I think everything he's done is great, but Inherent Vice was the point where PT disappeared so far up his own ass that I don't know if I can follow him. It wasn't quite like the work of another director... it was him, just badly done.
shareMagnolia tattoo, but never watched Boogie Nights...? Paul's been a huge influence, but never watched no Boogie Nights....?
completely agree with you on Inherent Vice, but get you some Boogie Nights STAT.
Inherent Vice is my favorite. Watched it at least a dozen times. TWBB is a Masterpiece, but only watched it 2-3 times.
Even my least favorite PTA (punch drunk love) is better than most of the shit pumped out by Holllywood today IMO.
Yeah, TWBB is my favorite (one of my favorites of all time), but like you said, all of PTA's stuff is better than the vast majority of films coming out these days.
shareSince you're "live" and there's not much else to discuss in new movies, What's your opinion of PDL? It's good on a lot of levels. I didn't hate it, but I didn't quite understand the love for it. I actually only watched it when I realized it was PTA, because the title and such didn't catch my interest. I read about it on IMDB (prior to migration) and the theories of it being a "superman"/cryptonite subplot thing, which are actually very plausible theories (but also made for a silly concept IMO). I enjoyed the scenes on an individual basis, but the movie on the whole, just didn't stand up that high for me. Maybe a 6.5-7/10. Def, my least favorite, unless I'm really missing something.
shareSorry, had to leave for a bit.
I wasn't crazy about it either. I think I feel the same way about PDL as others seem to feel about Phantom Thread, which I really enjoyed. I've only seen it once, so I really should probably watch it again before even attempting to dissect it. It's also been a very long time since I've seen it, so I had to look it up to even remember what I had rated it. I gave it a 6, at the time. That's, of course, subject to change if I enjoy it more or find something else to it the second time around. Like you, I initially watched it mainly because of PTA. I was trying to watch all of his films (only have Magnolia to see, at this point). I also initially watched it because I've been a big fan of Emily Watson, since "Breaking the Waves", and I always thought that Sandler seemed to have an almost hidden talent as a dramatic actor. I saw him in "Reign Over Me" first, and remembered certain moments from his comedies, such as "Big Daddy", where he really showed some dramatic range. His comedies are pretty much the polar opposite of my comedic taste, but I've really come to enjoy his acting in drama.
Breaking the Waves was good. I agree Sandler is a pretty good dramatic actor, as are most comedians, as even the dramatists will admit comedy is the harder genre to master. Technically its great, great acting, pacing, cinematography, and some decent humorous bits, etc. Just found it a bit silly and weird with the mini piano thing (if you haven't already, look at the theory that he is superman and his sisters are Kryptonite. The color scheme is also red/blue like Superman. It fits, but that makes it even more corny to me if it's true. There's also his office (the fortress of solitude)...the frequent flier miles thing (flying). Sounds like PTA got stoned and came up with the idea and ran with it and nobody questioned his judgement. I actually found it in a video store clearance bin for $2 and saw PTA directed it and bought it.
share