(Sep ‘25) MONTHLY MARATHON IN FILM - Paul Thomas Anderson

SEPT 2025 Monthly Film Marathon - PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON- SPOILERS

Part of me really, really hates to say this becuase the filmmaker is so mainstream and its such a boring take- but I think at this point Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite director. At the same time, of course, I’m happy to say it becuase I am such a fan of his films for such a simple reason I’ll jump into a bit later here. One of my favorite marathon month strategies for film is to curate it around a certain movie event that is happening during the month. This is all the more exciting when other people are excited for a certain film release, and I can revisist filmographies to help me understand and analyze what the creator is going for in their new project. I would be remiss if I didn’t take advantage of that for this month given that PTA typically only releases films every couple years or so (Licorice Pizza was 2021, 4 years ago). This is an event in the film-sphere that only comes once every few years so I had to jump on it.

What is perfection? Is perfection complete? Is it absolute? Is it a lack of even the most minute subtracting element? If theres a director that is within a mile of being name dropped in this context it is PTA. I have seen every single one of his feature films, some more than once, some more than twice, and as we say…PTA doesn’t miss. His worst films are still more nuanced, funny, well-constructed and HUMAN than the best movies of his peers. I will now consider his filmography in depth…

Note: I do watch a few YouTube Anlaysis videos in preperation for busting these out. Theres a few things I have learned that I will bring up here. One thing is that PTA mostly makes movies about Men and their stories. I ackoledge that this is why I feel connected to so many of them. This isn’t incorrect by any means but it’s important I think to acknowlege where any filmmaker points their focus. Also as they say- when it comes to art/creativity you should tell the story you know. I think there might be a lot of PTA personal self-psychology within his films about deeply flawed men that are trying to make sense of their relationships, and what they want. This is the psychology of most people, but PTA definetly explores it in a more masculine context, through masculine characters. In his most recent film, One Battle After Another, the movie follows a semi-retired revolutionary who has a biracial daughter. The film very much explores race in regards to the perspective of the white male protagonist and defining his role in regards to it; PTA has a biracial daughter and thus its not the biggest leap to say he’s basing some of this off of his own experiences. In any creative way, I think its gonna be beneficial to bring one’s own reference to the table. He’s telling his own story in a way.

HARD EIGHT: This is a nice film as a whole. I kinda hate Vegas/Reno aesthetics in general but Baker Hall makes it look cool af in his suits. Reiley is a perfect dolt and I was a bit suprised by Paltrow playing a character that had a little bit more depth than I recall seeing in her typical performances. Sam Jackson was also fantastic as an energy; its really cool that PTA was able to secure all these great actors with promising futures for his first feature (or perhaps the film helped them reach that status(probably both)). I like the story, I thought it was well executed. The twist at the end is brutal and it all clicks. Baker Hall is clealy the best part about this and my favorite shot is the first shot of the movie when he first meets Reiley. Overall - I’m a fan, defintely not as good as his films to come but that is expected!

BOOGIE NIGHTS

MAGNOLIA: Altman-esque in its ensembleness I guess? I have’t seen his films I don’t really know. I like how all of the characters interwtine and they are all rich in personal conflict. It reminds me that everyone has a story. If you were to turn invisable and go eavesdrop on your neighbor next door, you would learn that they are just as complicated, nuanced and multi-dimensional as you might be.

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE: I failed to catch this one this month, but I have seen it before and quite enjoyed it. I think it does a great job of showing what love can do.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD: This movie is Ameriana. Its about some men that are only motivated by power. Its about capitalism promising luxury to regular people in exhange for their exploitation. Its funny how Daniel Plainview never changed until the end. Some people never do. The whole world shouts at them that how they’re acting is so obviously wrong and they stubbornly hold their ground; do deeply intrenched. Daniel Plainview is perfectly content ravaging communities, the earth all for the purpose of him sitting in his huge mansion with no one else. Its in his blood.

“Theres some times I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I see the very worst in people.” (Paraphrased).

I can’t imagine how fasinating this one was when it came out for PTA fans that were used to Punch-Drunk-Love, Magnolia and Boogie Nights. It seems clearly to be a clear step in a much darker direction. This is the best film here but likely not my favorite.

THE MASTER: This movie holds a special place because it takes place partially in San Francisco and Salinas, CA near where I grew up and have spent time. I like any story that takes aim at any place in California that isn’t Los Angeles or the Bay Area becuase theres so much to tell and so much to show.

“You can’t take life straight, can you”

This is a character study of Freddy Quill. He’s such a unique individual and he’s not even the type that you would ever particularly like to spend a lot of time considering. He gets drunk on gasoline and slopily tries to satisfy his sexual urges. He’s the ID. He’s a hedonist and a caveman. Where can a man like that find meaning/purpose? Becuase in America, I’m sure theres plenty of them. The military? Not for long. Religion? Bingo. Who do we serve?

“If you can find a way to live without serving a master, let us know will you?”

INHERENT VICE: This is an interesting one. It’s a 70s noire which is a really cool thing to make- but it can feel long. It does have some great performances and I think it got better on a second watch. Josh Brolin as Bigfoot is hilarious and possibly his most perfect role. That guy was born to wear a flat top cut.

PHANTOM THREAD: This is such a well-made movie. And it adds so much depth to PTA’s filmography to me. The story is about a seasoned high-status dress maker who falls for a woman who learns she must deal with his eccentricities. He acts like a child and tells her its part of his process. To what extent should this be allowed? Are talented people allowed to be terrible human beings? Only if we let them. Overall - what an interesting tale of human relationships.

LICORICE PIZZA: Me and PTA share a passion which is California in the ‘70s. Great music, complications in politics, war and coming to terms with the failings of the Hippie movement. California was at the forefront of a lot of the history involved with this. This movie, however, only uses these things as a backdrop at best. Once again, this film is about a relationship between a 15 year old boy and a 29ish year old woman. Why make this choice? I still don’t know and to be honest it still makes me uncomfortable to consider this one with his other works. I put this on a tier with Inherent Vice comapred to the rest of his filmography. He’s going for something a little less substantial. He’s less trying to say something and more trying to explore the world. I didn’t rewatch this one for this month, but I have seen it twice. I think Anderson did a great job getting great perfrormances out of his actors in telling this story.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER: Going into this, I was expecting something a lot different which I can’t quite put my finger on. Its clear that the trailers didn’t really do this movie justice. I should have known not to underetimate PTA. Greatness shows up; I think that’s part of the definition. Taken from my letterboxd:

This is quite good and the easiest 2H41 watch of all time. It flies by due to constant action- which is a tribute to PTA. 
The story- Captivating. Revolution, family, good and bad, power and disguised weakness. I gotta get the kid back might be the most evolutionary relatable plot structure of all time 
The characters- I was blown away by Breana Taylor and was not familiar with her work. She was a ball of fiery power and wouldn’t stop moving. Her energy and charisma OOZES. Leo is a favorite and he always cooks. He plays a whiny little stoner in this but somehow he’s as relatable as ever and gives a great performance. Sean Penn; Lockjaw. Wow. What a character. Top 5 piece-of-shit character of the decade and it’s only half over. What he got was too good for him. HIS WALK.
What’s it mean? - this was entertaining, as all PTAs are he doesn’t waste our time. What seems a bit different about this one is the subject matter is political. I don’t know if he truly makes an artistic statement here but it was clearly structured in a way for us to romanticize the revolutionaries and fucking hate the Waspy power nuts on top pulling the strings. Towards the end he focuses on the family and how your blood can have meaning but it doesn’t have to define you which is always a nice one. 
This was also funny. Half the things Lockjaw were saying were disgusting and the other half my whole theatre laughed at because he was so clearly a bottled up insecure little man. Leo also had a few funny one liners- especially with BDT- can we get the buddy cop comedy already?! Like when he’s trying to plug in his phone and BDT keeps moving him- lol. Also when Leo’s on the phone. 
Also, this is kinda optimistic. The girl is the next generation and we can clearly see that she has bits of her mother in her. She’s strong and extremely capable, and the last scene shows her continuing the revolution. I liked that. 
Cinematography- looks great, no complaints, desert looks great. Loved the car chase. Dreamy and effective.

~

PTA’s appeal to me lies in his ability to capture my curiosities surrounding people making sense of their relationships. Quite a few of his pictures are written about men that struggle to connect to their enviornment and struggle to connect to people. This is quite a universal feeling and I think its fascinating to analyze how people would act in these situations. PTA is obviously titilated by how people act and that’s where we share something significiant. PTA makes me want to write my own stories, and what’s better than art that inspires others. That’s what its all about no?