Daniel Day-Lewis Wins Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis rehearses his acceptance speech during a lull in shooting There Will Be Blood.

Oscar #2! Mr. Day Lewis has won his second Oscar for his performance in There Will Be Blood, a film which sprung like a golden sapling from the mad, beautiful head of Paul Thomas Anderson (er, his words, not mine). Mr. Day-Lewis had already won a limey Oscar (BAFTA) for his work in the film, but let's face it, no one really cares about those.

What's next for Mr. Day-Lewis? I'm hoping he accepts a role in the upcoming G.I. Joe film as Cobra villain Destro. I can see him now, silver facepaint and over-muscled onyx skinsuit replete with crimson cape, spouting "Cobra attack!"

Oh, if only. . .

Speaking of upcoming films, here's a list of notable ones for the remainder of 2008:

Feb. 29 - Semi-Pro
Feb. 29 - The Other Boleyn Girl
Mar. 07 - 10,000 B.C.
Mar. 14 - Horton Hears a Who!
Mar. 14 - Doomsday
Mar. 14 - College Road Trip
Mar. 14 - The Accidental Husband
Mar. 14 - Pride and Glory
Apr. 04 - Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Apr. 04 - The Ruins
Apr. 11 - Foodfight!
Apr. 18 - Righteous Kill
Apr. 18 - The Forbidden Kingdom
May 02 - Iron Man
May 16 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
May 22 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
May 30 - Sex and the City: The Movie
Jun. 06 - Kung Fu Panda
Jun. 13 - The Incredible Hulk
Jun. 20 - Get Smart
Jun. 27 - Wall-E
Jun. 27 - Wanted
Jul. 02 - Hancock
Jul. 11 - Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Jul. 18 - The Dark Knight
Aug. 01 - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Aug. 08 - Pineapple Express
Aug. 15 - Dragonball
Aug. 29 - Babylon A.D.
Oct. 03 - Valkyrie
Oct. 10 - Body of Lies
Oct. 10 - City of Ember
Oct. 24 - Igor
Oct. 24 - High School Musical 3
Oct. 31 - Scary Movie 5
Nov. 07 - Quantum of Solace (Bond 22)
Nov. 07 - Madagascar 2: The Crate Escape
Nov. 21 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Nov. 26 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Dec. 12 - The Day the Earth Stood Still
Dec. 25 - Star Trek

Christmas with Captain Kirk. Won't that be nice?

There Will Be Blood

Plainview reclining after a strenuous day of practicing his Sean Connery impersonation.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)

vantika's rating: B+

Daniel Day-Lewis. The amorous lothario in The Age of Innocence. The heroic freedom fighter in The Last of the Mohicans. The heart breaking artist ravaged by cerebal palsy in My Left Foot. And now. . .the Gordon Gekko of oil mongers in There Will Be Blood. Here we find a performance that can be characterized as half George Hearst a la Deadwood and half Sean Connery send-up.

How does that translate? Perfect. Daniel Plainview is a man who, in his later years, roams through his mansion clutching a shotgun and relishing the destruction of his own possessions via said weapon. This is nothing more than a fine cinematic flourish and carries no real relevance to the story itself other than to perhaps illustrate the deterioration of his sanity. Still, it's a testament to the abilities of director Anderson that he could have wound the plot around this device alone and we would sit - absolutely transfixed.