I Walk Through The Valley: The PTA Fan Club

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!

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

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.



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...



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.



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.



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.

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

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.

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:

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.

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Letterboxd

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

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

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"If you leave me now, in the next life you will be my sworn enemy. And I will show you no mercy"

Nobody is perfect...except PTA.

Why did you hate The Master raul?

Why do you have my avatar?!?!

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

Hey, you stole my avatar!

"i like kools...minty flavor"

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.

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

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Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds:
Fire walk with me.

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."

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

Boogie Nights Review