THERE WILL BE BLOOD AVP

THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Although he began his directing career with both critical and commercial success on Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson has had to settle for only the former on most of his subsequent work. Neither Punch-Drunk Love nor Magnolia managed to cross into the mainstream despite the big-name talent involved, with audiences perhaps catching a whiff of artistic arrogance. Whatever the reason, the box-office numbers just haven’t backed up the guy most critics have already crowned the savior of American cinema. And things aren’t likely to change after There Will Be Blood, even with a score of Oscar nominations and Daniel Day Lewis’ win for Best Actor. Make no mistake, Anderson has crafted a powerful film set against the background of oil prospecting in the early 1900s; the kick-off to a modern age that was even more ruthless and cutthroat than those that came before. Daniel Plainview is a despicably soulless creation - a man stripped of all humanity - and yet Lewis’ performance is so charismatic we’re compelled to follow him into the depths of personal depravity. Anderson cops quite a bit from Terence Malick (Days of Heaven, Badlands) in terms of historical poetry, but with a psychotic twist that makes it completely his own. Based upon the political expose Oil! by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood drills into the dark psyche of its main character, making for a film that chronicles both the birth of a nation and the corruption of its soul. Extras on the classy 2-disc set include several featurettes and a B/W silent film The Story of Petroleum from 1923. THE FLICK: Research has proven that when it comes to sex, men and women are looking for two completely different experiences. One could argue that the same holds true for movies. Take for example AVP: Requiem, a film that holds about as much appeal for your average female as a full day of football and internet porn followed by an Xbox chaser. Yet for those of the XY persuasion, the idea of two monster movie franchises going head-to-head is a form of “man-nip,” a nearly irresistible cinematic concoction...no matter how bad the reviews are! And make no mistake, AVP: Requiem is a terrible movie, no matter how many acronyms it hides behind. As a follow-up to Paul W. S. Anderson’s insultingly ridiculous original, that’s quite an accomplishment, especially considering expectations for a sequel were somewhere between low and abysmal. The script by Shane Salerno (his first solo credit) lacks the invention of even the weakest slasher movie, while directors Colin & Greg Strause make little to no use of the toy box they’ve been given. Fox hands them the two coolest monsters in their movie catalog and this is the best they can come up with? I’ve staged more exciting showdowns in my bathtub! That being said, AVP scratches a particularly manly itch. Not in the slow, satisfying, “I’ll still respect you in the morning” sense; more of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am meaningless one-night-stand kind of thing. The film’s peculiar lack of commitment to establishing a core group of human survivors means anyone can die at anytime – and usually women and children go first. Initially it’s quite shocking and almost earns the Brothers Strause some credit for taking the franchise in a hard-“R” direction after the emasculated PG-13 thrills from the first film. But it soon becomes obvious that the script isn’t breaking new ground, just covering its tracks, knocking off another citizen of the backwater Colorado town whenever some preview audience pushes a button. Requiem barely qualifies as an actual movie, if you’re going by Syd Field’s screenwriting 101. But it does showcase some particularly nice effects work by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. who bring both of the famous creations back to the screen in high style. And like other flawed sci-fi / horror hybrids, it seems to inspire repeat viewings if only to confirm its status as a full-fledged wasted opportunity. THE FEATURES: Fox takes full advantage of the extra capacity and resolution on Blu-ray by including both the theatrical and unrated cuts, which footage markers to show you what’s new, along with some hi-def exclusive extras. Things begin with two sets of commentaries, one from the Strause Brothers and another with effects coordinators Woodruff and Gillis. Obviously the latter is more technical in nature, with info condensed later in featurette form anyway, so the director’s track is the more entertaining of the two. Speaking of featurettes, there are five in total (Development & Production, Post-Production, Creating the Aliens, Creating the Predalien and Predator Homeworld) which add up to around an hour of screen time. Disappointingly, these are all presented in SD. The Weyland – Yutani Archives is just the sort of Blu-ray exclusive that might tip the scales. Arranged like an interactive encyclopedia, viewers can zip through hundred of different entries to find out more information about each particular creature (reproduction, weaponry, etc) and even watching picture-in-picture video of previous encounters (i.e. footage from the first Alien and Predator films). Very comprehensive and very well done! Photo Galleries and a collection of HD Trailers wrap up disc 1. Disc 2 includes a digital copy of AVP: Requiem that can be downloaded to any PC or portable device such as an iPod. Nice added value if you want to take your extraterrestrial carnage on the go!