First, let me say I enjoyed watching "Blood" if only to see some of Lewis' tightly woven intensity after too long away.

But wow, this film is a meandering, steaming pile of Figure Out Where You're Taking The Story Before You Release The Movie.

I was alternately lost, confused by on screen developments, bored -- and occasionally mesmerized by a tight, powerfully done scene.

Sadly, those powerful moments, which hold up very well upon repeat viewings, are sandwiched in and around a story going only somewhere sort of, with a purpose that is difficult to discern.

Is this a parable for America's growth, or simply a slice of one part of the ugliness of it? Is there a story being told here, or just some atmospheric scenes being strung together to build a mood? Is the "battle" between Plainview and Eli really a plot, or more a distraction? And would those violins please stop that noise already?

Any one of these answers would have been fine, and might have made for a really enjoyable movie. Unfortunately, I never got the feeling Paul Thomas Anderson knew the answer.

A good director lets you know what part is for plot, what is for character and what is for atmosphere. The great ones, however, tell a story where all three work together more or less seamlessly. Here, I was never sure which was which, and they created no whole at all.

Or as a friend said to me, it seemed like the parts were greater than the sum of the whole.

Those individual scenes are great for trailers and retrospectives -- just don't watch the whole thing.