“Phantom Thread”: I’m Not Buying This Rave
Todd McCarthy used to be the most reliable movie critic and America but I’ve found myself disappointed with his assessments lately. Latest to raise my eyebrow is his review of “Phantom Thread,” in which Daniel Day-Lewis plays a 1950s English dress designer alongside newcomer Vicky Krieps as his muse in the latest from director Paul Thomas Anderson. McCarthy writes: ‘it’s a singular work played out mostly in small rooms that harks back to psychological melodramas of the 1940s/’50s but hits stylistic notes entirely its own.’ I’m not persuaded. I found Anderson’s most recent films, “The Master” and “Inherent Vice,” punishingly dull. And the one before that, “There Will Be Blood,” in spite of the brilliant Day Lewis, also left me unsatisfied. “Boogie Nights” remains his high-water mark: daring, exuberant, classic, sexy, and with one of the best ensembles ever.
