Paul Thomas Anderson Films Ranked
My Ranking of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Entire Filmography
Paul Thomas Anderson is my all time favorite director, and the only director who I can proudly say that I have watched their entire filmography. All of these movies have their strengths and weaknesses, and this list is just my personal opinions. Without further ado, here is my ranking of his 8 films.
8. Inherent Vice (2014)
Truthfully, I had a difficult time understanding what Inherent Vice was about. It was visually stimulating; Joaquin Phoenix was captivating and I like the way the Los Angeles hippie vibe was executed, but I kind of felt like the plot was going in one ear and out the other. The film is what I’d like to call a “late night stoner mystery movie”, so I’m assuming that part of my confusion was purposeful. My favorite part about this film is the scene where the psychedelic hippie pizza dinner spoofs The Last Supper. I really wanted to like this movie, but there were some serious missing pieces.
7. Hard Eight (1996)
This film is PTA’s first, and for a directorial debut it’s pretty impressive. PTA and cinematographer and frequent collaboration Robert Elswitt create an incredible work of visual art, the contrast of the glittery Las Vegas scenery and the grit of the situation that the characters get themselves into is fascinating to watch. John C. Reilly and Philip Baker Hall give incredible performances and it’s interesting to see their range as they would go on to act in other PTA projects in the future. While the movie starts out a little slow, the second half really pulls through with increased action.
6. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
It’s a little hard for me to refer to this movie without saying “the serious Adam Sandler movie”, but in all seriousness, this movie is very good. Adam Sandler gives a great performance as Barry Egan, a shy man prone to violent outbursts. It’s so refreshing to watch him play a completely different type of character, he has a lot more range as an actor than his filmography communicates. Unlike most PTA films, the protagonist in this film lives a very ordinary, uninteresting life. This movie is definitely the outlier on this list, but although this protagonist is quite different from the characters we’re used to seeing, PTA proves his range as a director and writer. I also love the Jon Brion score on this film, it’s gorgeous and sets the tone perfectly.
5. Phantom Thread (2017)
I never actually planned on watching this movie, I knew it would probably be good, but something about it just never interested me enough to put it on my watchlist. As I endlessly scrolled through HBO Max, I saw this film in the drama section. I realized that if I watched this movie, then I would have seen all PTA’s films and I decided that I would give it a shot; I’m so glad that I did. I absolutely loved this film. The way that this film is shot is exquisite (and even more impressive considering there was no official DOP). The movie is not filmed like a typical period piece, everything was shot on film using 500T and PTA and his team lowered saturation and grain to “dirty up” the shots, unlike the usual perfectly lit, manicured period pieces that we are used to seeing on the big screen. I love the way that the team used naturally occurring sunlight, it’s refreshing to see a period piece with a gritty look. This film is slow, but the best kind of slow. It’s satisfying from start to finish, and don’t think I would forget to mention Daniel Day Lewis in this movie - he’s phenomenal.
4. The Master (2012)
The acting and writing is what makes this movie as breathtaking as it is. This movie definitely contains some of the best performances in PTA movies, notably Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a great portrayal as Lancaster Dodd, an L. Ron Hubbard type, the leader of a scientology-like cult and Joaquin Phoenix stars as Freddie Quell, a veteran looking for some spiritual guidance. Once again, PTA blows it out of the water with incredible cinematography, this film was shot on 70mm and the colors and camerawork are so well executed it’s bone chilling. The way that PTA uses the camera gives us further insight into the psychological experience of the characters. This movie is a very intense and brilliant experience into the minds of unfamiliar intelligence.
3. Magnolia (1999)
This movie shook me up for days after I watched it. This was the first PTA film I watched, and my mind was blown away from the pure detail in the screenplay. You’re unaware at first, but this film comes together like a puzzle, every loose end gets tied and we are left with no questions, just feelings about what we just witnessed. This film may be the personal, introspective, and sentimental movie on this list. PTA does ensemble casts like no other in Hollywood, and this particular collection of actors might be his strongest yet, my personal favorite performance in this film being Tom Cruise. Cruise gives the performance of his career in Mongolia as a lecturer who specializes in pursuing women, when in reality he is struggling to process the death of his mother and the abandonment of his father. Child abuse serves as a major theme and the characters in this film are carrying the weight of their own childhood abuse or the effects of other people’s trama. Each of the character’s are preoccupied with their own roles in abusive cycles. During my first watch, I didn’t quite understand that one of the ways that all these characters are connected is through their shared struggles of childhood trauma, but upon my second viewing it was very apparent. Magnolia is one of those movies that I feel very deep in my soul. The emotional pain of the characters is felt through the screen and into your soul. Very few films I’ve watched I have finished watching with the same intensity as I have with Magnolia. It’s the kind of film you watch and think about the people closest to you and yourself. Everything from the beautiful soundtrack to the converging of threads makes this a very special experience.
2. There Will Be Blood (2007)
Can you think of a better title than “There Will Be Blood”? The pure power, potential, and muscle in just the title of this film sets a precedent for one of the most excellent films I have ever seen. This movie is so clean and so sharp. Every camera movement, piece of dialogue, and theme introduced is important to furthering the plot. The respect, admiration, and regard that I have for this film is unmatched. This movie is based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! published in 1926, and it’s a wild ride from the start to finish. There Will Be Blood is a character study that deals with themes of the dark side of the American Dream, false relations, and religion. This movie is complicated and intense and commands your full attention. Robert Elswitt gives this movie incredible cinematography, writing, and acting. Daniel Day-Lewis gives the performance of his career and Paul Dano is incredibly strong as well.
1. Boogie Nights (1997)
I never thought that a movie about the transition of the porn industry in the 70s and 80s would be my favorite movie of all time, but here we are. It’s hard for me to explain why exactly I like this movie so much, but it scratches a sort of itch in my brain. The cinematography, writing, acting, music, and storytelling of the metamorphosis of pornongraphy being shot on film to digital is probably one of the most incredible pieces of art I’ve ever watched. This film is an ensemble cast as well, and I love the way that PTA spends more time developing characters than plot in this movie. Family serves as the main theme, and in this film it symbolizes love, stability and safety. All of the pornstars in this movie come from broken homes and families and are brought together into a surrogate family. As an adult, I really want to work in the film industry (Hollywood, not pornongraphy) and Boogie Nights is one of the movies that reminds me why I want to work in this incredible business.
