Top 5 Paul Thomas Anderson Films
By Austin Johnson
Paul Thomas Anderson is probably the most efficient director that I know of. Everything that he's been behind the camera for has been something I truly respect and love. PTA is someone who doesn’t dick around at all when it comes to making films, as he has written the script for every project he has directed. He has also been known for working on countless music videos and shorts. In 1988, PTA released a short called The Dirk Diggler Story. If you read that and know that name, you’re smiling ear to ear just like I am. A few years later, he released another short called Cigarettes & Coffee. This is the short that would give us a glimpse into PTA’s cinematic mind. It’s a simple short about some people’s lives intertwining, an idea that would be revisited in 1999 for Paul’s third film.
His debut film, Hard Eight, easily his least recognizable title, was released in 1996. His brilliance shows through the cast of actors he was able to get on board with his exquisite writing ability. A year later, Boogie Nights came out and then everyone’s head was turned. It got him his first of eight Oscar nominations and a box office haul of about 45 million dollars. He was just 27 at the time, and everyone in the film realm thought they had just witnessed the birth of a new Martin Scorsese. Instead, we got a dark-minded genius who has mastered the craft of filmmaking. After 20 plus years of showing us his artistry, we now have someone who is like no one else. We have a man who specializes in loneliness, regret, and dysfunction. If you read or listen to Filmgazm, you know that I have a lot of “favorites.” My passion for films just oozes out of me and I can’t fucking help it! I have a group of directors I am in love with. Every director’s Top 5 that I have done so far has been someone in my pantheon of favorite directors. But, PTA has 8 films, similar to QT in volume, and I just adore every single one. The box office would disagree with me, but who gives a shit? Since when did that reflect what a good film is? From my perspective, PTA has a very high batting average. He may not churn shit out every year, but when he steps up to the plate, I expect a home run, and that’s what I’ve gotten every single time. Also, he’s married to Maya Rudolph with four children. That’s just fantastic.
His debut film, Hard Eight, easily his least recognizable title, was released in 1996. His brilliance shows through the cast of actors he was able to get on board with his exquisite writing ability. A year later, Boogie Nights came out and then everyone’s head was turned. It got him his first of eight Oscar nominations and a box office haul of about 45 million dollars. He was just 27 at the time, and everyone in the film realm thought they had just witnessed the birth of a new Martin Scorsese. Instead, we got a dark-minded genius who has mastered the craft of filmmaking. After 20 plus years of showing us his artistry, we now have someone who is like no one else. We have a man who specializes in loneliness, regret, and dysfunction. If you read or listen to Filmgazm, you know that I have a lot of “favorites.” My passion for films just oozes out of me and I can’t fucking help it! I have a group of directors I am in love with. Every director’s Top 5 that I have done so far has been someone in my pantheon of favorite directors. But, PTA has 8 films, similar to QT in volume, and I just adore every single one. The box office would disagree with me, but who gives a shit? Since when did that reflect what a good film is? From my perspective, PTA has a very high batting average. He may not churn shit out every year, but when he steps up to the plate, I expect a home run, and that’s what I’ve gotten every single time. Also, he’s married to Maya Rudolph with four children. That’s just fantastic.
5.) Inherent Vice (2014)
“Inherent vice in a maritime insurance policy is anything that you can't avoid. Eggs break, chocolate melts, glass shatters, and Doc wondered what that meant when it applied to ex-old ladies.”
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I’ve had a real fun relationship with Inherent Vice. It’s one of the only films that actually feels like a drug. It’s as if you’re in a haze for two and a half hours, following the drug induced private investigator, Doc (Joaquin Phoenix). Very rarely do we see PTA direct something that isn’t from his own mind, but he brilliantly adapted Thomas Pynchon’s novel of the same name for this one. Honestly, I’ve read Pynchon’s novel and I truly believe that Paul took the story to the next level. The film might be a little less coherent to most viewers, but it’s one hell of a ride if you stay on board. PTA was even nominated by the Academy for Best Adapted Screenplay and the film was also up for Best Costume Design. Rightly so in my opinion, due to the fact that their version of 1970's L.A. looks so damn good in the film. You will laugh hysterically and be as obsessed with this film as I am, or you will turn it off after 15 minutes. The film completely failed at the box office, probably something to do with PTA and his lack of care when it comes to advertising his films. Bloody hell, we get to see Josh Brolin eat a bunch of Doc’s marijuana in Inherent Vice! All I ask is that you take the plunge with Doc in trying to find his former girlfriend who disappears.
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4.) Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
“I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger
than anything you can imagine.” |
All Filmgazm readers/listeners should expect an Adam Sandler Top 5 at some point, and know that this will make the cut. This is quite possibly the strangest film that PTA has conjured up and it’s totally original. It’s a simple love story with lots of pudding distracting you along the way. Sandler rumbles around on the screen with a vulnerability that we just don’t see from him very often. Emily Watson is so pretty and so believable as Lena, a quiet woman who finds Barry’s (Sandler) madness to be intriguing. We are blessed here with PTA and PSH’s 4th consecutive collaboration, a brilliant partnership if I do say so myself. PSH plays a hostile mattress salesman that should’ve had his own film at some point. We deserve more Dean Trumbell! Punch-Drunk didn’t even break even at the box office, and got a little recognition during award season from the Golden Globes for Sandler’s efforts. This one is truly a hit or miss for watchers, but it’s only an hour and a half so go check it out for yourself.
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3.) Boogie Nights (1997)
“What can you expect when you're on top? You know? It's like Napoleon. When he was the king, you know, people were just constantly trying to conquer him, you know, in the Roman Empire. So, it's history repeating itself all over again.”
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Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nicole Ari Parker, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Luis Guzman, Heather Graham, and Alfred Molina! Holy shit! What a cast! All of those talented actors joined forces in '97 for a two and a half hour epic about the porn industry in California. The film is set in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the golden age of pornography. There’s not a lot I can do to sell this film. Either you are interested in watching these eccentric characters go through their separate journeys through the porn industry, or you aren’t into this sort of thing. This film shows PTA’s incredible ability to introduce and develop characters wonderfully. The music, the colors, and the aesthetics are all just perfect. This is PTA’s second film ever, but it actually made around 45 million dollars at the box office on a simple budget of 15 million. The Academy nominated both Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds for supporting roles, as well as PTA for original screenplay.
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2.) There Will Be Blood (2007)
“Can I build around fifty miles of Tehachapi
Mountains? Don't be thick in front of me, Al.” |
Hailed as one of the greatest films of the 21st century by most, There Will Be Blood didn’t even win the Best Picture award, thanks to the Coen Bros' No Country For Old Men. It’s one of the all time, “any other year” films. Meaning, any other year, There Will Be Blood would’ve had a better chance at taking the big award home. It’s the PTA film that combines directorial and acting efficiency with Daniel Day-Lewis just perfectly. Two men at the tippy-top of their craft, producing this classic that will be rewatched for decades to come. The inspiration for this masterpiece is a novel called Oil! by Upton Sinclair. I’ve read a couple bits here and there, but the stories are quite different. Again, PTA takes the source material through the fucking roof and spins it in an even darker way. DDL is flawless as Daniel Plainview and won the Oscar for Best Actor. The film also received an Oscar for Best Cinematography and another six nominations, equaling the amount that No Country received. This is PTA’s most successful film, raking in a solid 75 million dollars on a 25 million dollar budget. If you haven’t seen There Will Be Blood, then I don’t know what to tell you, because I simply can’t imagine going through life without having the pleasure of watching this perfect film.
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1.) Magnolia (1999)
“And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that this is not just 'Something That Happened.' This cannot be 'One of Those Things... '
This, please, cannot be that. And for what I would like to say, I can't. This Was Not Just A Matter Of Chance. Ohhhh. These strange things happen all the time.” |
1999 has a case to be the greatest year in film history. Brian Raftery even wrote a book called Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen. It goes in depth on the year all together, and I highly recommend it to any film connoisseur. During that year, when I was 4 years old, PTA released Magnolia, with a budget of 37 million dollars. It made about 50 million at the box office, even though viewers and critics were completely torn on what they had just seen. It’s a three hour film that has more ambition and creativity than any film I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching in my 24-year life. My love for these films may have something to do with PTA and his recurring cast members. My love for these films also may have something to do with the actors who have only appeared once in his filmography. Among those is Tom Cruise, who was nominated by the Academy for his role of Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia. Another two nominations were given to Aimee Mann for original song and PTA for original screenplay. I had a friend ask me a couple days ago, “what’s your favorite film of all time?” I simply replied, “Magnolia.”
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