Request: Paul Thomas Anderson

[Llewellyn_Wells 47]

Ok, he has a few sure-thing films, but these are the ones on Netflix: The Master, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love.

 

Magnolia is on HBO GO/NOW (Inherent Vice is being added later this month, I believe).

 

And my top choice would be There Will Be Blood, but alas not streaming anywhere right now, for whatever that's worth.

 

PTA is an admired filmmaker and surely one of the best working directors if not up there as one of the all-time greats. I'd love to hear Devin and Amy talk about him for an hour.

 

Would you?

[j_scanlon 59]

Hell yeah. I have a thread that's way at the bottom now suggesting Boogie Nights v. There Will Be Blood.

[Llewellyn_Wells 47]

Hell yeah. I have a thread that's way at the bottom now suggesting Boogie Nights v. There Will Be Blood.

 

that would hurt. But if it gets a PTA episode, I'll take it!

[Muthsarah 124]

I normally argue for everything to be made into a versus. Not here.

 

PTA films...there are no logical bases for versus...es.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with an in-depth exploration of "Boogie Nights". Or "Magnolia". Or even (to a lesser extent) "The Master". The first two I am very, very, very, very, VERY on-the-fence about. So they'd be my first pick for a good 50-60 minute Amy/Devin debate. But "The Master" would be cool too. "There Will Be Blood"....eh, it felt kinda shallow. As in easy-to-understand-upon-first-viewing. A good film, certainly. But how much can you really say about such a film?

 

So yeah, if it's up to me, "Boogie Nights" or "Magnolia". I'm not saying they're his two best films (they are, really, really, really, thematically grotesque and off-putting to me, I don't know if I could even bring myself to watch either of them again, even if they were to feature in a near-future Canon episode), but there's a LOT to talk about, I must say. It'd be very fun to listen to Amy & Devin go off on either or both of these films.

[Llewellyn_Wells 47]

I normally argue for everything to be made into a versus. Not here.

 

PTA films...there are no logical bases for versus...es.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with an in-depth exploration of "Boogie Nights". Or "Magnolia". Or even (to a lesser extent) "The Master". The first two I am very, very, very, very, VERY on-the-fence about. So they'd be my first pick for a good 50-60 minute Amy/Devin debate. But "The Master" would be cool too. "There Will Be Blood"....eh, it felt kinda shallow. As in easy-to-understand-upon-first-viewing. A good film, certainly. But how much can you really say about such a film?

 

So yeah, if it's up to me, "Boogie Nights" or "Magnolia". I'm not saying they're his two best films (they are, really, really, really, thematically grotesque and off-putting to me, I don't know if I could even bring myself to watch either of them again, even if they were to feature in a near-future Canon episode), but there's a LOT to talk about, I must say. It'd be very fun to listen to Amy & Devin go off on either or both of these films.

 

I find this all pretty fascinating. I don't need everyone to love PTA, but I'd love to see you extrapolate on a voting thread for whichever movie they choose. For me, all four films you mentioned seem canon-worthy, two of which seem sure-things. That's what I love about film though: on Twitter people would get combative, but here on The Canon, I just want to know your POV.

[Llewellyn_Wells 47]

Just sayin' his birthday is Sunday June 26th, a little birthday gift next month: the first PTA Canon episode!

[Cronopio 127]

"Magnolia" vs. Altman's "Short Cuts"

[Llewellyn_Wells 47]

I just found out Amy gave THERE WILL BE BLOOD a rotten score! I wonder if she feels any differently now. This could be an interesting episode after all.

[Marsellus_H 118]

I just found out Amy gave THERE WILL BE BLOOD a rotten score! I wonder if she feels any differently now. This could be an interesting episode after all.

 

 

I really enjoyed watching THERE WILL BE BLOOD, but at the same time it's so easy to make fun of it.... It's by no means a perfect fim, I guess. To me, it goes on for about half an hour too long, and I'm not sure about Paul Dano's performance - I honestly think it's a bit one-note. (I guess the same thing could be said about Mr. Day-Lewis, but he's got just enough fucking crazy charisma to pull off such a manieristic performance).

 

Actually, what I really would love to hear is: THERE WILL BE BLOOD VS. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. We need to answer the eternal yet unsolved question, which bleak 2007 desert epic about the demise of the american dream actually IS the one true metaphor for the last Bush years, and therefore shall be inducted into the Pantheon of great films that is the canon.