I've now seen our Marfa-filmed, Academy Award-nominated movies. See one of them for the cinematic experience of a really good film, even if you have to shield your eyes from the considerable violence. Don't bother with the other.
No Country for Old Men is a great film with a capital F. Artful, riveting, well acted, just beautifully done in every respect. But the violence is there, and it is,...well,...considerable. And disturbing, as the film demands it to be. I was initially disappointed that they didn't show a Van Horn scene from Cormac McCarthy's book, but it doesn't really matter. Being in No Country won't help, nor will it hinder Van Horn.
I would have walked out on There Will Be Blood, if I hadn't felt compelled to watch it for work. Sure, Daniel Day Lewis does some great acting and he has some moments of real genius, but I was far more taken with his (similar) role in The Gangs of New York. (I shocked myself by loving that one.) And it was fun to see the locals in the movie--the little boy is from Fort Davis, and the Sunday matriarch works at an art center in Marfa. The score was ridiculous, over and over building tension with no payoff whatsoever. When it was all said and done, the violence made far less sense than in No Country. Yes, you do learn the hardships endured by the early mining industry, but is that enough? Not for me.
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