‘Phantom Thread’ Is The Perfect New Year’s Movie For A Cynical Year
– Slash Film
To share and celebrate making more cherished memories in 2024, I hereby inaugúrate what will become a New Year’s Eve tradition at Observation Blogger by presenting the New Year’s Eve party scene from Phantom Thread which currently sits at No. 22 on my all time favourite movie list at IMDB. If you would like to read my review of The Phantom Thread (2017) by Paul Thomas Anderson you can do so by clicking the reference at the end of this post.
Perhaps you would like to share your own ‘time capsule’ New Year’s Eve movie or favourite scene which encapsulates the anticipation and romanticism of ‘new beginnings’ that so many treasure about the New Year’s arrival.
Apart from The Phantom Thread scene below, three notable mentions for me are the following auld lang syne scenes:
- When Harry Met Sally – Rob Reiner
- Cafe Society – Woody Allen
- It’s A Wonderful Life – Frank Capra
I always felt that Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will be Blood was a homage of sorts to Orson Welles and Citizen Kane and The Phantom Thread an attempt to honor and pay tribute to Ingmar Bergman. Regarding the latter, I think the New Years event below captures perfectly the awkwardness and melancholic nature of Reynolds Woodcock. It’s an insanely romantic scene although Reynolds and Alma don’t kiss at the stroke of midnight and he scorns at her for making him go out of his way and pulls her out of the ballroom. But, the fact remains that he is there with her. Is that what Alma finds charming about him? Is this is what being in love is like? I think Reynolds realises that finding himself being there is a revelation and reinforces how much he needs Alma and dare I say, truly loves her.
I’m so grateful my friends are here to celebrate the New Year and coming in good cheer! To quote Bob Dylan at his Oscar acceptance speech in 2001:
God bless y’all with peace, tranquillity and goodwill.
Related Articles:
1. The Phantom Thread (2017) – Paul Thomas Anderson (Friday’s Finest)
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Hi Matt, Daniel Day-Lewis can do no wrong! I must try and catch this!!
I know he gets many plaudits for such portrayals like ‘Name of the Father’ and ‘There Will Be Blood’, but where I think he executes his ‘Masterpiece’ is in his final film ‘Phantom Thread’. I so hope you get to see it Sharon.
I’ll let you know Matt!
Happy New Years, your time I imagine Sharon. It’s great to spend it with you in the back and forth. I’m indebted to have your friendship.
You are welcome Matt. My cousin presents a radio show on Sundays. So I’m listening to that. It will be 2024 in about 15 minutes over here!! Heck!!!
Oh by Golly, so the clock will strike 2 minutes after this message goes out. Excuse my curiosity can I ask which radio show your cousin presents and if it’s available on line? Happy New Years!!! Woohoo
Matt, I’ll send you a link tomorrow! It’s mainly soul and reggae music though! Will that grab you?! I’ll be asleep by the time yours comes in!! 2024! Here we come!! X
To be honest soul and reggae are genres of music not so high up on my pecking order of musical tastes, but I’m always willing to learn. Yes we have awaited another arbitrary block of 365.25 days to celebrate haha. May you sleep with the clouds and then some. Sweet dreams Sharon.
Morning Matt! Thank you so much! I slept OK! Yeah, I don’t think my cousin’s music will be your bag! On a Friday night he plays more uptempto soul music and on a Sunday night, it’s more mellow, including reggae! Probably not your thing! If you are still curious, let me know and I will forward the links. Wishing you a fantastic year ahead! Have a great day! Sharon
Hey Sharon. Of course, I’d like to hear it. Thanks again for your well wishes Sharon. Cheers.
I’m afraid I don’t know “The Phantom Thread” but it does sound like a picture that could intrigue me. While in my younger years I used watch many movies on TV and on the big screen, nowadays, I very rarely watch any TV or go to the movies. Sadly, I can’t even remember the last picture I saw in a movie theater.
I know there’s likely a degree of ignorance when I say movies coming out nowadays tend to be packed with violence and special effects but are light on the art of acting and great story plots. To me a black and white picture like “Casablanca” will aways be a classic, while I will never get the appeal of a movie like “Barbie”.
Happy New Year!
During the COVID / Pandemic phase I lost touch. I didn’t go to the cinema or watch many movies. Only recently have I got back in the saddle as an avid movie viewer or cinefile.
The great old classics like Casablanca which you mentioned will always reign supreme above 99.999999% of the garbage produced today.
Sometimes; although few and far between, modern day directors the likes of Damien Chavelle, P.T.A and Coen Brothers can exhume what was so beloved about classic cinema and rejuvenate our love in this art-form. Happy New Years sir. I’m glad we crossed paths and that’s putting it mildly haha
Happy New Year Matt!
I thought I had already responded to this. Oops.
Hey Tom. Happy 2024 to you and your family!.