There's a moment in There Will Be Blood where Daniel Plainview stares at a burning oil derrick with maniacal glee while others panic around him. That scene captures everything fascinating about PTA's examination of capitalism, greed, and American ambition - and it's just one of many moments we unpack in this week's episode - including of course…its final scene.
Before diving into our main discussion, Ben and I get into it over Gladiator 2 (which I maintain is a perfectly entertaining time if you accept it for the ridiculous spectacle it is), and Simon takes us through Michael Bay's 13 Hours, leading to an unexpected conversation about method acting and on-set dynamics.
But the heart of this episode is our analysis of the iconic There Will Be Blood - from Paul Dano's remarkable dual performance (pulled off with just 4 days of prep) to the film's masterful exploration of how capitalism and religion feed off each other. We dig into the historical context, decode that famous milkshake monologue, and debate whether Daniel Plainview was always a monster or if success corrupted him.
Next episode: We're closing out the year with our Christmas special, featuring what will surely be a deeply competitive movie trivia showdown.
Timestamps for the chronologically-gifted:
00:00 Opening Remarks and Initial Banter
00:21 Behind the Scenes of Podcasting
00:50 Correction on Russell Crowe's Oscar Wins
02:04 Discussion on Gladiator 2
10:48 Review of The Foreigner
12:05 Michael Bay's 13 Hours
19:25 Mean Girls and Lindsay Lohan's Career
20:45 Upcoming Movies and Recommendations
24:45 Revisiting There Will Be Blood
27:05 Daniel's Descent into Capitalism
27:24 Manipulating Relationships
27:59 Curiosity and Camera Work
28:51 Moral Ambiguity and Greed
29:12 Sympathy for the Son
30:00 The Harsh Realities of Business
31:10 Religion vs. Capitalism
32:13 The Final Confrontation
33:33 The Aftermath and Reflections
42:57 The Iconic Milkshake Metaphor
51:21 Paul Dano's Performance
57:50 Upcoming Episodes and Farewell
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https://substack.com/chat/3141096
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