Tag Archives: Paul Thomas Anderson

Phantom Thread + In Fabric

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Alice Thirteen
Phantom Thread + In Fabric

Spooky threads and haunted people. Sophisticated looks at various points in the fashion industry – first up, it’s high fashion houses and haute couture in Phantom Thread. The deviant lifestyle of Paul Thomas Anderson’s characters. Craftsmanship, the crunch, and doing literally anything for a break. What is Phantom Thread really about? What a time for strange and complicated fetishes. The work of Peter Strickland, a name that should be in everyone’s rolodex. The straight premise of In Fabric and the various themes discovered as it’s exercised. Various reads on dry britishisms. Continue reading →

Birdman + Punch-Drunk Love

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Alice Thirteen
Birdman + Punch-Drunk Love

Actors breaking free from their shackles. Keaton is back in the rumor mill, and this time it isn’t a Beetlejuice remake. Whether he’s going to play Batman again or not, he will certainly always be the Birdman. Michael Koester insists on calling the 2014 film Birdman “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).” Why would you start the parenthetical after the word “or”? Shouldn’t it be Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)? The single take and how to solve the problem of scene tempo. Adam Sandler, also doing whatever the Adam Sandler version of Beetlejuice 2 is. Punch-Drunk Love is also a weird film for Paul Thomas Anderson. Continue reading →

The Jerk + The Master

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Alice Thirteen
The Jerk + The Master

These fucking guys. On this week’s discussion of Hot Tub Time Machine + Timecrimes, The Jerk and The Master get meta. How can a podcast break the fourth wall? Once you’ve been through Soul Man, nothing seems quite so bad. Steve Martin holds up better than Virginia’s politicians. The comedic influence of The Jerk. The type of comedy and comedian that existed at the time and largely can’t exist now. Adapting a stand-up routine into a film. Dogwhistles and virtue signaling in comedy. Steve Martin is the true master and [name redacted] is the true jerk. Paul Thomas Anderson’s L. Ron Hubbard biopic. The near-silent, timeless voice of Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. How did this get made? (But not in the usual way.) Hollywood is the heart of Scientology. Soft-mindedness, definitely not a problematic term that definitely will not look bad in the future. Cults and pyramid schemes, and the challenge of getting one started. Grifters, spoken walls of sound, and skepticism.

Magnolia + Kinky Boots

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Alice Thirteen
Magnolia + Kinky Boots

Addiction. VCR filmmarkers. Challenging scenes to film. Ensemble Casts. Events that didn’t actually happen. Urban legends. Alice ruins the magic. Meta. The performance and character of Tom Cruise. Casting and marketing. Three acts. Incredible pacing. The infamous WTF scene. This shit isn’t a dream. Potential trainwrecks. Drag as a component vs as a freakshow. Romance be damned! MIKE’S MAGIC STUFF. Will feel good films ever mature? Boot making montage. Background characters. Continue reading →