Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)
This film reminded me of an accidental jam session, like if a bunch of music students were doing practice exercises and you walked by at just the right moment when the various sound commingled into a pleasing whole. Everyone is just riffing independently here: Jonny Greenwood with his score, Anderson with his direction and his cinematography, Day-Lewis with his performance, Mark Tildesley with his production design, and Mark Bridges with his costume design. The movie just provides a framework for these individual artists to showcase their skills, like students at a talent show. Top prize goes Lesley Manville, who just owns the screen with her Agnes Moorehead-inspired performance. Alas, like most musical exercises, the ending is a disappointment, like a cat jumping on the piano keys reminding us of the disposability of it all.
Grade: B
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