Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Los Angeles, Anderson developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age. An alumnus of the Sundance Institute, Anderson is famous for making often epic psychological drama films which often take place in San Fernando Valley and deal with characters seeking after redemption, forgiveness or loss; they also use wide framing as well as realistic or gritty cinematography. Anderson made his feature film debut with Hard Eight (1996). He found critical and commercial success with Boogie Nights (1997), set in the Golden Age of Porn, and received further accolades with Magnolia (1999), an ensemble piece set in the San Fernando Valley, and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), a romantic comedy-drama film. Anderson's 2007 film There Will Be Blood, about an oil prospector during the Southern California oil boom, achieved major critical and commercial success and was often cited as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. This was followed by The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014). Anderson's eighth film, Phantom Thread, was released in 2017. He has directed music videos for artists including Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Haim, Joanna Newsom, Aimee Mann, Jon Brion and Michael Penn, and has also directed a documentary, Junun (2015), about the making of the album in India. More recently, he directed a short film accompanying Thom Yorke's Anima (2019), released on Netflix and in select IMAX ...
Minority Report
(2002)
FuturisticAction-packedOriginalThought provoking
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge. (more)
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge. (more)
Magnolia (1999)
DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. (more)
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. (more)
Boogie Nights
(1997)
Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams, a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, and ... (more)
Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams, a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, and ... (more)
Hard Eight
(1997)
A stranger mentors a young Reno gambler who weds a hooker and befriends a vulgar casino regular. (more)
A stranger mentors a young Reno gambler who weds a hooker and befriends a vulgar casino regular. (more)
Punch-Drunk Love
(2002)
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers. (more)
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers. (more)
There Will Be Blood
(2007)
EmotionalThought provokingDisturbingDark
Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, moves to oil-rich California. Using his son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local ... (more)
Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, moves to oil-rich California. Using his son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local ... (more)
Couch (2003)
Inherent Vice (2014)
Thought provokingFunnySuspensefulDark
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend. (more)
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend. (more)
The Dirk Diggler Story (1988)
The Dirk Diggler Story is a 1988 mockumentary short film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It follows the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler, a well-endowed male porn star. The character was modeled on American porn actor John Holmes. The film was later ... (more)
The Dirk Diggler Story is a 1988 mockumentary short film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It follows the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler, a well-endowed male porn star. The character was modeled on American porn actor John Holmes. The film was later ... (more)
The Master
(2012)
EmotionalThought provokingDisturbingDark
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II. (more)
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II. (more)
Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes (1999)
Friends, enemies, acquaintances, and family of porn star John Holmes recall their experiences with him, from his childhood to his eventual death from AIDS in 1988. (more)
Friends, enemies, acquaintances, and family of porn star John Holmes recall their experiences with him, from his childhood to his eventual death from AIDS in 1988. (more)
Cigarettes & Coffee (1993)
Cigarettes & Coffee tells the story of five people's lives all interconnected through a $20 bill. (more)
Cigarettes & Coffee tells the story of five people's lives all interconnected through a $20 bill. (more)
Altman (2014)
A Christmas Eve Conversation With Quentin Tarantino & Paul Thomas Anderson (2015)
Two great filmmakers discuss the evolution of film, 70mm and Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight". (more)
Two great filmmakers discuss the evolution of film, 70mm and Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight". (more)
Junun (2015)
Paul Thomas Anderson joined his close friend and collaborator Jonny Greenwood on a trip to Rajasthan in northwest India, where they were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and he brought his camera with him. Their destination was the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, ... (more)
Paul Thomas Anderson joined his close friend and collaborator Jonny Greenwood on a trip to Rajasthan in northwest India, where they were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and he brought his camera with him. Their destination was the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, ... (more)
Chryskylodon Blues (2015)
On the set of Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice. (more)
On the set of Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice. (more)
Mattress Man Commercial (2003)
Paul Thomas Anderson spoofs the famous 1980s Mattress Man commercial outtake using Dean Trumbell, the character played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Anderson's 'Punch-Drunk Love', and he promotes his mattress company by performing a stunt that doesn't go all that well. (more)
Paul Thomas Anderson spoofs the famous 1980s Mattress Man commercial outtake using Dean Trumbell, the character played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Anderson's 'Punch-Drunk Love', and he promotes his mattress company by performing a stunt that doesn't go all that well. (more)
Phantom Thread
(2017)
In 1950s London, renowned British dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock comes across Alma, a young, strong-willed woman, who soon becomes ever present in his life as his muse and lover. (more)
In 1950s London, renowned British dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock comes across Alma, a young, strong-willed woman, who soon becomes ever present in his life as his muse and lover. (more)
HAIM / Valentine (2017)
Three songs by American pop rock trio Haim, shot live at LA's Valentine Recording Studios, making the 2017 album 'Something to Tell You'. (more)
Three songs by American pop rock trio Haim, shot live at LA's Valentine Recording Studios, making the 2017 album 'Something to Tell You'. (more)
Anima
(2019)
In a short musical film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Thom Yorke of Radiohead stars in a mind-bending visual piece. Best played loud. (more)
In a short musical film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Thom Yorke of Radiohead stars in a mind-bending visual piece. Best played loud. (more)