Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread is a prime example of a film with obvious Oscar ambitions, which it manages to pull off thanks to convincing performances (Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville) and a solid premise. However, despite these quality attributes, what bothered me personally about the film was its overly plodding pace and the absence of the more tense scenes that the script literally invited. In terms of acting, I liked the dinner for two and the delirium in illness scenes. I'm aware that I witnessed an acting tour-de-force and a well-written piece, but I was not captivated and intrigued by its tones enough to go higher with my rating. (09/04/2020)

It pretends to be a posh romance targeted solely at a distinguished audience, which even the silent coughing takes as the grossest vulgarity. However, nothing could be further from the truth, because beneath the surface it boils through the intense subliminal tension of relationships, from which the Mrštík brothers would be captivated by the black-humorous bliss. It is definitely not for everyone (but not in the sense that it is targeted at more demanding viewer), there are a lot of those who will probably like the first half that is more tragic whereas other may prefer the second one that is more pathological and vice versa. At the same time, they go hand in hand and one without the other would not work. Day-Lewis fully deserves to be praised for this performance. It´s not surprising though. However, the fact that the duo Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville is not outshined by him, nor they are just a sparring partner to him, but they manage to keep up with him, despite less grateful roles, is not so often mentioned. But it should have been mentioned. As for Anderson, it is slightly worse, because from his complex filmmaking performance it is difficult to determine whether he is a better cameraman, screenwriter or director. For most of the film makers the Phantom Thread movie would be the highlight of their career and for the rest of their professional life they would strive to make something as good as that. As for Anderson, this movie is the third from the end. And he is still at the beginning of his career. (30/01/2018)

This is what Basic Instinct could have looked like in the sixties. Lots of dark thoughts and inner motivations wrapped up in the irresistibly aristocratic style of the mid-twentieth century British bourgeoisie. A clash of two completely different personalities, a duel of two strong characters, a battle of an outwardly powerful man vs an inwardly even more powerful woman. There's no point in addressing the fact that Paul Thomas Anderson is a master of emotions, Daniel Day-Lewis plays "the grand finale" and Vicky Krieps doesn't act but just "is". Is there any point in addressing why this strong melodrama, heading towards a crushing finale, suddenly turns towards black-humour in the very end? That is such a shame! If that doesn't bother you, you’ll have a five-star experience. (02/04/2018)

The film was mind-numbingly boring. The already slow pace of the story was slowed down even more by long shots without any action, in which the highlight was a creaking door. Given such circumstances, the running time was simply too much to bear. The only thing I appreciated about the film was Daniel Day-Lewis' performance and great costumes. (12/09/2018)

The aesthetics and thoroughness are so phenomenal that I only regret the amount of space Reynolds' ego receives in the story. If his repetitive manners and utmost despotism were replaced by the richer background of Alma or Cyril, this deliberately unpaced, original, and falsely dramatized display of audiovisual beauty would perhaps have reached even the unattainable. (31/01/2018)