Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)

I cannot believe I'm only one hour into Inherent Vice. One hour has felt like two-and-a-half of this wordy low-rider. However valuable it may be for me to finish my favorite filmmaker's newest work I do not think I can bear it. It's a noir, and I suppose I didn't fully know what that meant until now. There's almost nothing but lingual play happening here. The aesthetic is cool, but it's drowsy when paired with the low-action quality of the film. Everything is informational. The acting is superb, some of the character-shaping is good. I'm sure Paul Thomas Anderson knows exactly what he's doing in his new genre, and I'm sure fans of the genre are ecstatic about the prodigy's visionary take on it. I'd say it's not for me. He's a genius in the film world, he's a technical and conceptual mastermind, but his skills are applied here to a genre that doesn't keep me engaged.