Pane
      9
      March
      26,
      2008
      A&E
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘There
      will
      be
      blood’
      gets
      rave
      review
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      first
      14
      minutes
      of
      silence
      doesn't
      take
      away
      from
      the
      movie
      s
      brilliance
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Adam
      Morrison
     
     
      The
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      the
      first
      14
      minutes,
      there
      is
      no
     
     
      dialog.
      It
      shows
      Paul
      Thomas
     
     
      Anderson’s
      confidence
      in
      his
      direct-
     
     
      ing
      skills,
      being
      able
      to
      keep
      our
     
     
      attention
      through
      his
      use
      of
      sound
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      cinematography.
      Spanning
      1898
     
     
      to
      1927,
      it’s
      a
      fascinating
      character
     
     
      study
      and
      an
      exercise
      in
      brilliant
     
     
      craftsmanship.
      Much
      has
      been
      made
     
     
      of
      Daniel
      Day
      Lewis’s
      performance
     
     
      as
      Daniel
      Plainview,
      a
      self
      described
     
     
      oil
      man.
      He
      completely
      loses
      him-
     
     
      self
      in
      the
      role,
      becoming
      a
      hateful
     
     
      and
      success
      driven
      shell
      of
      a
      man,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Will
      Ferrell
      and
      crew
      bring
      back
      a
      piece
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      basketball
      history
      in
      ‘Semi-Pro’
     
     
      The
      ABA
      made
      serious
      contributions
      to
      basketball
      as
      we
      know
      it
     
     
      today
      including
      the
      three-point
      rule
      and
      slam-dunk
      competition
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      ‘Semi-Pro’,
     
     
      Will
      Ferrell
     
     
      plays
      Jackie
     
     
      Moon,
      a
      one-hit
     
     
      wonder
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Basketball
     
     
      Association
     
     
      (ABA).
     
     
      Soon
      after,
      the
     
     
      A
      B
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      ‘wp
      four
      i
     
     
      teams
      will
      be
      absorbed
      into
      he
     
     
      league.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      reality,
      the
      ABA,
      founded
      in
     
     
      1967,
      was
      a
      competing
      league
      with
     
     
      the
      NBA,
      distinguishing
      itself
      with
      a
     
     
      more
      open-style
      play,
      and
      different
     
     
      rules
      such
      as
      a
      30-second
      shotclock,
     
     
      instead
      of
      the
      NBA’s
      24-second
      type
     
     
      of
      play,
      and
      the
      ABA
      was
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      pioneer
      professional
      league’s
      to
      test
     
     
      the
      three-point
      line.
     
    

    
     
      It
      also
      pioneered
      the
      crowd-pleas-
     
     
      ing
      slam-dunk
      competition
      in
      1976.
     
    

    
     
      The
      ABA
      proved
      to
      be
      quite
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      competition
     
     
      for
      the
      NBA,
     
     
      ‘catching
      on
     
     
      appeal
      with
     
     
      ‘ifans,
      but
      with
     
     
      o
      television
     
     
      Jcontract
      and
     
     
      financial
      loss-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      move
      acpended
      more
      on
      business
     
     
      relations,
      and
      nothing
      to
      do
      with
      the
     
     
      placement
      of
      the
      teams.
      The
      teams
     
     
      absorbed
      were
      the
      Denver
      Nuggets,
     
     
      Indiana
      Pacers,
      New
      York
      Nets
      and
     
     
      the
      San
      Antonio
      Spurs.
     
    

    
     
      Jackie
      Moon’s
      Flint
      Tropics
      are
      a
     
     
      fictionalized
      team
      and
      Jackie
      Moon
     
     
      is
      simply
      just
      a
      character.
      But
     
     
      despite
      it’s
      fictionalization
      of
      the
     
     
      league,
      ‘Semi-Pro’
      may
      have
      rejuve-
     
     
      nated
      a
      forgotten
      league
      which
     
     
      changed
      the
      face
      of
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      world’s
      most
      popular
      games.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      saying
      “I’ve
      got
      a
      competition
      in
      me.
     
     
      I
      don’t
      want
      anyone
      else
      to
      succeed.
     
     
      I
      look
      at
      these
      people,
      and
      I
      see
     
     
      nothing
      worth
      liking.”
      His
      hatred
      for
     
     
      the
      common
      man
      is
      Eli
      Sunday
     
     
      (Paul
      Dano),
      a
      preacher
      of
      the
     
     
      Church
      of
      the
      Third
      Revelation.
      The
     
     
      land
      upon
      which
      the
     
     
      church
      is
      built
      has
     
     
      an
      ocean
      of
      oil
     
     
      beneath
      it.
      This
      trig-
     
     
      gers
      a
      relationship
      o
     
     
      pure
      contempt
      for
     
     
      each
      other
      starting
     
     
      when
      Plainview
     
     
      doesn’t
      let
      Eli
      bless
     
     
      the
      new
      well
      for
      the
     
     
      church
      and
      _
      sur-
     
     
      rounding
      town.
     
     
      Plainview’s
      accom-
     
     
      plice
      is
      his
      son
      and
     
     
      partner,
      H.W.
     
     
      Plainview
      (Dillon
     
     
      Freasier).
      Their
      rela-
     
     
      tionship
      is
      fascinat-
     
     
      ing
      and
      gives
      the
     
     
      film
      an
      emotional
     
     
      weight.
      When
      an
      oil
     
     
      derrick
      ~
      accident
     
     
      leaves
      H.W.
      disabled,
      it
      seems
     
     
      Plainview
      genuinely
      cares
      for
      some-
     
     
      one
      than
      besides
      himself.
      But
     
     
      Plainview’s
      decision
      regarding
      how
     
     
      to
      treat
      H.W.’s
      condition
      makes
      us
     
     
      realize
      it’ll
      affect
      his
      business,
      and
      is
     
     
      thus
      heartbreaking.
      Family
      also
     
     
      arrives
      in
      the
      form
      of
      Henry
      (Kevin
     
     
      J.
      O’Conner),
      who
      claims
      to
      be
     
     
      Daniel’s
      brother.
      This
      gives
      Daniel
     
     
      someone
      to
      confide
      in,
      but
      we
     
     
      remain
      skeptical
      as
      to
      whether
      or
      not
     
     
      he
      is
      his
      actual
      brother.
     
    

    
     
      In
      terms
      of
      direction,
      this
      is
      a
      mile-
     
     
      stone.
      Working
      again
      with
      Robert
     
     
      Elswit,
      Anderson
      shoots
      the
      sun-
     
     
      baked
      landscapes
      with
      a
      type
      of
     
     
      widescreen
      photography
      similar
      to
     
     
      epics
      of
      decades
      ago.
      When
      the
      oil
     
     
      derrick
      burns
      at
      night,
      we
      see
      only
     
     
      Daniel’s
      face
      illuminated
      by
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      flames.
      Long
      takes
      are
      an
      art
      unto
     
     
      themselves
      (Scorsese
      is
      a
      master
      at
     
     
      this),
      and
      Anderson
      employs
      several
     
     
      dazzling
      shots.
      Also
      extraordinary
      is
     
     
      the
      score
      by
      Jonny
      Greenwood,
      of
     
     
      Radiohead.
      It’s
      a
      gorgeous
      sound-
     
     
      track,
      making
      excessive
      use
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      men
      aT
      Be
      ae
     
    
   
   
    
     
      violin.
      When
      the
      film
      begins,
      it
      hits
     
     
      you
      like
      a
      brick
      in
      the
      face.
     
    

    
     
      But
      this
      would
      be
      nothing
      without
     
     
      its
      lead
      performer.
      His
      intensity
      is
     
     
      similar
      to
      what
      De
      Niro
      brought
      to
     
     
      films
      like
      Raging
      Bull.
      To
      create
     
     
      such
      a
      grandiose
      character,
      it’s
     
     
      alarming
      when
      seeing
      Day
      Lewis
      in
     
     
      interviews,
      as
      he’s
      a
      soft-spoken
     
     
      Englishman.
      It’s
      a
      testament
      to
      his
     
     
      abilities
      as
      an
      actor.
     
    

    
     
      Like
      No
      Country
      for
      Old
      Men,
     
     
      there’s
      been
      some
      debate
      regarding
     
     
      the
      ending.
      Like
      No
      Country,
      there
     
     
      is
      no
      clear
      resolution.
      It
      simply
      ends
     
     
      with
      Plainview
      saying
      “I’m
      fin-
     
     
      ished”,
      then
      fading
      to
      black.
      It’s
      an
     
     
      appropriate
      closing
      line
      for
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      better
      films
      of
      2007.
     
    

    
     
      Rating:
     
    

    
     
      ***1/2
      out
      of
      four