Over/Under Movies Explores 'There Will Be Blood' & 'The Aviator'

Welcome to another edition of Over/Under Movies, the podcast in which we choose one overrated film and one underrated film — similar in tone, genre, style, or however we may see fit — and we discuss them.

On this episode, Oktay Ege Kozak and I are joined by fellow Playlist writer Kenji Fujishima to discuss two films about American capitalism, exceptionalism, and getting what you can, while you can. We start with Paul Thomas Anderson‘s 2007 opus “There Will Be Blood,” recently crowned #1 on The New York Times‘ list of “The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far.” When a film reaches that level of acclaim, there’s always some pushback, which is the place that Kenji is coming from with PTA’s film. We assumed going in that this might be a contentious episode (giving that Oktay and I adore this film), but as always, it’s a civil, well-rounded discussion where we’re able to see all sides.

READ MORE: Daniel Day-Lewis Quits Acting, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ His Final Film

After we drink our milkshakes, we move over to old Hollywood to discuss “The Aviator,” Martin Scorsese‘s lavish Howard Hughes biopic that plays more like a passion project than a gun-for-hire gig (Scorsese took over directing reigns from Michael Mann). Despite being nominated for 11 Academy Awards (and winning 5), “The Aviator” often feels like Scorsese’s least-loved film of the 2000’s, but Kenji sets out to rescue the film’s reputation by making the case that the film does a great job both celebrating and condemning Hughes’ modern-day Icarus complex.

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