As a certified glutton for punishment, I am continuing with the rankings of directors.
I've done Tarantino.
I've done the Coen Brothers.
I've done the other Anderson (WES ANDERSON).
I've done Cronenberg. (So ... many ... movies).
Now it's time PT Anderson, aka, "The Anderson who doesn't do twee and will absolutely, positively drink your milkshake."
The rules, briefly-
It has to be a PT Anderson movie. It has to be a feature-length film (sorry, Anima). It has to be fiction (sorry, Junun). And that's it. Some of these rankings may be controversial, and that's okay! Please fell free to express your contradictory and wrong opinions in the comments!
The rankings are from Awesome to Awesomest.
10. Cigarettes and Coffee. He made it for $10k. So there's that. And yet, if you pay attention, you can already see the hallmarks of his style.
9. Hard Eight. Loosely based on Cigarettes and Coffee, this was mistaken at the time for yet another Tarantino rip-off. But it is so much more.
8. Inherent Vice. A movie that you want to love, it meanders about like a goofy ersatz Big Lebowski, without the charm or tight plot, leaving you wishing it had been better. Visually and sonically it's all there, and yet ... something is missing.
7. Magnolia. Yes, many people rank this as his best film. Those people are wrong. It's a very good film, but he has done better.
6. Phantom Thread. An absolute masterpiece, and yet not a film that I want to return to. Both exquisite and off-putting, it demands your attention, but not your love.
5. Licorice Pizza. The film that Vice wanted to be, it's not trying to be a masterpiece, but it instead is just a perfect slice of life.
4. Boogie Nights. A movie that is a uniquely American tragedy, showing that the pursuit of happiness doesn't always lead to it.
3. Punch Drunk Love. I'll say it. Adam Sandler is amazing, and this movie is both a rom-com, and a subversion of the genre at the same time.
2. The Master. PT Anderson has said that this is his favorite movie. He is wrong. It is only his second best. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who was a regular in his movies before his death) steals the movie.
1. There Will Be Blood. Between the scene compositions and the score, to the repeated motifs (fatherhood, faith as opposed to knowledge, the rapacious effects of capitalism), this is a perfect American movie. I ... drink .... your .... milkshake.
So, there it is! I look forward to the astute comments that agree with me.
I've done Tarantino.
I've done the Coen Brothers.
I've done the other Anderson (WES ANDERSON).
I've done Cronenberg. (So ... many ... movies).
Now it's time PT Anderson, aka, "The Anderson who doesn't do twee and will absolutely, positively drink your milkshake."
The rules, briefly-
It has to be a PT Anderson movie. It has to be a feature-length film (sorry, Anima). It has to be fiction (sorry, Junun). And that's it. Some of these rankings may be controversial, and that's okay! Please fell free to express your contradictory and wrong opinions in the comments!
The rankings are from Awesome to Awesomest.
10. Cigarettes and Coffee. He made it for $10k. So there's that. And yet, if you pay attention, you can already see the hallmarks of his style.
9. Hard Eight. Loosely based on Cigarettes and Coffee, this was mistaken at the time for yet another Tarantino rip-off. But it is so much more.
8. Inherent Vice. A movie that you want to love, it meanders about like a goofy ersatz Big Lebowski, without the charm or tight plot, leaving you wishing it had been better. Visually and sonically it's all there, and yet ... something is missing.
7. Magnolia. Yes, many people rank this as his best film. Those people are wrong. It's a very good film, but he has done better.
6. Phantom Thread. An absolute masterpiece, and yet not a film that I want to return to. Both exquisite and off-putting, it demands your attention, but not your love.
5. Licorice Pizza. The film that Vice wanted to be, it's not trying to be a masterpiece, but it instead is just a perfect slice of life.
4. Boogie Nights. A movie that is a uniquely American tragedy, showing that the pursuit of happiness doesn't always lead to it.
3. Punch Drunk Love. I'll say it. Adam Sandler is amazing, and this movie is both a rom-com, and a subversion of the genre at the same time.
2. The Master. PT Anderson has said that this is his favorite movie. He is wrong. It is only his second best. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who was a regular in his movies before his death) steals the movie.
1. There Will Be Blood. Between the scene compositions and the score, to the repeated motifs (fatherhood, faith as opposed to knowledge, the rapacious effects of capitalism), this is a perfect American movie. I ... drink .... your .... milkshake.
So, there it is! I look forward to the astute comments that agree with me.