without a doubt.
Word.