Review of Joshua (2002) by Tom S — 24 Jan 2008

I am in love with[b] There Will Be Blood[/b]. Though director P.T. Anderson ("Punch Drunk Love") clocks in another super long movie, I was entranced almost every single minute of the film. Daniel Day-Lewis ("The Ballad of Jack and Rose") stars as oil man Daniel Plainview and the film follows his life as he digs his first well until he's an old man. The story doesn't feel that it needs to cover every little detail of this time, we're given what's important and allowed to fill in the gaps ourselves. As Plainview builds his empire, he meets a young preacher, Paul Dano ("Little Miss Sunshine"), and the interaction between the two of them is some of the best in the film. I loved this power struggle. I also loved Day-Lewis' acting. Amazing. Also, the score was fabulous. Almost like another character. I felt that, if I weren't unable to take my eyes from the screen, I could close them and still know what was happening, just from the music. Scenery is gorgeous and Anderson just lets it all flow out. I've thought about this movie constantly for the last two days. I want to see it again. And though I've heard criticisms of it's last third, it didn't bother me. There is a slowing down and I fell out of the magic for a minute, but it pulled me right back in. Best movie I've seen this year.

[b] Atonement[/b] is also quite good. Director Joe Wright ("Pride and Prejudice") creates a beautiful world and switches deftly between three points of view to give us a tragic love story. Kiera Knightley ("Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End") is beautiful. James McAvoy ("Becoming Jane") is heartbreaking (I don't understand why he didn't get an Oscar nod). Saoirse Ronan, who plays the young Briony, is good. I got caught up in the love story, even though, having read the book, I knew what happened. This is a good one.

[b] Juno[/b] is everything you've heard and more. Ellen Page ("Hard Candy") just gets into this character and runs with it. The story, though funny, is often moving and thought-provoking. There are no easy answers. The relationships are full and believable. Plus, the soundtrack rocks. Can't wait to see it again.

[b] Joshua[/b] really creeped me out. Joshua's parents bring home his new baby sister, and then things start getting weird. It's not really a horror movie, more of a thriller, but I found it so unsettling, that I couldn't go to sleep right after. The music is very eerie and dissonant, adding to the discomfort the story is already building. Sam Rockwell ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") plays the father, and he is solid, but Vera Farmiga ("The Departed") as the mother gives crazy a new face. This is one to check out. But not if you're afraid of little kids.