I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Club Members:
- Captain Spaulding
- Cobpyth
- Daniel M
- Deadite
- Godoggo
- mrtylerdurden
- The Sci-Fi Slob
- Seanc (President)
- Skepsis93
- Swan

So with Inherent Vice coming out in December I wanted to get this fan club started. I want to watch all six of Anderson's movies in the next few months leading up to the release of his new film. I am hoping some will join me and we can write about them here. I have not done the exact math but I think if we watch one every three weeks that will be fine. I am going to start this weekend with Hard Eight of course.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I just noticed this thread now! Maybe you should add the members of the fan club to the first post.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm going to rewatch all his films in this period, because I've rewatched some of his films fairly recently, but I'll definitely watch a few of them with you. ;)

Here's an appetizer for your PTA marathon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwcZo_lhhR8

Thought of that later on. I will rectify. Thanks for the clip. I will check it out in a bit.

"It's always good to meet a new friend. I'll see you later."

"I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido, and regular Karate."

"You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOPB9c4t0Ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uai6j_Y6CPU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiWrkLJDQCQ

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

here is my review of Hard Eight. Still hoping a couple people will join me. I will be watching Boogie Nights in about three weeks.

Seanc Hard Eight Review

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Hey i'm new here. i would like to request access into this club. I am an avid believer in the Church of PTA.

I'll add you to the list.

If you'd like to "join" some other fan clubs, you can post it in this thread:

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=35848

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

There Will Be Blood might be my favorite film of the 2000's. By favorite I mean the one that most impressed me, amazed me, and the one I think might be the best film over the past fifteen years. I saw it two days in a row in the theatre and a few times more on DVD, but I haven't seen it in a while. Part of the reason might be that I think less of PTA than I once did. Every time I watch Magnolia, I like it way less. I hope that's okay to say in a fan club thread, because I do think Anderson is a major director to pay attention to.

How I'd rank his films (today):

There Will Be Blood A+
Boogie Nights B+
Punch-Drunk Love B (Hasn't held up on repeat viewings, but still I'd recommend it)
The Master B (I need to watch again)
Magnolia C+ (It was much, much higher several viewings ago)
Hard Eight C- (I've no desire to sit through it a second time)

:up: :up: :up: :up: :up:

Shameless PTA devotee, right here. A few come close, but he's pretty much my favourite director. Here's how I'd rank his films, right now:

Magnolia
Punch-Drunk Love +
The Master
Boogie Nights
There Will Be Blood -
Hard Eight

http://images.static-bluray.com/prod...36_1_front.jpg

I'm not really in the business of watching films over and over (even my favourites), but I've seen them all at least twice except for Hard Eight, which is sorely in need of a rewatch on my part. The second time I saw Magnolia was an enormously powerful emotional experience that shot it straight to the top of my all-time list, and while subsequent viewings haven't been as profound (wouldn't expect them to be), it holds up beautifully and I find new things to love every time. The slight, subtle, offbeat rom-com, Punch-Drunk Love is my second favourite. It punches (no pun intended) way above its weight emotionally despite its inherent weirdness and contains one of the most surprising, funny and (for me) relatable performances of the century so far. The Master is his most enigmatic film, for sure, but it has so, so many things going for it: the stunning performances (Joaquin Phoenix gives one of the best by a male of the new millennium), the visuals and the endlessly, mysteriously compelling characters. Boogie Nights showcases his wonderfully Scorsese-esque ability to perfectly marry image and sound and an Altman-esque proficiency in elegantly corralling a huge ensemble cast. It's dark, vibrant, funny, energetic, provocative and above all, brilliant entertainment. There Will Be Blood is the only one of his films that hasn't quite held up on rewatches. I still enjoy and respect it and DDL's performance enormously, I just don't think I can say I LOVE it like I once did.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I'm also a shameless PTA fanboy. I LOVE everything he does. I think he's one of the most talented and skilled filmmakers around these days and he might be my absolute favorite director from the '90s generation.

I'll shortly give my personal opinion about his films, while Seanc is watching them. Let's start with his first one.

Hard Eight (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KficD27TssU

PTA didn't have full creative control over this film, so in the end, the result wasn't completely what he had in mind beforehand, but I still think it's a delicious little film with some flashes of filmmaking genius in it. The scene above is my personal favorite moment from the movie (together with PSH's cameo at the craps table). It contains a simple, long tracking shot and we're basically just spending a little time with Sydney, the main character, but there's so much atmosphere and mood in it. The music, the camera, the environment, Philip Baker Hall's acting... It's all so incredibly smooth and classy. I love it.
The overall film probably doesn't reach the same level as PTA's other films (over which he had full creative control), but there are a few scenes that do have that PTA magic. I'm also a big fan of films about casinos, because I think those places have something poetic and devilishly charming about them, so that's why Hard Eight also gets a special place in my heart.
All in all, it's a wonderful filmmaking debut. It's very relaxing to look at, even though there's a strange kind of tension underneath the whole story that only gets revealed at the very end.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Yeah I didn't even mention Hoffman's scene in my review but it might be my favorite although I really love the opening as well. Hoffman's scene though is just stuck in the middle, could easily be removed without anyone noticing. I mean what we get from that scene is basically what Jimmy has already told us about Sydney earlier. It is fantastic though. Hoffman being as boisterous as possible, Hall couldn't be more mellow. The kind of gunmen showdown of it all. You just know Hall's reaction would have been the same even if hard eight hit. Really fantastic scene.

I agree with you about Casinos as well Cob. There is an atmosphere that they automatically bring that is mesmerizing. I also love how film makers can use them to be the most glamorous places in the world, the most seedy, or the most low life. All depending simply on the lighting and the type of clientele that they populate them with.

I didn't know that about this not being completely PTA's vision. I don't read up on such things normally. You could have fooled me though, I think it feels completely like where he goes as a film maker. In tone, character, and narrative. Shows how ignorant I am, but We all knew that already.:dizzy:

Jep, a classic PSH scene. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOPB9c4t0Ok

Rewatching these scenes again, make me remember how much I love the music score of that movie. So deliciously moody.

Exactly.

Well, I think the greatest part of this film was his vision, but he didn't have final cut and there were some frustrating limitations because of the lower budget. The film could've been cut worse, though. He ultimately was still able to make the cuts himself and put the film together himself within the limits of the studio and under the studio's title Hard Eight instead of Sydney (which he preferred himself). In the end, I personally think the final version of the film is still a succes and I don't mind the new title at all.
It was at least good enough to earn him full creative freedom for his other pictures.

I actually agree with you a bit Skepsis on There Will Be Blood. I think it was #11 on my last top 100, and when I first watched it I was blown away, but I've seen it a few times, last time was with my brother, and whilst I still think it's really great, I wouldn't have it anywhere near #11 on my next list, although that's to do with how many other films I've watched too.

My favourite film of his is, of course, Boogie Nights. I wrote quite a bit about it when I did my top 100 and I included it as my favourite films, it's still one of my very favourite films and I always try and watch bits when its on TV, and it holds up every time. It has a great sense of humour and exuberance about it that makes the whole film a blast, it has the normal PTA touches in terms of direction and cinematography (some great long shots, especially the last scene with Bill) and interesting characters, some fantastic performances, especially from the mother and father figures in Reynolds and Moore, and a perfectly cast Mark Wahlberg. Then there's the soundtrack, and the many great individual scenes, I love Alfred Molina's show stealing scene, yeh he's known for overacting, but it's a brilliant, intense scene that captures the desperation of the characters and the world they're involved in.

I'd rank his films right now, perhaps:

1. Boogie Nights

2. The Master

3. Magnolia

4. There Will Be Blood

5. Punch-Drunk Love

6. Hard Eight

I love PTA. Big influence on me, although he always felt more like an unbelievably talented peer. When I was really into him, I could have written a book on sexuality in his films.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I think There Will Be Blood will be considered his best film over time (at least from what he has made up until now). In fact, that's already the case. It's constantly ranked as one of the top 3 best films of the 2000s decade. All the elements for a great classic are there.

I personally rank it as my fourth favorite film of his (like Daniel), but I wouldn't argue against anyone who says There Will Be Blood is "objectively" PTA's greatest cinematic achievement yet. I feel like it MIGHT become my third favorite of his after another rewatch. It's been quite a while ago.

My rankings:

1) The Master -
2) Boogie Nights -
3) Magnolia - +
4) There Will Be Blood -
5) Punch-Drunk Love - (+)
6) Hard Eight - (-)

I will discuss the films a little more in depth on the same pace as Seanc is watching them. ;)

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

For fans of Magnolia:

This is a great article about Cruise's experience as PTA's character Frank "T.J." Mackey in Magnolia (and it's also a brilliantly written analysis of said character). It really makes you want to see the film again and especially Cruise's performance!

Seanc, definitely read this before you rewatch Magnolia!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I like Magnolia but I'll stay out of this thread to avoid retaliation :)

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Good stuff Cob, thanks for sharing. I used to suscribe to that blog but have not looked at it in a very long time. I had no idea about that story. I really like the little nuggets about letting Cruise change things as well. Might be part of the reason you don't see bad performances in PTA films.

Watch his movies along with me Rauldc. You might change your mind about PTA.

Yeah, he's known for giving his actors a lot of space and he's very open-minded to new suggestions, which is, I think, one of his strong characteristics. PTA obviously has full control over everything he does as a filmmaker, but at the same time, he has that intuitive quality that somehow makes his films seem less artificial than most other movies (especially in certain specific scenes). They're more alive, more "breathing".

I think the fact that he's such a brilliant "director of actors" is one of the aspects of that particular quality of his. It's one of the reasons why I liked The Master so much. Phoenix moved particularly well in that large space PTA allowed him to move in and PHS is also an actor that's very comfortable doing that. The same goes for Cruise, Daniel Day-Lewis, Burt Reynolds (to an extent), Julianne Moore and, oddly enough, Adam Sandler! PTA knows that he doesn't have to fully control those actors, he just needs to guide them to their full potential.

What makes PTA even more brilliant, though, is that he's ALSO able to elevate the performances of actors that are more reliant on their directors (who are not necessarily worse actors because of that). The most obvious example of that is of course Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights.

I personally can't wait to see Phoenix' performance in Inherent Vice and I'm also really curious to see Benicio Del Toro's first collaboration with PTA. I think it will truly create sparks!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I'm an avid fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, and without a doubt in my mind he's one of the best directors working today.

http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/ptcb.jpg

Its so interesting to see him develop and change as a filmmaker over the years. Hard Eight is a very strong directorial debut, and while it is his weakest film by far, that is by no means a negative remark. PTA's films are about characters, very flawed and very human characters. The "Father" theme is a recurring theme in almost all his films, and Hard Eight does so with the relationship between Sydney and John. Hard Eight is a bit rough around the edges, and it lacks the flair his latter films have. But it is still a truly solid character-driven film.

Then along comes his second film Boogie Nights, a truly incredible film that I can't help but coming back to time and time again. He borrows heavily from Scorsese as well Altman here. Yet the movie is much more than just a mere copycat. He uses their style, but he adds in his own flourishes here and there. And overall we end up getting something truly remarkable. This film feels "alive", and there's so much I love about it. The characters,the music, the directing,etc. Its a wonderful film, and all the more impressive considering how young he was when he made it. Yet Boogie Nights is childs-play compared to how ambitious his next film is...

http://38.media.tumblr.com/df371aa3d...t6o2o1_500.gif

Magnolia is a remarkable piece of filmmaking through and through, and for a 3-hour film it sure as hell doesn't feel like one. The movie is a wrecking ball of emotion,drama and a study of broken characters who continue to fall further and further into despair. Every single actor in this massive ensemble cast are in top form, the direction is breathtaking, and the movie hits like a sledgehammer.Magnolia is for lack of better words,a "rollercoaster of emotion".There's still a heavy Altman/Scorsese influence here, but PTA's style is really coming into his own. Magnolia proves that he is one of the best young filmmakers out there, and the anticipation towards his next film begins.What can he possible deliver next? Where can he go from here?

Who would have known that PTA would make two consecutive masterpieces, and one of them would be starring Adam Sandler. Punch-Drunk Love is a film I can't even define under one category, in fact I don't even think I should try. It is an idiosyncratic,strange,odd,intoxicatingly beautiful little gem of a film. Convention is thrown out the window, as we witness the tale of Barry Egan. Punch-Drunk Love is a delight and for me its the film that I'll always remember PTA for, it is his bonafide masterpiece. Although that title could very well be held by his next film, a modern epic by the name of There will be Blood.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-conte...013/04/cry.gif

There will be Blood is a colossal piece of filmmaking and one of the definitive classics of the modern era. During my initial viewing I didn't care for it too much, although that is to be expected. As this is a film that has to be seen numerous times to truly get a firm grasp of how incredible it is. With cinematography so stunning, acting so phenomenal and ambition so massive this is a film i feel no avid lover of cinema should miss. Daniel Plainview is one of the most memorable characters of the last decade, and in my humble opinion one of the greatest in cinema history. This film is an epic tale of a man driven by ambition,greed and the overwhelming desire to be better than his fellow man. For such a massive film, the tale is extremely personal and grounded. I love this film unconditionally, and it truly is a modern masterpiece. Or at least it comes damn close to being one.

http://cdn.videogum.com/files/2013/03/ddl2.gif

The Master is arguably PTA's most divisive film, and for good reason.It throws away a conventional narrative out the window and it's themes are more ambiguous than before. It is a flawed film, but a great film nonetheless. Its an enthralling,absorbing film with insanely good performances,a haunting soundtrack and outright orgasmic cinematography. I do wish the film was a bit "tighter" and more focused, but I still think it is a very impressive piece of work.

And so in a few months time, we'll all be viewing PTA's latest film Inherant Vice and I couldn't be more excited. I have no idea what to expect, but I know it will be nothing short of stellar.

Has anyone else seen the "making of" film for Magnolia? It's one of my favorite making of features.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sG40zsq3kI

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Well, I still need to see Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood. Hard Eight too.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Great post, Lucas! I do have to disagree about The Master, though. I truly believe it's a flawless film.

You're right that it's more unconventional than anything PTA has done in the past and it's probably his boldest move as a filmmaker yet (except perhaps Punch-Drunk Love), but I think it worked amazingly well. Every time I see it, I get more out of it. It would not have worked if it was as "tight" as, let's say, Magnolia or Punch-Drunk Love. It's a spiritual movie about the human condition and therefore it has to be as open and limitless as possible, in my opinion, which it was.

In my previous post I was talking about how he gives a lot of "space" to his actors. Well, in The Master he also transfers onto the viewers. He does that in all of his movies of course, to an extent, but it was most notable in The Master.

I loved the film after watching it for the first time, but I was absolutely enchanted by it during my second and third viewing.

YES! I've litterally seen everything by PTA, including his short films, outtakes, making of documentaries, etc. I agree that it's very interesting to watch. Too bad Cruise isn't in it, though. I would've loved to watch some of his stuff.

I've also seen most of PTA's interviews. I'm a legitimate fanboy. :p

I also love this particular piece, called "Back Beyond", which he made out of outtakes from The Master. It's wonderfully atmospheric and a real treat for fans of the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH6-hzDnuLw

Dude, that is half his filmography including two of his three most beloved and you say you like Magnolia. We will make you a PTA fan yet. You really should watch with me. By the time Inherent Vice is released you will be salivating.

Ah, yes. But the bad news is I HATED The Master and did not like Punch Drunk Love :D

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

That was amazing. i just got so much more hyped up for IV

Nobody is perfect...except PTA.;)

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Why did you hate The Master raul?

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Why do you have my avatar?!?!

Dude, what are you doing besides trying to confuse me.:rotfl:

Hey, you stole my avatar!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

"i like kools...minty flavor"

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Going to watch Boogie Nights tonight. Just in case anyone is actually going to go through the filmography with me. Review in the next few days.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I would go through the filmography but the only pta movies I have are Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

The only one I have is Magnolia.

"You're not the boss of me, Jack. You're not the king of Dirk. I'm the boss of me. I'm the king of me. I'm Dirk Diggler. I'm the star. It's my big dick and I say when we roll."

"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."

" I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me. That's just something that I enjoy."

"See this system here? This is Hi-Fi... high fidelity. What that means is that it's the highest quality fidelity."

"Wait a minute. You come into my house, my party, to tell me about the future? That the future is tape, videotape, and not film? That it's amateurs and not professionals? I'm a filmmaker, which is why I will *never* make a movie on tape."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrGpT84G9Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZRzeUrVy1o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9siMXbuc5o

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Really loved my second viewing of Boogie Nights here is my full review:

Boogie Nights Review

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

My second favorite PTA film. It's full of fantastic individual scenes, but it also perfectly works as a flowing whole.

It's a cliché to call this film PTA's Goodfellas, but it just exactly describes this film's energetic tone and fluent quality. An absolute masterpiece.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Watching Magnolia at the moment. Loving going back through all these films. Review later gators.

"Its a dangerous thing to confuse children with angels."

" The most useless thing in the world is what's behind me."

"I have sickness all around me and you ask me my life."

"This is the regret that you make."

"And we may be through with the past but the past is not through with us."

" Sometimes people need a little help, sometimes they need to be forgiven, and sometimes they need to go to jail."

My Magnolia review. This was my third viewing. This film firmly planted itself in my top five from my first viewing. There are five movies in my life that are no brainers when people ask me my favorites. I have many other favorites, but these five are at the tip top and don't shuffle spots no matter my mood. They are perfect in every single way to me. They make me laugh, cry, and think. I love their scores, dialogue, and characters. Magnolia is one of those movies and always will be. It is the reason I am such a PTA fan boy. I would love him anyway, but this makes him one of my favorite directors. Review linked below.

Magnolia Review

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I really need to see Magnolia again. It is the only PTA film that I like currently. Punch Drunk Love is ok, and the other two I saw were rubbish.

Magnolia commentary.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I totally agree with what you said about Punch Drunk Love and Boogie Nights.

They weren't rubbish. You're just a rubbish film watcher. :p

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I've given it some thought and this is how I would rank PTA's films today:

1. The Master
2. Boogie Nights
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Inherent Vice
5. Magnolia
6. Punch-Drunk Love
7. Hard Eight

The Master is ultimately probably the only "perfect" film he's made so far for me, but I would consider my personal top five films of his strong candidates for my top 100 favorite movies list (if I made one now). Punch-Drunk Love is also truly great and Hard Eight is very solid.

What do other people think after having seen Inherent Vice (perhaps a couple of times already) now?

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I think my rankings would be the same, except Boogie Nights at the top. The bottom three are definitely those three for me. I would need to rewatch The Master, There Will Be Blood and Inherent Vice to be completely sure of their exact rankings, though.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I watched it for the second time a couple weeks ago. I am a PTA fan boy so it may seem to some like I am force feeding it but I liked it much more on a second watch. I think already having read a lot about it before I saw it really hurt my first viewing. I was too engaged the first go around, if that makes sense. I was trying to line everything up with what I had heard. It is not a hard movie to follow despite many people seeing it that way. So I just let it wash over me this time. I laughed a lot more and enjoyed the side characters much more this time. I gave it a 4/5. Which is a star higher then first viewing. Still my least favorite PTA but since I love them all that is not a slight. I can see it passing Hard Eight eventually.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Glad to hear that, Seanc! I totally agree with the fact that it's not a hard film to follow at all. Everything in it actually makes perfect sense. The plot is nowhere near as complicated as for instance Hawks' The Big Sleep.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Mine would looklike this:

1.There Will Be Blood
2.The Master
3.Magnolia
4.Punch Drunk Love
5.Inherent Vice
6.Boogie Nights
7.Hard Eight

I really have to rewatch Inherent Vice and Boogie Nights both I've only seen once. Especially the latter which I haven't seen in about five years, at most Vice would go above PDL, but I'm curious to see where Boogie fits in after a proper second watch.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

So do we all agree that the narrator character in Inherent Vice is Doc's concious? It doesn't even seem cryptic to me after the second viewing.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I gave Inherent Vice another try, worked so much better for me this time. It's weird, because this time around it worked exactly in those areas that I was disappointed in. Feels like I watched a different film or something.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHl6qQ3V1Mc

Great typical PTA mood piece, featuring some deleted scenes of Inherent Vice (like he did with The Master and Punch-Drunk Love). There are a few gorgeous shots!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Some atmospheric documentary footage from Inherent Vice:

http://cigsandredvines.blogspot.be/2...-doc-from.html

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

for what I've seen from him...

1- Magnolia
2- Boogie Nights
3- There Will Be Blood
4- Punch Drunk Love
5- The Master (definitely need a rewatch)
6- Inherent Vice

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

PTA's possible next film will probably come as a huge surprise to some:

http://thefilmstage.com/news/from-do...jrs-pinocchio/

He might do Pinocchio! :eek:

An interesting possibility to say the least!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Yuck

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Well I didn't expect that.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

https://thefilmstage.com/news/watch-...-video-series/

2.5 hour documentary on his career up until now.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Oh wow thanks Cob :up:.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

https://thefilmstage.com/news/paul-t...collaboration/

http://cigsandredvines.blogspot.be/2...day-lewis.html

PTA and Daniel Day-Lewis are reportedly planning a second film collaboration!

Exciting!

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

So who is up for some PTA viewing leading up to his new film. Planning on doing one a month for the rest of the year. I want to watch them all so definitely up for whatever schedule people will join me with. If I haven't heard from anyone by Friday I will go ahead and get something rolling,

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I'm in

Are we going to be doing them in chronological order or what?

I'll definitely do Boogie Nights and Inherent Vice. Will try to join in with the others too.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Might read Inherent Vice before i watch it, read The Crying of Lot 49 by Pynchon recently.

Well @Camo mentioned Boogie Night. You guys want to start there?

Go chronological i'd say, makes more sense. Was just saying i'm going to make sure not to miss either of those as i need to see them again. Have only seen Boogie Nights once when i was 16.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

If I had to pick my faves of PTA, they'd be;

1)Magnolia
2)Boogie Nights
3)Sydney
4)Punch Drunk Love
5)There Will Be Blood
6)The Master
7)Inherent Vice

When PTA first started up I was excited because here was an American director breaking ground like Tarantino and Anderson had or would. Once he hit his complete brooding and alienation mark around the time of There Will Be Blood, I started to lose interest, and was completely repelled by his last two films, figuring them as just unnecessary stress. To me, PTA used to have something to say. What he says these days I just can't force myself to care about. I feel betrayed. It's almost as if a lot of his fans now frown at his early ambitions and instead prefer his dull and pretentious work. I call it pretentious, time will tell if I change my tune or taste, but I very much doubt I will.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

We can definitely go in order and do them all. If you guys are the only two who weigh in we will do that. I admit I was hoping to skip Hard Eight because it is the only one without a Blu-ray release so I don't own it. I can hunt it down to watch though. I like it more than most.

I don't think I fall into this category. I could probably pick Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, The Master, or Punch Drunk Love as my favorite on any given day. Boogie Nights is also one of my all time favorite movies and I think probably his funniest. Hard Eight is a and Inherent Vice is a . I love the man.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

01.There Will Be Blood
02.The Master (could be #1)
03.Punch Drunk Love
04.Magnolia
05.Inherent Vice (need to see again)
06.Boogie Nights (need to see again)
07.Hard Eight
08.Junun

I probably came off a bit ratty, sorry if I did. I'm a former fan of his work, I suppose. I just cannot relate to The Master or IV. At all. TWBB took me a couple viewings to appreciate it, which I did.

Have you seen Junun, Joel?

Probably won't see it again but i did quite enjoy it. Would be interested in PTA doing a longer documentary about something he cares about.

No you didn't and I am sorry if I acted like I took your post personally. Just responding. Bummer you don't like The Master more. Have you given it more than one shot?

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

1. The Master -
2. Boogie Nights -
3. There Will Be Blood -
4. Punch Drunk Love -
5. Magnolia - (very strong chance that this could go up on rewatch)
6. Hard Eight -
7. Inherent Vice -

I literally just saw a tiny bit of info about it on the net. Not gonna lie, doesn't seem up my alley, and I'm a musician. I'm in a foul mood right now so lol...I'm open to changing my attitude later

I have, yes. I saw it at theaters, and then again on dvd at home. The 2nd time I was at least able to enjoy Hoffman's incredible performance, but that was Hoffman for me. I did notice the amazing cienmatography and aspect and 65mm goodness all on display, sadly I just can't get down with the movie-itself. It just seemed like a broken record to me. Reminded me of the film Ghost World where Enid's art teacher shows the class her art film..."mirror, father...mirror, father...mirror, father..."

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

If nobody objects I will start a thread for Hard Eight tomorrow. You guys want to do one a moth or every two weeks?

Either works for me, Yam can decide. Looking forward to it.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I'd like to finish them all before his new one comes out, which I believe is in December so I think if we do one every two weeks I think we'll be finished with time to spare

Works for me.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

I watched Punch Drunk Love. I will try to possibly work on a write up for it.

I love Punch-Drunk Love.

My favourite superhero movie.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

A few people getting around to Hard Eight. Check out the thread and join in. Boogie Nights will be up starting tomorrow. Watched it for the third time last night. Great movie that I get a further appreciation for each time. Very surprising considering how anti-porn I am.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Definitely taking part in Boogie Nights, haven't seen it since i was 16. It's two weeks right?

Yes

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

What's your ultimate verdict after rewatching them all, @seanc?

I always call Wes my fave director but I really don't know how I can't say PTA. His run of Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk, There Will Be Blood, and The Master is absolutely astounding. I give them all easy 5/5. He is such a master of tone and character. His choices of music. I just start gushing thinking about him.

Watching them all in order The Master I think is definitely my favorite. I think you may have responded to that last week. I love how enigmatic it is despite being completely straight forward in its narrative.

Magnolia still has a special place in my heart and I am tempted to put both in my top ten actually.

I just adore Punch Drunk Love. I love the way that film handles loneliness. The role Sandler started acting for. Probably not, but it sounded good. :D

Boogie Nights is hilarious. I said it once, I said it 100 times, and will keep saying it. I abhor porn but somehow PTA draws me into that world effortlessly.

After The Master, I've accepted that PTA is my favorite director of his generation and the one I'm most excited about when a new film of his is getting released.

I did and I agreed. My love for that film is so strong and deep that it has come to the point where I think it's pretty much impossible for PTA to ever surpass it (for me) in the future. It's truly a perfect film. I'd worship him like a God if he'd ever make another film that I connect with in such a profound manner. (I almost am worshipping him like a God already, now that I think of it)

It still has my love as well. I'd actually like to see it back to back with Altman's Short Cuts someday. I'm still not sure which of those two I like better. It used to be Magnolia, but now that I'm getting "older" as a cinephile I'm more leaning towards Short Cuts. I think PTA would agree with me as he's kind of lost that energetic and youthful style that he loved to display so much in his first few films. Magnolia is still a fantastic experience, though.

It's delicious, yeah. It's kind of the "bridge picture" between his old and his new style as a filmmaker. It's a beautifully balanced film.

I'll say it again: it's the only film that came close to doing what Goodfellas did. It was one of the greatest first watches I ever had and it keeps feeling as energetic and fun as it was during that first time!

@Cobpyth Wish you would have watched with us. You articulate theme and techniques so much better than me. You probably could talk me up a star on Vice. :D I never feel like I am doing great films justice. Here is hoping Phantom Thread is amazing. When you getting it over there?

I'm afraid it's going to be released somewhere in February, here in Belgium. There's no official date yet.

Inherent Vice is still rising in reputation for me everytime I rewatch it, think about it or revisit scenes from it. It's his most difficult film to fully grasp because it's structured as a moment-by-moment flick while simultaneously setting out a complex but cohesive web of subplots that adds up to the huge paranoid drugged up mindf*ck that it actually is. There's no film to better compare it to than The Big Sleep in that regard. Both films get immensely more pleasant the more you can let go of the plot and enjoy the moments because you're sufficiently familiar with the bigger story already.

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Phantom Thread....meh....

PTA just did a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything).

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/commen...d_director_of/

I knew that I was right about which film he felt most proud of:

Question:

Answer:


Now I'm going to read the whole thing. Enjoy, PTA fans!

Didn't know that. If I recall at one point he said Magnolia was the best film he's ever made.

Believe it was actually something like "For better or worse Magnolia is the best film i'll ever make", although i read somewhere that it was a joke too. Who knows.

I looked at the thread after I posted that and he wrote that he prefers Junun. Don't know if he was being serious but I'll have to check that out some time

Re: I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club
 

Guessing PTA was a fan of Girls Trip since he said Tiffany Haddish is the actor or actress he'd like to work with most. A few people have actually told me that was hilarious. Or maybe it was The Carmichael Show i've heard that was good too.