Paul
Thomas Anderson may be the very best filmmaker currently working
(to me with Hou Hsiao-hsien and Terrence Malick). Anderson has
directed eight feature films in a career that started in 1996.
His popularity began with second and third features Boogie Nights
and Magnolia, which many still consider his best films. To me
those are significant achievements in film and hold personal significance
to developing my own personal admiration of cinema... yet they
are more just works of his own admiration of film and its rich
history and ultimately not representative of the master he has
become since. The pivotal turn came in 2002 with Punch-Drunk Love.
While that film itself is sort of adapting all that Anderson admires
of his heroes, it also sees the growth of Anderson shifting toward
a less self-conscious career and beautifully reflects his own
signature expression of loneliness with such empathy and skill.
"For
once, for once in life, I've finally felt, That someone needed
me, Because, He needs me he needs me, He needs me he needs me".
These lyrics from the great Paul Thomas Anderson's 2002 masterpiece
Punch-Drunk Love (itself directly taken from Robert Altman's 1980
film Popeye) could easily fit in any of his films. While the tone
is playful and fitting in Punch-Drunk Love the lyrics may be an
even better fit in Phantom Thread, which flawlessly shapes Anderson's
career-long emotions of loneliness and the need for someone else
to provide purpose. This resonates in all his films but never
more essentially then here, and never with such unusual empathy
and hope. It has the touch of a mature master filmmaker in full
understanding of his personal vision. For all that, Phantom Thread
may be the defining masterpiece of Anderson's career and truly
one of the significant films of the decade. The performances are
perfect and will likely grow in depth over time. Anderson's dialogue
is fantastic - finding poetry and mystery in silence between the
characters, as Phantom Thread frequently defies our expectations
with such quiet expertise which is incomparable mastery in contemporary
cinema.
I'll keep
my thoughts on this film simple, by saying there is no question
Punch-Drunk Love is one of my favorite films of all-time!! There
is so much I take from this perfect little film, but I guess essentially
Punch-Drunk Love displays the power and joy of finding freedom
and falling in love against a society of pressures and of conformity
(all while being made in a filmmaking style and expressionism
that embraces the beauty, joy, artistry and magic of films). Through
love, Barry finds redemption and strength to break through the
repressed emotional and physical window he has been
trapped into. Love gives him the strength to break out of this
window and we see this towards the end as he walks
out of The Mattress Man building by breaking through
the front doors, which (like the rest of the building and Barry's
own office) is made of glass. Next Barry must find Lena, redeem
the mileage, play the harmonium, and so here we go .
>>> Because of Anderson's visionary expression
within each visual detail as well as each emotional and physical
state of his characters, the film becomes a breathtaking experience
that could be analyzed (or simply admired) for years - and I have
attempted to do so at a website I created in 2004: SoHereWeGo
I have seen
Inherent Vice many many times now and I find each viewing unique
to another - where a moment is funny one viewing, it is suddenly
touching another time or the other way around. The great Paul
Thomas Anderson has made (with his 7th feature) a true film experience
- one that takes you into its world. I absolutely adore the dreamlike
rhythm of this film and I love how it grows with repeat viewings.
Blurring the line between fantasy and reality, Anderson has masterfully
adapted the complex depth of Thomas Pynchon's literature. Anderson
is the first filmmaker to boldly attempt an adaptation of Pynchon's
interweaving experimentation. Inherent Vice is a film that masterfully
captures a time, a place, and a way of living with a force few
filmmakers can achieve with the mastery Anderson does. The set
design and visuals heighten the intimate expressions of guilt
and fear and of loss - which Anderson ultimately makes the emotional
core of this film. The entire cast is simply flawless and the
desolate atmosphere is equally frightening and funny. The film
will inevitably be compared to the masters that have helped shaped
Anderson's cinematic form (Robert Altman and Stanley Kubrick),
yet Anderson has accomplished something remarkable with this film,
which I will never stop returning to watch!!
Underscored
by a haunting musical composition by Jonny Greenwood, Paul Thomas
Anderson's film opens on a vista landscape of a wide-open, and
uninhabited land. Then a cut to black and we are literally emerged
into darkness. A dark hole actually, where a menacing figure is
seen digging through this hole, which he soon strikes silver.
Through darkness and grueling labor this man is driven. Driven
(by greed) to never return to a hole and to claim his fortune
of the land. Over the course of the stunning opening 20 minutes
there are no words- just gestures and sounds (grunts, cries, and
music). It is here the tone is immediately set, and after a transition
to years later, dialogue arises "Ladies and gentlemen".
And so it is the start of a masterpiece tale of greed, religion,
family, deception, power, and self-interest. With his fifth feature,
Paul Thomas Anderson has done something he has never done in his
career, loosely adapting Upton Sinclair's novel (Oil!). Yet the
film is distinctly his, and you are aware of this at every turn
because of the precise handling of the grand epic. This is a classic
American film in the vein of Orson Welles, DW Griffith, John Huston,
or Stanley Kubrick, but Anderson boldly gives it his usual unconventional
touch. Essentially There Will Be Blood is a battle of two forces,
capitalism and religion, portrayed through two characters (the
oil man Daniel Plainview and the preacher Eli Sunday). Not to
go without credit is the remarkable lead performance by Daniel-Day
Lewis. Under Anderson's direction, Lewis has created one of the
most memorable characters in American film- Daniel Plainview,
a monstrous presence who's humanity comes only from his unrelenting
determination. Duality is a prominent motif of the film and this
is most expressed through the twin brothers Eli and Paul Sunday
(both played by Paul Dano). In Eli Sunday, Daniel (who "sees
the worst in people") initially finds a conflict in what
he sees as a false prophet, much in the way he is a false family
man. As the title subtly hints, kinship also lies at the core
of the film, most notably the blood kinship with Daniel: his adopted
son H.W., who he profits off of prior to his accident; his brother
Henry, who is also not of the same blood and who Daniel openly
confides in; and of course Eli, the preacher who refers to him
as Brother Daniel. When the film reaches its mind-blowing climax,
its perfectly brought to a crashing battle of survival (not only
physically but also psychologically and spiritually as well).
Daniel loses H.W. in his marriage to Eli's sister. Eli, who has
lost to brother Paul as a true prophet, is left only with Daniel.
Having lost thier family, they essentially (as competition) only
have each other and the stronger survives ("I DRINK YOUR
MILKSHAKE!"). In the end Daniel (now in a mansion) ultimately
finds himself back alone in a hole like he started in the films
opening. Completely assured of the rhythm and narrative, Paul
Thomas Anderson has achieved a bold masterwork of technical expertise.
"I'm finished!"
In all of
the great Paul Thomas Anderson's films lies an idea of capturing
the American dream and finding your place in the society (many
times through family). But the past and memories can not escape
and this comes to it's bleakest form in his sixth feature The
Master. Featuring some of the most skillfully designed moving
and still images of his masterful career, Anderson's 2012 film
is a beautiful achievement. It's a fitting follow-up to his extraordinary
2007 film There Will Be Blood - notably in the way the film expresses
dueling forces. Here those forces are much more internal and the
film concludes with a sense of doom that makes this such an unforgettable
and yet unnerving film. It is definitely Anderson's darkest and
most challenging work.
Stylistically
Licorice Pizza is an interesting follow-up to Anderson's previous
film Phantom Thread, but under the surface both share themes that
have been reflected throughout the filmmakers masterful career.
While this film is not as seemingly measured as Phantom Thread,
make no mistake that Anderson is in full control of everything
here. This film does such an amazing job of taking you into its
space, a space where characters are constantly on the run (running
towards each, or away from others, or running away from what they
really ant to say). Its hard to define this films as a straight
comedy or romance. Its a love story but not really a romance as
the love story here is about two souls who need one another. If
Phantom Thread was his Vertigo, this hangout film is his Rio Bravo...
but ultimately such simplifications are not fair to any of those
films, all of which will stand as American treasures!
Magnolia
will always hold a special place in my heart as a film that changed
the way I look and admire watching films. Paul Thomas Anderson's
third feature is an unflinching epic in which he boldly attempts
to recapture the spirit of his filmmaking legends (most notably
Robert Altman and Max Ophüls). It's sprawling, it's flawed,
it's self-conscious but Magnolia is a genuine cinematic experience
from a gifted filmmaker in the earliest development of his mastery.
Some shades are evident in characters and themes but this now
film seems to be made by a young and intense filmmaker that has
since matured.
Paul Thomas
Anderson's Boogie Nights is one of the boldest, and ultimately,
funnest films of the 1990's. Through outstanding performances
and with visual flair and a seemless blend of comedy with drama,
Anderson combines the style of Max Ophüls or Martin Scorsese,
the structure of Robert Altman, and the humanity of Jonathan Demme.
As in all PT Anderson pictures he gets the audience to sympathize
with the characters, showing that despite their "immoral"
profession they are people like anyone else. People that made
decisions in their lives, and are dealing with the consequences
that come with the decisions. Boogie Nights is brilliant in every
aspect of filmmaking. From the opening Goodfellas-esque tracking
shot to the closing Raging Bull-esque monologue, the film keeps
the viewer interested as few films can. The camera is always moving,
and the music always playing as the viewer is pulled into emotions
of the film, it's intriguing characters, and the excellent dialogue.
Paul Thomas
Anderson's first feature film Hard Eight (or originally intended
as Sydney prior to Studio demands and changes) is a wonderful
character study that will grab you from the start and never let
go. It immediately established what has become obvious, PT Anderson
is a brilliant filmmaker with intriging characters, sensational
dialogue, Reno atmposhere and fantastic camera work. Hard Eight
is a simple film which will pull you in with it's mysteries of
it's characters and their relationships. It's such an interesting
film, which is constantly doubling back on itself and revealing
new things. Anderson has a gifted ability with narrative and the
film is beautifully construction here. Of course with Hard Eight
it's the characterization within the narrative that carries the
heart of the film, and it certainly helps having such talented
actors as all the performances are outstanding: Philip Baker Hall
in his best performance since Robert Altman's Secret Honor as
Sydney, Anderson's favorite actor John C Reilly is perfect as
John, the radiant Gwyneth Paltrow as the waitress/hooker Clementine,
Samuel L Jackson as Jimmy the gangster, and even Anderson regular
Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a humorous cameo). The performances
and chemistry amongst the cast is outstanding and deeply absorbing
to watch. With every viewing you'll be drawn into the characters
and their lives, finding repeat viewings fascinating and incredibly
moving. How can you not be moved during the scene when Sydney
is on the phone with John? Or the extended sequence with Clementine,
John, and Sydney at the motel? Or the tense conversations between
Jimmy and Sydney? Sure Hard Eight has it's influences (Bob Le
Flambeur, Touchez pas au grisbi, or Jonathan Demme's Melvin and
Howard being most obvious), but this is still an original, touching,
gripping debut from an wonderfully talented filmmaker. Anderson
has such a natural filmmaking ability, and his knowledge, respect,
and understanding of films and of film history is evident throughout
his work.