- RecDek's Watchlist
- Posts
- PTA's top 5
In partnership with
With Leo doing press on One Battle After Another and eulogising over Paul Thomas Anderson what better moment to do a top 5 PTA movie countdown. Perhaps you’ll find yourself moving ass and getting to a cinema this week. I hope so. Let’s support the cinema experience in all its immersive glory.
Here we go then, the master of American neurosis ranked by pure filmmaking brilliance.
5. Licorice Pizza (2021) Anderson's most charming film follows the oddball friendship between 15-year-old Gary Valentine and "25-ish" Alana Kane in 1973 San Fernando Valley. The period detail is immaculate and the leads have youthful energy chemistry. Pure nostalgia from a time when anything seemed possible. Might remind you of a Richard Linklater flick.
4. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Anderson's tightest film at 90 mins proves size isn't everything. Adam Sandler channels his rage into something beautiful as a lonely businessman who finds love through pudding promotions and phone sex extortion. Emily Watson sees harmony where others see chaos.
3. The Master (2012) This enigmatic entry in PTA's catalog follows a post-war drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) who becomes devoted to a charismatic cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). It defies easy interpretation while remaining utterly mesmerising. A commentary of sorts, on what what happens when men need each other in ways they can't articulate.
2. There Will Be Blood (2007) The Great American Movie of the 21st century. Daniel Day-Lewis becomes pure capitalist evil as oil prospector Daniel Plainview, whose greed consumes everything in his path. Jonny Greenwood's score turns every scene into a horror movie. Epic in scope, apocalyptic in vision.
1. Magnolia (1999) A sprawling 188-minute opera about damaged people in the San Fernando Valley. Nine interconnected stories build to biblical proportions, complete with raining frogs. Peak melodrama that somehow earns every overwrought moment through sheer audacity and perfect casting. Arguably his most exciting work, its our pick of the week below.
Next up, final call for shorts to screen at our London Film Festival event on October 10th, deadline is tomorrow. Submit your short now via the RecDek app. Tell your friends.
Our pick of the week…
Still magnificent after 26 years: Magnolia
PTA's sprawling melodrama about damaged people in the San Fernando Valley remains his most ambitious swing. This three-hour epic weaves together nine interconnected stories about lonely souls seeking connection. There's a dying game show host trying to reconcile with his daughter, his producer's trophy wife wrestling with guilt, and Tom Cruise as a misogynistic pickup artist whose daddy issues fuel his empire of toxic masculinity.
The performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Cruise, who makes you sympathize with someone fundamentally reprehensible. Jeremy Blackman shines as a child genius exploited by his parents, while Julianne Moore brings depth to what could have been a thankless role.
Anderson wears his heart on his sleeve here. Some moments feel heavy-handed. But the film's brutal honesty and Aimee Mann's devastating soundtrack (Wise Up sung by the entire cast should feel tacky but somehow works) make this impossible to dismiss.
At 188 minutes, it's an endurance test that somehow doesn't waste a second.
What’s your fave PTA? Give us your reviews on RecDek.
Ed
Buying Cannabis Online Is Now Legal, And Incredibly Convenient
For years, buying cannabis meant taking a trip to a dispensary, dealing with long lines, limited selection, and inconsistent pricing. But thanks to changing laws and innovative online retailers, buying high-quality THC products is now 100% federally legal—and more convenient than ever.
And when it comes to quality and reliability, Mood is leading the way…
Because they’ve completely flipped the script on cannabis shopping. Instead of memorizing hundreds of confusing strain names – like “Gorilla Glue” and "Purple Monkey Breath" – you simply choose how you want to feel: Creative, Social, Focused, Relaxed, Happy, Aroused, and more.
Each gummy is formulated with the perfect blend of Delta-9 THC and botanicals to deliver the perfect mood.
Want a great night’s sleep? Try the Sleepytime gummies. Need laser focus Mind Magic gummies have you covered. Hotter sex? Try the Sexual Euphoria gummies.
It's cannabis shopping that actually makes sense for “normal” people.
tell your friends