The Criterion Collection

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

There will be Blood is a masterpiece.

That being said, this film was tough to watch because I found DDL one of the most reprehensible characters I've ever seen in cinema; the fact that he kindly adopted the baby boy at the beginning (when his real father died in the mine?! blast) was overshadowed by his horrific actions later....One of the most difficult scenes to watch (at least for me) was when he denounced his hearing-impaired son when he wanted to get his blessing to get married, for no particular reason....Quite unspeakable. Throughout the film, I always got the impression that the DDL character had serious issues with women...not necessarily that he wasn't attracted to them, but there seemed to be something misogynistic in his attitude towards them, which is possibly why he didn't like the fact that his son wanted to get married...Just my theory.

The scene at the very end

[Show spoiler]when he beat the PD priest character with the bowling pin (also without apparent reason) was quite gruesome & unexpected.

For these reasons, TWBB is not a film I re-watch often (I think I've only seen it twice).

The Master was an interesting story, but I couldn't get into it because I've never been able to understand why people join cults (I've always been an independent type of person, and couldn't really relate to the characters here). I especially couldn't understand why the Joaquim Phoenix character kept following PSH around, even after being verbally abused by him. Note that I do get that a lot of folks want to belong to something bigger than themselves and/or may be looking for a surrogate family, but this type of thing still doesn't sit well with me.

My favorite part of The Master was the end,

[Show spoiler]when Phoenix broke off from the group & went his own way....The scene where he walked alone down the tree-lined road (away from the group's facility) was great.

My favorite PTA film is his first, Hard Eight (1996). IMHO, this film is amazing, and screams for a Criterion Blu release...IIRC, the current DVD of the film is OOP...

[vertigo12314]

Hard Eight was okay but it was like just a start for PTA.

Boogie Nights I can watch again and again. It's still funny and I like the influences.

Magnolia was great in parts but marred by Julianne Moore's poor performance. I had to read lots about biblical pestilence to understand the ending and that made it better but I've not returned to it.

Punchdrunk love I enjoyed but haven't returned to it.

I didn't like There will be blood because the characters didn't change much over time and they wore me down over the run time. There was good acting and cinematography but I don't need to see it again.

I loved The Master because it showed how religion attempts to cure all kinds of psychological problems

[Show spoiler]but ultimately may fail with certain people. It's less about Scientology and more about the relationship between leaders and followers and how the leader needs the followers sometimes more than the followers need the leader.

My current favourite of his.

I can't wait for Inherent Vice...

[Scottie]

Hard Eight is my favorite PTA film. It's a perfect example of neo-noir.

[Polaroid]

I wonder what films Criterion are eyeing up from PTA...

They have placeholder for PTA, so fingers crossed

[ultlife2013]

PTA should be given a crack at the criterion closet, I would like to see what he picks. I keep re watching all those criterion closet videos because I like how some of these great directors become little kids in a candy store. Directors getting excited about other films is awesome.

[The Great Owl]

I've only seen a handful of Paul Thomas Anderson films, namely Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood, but I just couldn't quite settle into the groove of them. I mean, I think that they're well-made, and I think that the director does an incredible job of amping up intensity during key moments (especially during Magnolia), but I have no real desire to sit through the films again.

The Magnolia soundtrack is ace, though.

[Mansinthe]

Magnolia was a great movie. but there will be blood was pretty boring for me.
even annoying towards the end.

[Polaroid]

I wish Magnolia was one of those 10+ hour films, I get so lost in that world, the characters and everything

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've only seen a handful of Paul Thomas Anderson films, namely Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood, but I just couldn't quite settle into the groove of them. I mean, I think that they're well-made, and I think that the director does an incredible job of amping up intensity during key moments (especially during Magnolia), but I have no real desire to sit through the films again.

The Magnolia soundtrack is ace, though.

I didn't care for There Will Be Blood when I saw it in the theaters, but it's one of those movies I can't get out of my mind. This is probably at least in part due to Daniel Day-Lewis's performance, as he was just mesmerizing. I may need to revisit TWBB.

If you haven't seen Hard Eight, check it out. It might be up right your alley.

[Helikaon]

Great discussion on PTA. My favourite living director! I think The Master, although maybe not my favourite, is perhaps the film in which he comes into his own. All previous films show a strong influence of other directors; Scorsese, Altman, Godard, Kubrick. But The Master is all PTA. I can't wait to see how he matures further in Inherent Vice!

My fav would be Punch-Drunk Love. I love thinking of it as Superman parable.

[Helikaon]

Just wanted to share something unrelated but cool. Tonight in Leiden, my hometown here in the Netherlands, they are having a Drijf-in (translation: float-in). A screening of Jaws where everyone can float in on a boat and watch it. I'm going to row there in my plastic canoe with a blanket and some beers.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

Just wanted to share something unrelated but cool. Tonight in Leiden, my hometown here in the Netherlands, they are having a Drijf-in (translation: float-in). A screening of Jaws where everyone can float in on a boat and watch it. I'm going to row there in my plastic canoe with a blanket and some beers.

Get one of those shark fins and go swimming, freak some people out

Sounds awesome though!

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

Just wanted to share something unrelated but cool. Tonight in Leiden, my hometown here in the Netherlands, they are having a Drijf-in (translation: float-in). A screening of Jaws where everyone can float in on a boat and watch it. I'm going to row there in my plastic canoe with a blanket and some beers.

That sounds really cool!

[SlickDamian]

I love PTA. I think that Magnolia is my favorite, however I really liked Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, and The Master. All fantastic films. I really need to see Hard Eight and Punch Drunk Love.
I loved the atmosphere and ambiance of Magnolia. The characters were great. Tom Cruise was fantastic, my favorite role of his along with Collateral and Risky Business. John C. Reilly was incredible as the straight as a whip cop as well.

[Cabanon]

Originally Posted by minister_x

A bit of a difference. Mostly in extras (Criterion has more, though Universal has a few novelty extras). Also in colours on the transfer. See the following:

http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=18627

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...dvd_review.htm

thanks ! will look into it but its almost triple in price compared to the standard edition. I didnt see the price difference being justified.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

There will be Blood is a masterpiece.
The Master was an interesting story,

Upton Sinclair's "Oil" was actually NOT about Mr. Nasty We All Wish We Were On Our Avatars and Quote-sigs...
He was actually a supporting plotline character, and the main story of the book was about the good deaf son and his growing sympathy toward protecting early 20th-cty. labor. Y'know, the one who wanders out of the movie, and doesn't show up for another half hour, except in occasional scenes.

But (not unlike Peter Jackson thinking that dwarf kings were more interesting than Hobbits), Anderson doesn't want to make a movie about the good deaf son.
HE wants to make a movie about the nasty, cynical, atheistic oil baron, and how he vicariously destroys the life of the sneaky, greedy, manipulative fraud tent preacher. (And doesn't die of pneumonia two chapters before the end.)

And then he goes on to make The Master, about a sneaky, greedy, manipulative fraud cult leader.
I don't mean to be overly suspicious, but might we suspect there's an overriding preoccupation in Anderson's films?

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

He got an amazing performance out of tom cruise, that last scene with him was insane. One of the best performances of his career, they should work together again for another film. I would watch that no doubt.

Tom Cruise and P.T. Anderson are both Cancer zodiac signs so that might have had something to do with it. Plus their birthdays are only 1 week apart! Born in the same time of the year, many people can relate to one another easier than others as they have similar personality qualities and idiosyncrasies, astrologically speaking. Tom Cruise in Magnolia was absolutely outstanding and still to me a career highlight. Magnolia is one of my favorite ensemble films to this day as well. I can easily re-watch that film much more than I could with a film such as Nashville, and I'm being totally honest here.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Upton Sinclair's "Oil" was actually NOT about Mr. Nasty We All Wish We Were On Our Avatars and Quote-sigs...
He was actually a supporting plotline character, and the main story of the book was about the good deaf son and his growing sympathy toward protecting early 20th-cty. labor. Y'know, the one who wanders out of the movie, and doesn't show up for another half hour, except in occasional scenes.

But (not unlike Peter Jackson thinking that dwarf kings were more interesting than Hobbits), Anderson doesn't want to make a movie about the good deaf son.
HE wants to make a movie about the nasty, cynical, atheistic oil baron, and how he vicariously destroys the life of the sneaky, greedy, manipulative fraud tent preacher. (And doesn't die of pneumonia two chapters before the end.)

And then he goes on to make The Master, about a sneaky, greedy, manipulative fraud cult leader.
I don't mean to be overly suspicious, but might we suspect there's an overriding preoccupation in Anderson's films?

if you are not enjoying the conversation, how about checking back in later? until then, we can all look forward to your next smarmy, condescending, negative post.

and unless you are one of the film's producers, you shouldn't be too concerned about the film that "HE" wants to make.

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by jw007

Tom Cruise and P.T. Anderson are both Cancer zodiac signs so that might have had something to do with it. Plus their birthdays are only 1 week apart! Born in the same time of the year, many people can relate to one another easier than others as they have similar personality qualities and idiosyncrasies, astrologically speaking. Tom Cruise in Magnolia was absolutely outstanding and still to me a career highlight. Magnolia is one of my favorite ensemble films to this day as well. I can easily re-watch that film much more than I could with a film such as Nashville, and I'm being totally honest here.

You got it, man! I wish tom cruise would make more character driven films, kind of in the vein of Collateral. He's getting up there in age and I don't think he wants to do blockbusters for the rest of his career. But I am making an assumption about that point.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

You got it, man! I wish tom cruise would make more character driven films, kind of in the vein of Collateral. He's getting up there in age and I don't think he wants to do blockbusters for the rest of his career. But I am making an assumption about that point.

The only films I think of when people talk bout him is Magnolia and Eyes Wide Shut...

I know his other films and whats he's been in, but I don't see them as good performances in any way at all and id rather shut those films out haha