TimHalbur

Easy yes for me, this is in my Top 20 favorites. The look is so bracing, the black and white has a look that feels unique, more warm greys than stark black and whites. The mood is as cool as Sweet Smell of Success or The Killing, two other favorites of mine, but with an early 60s sensibility. I'm a sucker for movies about cons, swindles and heists, but this is pushed over the top by the deeper characterizations.

I'm surprised at the lukewarm response to Seconds, it's a firm YES for me. It blew me away on first viewing with its inventiveness and cutting, dark tone.

Neither. I believe Amy has violated the code of The Canon with this one. A versus only makes sense if it is two movies that are both excellent candidates for inclusion. Neither you nor your guest provided compelling arguments in favor of either - you just chose between these two unworthy films. The low turnout and multiple votes for neither back me up. The best decision here would be to accept that the votes for NEITHER are more than the votes for either.

There Will Be Blood is a shoo-in for me. One of the most astonishing aspects of the film, to me, went unmentioned by Devon and Amy, and that is the truly historical, almost alien feel of the whole picture. I feel like PTA set out to steep the set in a time and place - and a way of talking and being - that is incredibly foreign to us today, only a hundred years later. That does make this a scary and difficult to approach movie - there's little to experience, emotionally, in this film. But I think in this case that wasn't PTA's goal, and I think that works. Also, the opening sequence with no dialogue is as stunning and effective as the D-Day invasion in Saving Private Ryan.

I'm in complete agreement with Amy on this one. Fincher's work is shallow and overrated, and while I can appreciate his stylistic approach it doesn't make up for that fact. I always feel forced into his icky worldview that is as deep as a 12-year old's fascination with bugs.