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The Magnificent Seven
It seems as if every year, cinephiles are forced to reckon with an increasingly cyclical lineup of films. Beginning of the year throwaways; spring surprises; summer blockbusters; fall inbetweeners (I’ll explain); and winter Oscar bait. The inbetweeners always tend to be interesting. They’re the films that have the feel of the summer blockbuster, but also…
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Oil, Blood, and Daniel Plainview’s Journey to Isolation
There’s a moment in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic There Will Be Blood where Daniel Plainview abandons control. The moments are sparse throughout the film, and one could even argue there aren’t any. But among the posturing and work and struggle, only once does Daniel Plainview betray his intentions in life, in work, in oil.…
