Movies
The camera work, the use of color, the crazy soundtrack, and the quirky characters all indicate that this is not a film made by a director for hire, but conforming to a clear vision.
From a professional and critical point of view, Magnolia is probably PTA's most accomplished film. It's a three hour long ensemble film that feels playful, energetic and upbeat.
PT Anderson's first real feature film. Though I was quite the Anderson fan in the past, this film has always escaped me. My opinion of his work's a bit more nuanced nowadays, but it was pretty fun catching up with Hard Eight. It's a film that shows plenty of glimpses of Anderson's talent, though ultimately lacks the refinement of his best work. John is a gambler down on his luck. Sydney, a master conman, feels sorry for John and decides to help him out. Sydney wants to pass on his knowledge and gives him some lessons, but he'll soon discover why things tend to go south for John. Still, he's dedicated to getting his pupil's life back on track, even when John kidnaps the guy that harassed his overnight wife. A few minor, quirky details and a superb cast keep this film on the rails. Anderson already shows off a couple of shorter long takes, the plot and dialogues are playful and the actors give it their best, other than that it's all rather expected and not very distinctive. Just a fun crime flick made by a director who would go on to much bigger things in his career. Read all
So while most of the world is moving on from 80s to 90s nostalgia, Paul Thomas Anderson comes with his ode to the 70s. As someone with little interest in nostalgia, even less so in the 70s, I figured this wasn't really going to be a film for me. What I didn't expect was such a flat and lifeless film. When Gary first sees Alana, he's immediately smitten. Gary's a smooth talker, but Alana doesn't really trust him right away. Even so, they become good friends and spend most of their time together. Gary tries to make it as an actor, while Alana is more interested in politics and changing the world. The 70s vibe is on point, seeing as how I didn't like it all. I also didn't care much for the romance between Gary and Alana, and with that, it became painfully clear that this film has very little to offer. PTA's playfulness is completely absent, the cinematography and score are utterly boring, the plot meandering and stretched thin. One of his worst.Read all
Dreary, lustless and dusty drama. While there are lots of attempts to make this a lofty drama, the disappointing cinematography, overstated acting and total absence of interesting characters make this overly long film a real plight to sit through.