Paul Thomas Anderson Totally Explained

Everything about Paul Thomas Anderson totally explained

Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American filmmaker.

Biography

Early life

Anderson was born into a Catholic family in Studio City, California, the son of Edwina (née Gough) and Ernie Anderson, who was an actor, the voice of the American Broadcasting Company, and a Cleveland television late-night horror movie host known as "Ghoulardi". Anderson grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended New York University, but dropped out after two days.
The Valley may have been immortalized in the 1980s for its mall-hopping Valley girls, but for Anderson it was a seedy part of suburban America populated by would-bes and burnouts. Anderson's experiences growing up in the Valley shaped his artistic self; three of his five theatrical features are set in the Valley.

Career

Anderson was involved in filmmaking at a young age. As a high school student, he made the 30-minute mockumentary The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), about a well-endowed male porn star (inspired by "Big" John Holmes, who also served a major inspiration for Boogie Nights).
   After a brief stint as an English major at Emerson College and an even shorter time at the New York Film School, Anderson began his career as a production assistant on television movies, music videos and game shows in Los Angeles and New York. He later made Cigarettes & Coffee (1992), a short with five vignettes set in a diner (not to be confused with Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes.) The film was screened at the 1993 Sundance Festival, where it received considerable acclaim. In a few years, Anderson made his first full-length feature, Sydney, which was retitled Hard Eight (1996).
   Anderson's breakout film Boogie Nights, revisiting his Dirk Diggler character in a full-length major motion picture, was released on October 10, 1997 to critical and commercial success. It was hailed by many critics as the "best film of the year, if not the decade," and is widely considered one of the finest depictions of the porn film industry. The film revived the career of Burt Reynolds and transformed Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore onto the A-list of serious actors.
   Anderson's next film was the ensemble piece Magnolia (1999), which tells the story of the peculiar interaction among the lives of several individuals during a single day in the San Fernando Valley, California. Interweaving nine separate yet connected storylines, Magnolia featured many intricately blocked extra-long shots, in a style quite distinct from that of mainstream Hollywood films. Magnolia was featured on over 150 critics top 10 lists of 1999, and received three Academy Award nominations, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tom Cruise), Best Original Song and Best Original Screenplay.
   Anderson returned with the comedy/romance feature Punch-Drunk Love (2002), starring Adam Sandler. The story centers around a beleaguered small-business owner embarking on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman (Emily Watson). Sandler won positive reviews for his role in his first major departure from the mainstream comedies which made him a star; Roger Ebert wrote that "Sandler, liberated from the constraints of formula, reveals unexpected depths as an actor. Watching this film, you can imagine him in Dennis Hopper roles. He has darkness, obsession and power." The film earned only $17 million despite a $25 million budget.
   Anderson's next film, There Will Be Blood, was a loose adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the film. For the film, Anderson was nominated for Best Director from the Directors Guild of America. The film also received eight Academy Award nominations, tying with No Country For Old Men for the most nominations. Anderson received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, losing all three to the Coen Brothers for the above mentioned film.

Film style, themes, and trademarks

Anderson is known for films with large ensemble casts and interweaving storylines, as in the case of Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). Anderson is a member of the first generation of "VCR filmmakers", much like directors Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, and Kevin Smith, who learned the craft not in film schools, but by viewing thousands of movies on video.
   Among the themes dealt with in Anderson's films are familial relationships, divine fate, the serendipitous nature of love, and the role of contemporary media. Anderson stresses the interconnections among his characters as volatile circumstances affect their fragile lives. Anderson's stylistic trademarks include logistically difficult steadicam-based long takes (such as the 3 minute opening shot in Boogie Nights), often with bombastic use of sound and music.
   In addition to films, Anderson has directed several music videos, including several Fiona Apple pieces. Anderson was a standby director for Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion for insurance purposes, as Altman was 80 years old at the time. Anderson wasn't formally credited in the film, but receives a "Special thanks to ..." toward the end of the closing credits.
   His production company is named after his father's "Ghoulardi" late-night Cleveland television show host character.

Frequent casting

Anderson often uses the same actors in his films. Philip Seymour Hoffman has appeared in all but one of Anderson's features. Other actors with multiple appearances in Anderson films include Philip Baker Hall (3), John C. Reilly (3), Melora Walters (3), Luis Guzmán (3), Ricky Jay (2), Julianne Moore (2), William H. Macy (2), Alfred Molina (2) and Robert Ridgely (2).

Personal life

Anderson and singer Fiona Apple had a relationship for several years; she appears with him in the making-of video diary on the DVD of the film Magnolia. Anderson is currently in a relationship with former Saturday Night Live cast member Maya Rudolph. They live in both Los Angeles and New York City and have a daughter, Pearl Bailey Anderson, born on October 15, 2005.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards:

1997: Best Screenplay - Original (Boogie Nights, nominee)
1999: Best Screenplay - Original (Magnolia, nominee)
2008: Best Director (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
2008: Best Picture (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
2008: Best Screenplay - Adapted (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
BAFTA Awards:

1997: Best Screenplay - Original (Boogie Nights, nominee)
2007: Best Director (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
2007: Best Film (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
2007: Best Screenplay - Adapted (There Will Be Blood, nominee) Berlin Film Festival:

2000: Golden Bear (Magnolia, winner)
2008: Best Director (There Will Be Blood, winner)
2008: Golden Bear (There Will Be Blood, nominee) Cannes Film Festival:

2002: Best Director (Punch-Drunk Love, winner)
2002: Golden Palm (Punch-Drunk Love, nominee) Directors Guild of America:

2007: Outstanding Directorial Achievement - Motion Pictures (There Will Be Blood, nominee) Writers Guild of America:

1997: Best Screenplay - Original (Boogie Nights, nominee)
1999: Best Screenplay - Original (Magnolia, nominee)
2007: Best Screenplay - Adapted (There Will Be Blood, nominee)
Filmography

Feature films

Hard Eight (also known as Sydney) (1996)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Magnolia (1999)
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Short films

The Dirk Diggler Story (1987)
Flagpole Special (1998)
Couch (2002)
Music videos

"Try" by Michael Penn (1997)
"Across the Universe" by Fiona Apple (1998)
"Fast as You Can" by Fiona Apple (1999)
"Save Me" by Aimee Mann (1999)
"Limp" by Fiona Apple (2000)
"Paper Bag" by Fiona Apple (2000)
"Here We Go" by Jon Brion (2002)Further Information
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