Paul Thomas Anderson

Julianne Moore Pushes Freudian Implications to Limit in ‘Savage Grace’

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:05:59 -0700

CHICAGO – The national acting treasure Julianne Moore never shies away from a performance challenge. From her memorable exposure in Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” to her willingness to go all the way in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights,” Moore has proven that true vulnerability in a role requires the ability to bare – and bear with – all.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

In “Savage Grace,” which is based on the true story of the eccentric Barbara Daly Baekeland, Moore once again puts the acting pedal to the metal.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Savage Grace” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “Savage Grace” image gallery.

Moore plays Barbara Baekeland: the socialite wife of Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane). Brooks is the heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune. With the birth of their son, Anthony (Eddie Redmayne), her wealthy lifestyle seems complete.

But signs of her early eccentricities morph into a darker psychological unraveling especially in the relationship with her son.

Barbara begins to notice Anthony’s gay awakening and tries to introduce him to women. Anthony soon takes up with a local girl near their home in Majorca, Spain. His inability to connect in the relationship leads to his father moving in on the girl.

Julianne Moore in “Savage Grace”.
Photo credit: IFC Films

Eddie Redmayne (left) in “Savage Grace”.
Photo credit: IFC Films

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “Savage Grace” review.

Set in Tel Aviv, New Israeli Film ‘Jellyfish’ Shines With Virtue, Veracity

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:34:26 -0700

CHICAGO – It has been a banner year so far for the Israeli film industry. Following the American debuts of “The Band’s Visit” and “Beaufort,” we now have the stunningly composed and heart-rending “Jellyfish”.

Unwinding like a Tel Aviv version of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” – but warmer – “Jellyfish” follows several lives steeped in moral crisis and offers redemption like an elusive brass ring.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Jellyfish” in our reviews section.

View our full “Jellyfish” image gallery.

An underachieving wedding waitress with career and mother issues searches for answers while staring at the sea. An unusual 5-year-old child approaches her in a bathing suit and life-preserver ring.

Since the little girl seems separated from her parents and circumstances, she adopts the other lost soul as her temporary guardian.

Meanwhile, a wedding that the waitress was working at has gone wrong after the reception. The bride suffers a broken leg, which forces honeymoon plans to be moved to a tacky Tel Aviv hotel nearby.

Anxious and bored, the groom begins a friendship with a woman – a resident of the hotel – who seems to be a writer.

Nikol Leidman as the mysterious girl who emerges from the sea in “Jellyfish,” which is a film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen.
Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films

Noa Knoller as Keren in “Jellyfish,” which is a film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen.
Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “Jellyfish” review.

Screenplay Surfaces Online For Oscar-Worthy ‘There Will Be Blood’ With Daniel Day-Lewis

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:31:11 -0700

“There Will Be Blood” is among the best films of 2007. Period. An Oscar-worthy performance by Daniel Day-Lewis helps to make this picture Oscar worthy in its own right.

Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
A haunting supporting performance by Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Girl Next Door”) isn’t one you’ll soon forget, too.

Aside from his 2005 work in “The Ballad of Jack and Rose,” we last saw Day-Lewis in film all the way back in 2002 for his gritty “Gangs of New York” performance.

“There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
“There Will Be Blood” is as worthy as any for him to bring the familiar character out of hibernation.

While you’d be remiss not to see this in theaters, you can read now why director Paul Thomas Anderson (who adapted the film’s screenplay from the Upton Sinclair novel “Oil!”) deserves your attention.

Paul Dano in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
Anderson also directed “Punch-Drunk Love” and “Magnolia”. The full screenplay is below. Warning: This is a thorough spoiler alert.

Click for the full “There Will Be Blood” screenplay.
I downloaded this screenplay from this Paramount Vantage link.

Daniel Day-Lewis (left middle) in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
Though the film only opened in limited New York City and Los Angeles theaters on Dec. 26, it will expand in Jan. 2008. Before that, 14 cities are being treated to a midnight sneak screening on Dec. 29.

Daniel Day-Lewis (left) and Dillon Freasier
on Dec. 10, 2007 for “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: WireImage.com
These include Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C. See our Dec. 23 post for more.

Daniel Day-Lewis (left) and director Paul Thomas Anderson
in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
Other Paramount Vantage scripts are also online for “The Kite Runner,” “A Mighty Heart,” “Margot at the Wedding” and “Into the Wild”.

‘There Will Be Blood’ to Sneak Into 14 Cities on Dec. 29 at Midnight

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:53:39 -0700

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” is hand’s down one of the best films of 2007. The film stars an Oscar-worthy performance by a “Gangs of New York”-reminiscent Daniel Day-Lewis.

Unfortunately, the film will only open in limited New York City and Los Angeles theaters on Dec. 26 and will expand in Jan. 2008. Fortunately, 14 cities are being treated to a midnight sneak screening on Dec. 29.

The lucky ones are Austin, Boston (AMC Loews Boston Common 19), Chicago (AMC River East 21), Dallas, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis (Lagoon Cinema), Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C.
Tickets are already on sale for some of these cities. The director cut the following special video to announce the screenings, which I’ve uploaded to YouTube.