13. 'A P.T. Anderson Film'

G!

If you want your movies to
Fly in the face of everything
That's supposed to happen
In movies (and if you're not
Thinking about the works of
Charlie Kaufman after that
First sentence), then indelible
'Wunderkind' director Paul
Thomas Anderson is surely
Your cup of hot 80% cocoa
Chocolate with cinnamon
Marshmallows. The heading
'A P.T. Anderson Film' has
Several connotations: in such
A film you will encounter a
Vast array of characters, some
Of whom are prone to sudden
Outbursts of violence, threats
To commit acts of violence
(Especially memorable was
A character played by Tom
Cruise threatening to drop-kick
Some dogs; not just kick them,
But drop-kick them, and that
Makes a big difference between
Sophistication and a mindless
Threat), or just batshit crazy
Tantrums. That is not to say
All his characters are like that,
Some are just clueless and
Benign, some others are
Weary and senile. And all
Of them are easily the most
Interesting and extraordinary
Fictitious humans created on
This side of the Coen Brothers.
And what are intriguing characters
Without an intriguing camera to
Follow them around? Indeed, the
Thoughtfully framed, cerebral
Cinematography of A P.T.
Anderson Film has the kind
Of enticing self-awareness
That reels you in towards the
Delirious images not unlike
How a bug zapper attracts
Flies. The music in A P.T.
Anderson Film are also
Worthy of note, for they
Are of the best kind of
Off-kilter music providing
A pleasantly uncomfortable
Soundtrack to the off-kilter,
Strange and intense images
On screen, opening new
Possibilities for percussion,
A dominant feature in the
Soundtracks. P.T. Anderson
Has thus far six films to his
Name, I have seen five of
Them, and not one is weak:
there is Boogie Nights, an
Epic chronicle of the California
Porn industry during its golden
Age; Magnolia, the greatest
Salad drama since Robert
Altman's Shortcuts; Punch-
Drunk Love, a cute and crazy
Rom-com; There Will Be
Blood, where Daniel Day-
Lewis drinks everyone's
Milkshake (figuratively);
And The Master, which
Is about...well, something
Along the lines of a man's
Dissatisfaction with a New
Age religious movement
Perhaps, I'm guessing here.
A P.T. Anderson Film is a
conglomerate of Stanley
Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino,
Robert Altman and who knows
Who else I haven't caught on to?
His work bears a distinctiveness
And individualism like peppers
And cabbage in cake icing; let
Your tastes be enthralled.