In a new feature of this blog, I will be paying tribute to both actors and directors that I admire unashamedly. This week, we honor one PT Anderson.
Born in the San Fernando Valley, Anderson started making films at a young age. His first effort being a short mock-umentary called "The Dirk Diggler Story", which later became the epic "Boogie Nights". At the age of 23, he packed up and went to NYU film school, only to quit after a grand total of two days:
"In my first class, my teacher said 'if anyone is here to make the next Terminator 2, you're in the wrong place'. So I left. I mean, 'Terminator 2' is a pretty kick-ass movie. Then for a writing assignment I handed in a Mamet play, and got a 'C'. So I quickly realised Film School wasn't for me."
Thus he got his money back and made a short film called "Cigarettes and Coffee", which got selected into Sundance and Anderson was invited to join their Director's lab. His first full length film "Hard Eight" sported a pretty amazing cast for a first film and was well received by critics. However, his next "Boogie Nights" skyrocketed him to the upper echelons of Hollywood immediately. In my humble opinion, Boogie Nights is certainly one of the best films of the 90's, possibly even the best.
Next was "Magnolia", and you can check this previous post for my feelings on that.
He followed that with the brilliantly odd "Punch Drunk Love", which achieved the absolute miracle of not only making me not loathe Adam Sandler, but actually loving his performance instead. Who knew he could act?
His last, and by far his best, film however was the utterly mesmerising, cinematically perfect, rolling 30-year epic, "There Will Be Blood" which, again in my humble opinion, is possibly the best film of the 2000's. Of course, it didn't hurt that Daniel Day Lewis was in it either. Indeed it is his performance that makes me occasionally go limping around, bow-legged, screaming "DRAAAAAAINAGE" at anyone in my path.
"My advice to young film-makers is...I suppose...to not give a f**k."
Anderson is a wizard with the pen, as each of his scripts shows. He is a wizard with the camera (of course owing a fair amount to the school of Scorcese) but most importantly, the man knows how to create characters and get performances out of the people playing them. Look at Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights, he's fantastic! And this is the bloke that was in The Happening!
The argument has always been Tarantino vs. Anderson, and after Quentin's latest offerings (Death Proof anyone?) I've got to say that Anderson is now the don of the "young" film-maker brigade. I'm even contemplating re-watching Magnolia in honor of his brilliance.
The key word there being contemplating.
Peace,
JB.
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