FILM: There Will Be Blood (9/10)

Why did I watch it?
A more appropriate question would be 'how has it taken me so long to watch this?'. I've had this on DVD for several years, read positive review after positive review but I never found the time.....until now.

What's it all about?
Daniel Day-Lewis is Daniel Plainview, a determined and ruthless Californian oil driller, out for his piece of the freshly baked oil pie at the turn of the 19th century. Having unintentionally struck oil when mining for silver, the opening act shows Plainview building a steady portfolio of oil claims across California, unafraid of shamelessly using his adopted son to present the image of a family business. Following a tip, Plainview purchases claims for a large expanse of land where he clashes with a local pastor (Paul Dano) in his unquenchable thirst for oil.  

Should you watch it?
Where to start, on the first viewing There Will Be Blood has comfortably become one of my favourite films of all time. From the dialogue-free 15 minute opening of Plainview mining alone, to the intense and violent conclusion, There Will Be Blood is unrelenting. You cannot take your eyes off Daniel Day-Lewis. He is quite simply fantastic as the fiery, vengeful and driven oilman and deserved his . Plainview becomes so dislikeable he is likeable, and I found myself routing for him, after all he is the film. The scenes between pastor Eli and Daniel, in particular the two where each humiliates the other, are worth the price of admission alone.

I....drink....your.......MILKSHAKE!!!!

Maybe I'm biased, maybe Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my favourite actors, maybe because I work in the oil industry the film's subject appeals to me more, maybe great shots of drilling derricks and flaming oil gushers set against the American West just do it for me. Or maybe not, maybe Paul Thomas Anderson has just created a truly great film, full of memorable images and lines. Although central to the film, the themes of religion and capitalism are allowed to exist without heavy handed interference from Anderson. Ultimately, neither come out of the other side smelling of roses.

The reason this film only scores 9/10 is due to the score. Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is responsible for the score which Tarantino complimented as "one of the great modern original soundtracks of the last decade" but it just didn't agree with me.

FILM: Rendition (6/10)

Why did I watch it?

I remember thinking that this film looked worth watching when it came out at the cinema. I was interested in the concept of extraordinary rendition and how it could happen. Anyway, five years later I finally got around to watching it.

What's it all about?

As the title suggests, its all about the controversial CIA practice of moving terror suspects to countries other than the US for interrogation purposes. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a CIA analyst caught up in the rendition of an Egyptian American chemical engineer (same profession as me!) Anwar to a North African country and the hands of the local police chief. At the same time Reese Witherspoon plays the suspects wife, desperately trying to track down her husbands whereabouts after he seemingly disappears during a flight home. Meryl Streep turns up as Gyllenhaal's boss.

Should you watch it?
Inevitably Rendition poses some questions about the justification of rendition and its breaching of human rights. The film doesn't really answer them either way, especially considering the ambiguous ending. If the screenplay was intending to make a specific point I think I missed it, although if it was being delivered by Gyllenhaal that is hardly surprising. His character is tepid, and that's being kind and seems pretty nonplussed with everything from the off so it was difficult to notice any change in his character after witnessing rendition first hand.
At the other end, Witherspoon fares slightly better with her performance as the desperate wife. Screeching aside, it was beneficial to see the impact of rendition and difficulties in finding information from the point of view of the family.
To give the screenplay some credit, the intertwining stories of the rendition and the local terrorist cell does create some tension which moves the film along.

A fairly run of the mill political thriller with some intriguing plotlines.

BOOK: Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies, Brian Coleman (7/10)

Why did I read it?

As more than a casual fan of hip-hop, especially of hip-hop from days gone by, this book was essential reading once I stumbled across it.

What's it all about?
Brian Coleman interviewed the artists responsible for some of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. He presents the interviews as each artist discusses the creation of their work from the birth of the act through to the recording of the particular album. The list includes the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, De La Soul, The Beastie Boys and Too $hort. Coleman then presents a track by track breakdown of each particular album giving the artists the opportunity to explain the inspiration behind each track.  

Should you read it?

This book is not for casual readers, only interested music fans will enjoy the detailed descriptions of the recording processes and instruments used in producing these 'immortal rap albums'. I highlight this quote as every reader will have an opinion on the albums selected and I have to admit my interest waned during the chapters for artists I had very limited or no knowledge of. I understand that Coleman completed fifty interviews yet only thirty-six were included and I think the book would have been benefited from being a more definitive collection with these included. The albums selected predominantly range from the late 80s to the early 90s with a few exceptions. Again some would argue that this is the 'golden era' of hip-hop but there are many great albums from outside of that period, in particular from the West Coast.

Grumbles over the selection aside, the book gives a fascinating first hand insight into the creative side of these artists and their recording processes. What is interesting is how diverse the production of each album was at the time. The development of each album was unique from the recording of demos and earning of record deals through to the production and sampling processes used by the various artists and producers.