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.
The last time I watched this (more than two decades ago), I was still majorly impressed watching a long(ish) tracking shot. And, fair enough, Anderson shows plenty of flair and offers up a nice mix of drama and (light) comedy. Boogie Nights is a film that bristles with energy, but I don't think it's still up there with the best. The cast is on point, Anderson does a great job capturing the setting, but the runtime's a little excessive (which is the result of the big cast of characters, but still) and the genre switch at the end didn't work that well. But if you haven't seen this one yet and you have some time to spare, you could do a lot worse.Read all
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. 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. 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.