One of the year’s most highly-anticipated films is screening tonight in San Francisco. Bay Area cinephiles, get thee to the Castro! RT was on the scene earlier today with the very first person in line.
Paul Thomas Anderson‘s upcoming There Will Be Blood won’t be out until Christmas, and it’s only had a handful of festival and industry screenings thus far. But by all early indications, the period piece about greed, corruption, and oil in turn of the century Texas will not only please the pants off avowed Anderson fans, but might turn out to be a serious Oscar contender.
Adapted from the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood stars powerhouse Daniel Day-Lewis as a money-hungry oil tycoon and rising star Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) as a baby-faced young preacher. The two face off against each other amid the landscape of the dusty plains.
Having only been shown to lucky Austinites (at Fantastic Fest 3) and a select group of LA journalists thus far, There Will Be Blood is the hot ticket for geeks and film writers tonight. The benefit screening will assuredly draw hungry fans, professional and plebe alike, which means we’re likely only a day away from an official Tomatometer rating.
Naturally, we ventured to the box office early this afternoon to make sure we snagged our tickets — after all, it’s an event so huge that fans and journalists are flying in from Los Angeles and beyond tonight, just to see Anderson’s opus. The scene at 2pm was serene as your normal Monday afternoon and we handily scored our passes, although a modest line had formed. Anderson has his zealous fans, for sure, but what kind of impassioned enthusiasts would line up hours and hours and hours before the screening?
Eighteen-year-old Griffin Clark was standing in line this afternoon, but by evening he’ll stroll through the theater doors to get his pick of seating. The San Francisco student had been standing in line since 7:30am for the 7:30pm screening in what he assumes will be a worthwhile twelve-hour wait — he’s read the screenplays, he’s seen every Paul Thomas Anderson film, and he knows exactly where he wants to sit tonight. We stopped to chat with Clark to see why it will be worth the wait.
Name: Griffin Clark
Age: 18
Why he’s there: “Because Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite director of all time.”
Standing in line since: 7:30am
How long has Anderson been your favorite director?
For about three years, four years.
Have you seen all of his films?
Yeah.
Which one is your favorite?
Magnolia. Hands down. They’re all great, but that one sticks out.
Have you been reading a lot about There Will Be Blood?
Yeah, I read the script for it and I’ve read the final draft, and the original first draft. I have the posters for it, I’ve been checking the site every day…
Wow. Are you from San Francisco?
Yeah, I go to SF State.
A lot of people are traveling in from all over just to come tonight…
And I would have been one of them! But it happened to be right down the block, so that’s cool. I was beyond excited.
What is it about PT Anderson’s movies?
I don’t know, it varies from each picture. But I think a common themes that carry through each film, the camera work is amazing, the realism in all of the films, just the creativity and originality.
So you’ve actually spoiled yourself by reading the script.
Yeah. From just reading the script, it’s gonna be pretty amazing. I’m not worried about it disappointing. And from what I’ve read from other reviews it’s great.
You got here at 7:30 in the morning; how long until the second person came?
Well, we kind of got here about the same time. It was us two until about 10:30. At least it’s nice to be with other Paul Thomas Anderson fans, you know? Because I know the people who are here are the dedicated ones.
