This week, the Paul Thomas Anderson movie, Boogie Nights, hit Netflix. If you don’t know who Paul Thomas Anderson is, you’re missing out. He made a huge impression in the movie biz back in the 90’s as a 27-year-old writer/director and hasn’t slowed down since. This week I will be reviewing all the P.T. Anderson films on Netflix.
First is Punch-Drunk Love. This is a dark comedy about Barry, a small business owner in the San Fernando Valley who sells plungers – yeah plungers – for a toilet. Barry, unable to find love, seeks a phone sex line for a relationship. The call turns around on him, and he then found himself blackmailed with thugs after him. It’s a romantic comedy, but a dark one for sure. The film is very well-casted. It’s hard to nail dark comedy, and Adam Sandler has the perfect amount of awkwardness that the role needs. It’s an amazing film that will engulf you into its world of surprise and intrigue.
The next film is The Master, staring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. This film takes place right after World War II. There is an American creating a religion, who meets a troubled drifter and convinces him to help spread the word of his newfound religion. The drama comes when he starts to question the religion, as well as the man himself. It’s an amazing epic, and P.T. Anderson was able to direct some of the best acting I have ever seen from Phoenix. It’s so well written that it’s going to be hard for you to find a slow spot in the film.
Next is There Will Be Blood. In one of my all time favorite films, Daniel Day-Lewis shows us, once again, why he is probably the best actor around. He had an amazing portrayal of a oil pioneer with ambition that will kill. He luckily finds oil one day while mining, and an obsession is created. Daniel Plainview is the character’s name, and it’s a name that everyone soon knows because of his success in the oil industry. The drama begins when he has to convince small town landowners to let him drill on their land. Lewis’s method acting is something that you have to see for yourself, and this is a great film to watch his skill. I would give this film a 10 out of 10. Most critics give it 9 out of 10, but I don’t know why they are holding that last point.
The final film is Boogie Nights, of course, starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and many more. Seriously, this films cast looks like an invitation list to an award show. Set in the 70’s porn industry, Boogie Nights portrays a young man whose career takes off overnight. The film feels very raw and real. Everything about the film will engulf you in the 70’s. The soundtrack, the sets, and the characters all come together to show you a very real depiction of that point in time.
These are the only P.T. Anderson films on Netflix right now, but I guess they did pick some great ones. Well, if it’s a P.T. Anderson flick, it won’t be bad. That’s it for this week. Until next time: Stop scrolling and start watching.
