As Goes Antarctica, So Goes the Nation

A round-up of primary election results among voters in other countries.

Weekend You-Tubery: No Theme Edition

• I've developed a weird habit lately: when I'm driving in my car, I start whistling improvised solos to the songs on the radio. They're pretty terrible; these sorts of things are best left to the professionals:
  
  
• It may seem that MTV exists as an outlet for gimmicky "unscripted" dating shows and reruns of America's Next Top Model, but they did somehow find room on their schedule for the hilarious Human Giant. The first season will be released on DVD this Tuesday, and the second season premiere is available as a free download on Amazon. I implore you to get caught up. Personally, I can't get enough of the little kid from "Shutterbugs:"
  
  
• Lastly, I made the mistake of tuning into the so-bad-it's-just-bad Quarterlife last week (apparently, I was one of the few people who demonstrated such poor judgment), and ever since I've had this song stuck in my head:
  
  

As Long as They Don't Play That "Yes We Can" Crap

As a Democrat, I'd like to see this primary season to end as soon as possible so that we can stop all of this intra-party squabbling and start looking at the general election. On the other hand, if it drags out until Pennsylvania, I might get to go to a free Arcade Fire concert.

"It's an Exciting Movie!"

Talk about it at Videocracy


Great. Now I want kids.

A Banner Year for Crap

A little over a year ago, the fine critics at The AV Club noted that, in their reviews, they rarely give anything an "F;" they're sort of like Pollyanna, always finding something to admire about all but the very worst films, albums, and games.

Well, that was then. In the first two months of this year, Meet the Spartans, The Hottie and the Nottie, and Witless Protection have all received the lowest possible rating. I'm not exactly surprised that these movies are awful; did anyone have high hopes for the latest lazy all-purpose spoof, Paris Hilton vehicle or Larry the Cable Guy fart-fest? But I sincerely hope that this just means that the worst films of the year are being unloaded early, and that this isn't the harbinger of the shittiest year in the history of cinema.

What I've Seen: There Will Be Blood

Despite the title, blood is not the liquid that looms largest over P.T. Anderson's latest film. The first half is dominated by oil; prospectors wade through it, faces are covered with it, and at one point it rains from the sky. The latter portion of the film belongs to water, as characters swim in it and are baptized in it. Other beverages play a supporting role, with goat's milk and whiskey making recurring appearances. And then there are those milkshakes...

A few months ago, I was hyperbolic in my praise for Children of Men, admiring the way every element of its production came together to create an utterly convincing world. There Will Be Blood may be last year's equivalent of that film. The art direction and costume design make its dusty settings feel real and lived-in, and Robert Elswit's cinematography is gorgeous; his use of dimly lit interior shots and golden, magic-hour outdoor shots are reminiscent of Gordon Willis's work on the Godfather trilogy. And Johnny Greenwood's much-heralded score, while occasionally distracting, is overall quite effective in its driving percussion and eerie strings.

Anderson's direction abandons the elaborate tracking shots which were used in Boogie Nights and Magnolia; that sort of flashiness wouldn't fit in this kind of film, anyway. Instead, he uses long shots that frequently place the oil baron Daniel Plainview on one side of the frame, opposite another actor; he is a man in near-perpetual confrontation. In fact, the only character who spends a large amount of time by Plainview's side in the frame is his adopted son H.W., at least until a major event changes their relationship and Plainview begins to unravel.

Daniel Day-Lewis's portrayal of Plainview is the most discussed aspect of the film, and rightly so. The accent he adopts for the role has been compared to John Huston in Chinatown, but I'm not sure that's quite the right comparison. Huston spoke with a folksy voice in that film, playing a man who could bid you good morning and threaten to kill you without changing his tone. Plainview's voice is much deeper and darker, like a barely-concealed growl lurks behind each word. Add to that the fact the Day-Lewis is frequently shown sleeping on the ground, and the overall effect is an animal who has learned to imperfectly imitate the humans surrounding him.

The final scene of the movie threatens to take on a life of its own. I won't give anything away, but I did find that, while watching it, my jaw was involuntarily threatening to drop.

"I expect a zombie to show up on Sesame Street soon, teaching kids to count."

My favorite quote from an interview with zombie king George Romero.

Bonus PBS reference: Romero cut his teeth working on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.