Rewatchables Reference

• All three agree: The oil derrick explosion – 'an incredible 10 minutes' of filmmaking.
• Bill also lists: the first 14.5 minutes with no dialogue, Daniel slapping Eli, 'I have a competition in me' with Henry, 'I've abandoned my child' baptism, the milkshake/bowling alley ending.
• Sean: Paul Sunday's visit to Daniel is an underrated scene.

• Sean: Paul Thomas Anderson grabbing the crown as the center of American moviemaking – every time he makes a movie now, people pay attention.
• Bill: The director rivalry of that era – Tarantino, PTA, Coen brothers, Nolan, Wes Anderson all pushing each other. Tarantino said this movie inspired him to step it up.

• Chris: Daniel and Henry on the beach – Henry's head in shade, Daniel's in sunlight, mirrors a famous painting. Also the wave shot carrying the camera into DDL when he's decided to kill Henry.
• Bill: Daniel falling down the hole in the beginning – falling toward the camera, looks like he's falling into hell. Also Daniel leaving his son on the train.
• Sean: Fletcher and Daniel in shadow as the derrick goes up in flames – they realize they've made it, even as they watch total destruction.

The Jonny Greenwood score during the explosion scene – the clacking percussion when Daniel carries HW back into the shack. Bill says it makes your heart race.

• Bill: The Miramax logo being jarring. Daniel's general appalling behavior.
• Sean: The oil industrial state destroying global lives.

• Chris: Daniel may have been secretly in love with Henry / secretly gay – the intimacy between them, the Pacific Ocean scene, the brothel scene. Bill is two-thirds committed to this too.
• Sean: 'There Will Be Blood' is a much better and more important movie than 'No Country for Old Men'.
• Bill: Daniel Day-Lewis cannot be considered the greatest actor ever because he never made a big commercial movie that entered the cultural zeitgeist.

• Paul Dano was only cast as Paul Sunday. Kel O'Neill was originally Eli but was fired 3 weeks in – DDL 'chewed him up.' O'Neill never acted again.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman was originally PTA's choice for the Tilford role, but PTA decided he didn't want anyone from his old movies.

• DDL declared ineligible because 'all of his choices' work.
• Paul Dano as Eli gets the nod – 'Get out of here, Ghost!'
• Sean: DDL in the milkshake scene is doing 'a whole other version of pantomime acting.'

• Sean and Bill: Jim Downey – legendary SNL head writer, also had legendary turns in 'Dirty Work' and Billy Madison ('I award you no points').
• PTA loves putting comedians in important roles (also Paul F. Tompkins in this movie).

• Bill: Philip Seymour Hoffman as Henry (the fake brother) instead of Kevin O'Connor. Also Steve Buscemi as the fake brother.
• Philip Baker Hall in the Standard Oil guy or Bandy role.
• Jon Bernthal as Fletcher (the Ciarán Hinds part).

• 'I drink your milkshake' was paraphrased from Albert Fall's testimony during the 1920s Teapot Dome scandal.
• 'No Country for Old Men' was filming so close that smoke from TWBB's fire sequences drifted into Coen brothers' shots.
• Dillon Freasier (Young HW) was found in Texas; his only acting role (one-for-one on IMDb).
• Last part filmed at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, owned by the real Doheny family.
• Jonny Greenwood's score was nominated for a Grammy but ineligible for the Oscars because it included previously used music.

• Daniel Day-Lewis: Yes.
• Paul Thomas Anderson: Yes – this sets up the next 20 years of his career. All three agree this is the first line in his obituary.
• Paul Dano: No – being the Riddler in The 'Batman' is his apex.
• Private bowling alleys: Yes.
• The era of modern, sprawling, outdoor, middle-of-nowhere movies (TWBB, No Country, Jesse James, 'Brokeback Mountain'): Yes.

• How did Daniel crawl back after breaking his leg in the well? They never show it.
• Daniel should have sniffed out the fake brother thing much earlier – he's too savvy for that.
• Why didn't Eli age during the movie? It spans ~16 years and he looks exactly the same.

• Sean: Daniel's flask.
• Chris: The real Henry's diary.
• Bill: The bowling pin that kills Eli (with blood on the side).

• Bill: Oil defeats religion.
• Sean: Stop worrying about dominating everybody.
• Bill: 'I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed' is put-it-on-my-tombstone material.

• Bill: 'No Country for Old Men'.
• Chris: Citizen Kane or Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
• Sean: Chinatown.

• Sean: PTA – conceived it and changed his career and maybe movies.
• Bill and Chris: Daniel Day-Lewis – this movie can't be great without the singular performance; no other actor alive could have done this.
• Final vote: 2-1 for DDL (Bill and Chris vs. Sean for PTA).