Movies
Is oil more valuable than blood? Opinions vary, but director Paul Thomas Anderson has a very definite viewpoint in “There Will Be Blood,” his epic look at a ruthless oilman working the untapped fields of Southern California in the late 19th and early 20th century. In a story loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel, “Oil!,” Daniel Day-Lewis does a masterful job as Daniel Plainview, who rises from primitive solo toiling in the wells to overseeing an empire, leaving personal and professional detritus in his wake. Although the performance is a dead-on John Huston imitation, it’s also a winner. A century later, not much has changed — people are still lusting after oil. This just gives you an enlightening glimpse into how it all got started. (Paramount Vantage, in theaters now)
Television
By the time you say “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” the ball has probably dropped and you missed the arrival of the new year. Hey, it could be worse. They could slip co-host Ryan Seacrest’s name in there, too. This year’s extravaganza will take place with the venerable Clark calling the play-by-play from New York while many party elsewhere, especially in Los Angeles. Featured on the show this year are three-time Grammy winner Fergie, along with OneRepublic, Natasha Bedingfield and many others. There will also be video reports from New Year’s Eve celebrations going on around the world. Let’s face it, a celebration is in order when Dick Clark makes any television appearance, let alone his 36th annual. (ABC, Monday, 10 p.m. EST)
DVD
Sometimes you watch a movie and say to the person with you, “That’s really over the top.” So what do you say when the entire movie is that way? And on purpose? “Shoot ‘Em Up” is a not-so-subtly titled action film starring Clive Owen as a man who comes upon a woman about to give birth during a shootout and protects her. But then he has to continue to protect her from a hit man’s cadre of henchmen. If you like action, there’s probably more action per frame in this one than anything released in many years, although some of it is head-shakingly unbelievable. “Shoot ‘Em Up” is out on DVD in a decent initial issue that has director commentary plus a solid making-of doc and more. Eventually, they’ll put out an over-the-top DVD package to do justice to this over-the-top film. But be patient. You can only take so much at a time. (New Line Home Video)
Books
Total annihilation of the human race sounds like the premise of a Hollywood blockbuster starring Will Smith. In 1950, it was a real fear. A Hungarian-born scientist named Leo Szilard announced that man was on the verge of creating a cobalt-clad H-bomb that was capable of covering the Earth in radioactivity and wiping out all life. It was the kind of Cold War pronouncement that sent chills into citizens and schoolchildren scurrying under their desks. In “Doomsday Men: The Real Dr. Strangelove and the Dream of the Superweapon,” author P.D. Smith chronicles the origins of this superbomb technology and the individuals behind it. There was a particular culture that saw such devices as an inevitable product of mankind, and Smith adeptly explains it all in the context of those tense times. I’m going to let someone else call this book an explosive look at a volatile time, because I won’t. (St. Martin’s Press)