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Paul Thomas Anderson

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Stream Jonny Greenwood’s Soundtrack to PT Anderson’s ‘The Master’

By Judy Berman on

Paul Thomas Anderson’s long-awaited sixth film, The Master, finally hits theaters this weekend, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about that. It is, after all, the filmmaker’s first feature since his epic 2007 oil parable There Will Be Blood. Then there’s The Master‘s is-it-about-Scientology-or-isn’t-it story, and a bizarre yet intriguing cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Laura Dern and even Friday Night Lights‘ beloved Landry (now Breaking Bad‘s not-so-beloved Todd), Jesse Plemons. But even among all the boldface names and controversial details, we’ve also been looking forward to the soundtrack, which reunites Anderson with Jonny Greenwood, composer of the unforgettable score for There Will Be Blood.

Although we imagine it’s best experienced along with the film, those who can’t wait to hear the Radiohead guitarist’s soundtrack can now stream it on Spotify. Our first listen has revealed a score that’s not as intense but just as emotionally resonant as There Will Be Blood‘s. Greenwood makes poignant use of both strings and woodwinds, integrating haunting period tracks like Ella Fitzgerald’s “Get Thee Behind Me Satan” and Jo Stafford’s “No Other Love.” Click through to listen to The Master soundtrack via Spotify. … Read More

Film

The Greatest Movie Endings of All Time

By Alison Nastasi on

All things must come to an end, but the greatest finales leave a lasting impression. We’ve already explored the best opening scenes in cinema, and now it’s time to dig into a few of film’s greatest movie endings. Not all stories provide audiences with closure, happy resolutions, and loose ends neatly wrapped in a bow. Some of the best tales reveal jaw-dropping truths, narrative twists, and allow questions that go unanswered to linger in our minds. We’ve rounded up some of the most epic film endings past the break. There’s plenty of room to discuss your favorites in the comments, so chime in with your thoughts after clicking through our gallery for more memorable movie goodbyes. Oh, and consider this your big-time spoiler warning. … Read More

Film

Flavorpill’s 10 Most Anticipated Fall Movies

By Jason Bailey on

As we close in on Labor Day — you can do it, c’mon, four short days, and you know you can get away with sneaking out early on Friday — the summer movie season is winding down, so you know what that means: the fall movie season is winding up! (Can’t not be in a movie season, ya know.) It’s something of a changing of the guard at the multiplexes; the superheroes, action heroes, and animated animals march off, replaced by (mostly) serious actors and prestige projects. It’s that special time of year when Hollywood pretends like they make intelligent, grown-up movies all the time, so let’s play along! Our ten most anticipated fall flick are collected here, organized by release date; agree, disagree, and add your own in the… Read More

Film

10 Amazing Unbroken Shots in Film

By Jason Bailey on

Out tomorrow on DVD, and worth checking out, is Silent House, a film most notable not for its haunted-house narrative (which is adequate) nor its leading performance by Elizabeth Olsen (which is quite good), but for its remarkable technique: the entire film is cleverly shot to appear as though it is captured in one unedited, unbroken take. It wasn’t, of course (it’s pieced together seamlessly via several hidden “stitches”), and isn’t the first film to try to put that trickery across; earlier films like Russian Ark, Timecode, and PVC-1 have been executed entirely in a long take, though this is one of the few films to use the technique at the service of a genre story.

These films are part of a long tradition of stylish filmmakers showing off their craft via long, elaborate shots, often incorporating extensive camera movement and busy choreography to create an unending flurry of on-screen activity. After the jump, we’ve assembled ten of our very favorites; agree, disagree, and add your own in the comments. … Read More

Film

10 Famous Directors on Making Their First Feature Films

By Alison Nastasi on

It’s been five long years since we’ve been treated to a new Paul Thomas Anderson film. The 2007 Daniel Day-Lewis drama There Will Be Blood left an indelible impression on audiences, but fans of the Boogie Nights director are ready to see his 1950s-set, Scientology-inspired tale The Master about a cult leader (Philip Seymore Hoffman) who rises to prominence, with a drifter as his right-hand man (Joaquin Phoenix).

Although Anderson quickly established himself as a wunderkind, the road to the filmmaker’s first feature wasn’t an easy one — as website This Must Be the Place pointed out. See what the talented director had to say about making his first movie Hard Eight past the break. Then, click through for more words of wisdom, anxious confessions, memories, and the early hopes and fears of other famous directors, reflecting on their first feature films. … Read More

Film

This Week in Trailers: ‘Monsters University,’ ‘The Master,’ and One Last ‘Dark Knight Rises’

By Jason Bailey on

Every Friday here at Flavorwire, we like to gather up the week’s new movie trailers, give them a look-see, and rank them from worst to best — while taking a guess or two about what they might tell us (or hide from us) about the movies they’re promoting. This week, we’ve got new trailers from Pixar, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan, plus vehicles for Liam Neeson, Andy Samberg, and Rashida Jones. Check ‘em all out after the jump, and share your thoughts in the comments. … Read More

Film

This Week in Trailers: ‘Anchorman,’ ‘Gatsby,’ ‘The Master,’ and More!

By Jason Bailey on

Every Friday here at Flavorwire, we like to gather up the week’s new movie trailers, give them a look-see, and rank them from worst to best — while taking a guess or two about what they might tell us (or hide from us) about the movies they’re promoting. We’ve got a boatload of new trailers this week — many of them from Cannes, which is after all not just a film festival but a film market, where foreign rights are sold and trailers are thus trotted out. So we’ve got new films from name directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Sam Mendes, and Baz Luhrmann, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Carey Mulligan, Jackie Chan, Joaquin Phoenix, and his late brother River. Check ‘em all out after the jump, and share your thoughts in the comments. … Read More

Film

12 of the Greatest Movie Roles Almost Played

By Jason Bailey on

The weekend’s big movie, as you well know, was The Hunger Games, while DVD and Blu-ray players have been firing up Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo since its release last week. The two films have a lot in common: powerful female protagonists, adaptations of bestsellers, probable franchise kick-offs. As such, they were also each objects of carefully considered casting. It’s become part of the pre-production process, the bandying about of potential name actors for high-profile roles; Fincher reportedly talked to Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart, and Scarlett Johansson before settling on Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, while Hunger Games director Gary Ross’ alternate Katnisses included Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Chloe Moretz, and Saoirse Ronan.

Contemplating proxy casting choices is a fun parlor game for movie fans (perhaps second only to considering movies that never came to pass at all). After the jump, we’ll take a look at a dozen iconic movie roles, and the actors who almost, almost filled them. … Read More

Film

10 Great Silent Sequences in Sound Movies

By Jason Bailey on

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius’ delightful mash note to the silent cinema, is looking like a sure bet for heavy recognition at this year’s Oscars, racking up three SAG Award nominations, five Independent Spirit Award nominations, and six Golden Globe nominations, in addition to awards for best film of the year from the Boston Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Phoenix Film Critics Society, and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association. It’s easy to see why film critics in particular have taken to it: it evocatively tells the story of the end of the silent era as a silent movie, complete with black-and-white photography and period music (even using the traditional 1.33:1 aspect ratio).

But it’s not the first sound-era film to ape the silent style; aside from Chaplin’s final silent pictures, done well after sound had taken over, there’s Mel Brooks’ 1976 slapstick tribute Silent Movie, and Charles Lane’s 1989 indie Sidewalk Stories. What’s more, countless sound directors have used silent storytelling techniques to great effect, eschewing dialogue (and sometimes even sound effects) to work through their narrative beats via purely visual means. After the jump, we’ve assembled ten great “silent” scenes from the sound era; add your own in the comments. … Read More

Film

The 30 Harshest Filmmaker-on-Filmmaker Insults in History

By Jason Bailey on

[Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we're revisiting some of our most popular features of the year. This post was originally published August 10, 2011.] Earlier this summer, a shocking number of our readers flocked to read (and amend) our list of the harshest author-on-author insults in history. But you know who is even more childish, trifling, vindictive, and nasty than your favorite scribes? Your favorite filmmakers. These directors may not have quite the same precision with the written word as those rancorous authors, but when it comes to pettiness, they can’t be beat. After the jump, we’ll run down 30 of our favorite slights, slanders, and cheap shots from filmmakers both classic and contemporary; we’d love to hear yours in the comments. … Read More