The Films of P.T. Anderson
A look back at his work, from Hard Eight to There Will Be Blood
Reviews of Paul Thomas Anderson's five films thus far- Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and this year's Oscar hopeful, There Will Be Blood.
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best filmmakers working today, and yet few have even heard of the man until this year, when his latest epic There Will Be Blood garnered all sorts of Oscar attention. Blood is Anderson's fifth film, but his filmography thus far is full of gems that movie lovers won't want to miss.
Hard Eight
P.T. Anderson's first film is known as Hard Eight in America and Sydney everywhere else. Hard Eight tells the story of Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), a veteran gambler who takes John (John C. Reilly) under his wing and shows him how to win big in Vegas. As a first effort, Hard Eight is not half-bad, but it's plain to see that Anderson still has a lot to learn. The plot seems contrived and forced in some places, and it doesn't have the emotional core that makes the rest of Anderson's films so great. Recommended for those who love the rest of Anderson's work and want to see how he starts out, but if you're looking to get into Anderson for the first time, try looking at...
Boogie Nights
Probably Anderson's most famous work, Boogie Nights tells the story of Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg), a young adult breaking into the pornography industry. The attraction here is the star-studded cast, which also includes Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle and Anderson regulars Reilly, Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman Julianne Moore, and William H. Macy. In this film, Anderson weaves the stories of all these people together seamlessly against the background of the seventies porn industry. On a deeper level, it's about human flaws and the ways people attempt to conceal them. Up until Blood, this is Anderson's best film, and it's quite funny to boot.
Magnolia
Following in the vein of Boogie Nights, Magnolia also weaves together the stories of multiple characters played by big name actors and actresses. Most of the cast of Boogie Nights returns, with the notable addition of Tom Cruise as a sleazy infomercial salesman. If you enjoyed Paul Haggis' Crash, you'll see obvious parallels here (some may even say Haggis ripped Anderson off, although you could say they're both ripping off Robert Altman). Magnolia is more dramatic and poignant than Boogie Nights, but it has a climax/ending that may confuse some and amaze others.
Punch-Drunk Love
In this romantic comedy, Anderson abandons the ensemble casts of his previous two films and casts Adam Sandler as a man who lets life walk all over him- until he meets Emily Watson and falls in love. This is a bit of a departure for Anderson, but he succeeds in making a fresh and interesting film that goes much deeper than most romantic comedies. Anderson also shows off his technical skill in this one, with some truly vibrant shots that at time make you feel like you should be watching the film on a wall at a museum. Watching Sandler's character evolve throughout the movie makes this one worth a watch.
There Will Be Blood
With There Will Be Blood, Anderson has made not only the best film of the year, but perhaps the best film of the past decade. By teaming with veteran actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Anderson paints a haunting picture of turn-of-the-century oilman Daniel Plainview, in one of the most gripping character studies of all time. Set at odds with young preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview slowly devolves from ruthless businessman to something almost primative. Anderson's epic of betrayal, greed, religion, and capitalism is so deep and technically magnificent that it stands alone among his body of work.
