Phantom Thread (2017)

This winter has been wacky. Deep freeze days followed by oddly warm and sunny days. It's climate change, friends. We're doomed. But enough about that fun stuff. I just haven't been going to the movies as much. It's not just due to the weather, thanks to the popularity of what's playing a my local fave, Cinemapolis, they've held over the same 5 movies week after week. Hey, they've got bills to pay like the rest of us. But I have seen everything currently playing, some of the films twice.

One film I saw that I didn't write about is Phantom Thread. It was a totally overwhelming film filled with What-In-The-Hell-Is-Happening. By now, everyone has heard that this is the film that drove Daniel Day-Lewis to retire from acting due to the mental anguish caused by the role. See the movie, you'll understand how playing Reynolds Woodcock pushed him over the edge.

Reynolds Woodcock.

Let's talk about that for a minute, shall we? Just say that name out loud, it's hilarious. I've said it to several people who have seen the movie(and some who have not) and it almost always elicits giggles. DDL is rumored to have come up with that name. Paul Thomas Anderson thought it was so ridiculous, but went with it. Why not? Reynolds Woodcock is a ridiculous character who sees the ghost of his mother, only truly trusts his sister, thinks he is cursed, and wants everyone in his orbit to obey his rules and follow his routines with extreme precision. Naturally, someone comes along to upset Mr. Woodcock's apple cart.

Reynolds meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), who seems at first to be just another attractive young woman Mr. Woodcock fancies, but turns out to be more of a match than he bargained for. She shakes things up, and then the power struggle begins. All the while this story is playing out the style and design of the film emerge as co-stars. Its gorgeous, and lest I forget to mention the score! So see this movie, maybe just once. And then say to yourself 'Reynolds Woodcock'. And chuckle. Because you, like me, are secretly 13 years old.