so, how long has everybody been down with PTA? like, is there anyone here who actually saw hard eight in the theatre during its first theatrical run? boogie nights? etc. and how many people discovered him on video for what film and worked backwards? i'm sure there's been many screenings of these flicks at colleges or things like that, but as for the theatrical runs...
BOOGIE NIGHTS theatre 2x
MAGNOLIA theatre 3x (incl. opening day)
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE theatre 3x (incl. opening day in NYC)
edit: to add a little bit. i remember reading about hard eight in premiere mag before it came out being some movie about gambling and gweneth paltrow was a whore and thinking "hmm... interesting". and i didnt end up seeing it till video after i saw boogie nights.
i saw boogie on video and became a fan. then saw magnolia and pdl in theatres. i found a copy of hard eight on video to rent the summer after magnolia
I saw Boogie Nights when it was first released, and loved it. I knew about Hard Eight (it had been released in Dallas the previous April), but didn't know about the PTA connection until about eight months later, when I rented it and loved it even more than Boogie (still do). For a while, it was sort of like a secret little film that I would put on and surprise people with...
my mom rented hard eight when it first came out on video and didn't really like it. i never had an interest in it until after i became pro-magnolia.
Sydney is still probably PTA's best kept secret. He referred to it as it being his bastard film for a while, but also said on the commentary that it's his, his first film, and he's proud of it as he very well should be. (And I'm fresh off both Sydney commentaries, BTW, which are BRILLIANT, so yes.)
And me, unfortunately, I got to loving PTA's work rather late in the game, starting just last fall when Punch-Drunk Love came out. I don't remember if I saw Magnolia on DVD before or after that, but they were both around the same time. It was bliss. Never did get to see Magnolia in a theatre. That kinda sucks. And I wonder if I ever will get to. That's gotta be something. On the bright side, I did see Punch-Drunk Love twice in a theatre and have seen it twice more since then.
I was a fan pretty late as well.
*Discovered that Sandler was to do a film with the director of 'Boogie Nights'
*Watched 'Boogie Nights' on tape, loved it
*Visited official PTA site regularly
*Saw 'Magnolia' on tape a few weeks later
*Saw 'Hard Eight' on tape a few weeks after that
*Became a certified fan
*Anticipated his Sandler project even more
*Finally saw 'Punch-Drunk Love' in theatres (twice)
*and here I am.......
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaAnd me, unfortunately, I got to loving PTA's work rather late in the game
why do u call Hard Eight "Sydney"?
i first saw boogie nights on video, then on dvd, then magnolia in the theatre, then Hard Eight on video, then punchdrunk love on dvd, and in the theatre.
i guess i discovered him around early 98.
I first heard about PTA when Siskel & Ebert raved about "Hard Eight". And I remember seeing the poster for it at a local theater, but I didn't actually see it (on video) until after I saw "Boogie Nights".
I saw "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" on their opening weekends. For "Magnolia", I was so sick with the flu, but I still drove miles away to see it (it opened in limited first) at the first showing of that Saturday. It was worth it and proved the best medicine. After that, when it opened wider, I saw it about a total of seven times in theaters. "Boogie" I saw about three times in theaters.
"PDL" I saw of the second weekend and only saw it once in theaters (family and personal matters prevented me from seeing it more).
I can't remember how I found the Cigarettes & Coffee site, but I was a frequent visitor even before Greg set up the message board.
Oh, man! That would have been such a dream come true to have seen "Hard Eight" in theatres.
I always liked BN since I saw it when it first came out to rent, but not a PTA fan till about a year ago when I really got into his movies
*watched bits and pieces of Boogie on HBO (I was into my Disco phase)
*saw first 10 mins of Magnolia in theatres (my g/f and I had a little time to kill, so we snuck into that)
*read Boogie Nights online, digged it
*bought the Magnolia script and read it, loved it
*finally saw BN from start to finish
*finally got Magnolia and saw it (my dad didn't let me, so I did when he was out of town)
*Caught Hard Eight on IFC, dug it
*got my dad to pick me up from boarding school to take me to dallas to see PDL (7 hours each way), and loved it
I rented Boogie Nights from blockbuster in the winter of my 15th year for the sole purpose of seeing Heather Graham naked...and well....I got that...plus a whole-fucking-lot-more. This is when I became a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. This is when I realized what movies really were and how far they could be taken. Before that it was all Spielberg, Burton, and The Farrelly Brothers. This moment is when my life changed.
I held off for A LONG TIME on seeing Magnolia out of fear that I would not understand it...it was in this time that PDL's hype began to arise, all of it stemming from its small section of the Cannes film festival's official web site. I watched the "trailer" (a collection of clips from the movie) and kept saying the catchiest title I have ever heard in my life over and over again in my head until I began my breakthrough towards obsession...not only with PDL and PTA...but with film itself. During what is now known as "PDL fever"...I gave in and rented Magnolia...I still can't describe that experience accurately so I won't try. After this, I even blind bought Hard Eight and watched it as much if not more than the aforementioned two, loving it more with each viewing. Long story short, I waited for PDL in an almost illness-inducing anticipation...this growing anticipation for one film paralleled (sp?) the permanent climax that is my current love for movies. The night I saw PDL was the night I discovered my passion. :cry:
I saw Magnolia on DVD late 2000 and there was a great feeling of discovery for both the film and just film in general. After watching That Moment, I sought out Gregs website. Then I went back and found the others.
I actually read Boogie Nights before I saw it and I only ever saw PDL in the cinema.
Quote from: PQuote from: OnomatopoeiaAnd me, unfortunately, I got to loving PTA's work rather late in the game
why do u call Hard Eight "Sydney"?
i first saw boogie nights on video, then on dvd, then magnolia in the theatre, then Hard Eight on video, then punchdrunk love on dvd, and in the theatre.
i guess i discovered him around early 98.
That was the title PTA intended it to be, but the studio insisted it needed a 'catchier' title.....
I saw Boogie Nights in theaters the day it came out, as well as Magnolia...then I heard about Sydney on the PTA website, and just had to own it--that's right, I blind bought it, and did not regret doing so either...:) I've seen Punch Drunk five times, and now own it on DVD, so I have the entire collection and couldn't imagine my DVD library without them.
Read an article during my "Reservoir Dogs everday" period, and it said this young guy who made Hard Eight was Tarantino and Scorsese rolled into one. That pissed me off initially, so I kinda ignored it when his new movie Boogie Nights came out. Then, one day at my friend's, I caught 10 min of Boogie on the movie channel, during the end of the 70's Party Sequence. Blew me away. I spent the next week watching Boogie over and over. Also rented Hard Eight and loved it. About that time, the dvd came out, and the same friend was the first to have a dvd player. We bought it, and I would go over there and play the commentary while he did other stuff around the house. PTA was saying shit that interested me so much on that dvd, stuff I had thought about, but never heard from filmmakers up until that point. Boogie became my new favorite film, and I watched it and the commentary religiously. Then I moved to Vancouver for film school. This guy from my class and I had to edit this other chick's (who we hated) documentary about DJ's. It was so boring, and we needed to take a break. This guy mentioned that he had got tickets to a preview of a new movie (it was late November, I believe), and it was done by that guy who did Boogie Nights, and since I always talked about it, he wanted to give me a ticket. So we headed out and saw a sneak preview of Magnolia. At each major sequence, we kept turning to each other in awe. Truly the best theatre experience I have ever had. We spent the rest of the night walking around the city, remembering each shot, just gushing over it. I saw Magnolia four more times when it finally got its full release. In my insane need to have Magnolia info in between the preview and the actual release, I went on the internet, and found the C&C site. Yay.
Quote from: Ghoulardi GoonThat was the title PTA intended it to be, but the studio insisted it needed a 'catchier' title.....
thanks i already know why it's called Hard Eight and not Sydney. i was asking why HE still calls it Sydney, which fortunately u cannot answer.
edit: i've reposted this to say that i can't believe this was my goddamn 1000th post, what a sorry state of affairs when i gotta waste it on this kind of shit.
My friends said they saw this awesome movie about porn and that it was funny, so I went and snuck into it for 1/2 an hour before some other garbage (prob. like Austin Powers or something).
So I finally saw the whole thing when it came out on video and loved it. Bought the video and played it at parties and sleepovers and I tried to expose as many people as I could to it.
Saw the trailer for Magnolia in the theatre and was blown away. Someone else has got to have a memory of seeing that thing for the first time. I seriously had tears in my eyes...
Before Magnolia came out, I made a point to see Hard Eight, which I did, and liked, but not loved (I still need to buy the DVD and devour it)...
Saw Magnolia in the theatres (three times). Random friend gave me an enormous full sheet (w/ reverse image on the back) of Magnolia because she heard I liked it. I was pleased, to say the least.
Found C&C shortly thereafter I believe. I had never understood messageboards, so I never tried...
Got the Boogie Nights/Magnolia preordered DVDs in the mail one fine summer day...
Saw PDL a couple times in the theatre and have since bought the DVD...
aw
Hard Eight: Haven't seen it yet, but I will.
Boogie Nights: I had the premier mag. in which they did an article about it, so I became interested in this film, the odd thing here is that when I first saw it on video didn't like it at all, and the thing was that I didn't even hated the film, it just didn't do anything for me, I thought, this is it? this is the film that everybody is praising? Then, some time after that, I found Greg's site, and must say that I'm proud to say that I was a very early visitor (below the 200's), back then he had a counter, and remember he was very happy when his site passed the 1000 mark. Anyway, I started reading a lot about BN, reviews, articles, fan's opinions, and even before seeing it for the second time I rewatched the film in my head and fell in love with it, isn't that odd? Then rented it again and blew me away.
Magnolia: Went to the theater this time, with a gal on a first date, there were not even 15 minutes in the movie when she whispers "I dont understand anything", I said, "It's a story of nine people that have connections with each other", she replied "I'm not liking it", didn't respond to that and we stayed for another 3hrs, the nerve of the girl, then I paid when she wanted to see The Bachelor (with Chris O'Donnel). Back to Magnolia, I liked it but not loved it, then saw it again and thought it was a masterpiece, the script is so awesome, it shits on American Beauty any day.
PDL: Went with some friends, two of them didn't like it the other did a little bit, around the middle one of them says to me "WTF is this?" I said, "It's a work of art, shut up! And let me watch it!". Funny thing is that the guy who did like it says when saw the title card of Written and Directed by: PTA "Hey, this PTA is fucking nuts" I said "He's a fucking genius" I love PDL, I think is his best film, and can't wait for his next.
I guess you could say I've been down since day one or two or so. Sydney actually played at an arthouse theatre near me during it's brief, brief run. I was gonna see it b/c I saw Siskel and Ebert's glowing review, and b/c at that time I saw almost everything at that theatre. When I had a night off, the movie was gone (it played for a week and not even a full day's worth of shows). Well, anticipation grew, and as the buzz for Boogie Nights was growing I wanted to see Sydney so bad. Rented the video the day it came out, loved it. When BN came out, I took a two hour trip to see it before the full wide release. Paid to see it some five more times, then saw it another 5 or so times for free b/c my friend worked at a theatre. Snuck into a press screening of Magnolia and saw it some 3-4 weeks early (which was murder having to wait again for the release). Paid 5 times to see it. Got all the dvds, books, scripts (even Sydney, great purchase), posters (including my prized possession, the gigantic magnolia poster that hangs in theatre lobbies and is super durable). Ended up seeing PDL only once as I was very poor during it's release, but was there for the first show, first day. Gobbled up that dvd the second it came out. I usta own the criterion BN LD, and wholeheartedly regret getting rid of that one (damn them for not porting the Holmes stuff).
Side note: BN came out the first year I was in film school and it was very amusing to hear some people knock the movie, say it had no story, was lame, blah blah blah then have those same people change their tunes and tell me it was the greatest thing they've ever seen.
Quote from: Fernandoit was a masterpiece, the script is so awesome, it shits on American Beauty any day.
So true. I always had this fight with people for some reason. It's either Magnolia or American Beauty, like the Stones vs Beatles thing. The reason I so love Magnolia is because, to me, it's the anti-American Beauty, a film which I walked out of feeling like I was manipulated by this subversive message, which was smuggled in under superb lighting and acting. That film makes my skin crawl.
(Deep Breath) Saw "Boogie Nights" in the 99-cent theatre in Manhattan at age 14 and thought it was good but hand't felt its full impact. Ended up purchasing a used VHS copy of the film and let it collect dust on the shelf for a few months. Saw it again with a bunch of friends and really dug it. One of my friends dug it so much that he would come over everyday and we'd watch certain sequences a dozen times. Noticed it was written-directed by a P.T. Anderson. Saw 30-second "Magnolia" teaser on MTV while watching their Video Awards in late 1999. Went insane and began anticipating the film like I've never anticipated a film before it. Began watching "Boogie Nights" obsessively, bought soundtracks and screenplay. Found C & C site while researching PTA. Saw "Magnolia" the first day it opened in Manhattan...twice. (Dec.17) I caught the first show then caught the midnight one. Ended up seeing it NINE, count that, nine times in its theatrical run. Discovered "Hard Eight" on DVD and the rest, as they say, is history. In my book, PTA has made FOUR MASTERPIECES. All hail king Homer...er, PTA. (Sigh)
Quote from: Shaun Digi(Deep Breath) Saw "Boogie Nights" in the 99-cent theatre in Manhattan at age 14 and thought it was good. Ended up purchasing a used VHS copy of the film and let it collect dust on the shelf for a few months. Saw it again with a bunch of friends and really dug it. One of my friends dug it so much that he would come over everyday and we'd watch certain sequences a dozen times. Noticed it was written-directed by a P.T. Anderson. Saw 30-second "Magnolia" teaser on MTV while watching their Video Awards in late 1999. Went insane and began anticipating the film like I've never anticipated a film before it. Began watching "Boogie Nights" obsessively, bought soundtracks and screenplay. Found C & C site while researching PTA. Saw "Magnolia" the first day it opened in Manhattan...twice. (Dec.17) I caught the first show then caught the midnight one. Ended up seeing it NINE, count that, nine times in its theatrical run. Discovered "Hard Eight" on DVD and the rest, as they say, is history. In my book, PTA has made FOUR MASTERPIECES. All hail king Homer...er, PTA. (Sigh)
A beautiful post.
i just hope one day i'll be cool enuff to call Hard Eight - "Sydney".
yeah, i dont get calling hard eight sydney either.
This is the way it worked for me.
Hard Eight - saw it on Bravo at first, bought it on VHS, then bought it on DVD
Boogie Nights - rented it, bought it on DVD
Magnolia - bought it on VHS, bought it on DVD
Punch Drunk Love - saw it in theatres, bought it on DVD
I would have loved to have seen his first three movies in theatres, but sadly I couldn't because of my age. Not anymore!
I saw Boogie Nights in the theatre, but didn't know much about it other than it had to do with the porn industry in the 70s... I loved it, but just saw it as a run of the mill movie... I really enjoyed that it took place in the valley (where I live)... But I wasn't a hardcore film buff yet... then I got into college around the time Magnolia came out... everyone in my film and screen writing classes were talking about it... so I said I had to see it... of course, I didn't end up seeing it until mid-2002!!! By this time I was a hardcore film fanatic, and started working on my own productions, so I got into several cool directors... that's when my friend suggested I see magnolia.. he brought it over, and we watched twice on DVD that night!! I then immediately had to see BN again and also saw Hard Eight... all in the same week... by the time PDL came out, I was already a super-PTA-freak. I blame my freakness about Robert Altman and Jaques Tati on PTA too!!! After PDL I saw all of Tati's movies, and also saw every Altman film.
Quote from: Pi just hope one day i'll be cool enuff to call Hard Eight - "Sydney".
P, what the fuck are you talking about?
Sydney was the original title. I'm not trying to be "cool."
I'm just trying to stay true to the creator's original intention. That's all.
Quote from: Ghoulardi GoonP, what the fuck are you talking about?
Sydney was the original title. I'm not trying to be "cool."
I'm just trying to stay true to the creator's original intention. That's all.
God u are so fucking stupid.
i wasn't even talking to u when i asked in the first place, i didn't say WHY IS IT CALLED SYDNEY, i said WHY DO YOU (the ppl who call it sydney) CALL IT SYDNEY.
u didn't even call it sydney, shit man. ur a fuckin crazy man. u just butted in and started giving me obvious information without knowing what the fuck i mean and then when i explained, and that it wasn't directed at u, u still don't know what the fuck i'm talking about.
i've tried not to snap at u man, i've tried hard.
i was making a point and Cecil agreed, that ppl who call it sydney are in a sense kidding themselves and well just stay out of it cos if u don't understand what i'm saying after this u should just unregister urself now cos ur just gonna make me get more grey hairs.
Quote from: TheVoiceOfNickI saw Boogie Nights in the theatre, but didn't know much about it other than it had to do with the porn industry in the 70s... I loved it, but just saw it as a run of the mill movie... I really enjoyed that it took place in the valley (where I live)... But I wasn't a hardcore film buff yet... then I got into college around the time Magnolia came out... everyone in my film and screen writing classes were talking about it... so I said I had to see it... of course, I didn't end up seeing it until mid-2002!!! By this time I was a hardcore film fanatic, and started working on my own productions, so I got into several cool directors... that's when my friend suggested I see magnolia.. he brought it over, and we watched twice on DVD that night!! I then immediately had to see BN again and also saw Hard Eight... all in the same week... by the time PDL came out, I was already a super-PTA-freak. I blame my freakness about Robert Altman and Jaques Tati on PTA too!!! After PDL I saw all of Tati's movies, and also saw every Altman film.
Have you seen California Split and Three Women?? I really wanna find these...
actually, i kind of prefer hard eight to sydney. it's only the title of the film, i dislike when paul gets bitchy about it, it's still a great movie. i see the movie as a hard eight and not a sydney, but that's just me.
Quote from: bonanzatazactually, i kind of prefer hard eight to sydney. it's only the title of the film, i dislike when paul gets bitchy about it, it's still a great movie. i see the movie as a hard eight and not a sydney, but that's just me.
I think Hard Eight is a much cooler title, but it's misleading as hell for this movie. Really it's just a simple character piece, and Sydney would've been more appropriate, so I can see why Paul is pissed.
What about its foreign title: Last Exit Reno, or something, maybe it was last stop reno... I can't remember.
i dont think paul gets bitchy about it anymore, we're the only ones who do. who gives a fuck, i prefer sydney, but thats me.
i saw boogie on hbo when i was like 11 cause i heard it was about porn, and it really fucked my head up. i was just completely blown away, going what the fuck was that? i really wasnt ready for it. then, when i was thirteen, the week the vhs came out i rented magnolia and absolutely went apeshit over it, i rented it probably twice more before the dvd came out and, watching That Moment, just went nuts for paul. like eb, he changed my whole view of film, what it can be, how to do it, etc. so three years later here i am, oh yeah i saw punch-drunk seven times in theatres so.
Quote from: Lesteri dont think paul gets bitchy about it anymore, we're the only ones who do.
Right. Even PTA said to Elvis Mitchell on IFC's Independent Focus that he has come to accept the title as "Hard Eight".
Quote from: PQuote from: OnomatopoeiaAnd me, unfortunately, I got to loving PTA's work rather late in the game
why do u call Hard Eight "Sydney"?
Because the movie is not
Hard Eight. It's
Sydney. It's not about craps, it's about a man named Sydney. It's out of respect for PTA, really. Listen to PTA's first commentary on the DVD. :) Me, I use the titles interchangeably. It just happens that I was on
Sydney when I made that first post.
Quote from: PQuote from: Ghoulardi GoonP, what the fuck are you talking about?
Sydney was the original title. I'm not trying to be "cool."
I'm just trying to stay true to the creator's original intention. That's all.
God u are so fucking stupid.
i wasn't even talking to u when i asked in the first place, i didn't say WHY IS IT CALLED SYDNEY, i said WHY DO YOU (the ppl who call it sydney) CALL IT SYDNEY.
u didn't even call it sydney, shit man. ur a fuckin crazy man. u just butted in and started giving me obvious information without knowing what the fuck i mean and then when i explained, and that it wasn't directed at u, u still don't know what the fuck i'm talking about.
i've tried not to snap at u man, i've tried hard.
i was making a point and Cecil agreed, that ppl who call it sydney are in a sense kidding themselves and well just stay out of it cos if u don't understand what i'm saying after this u should just unregister urself now cos ur just gonna make me get more grey hairs.
Sorry man. If I'm kidding myself, then I guess I'm kidding myself. I just prefer Sydney to Hard Eight. The movie is, after all, about HIM. Shoot me. :)
And I already explained why I call it Sydney. Or Hard Eight, if you prefer. Calm down. Deep breath P. Deeeeep breath. Now exhale. Goooood. [/i]
Saw Magnolia first, on VHS (a few weeks after release), rented from Blockbuster.
At the end, I was a little upset that the movie seemed to really go nowhere. But the pacing was so unique. It literally felt like an emotional rollercoaster. I've watched it many times since, and it has never felt the same.
So, went to IMDB, looked up P.T. Anderson, and there's Boogie Nights. Oh yeah, the porno movie. I'd always wanted to see that. So I rented the special re-release DVD from Blockbuster... loved it.
Rented Hard Eight on VHS at Movie Gallery. Loved it.
Saw Punch-Drunk Love in theaters. Wonderful.
So now I own them all. Can I be in the club now? Am I truly down? :roll:
Quote from: markums2kSaw Magnolia first, on VHS (a few weeks after release), rented from Blockbuster.
At the end, I was a little upset that the movie seemed to really go nowhere.
Can I be in the club now? Am I truly down? :roll:
You can be in the club if you explain how the movie goes nowhere.
aw
i felt the exact same way as markums when i first saw it. i loved the first tape, and after the second tape was over i was like, what? what was the point of that? i just wasted 3 hours! ARGH!
a year later, my friends rented it because we were all huge boogie nights fans and i watched it with them and i'm like, oh yeah, pauls other movie. i don't like this one. and we watched it and i'm like, whatever. afterwards i'm like, it's ok, but it's not that great either.
then, my sister is watching it on the starz channel and she's half hour into it like, this movie is so amazing, and i was watching it and really getting into it, and then i had to go to driver's ed and couldn't finish it with her. i came back from driver's ed and my sister had finished the movie and said that it was one of her favorite movies. so i bought a used copy of the dvd for her and we watched it and that's when i fell in love with that damn movie. i've seen it a million times since.
Heard about Hard Eight but it never played close to me. Saw Boogie Nights frist night. Loved it! Rented Hard Eight that week. Loved it. Saw Boogie Nights again the following week. Started to have a problem....I couldn't get enough of the film. I ended up seeing it 10 or 11 times in theater. Went in to NYC opening weekend for Magnolia. Punch Drunk, sadly played for 2 weeks near me, and I saw it twice. Actually while staying in a hotel a few months later I paid the 11 bucks to rent it off spectravision, or whatever the fuck it's called, and watched it 3 time back to back. Long story short, I've got problems.
Quote from: jokerspathQuote from: markums2kSaw Magnolia first, on VHS (a few weeks after release), rented from Blockbuster.
At the end, I was a little upset that the movie seemed to really go nowhere.
Can I be in the club now? Am I truly down? :roll:
You can be in the club if you explain how the movie goes nowhere.
aw
I would like to politely call your attention to one specific word in that sentence. SEEMED.
Despite that, I appreciated this movie solely on an emotional level. No movie has ever done that for me since. Not even Magnolia itself. But I still don't entirely understand it. I still don't know what I'm supposed to take away from it.
I'm pretty sure if he hadn't cut Orlando Jones, it would have all made sense to me.
Get the Magnolia shooting script if you feel that way, and check out the scenes on ptanderson.com. I just finished reading the shooting script this afternoon, and those scenes, well, some of them, are in there. They didn't really take away too much. I know what I'm supposed to take away from the movie, now, after having seen it three times. The first time my response was like yours; I thought I had wasted three hours, but the damn movie stuck with me, and I sensed it was something special. On repeated viewings, it all made sense, and my suspiscions were confirmed. The Worm/Dixon scene is unique, as it's different than what you'd expect, given what we know about the characters.
Quote from: Ghoulardi GoonSorry man. If I'm kidding myself, then I guess I'm kidding myself. I just prefer Sydney to Hard Eight. The movie is, after all, about HIM. Shoot me. :)
And I already explained why I call it Sydney. Or Hard Eight, if you prefer. Calm down. Deep breath P. Deeeeep breath. Now exhale. Goooood. [/i]
did u even read what i wrote?
please don't reply to anything i say ever again. thanksabunch.
i had always wanted to see magnolia, but never got around to it (it came out when i was in eighth grade), i had heard about the rain of frogs and was intrigued, etc. i ended up renting it last august, and i fucking loved it loved it loved it. i showed it to my friend - he loved loved loved it, showed it to my mom - she loved it loved it loved, showed it to my dad - he fell asleep....but anyways - after that i began looking for stuff on the net for PTA (discovered C&C that way), then i rented boogie nights, had to watch it twice before i really began to love it (it exhausted me the first time, exhilerated me the second, has done that ever since on repeated viewings), then i saw PDL in the theaters, fucking loved it, bought sydney (thats right, sydney) without having seen it, loved it as well. i really like PTA.
I guess I became a fan shortly after Magnolia came out on DVD. This was also around the time I started getting serious about wanting to become a filmmaker, and I came upon Magnolia's IMDB page, and thought this should be one of the DVD's I'd get (as I'd just gotten a DVD player). Just thought it sounded interesting, and I remember my mom talking about it when she'd seen it in the theatre.
So, I watched it, and needless to say, it became my all time favorite movie. So I went back to IMDB and looked up the writer/director... some guy named Paul Thomas Anderson. I was surprised to see that he'd also made Boogie Nights.
I was like, ten years old when Boogie Nights came out, and I remember seeing the trailers/tv spots for it and thinking... AWESOME!! A MOVIE ABOUT THE 70s!!!! (I'm into 60s/70s pop culture) I'm not quite sure if I actually knew what porn was at the time. Anyway, Boogie Nights was added to my DVD wish list, got it and loved it.
Eventually, I became a fanboy, despite never having seen Sydney... then they showed it on IFC, and I awaited the day I was actually able to find the DVD in a store. Hooray, so, I'd seen all of PTA's movies, and was keeping up with the status on PDL. Followed all the Cannes coverage and come October '02 experienced PTA on the big screen for the first time.
Oh, and I eventually did find Sydney on DVD at Borders. Quite recently, actually.
really interesting stuff. i am a bit surprised though for all the self-proclaimed PTA freaks on this board, that so many either got into him so late in the game or didnt really care for his stuff when they first saw it. facinating.
Quote from: BrainSushistarted getting serious about wanting to become a filmmaker
Yup, PTA had the same influence on me. I had wanted to be involved in making movies before with Spielberg as an influence and Burton and The Farrelly Bros too as I mentioned but PT is the reason I went farther than that like I said. Pretty much all the filmmaker's I discovered post-BN can somehow be traced back to my discovery of it. Which I guess means that it can be traced back to my horniness (sp?).
I just remembered this really wild, fucked up thing that happened awhile ago, probably back in late 1999. I was only 13 at the time so I don't remember exactly what movie it was that I rented but I remember (my sister does too) always renting some movie that had this trailer (the teaser actually) for Magnolia before it and we always used to watch it as we were oddly intrigued by it...that's pretty cool I think. I know it wasn't THAT long ago but all the same. It does kinda make sense that we were intrigued by it too when you think about it...with how fast paced and loud it was...with the editing and the music. At the time, that's what interested us. Same thing with Bottle Rocket too, there was a trailer of it before some movie we always used to rent. We always used to say "we're going to see those movies when we're allowed to." That a great memory. We've been trying to remember both of the movies so we could maybe rent them again just for nostalgia...that'd be great.
Anybody know by any chance? What tapes they might have been on? The Magnolia one was probably a New Line movie, right? I might be able to narrow it down. What would the Bottle Rocket one be though, Columbia? I don't remember. Anyway, that's cool.
Quote from: BrainSushiOh, and I eventually did find Sydney on DVD at Borders. Quite recently, actually.
ME TOO!
I was but a youngen when PTA got big, thats why i was so late. I didn't get serious about being a filmmaker when i saw magnolia (i got serious when I was three and saw grande illusion, oh yes), it just got me that much more excited.
Quote from: eward(i got serious when I was three and saw grande illusion, oh yes),.
ok we need to rename XIXAX: film talk for cinephiles and ppl who are delusional.
this phony crap is just getting ridiculous.
Quote from: ebeamanWhich I guess means that it can be traced back to my horniness (sp?).
Quote from: Roger Ebert, in his review of Storytelling,For some artists, especially younger ones, the creative impulse is linked directly to the genitals: They create because it they hope it makes them sexually attractive. This is a truth so obvious it is rarely mentioned in creative writing circles, although writers as various as Philip Roth, Thomas Wolfe and Martin Amis have built their careers on it. "Storytelling," the in-your-face new film by Todd Solondz, is a confessional in which Solondz explores his own methods and motives, and tries to come clean.
:)
i saw BOOGIE NIGHTS first on HBO. i knew i liked it but i don't think i paid attention to directors at that age. then i saw MAGNOLIA in theaters (because of amazing trailers), noticed a suspiciously similar cast to BOOGIE NIGHTS, realized who the director was, fell in love with the movie, obsessing with it for the past four years, and finally joined the board to find out more information about Punch Drunk Love. i was too eager. i can't remember if i rented HARD EIGHT before or after i joined the board though.
I remember hiring Magnolia on video, bout 3 years ago, and absolutly loved it. I then took notice of the director and hired Boogie Nights. I liked it but not as much as Magnolia. Have to admit I didn't think too much of it at the time. When I became a more matured movie viewer, I hired BN again and it became one of my favorites. I watched it over and over again and came to realise it was a much better made film then Magnolia. So I became a big fan and followed PDL since it was entitled "Untitled PT Anderson Project" on IMDB. Sadly, Hard Eight is very hard to find in Australia, so I didn't get a chance to see that until about 4 months ago when it was on TV. I thought it was great. I am now a die hard PTA fan and he has replace QT as my favorite director.
Quote from: PQuote from: eward(i got serious when I was three and saw grande illusion, oh yes),.
ok we need to rename XIXAX: film talk for cinephiles and ppl who are delusional.
this phony crap is just getting ridiculous.
I think it's more amazing how many people here seem to be under 18. I take this site a little less seriously now. :-D
"I was a young-un..." "I was in GRADE SCHOOL..." "I was only three years old..." "blah blah blah..." "Now that I have my driving permit, I can truly understand PTA..." "blah blah..."
Please forgive me. It's early where I am. And I'm quite bitchy in the morning.
Quote from: markums2kPlease forgive me.
That is the only part of the previous post I find acceptable.
Right now I am ashamed to be in the over 18 crowd.
Edit 7/10/03
:oops: Woops
Sorry... I missed the quotes around "blah-blah-blah"
My bad.
Quote from: fultyQuote from: markums2kPlease forgive me.
That is the only part of the previous post I find acceptable.
Right now I am ashamed to be in the over 18 crowd.
Sorry you don't approve.
Quote from: markums2kPlease forgive me. It's early where I am. And I'm quite bitchy in the morning.
no dude, ur right on about the under 18 stuff,. the less of that the better really.
Quote from: markums2kQuote from: fultyQuote from: markums2kPlease forgive me.
That is the only part of the previous post I find acceptable.
Right now I am ashamed to be in the over 18 crowd.
Sorry you don't approve.
I hate to say so too, but when I realized how young some of the people on here are, I was a little letdown. I'm at the end of my schooling and I thought I would be a bit young.
Obviously a passionate 16 year old can probably be more articulate than anyone on his favorite subject, but the enthusiasm some of the people on here display betrays real naievete [sp].
It seems with age you're less likely to rant about some director or some movie as if he/she/it were your hidden gem, that no one else knows about. But that is what I've seen in my short time here, people hysterical for something/someone, trying to champion their cause because it earns them another identity mark.
But for all I know, the majority of users on here could be still be teenagers, and that would be fine, because, for the most part, there is a lot of really intelligent discourse, so I apologize if this post comes off as rude...
aw
Quote from: PQuote from: eward(i got serious when I was three and saw grande illusion, oh yes),.
ok we need to rename XIXAX: film talk for cinephiles and ppl who are delusional.
this phony crap is just getting ridiculous.
yes i think ur right.
Hehehe. I'm 22, and when I see a great film I will gush for days. I will rant with enthusiasm. And good lordy, I hope I'm still doing that in 20 years' time. If that pisses people off here, then Fudge Ya.
The problem with most people is that they can't seem to get any maturity and aged wisdom without losing enthusiastic naivette. But look at Marty Scorsese. Guy's 60 years old, and he buzzes like a fridge when he talks about a good flick. Kudos to you, Marty. We should only hope to have 10% of your passion.
Quote from: SoNowThenHehehe. I'm 22, and when I see a great film I will gush for days. I will rant with enthusiasm. And good lordy, I hope I'm still doing that in 20 years' time. If that pisses people off here, then Fudge Ya.
The problem with most people is that they can't seem to get any maturity and aged wisdom without losing enthusiastic naivette. But look at Marty Scorsese. Guy's 60 years old, and he buzzes like a fridge when he talks about a good flick. Kudos to you, Marty. We should only hope to have 10% of your passion.
very nice.
Yea, I don't fucking care if somebody thinks I'm stupid. 8)
Quote from: ebeamanYea, I don't fucking care if somebody thinks I'm stupid. 8)
you are smart man! :yabbse-thumbup:
Quote from: Vile5Quote from: ebeamanYea, I don't fucking care if somebody thinks I'm stupid. 8)
you are smart man! :yabbse-thumbup:
Thanks man. Eminem taught me everything I know.
eminems a smart man as well.
Quote from: ebeamanQuote from: Vile5Quote from: ebeamanYea, I don't fucking care if somebody thinks I'm stupid. 8)
you are smart man! :yabbse-thumbup:
Thanks man. Eminem taught me everything I know.
Sounds like somebody's parents aren't paying attention to the Parental Advisory warnings. Har har... :shock:
Anyways, I'm glad that younger audiences dig Anderson. Seriously. I just don't necessarily want to hear about it. I mean, I was a kid too, but that was then, and now is now. And I don't talk to 16-year-olds much anymore.
I saw B.N once in the theater when it first came out with my parents and little brother, when we walked out the line for the next show stared at us bc they were i guess surprised that a 13 and 15 yr old were coming out of there
When Magnolia came out, i was working as a projectionist so i saw it the night before at 11pm, then the opening day again with my girlfriend then every once and a while i would watch it here and there while it was playing in my theater
For PDL, i saw it when it first came out, i was in Ft. Collins, CO so i had to drive to Denver, an hour to see it. Then a few weeks later it came to my city so i saw it again.
As for H.E., i think i rented this one, or i might have just blind bought it on dvd, i dont really remember how i first viewed this one.
the buzz was huge about Boogie Nights when it came out, and wanted to see it if only for the racy subject matter.....i really liked it a lot (rented VHS), oblivious to Paul Thomas Anderson, and to Hard Eight. My freshman year in college Magnolia came out...the trailers were very vague except the mention that it was "from the director of Boogie Nights." I actually made it to the theaters opening night and loved it, like many on these boards the characters and their problems really resonated with me. I obsessed about the movie until i owned it on video and watched it several times....My second date with my current girlfriend i found a rented copy of the Magnolia dvd on her table. She was tipped off of my passion for this movie before we ever went out, she really did her homework, impressed me, and found out what she was in for in one fail swoop...Within the waiting for Punch-Drunk Love i finally realized that Anderson had also done a movie called Hard Eight, which was the slowest of his movies to grow on me. Now currently obsessed with Punch-Drunk Love after seeing it in an awful old-timey theater and g/f buying it for me on DVD.....this guy's really good.
longest post ever.
Quote from: EEz28As for H.E., i think i rented this one, or i might have just blind bought it on dvd, i dont really remember how i first viewed this one.
Why do you call Hard Eight H.E.? Are you trying to bee cool?
You're only supposed to call it Hard Eight as I just found out a few posts back.
Quote from: poserQuote from: EEz28As for H.E., i think i rented this one, or i might have just blind bought it on dvd, i dont really remember how i first viewed this one.
Why do you call Hard Eight H.E.? Are you trying to bee cool?
You're only supposed to call it Hard Eight as I just found out a few posts back.
Hehehe :yabbse-thumbup:
Yes, i am trying to be cool, please everyone jump on the "Lets call Hard Eight, H.E." bandwagon
Quote from: ebeamanQuote from: BrainSushistarted getting serious about wanting to become a filmmaker
Anybody know by any chance? What tapes they might have been on? The Magnolia one was probably a New Line movie, right?.
Could it have been an Austin Powers movie? I dunno, I also seem to remember the trailer being on some tape... actually, I remember first seeing the trailer in the theatre... I have the most vivid memory of that frog coming up in front of the traffic light and I would think, "The hell...? A frog...?" and Ricky Jay would say, "This will all be explained in the end." or somehting like that... I must peruse my VHS's now and try to find the Magnolia trailer!
Quote from: poserWhy do you call Hard Eight H.E.? Are you trying to bee cool?
You're only supposed to call it Hard Eight as I just found out a few posts back.
why are u biting my shit? are u just waiting to incorporate the word "bee" into a stupid joke?
ur only supposed to suck my dick as i just found out last nite from ur mom.
oooooooooooooo
Quote from: PQuote from: poserWhy do you call Hard Eight H.E.? Are you trying to bee cool?
You're only supposed to call it Hard Eight as I just found out a few posts back.
why are u biting my shit? are u just waiting to incorporate the word "bee" into a stupid joke?
ur only supposed to suck my dick as i just found out last nite from ur mom.
you've lost it
Quote from: poseryou've lost it
i don't know why u had to bring that shit up again, it was between me and Punchdrunk23 and even then he didn't understand shit.
this place is being overrun by idiots and i'm the only one saying anything about it.
Quote from: markums2kI think it's more amazing how many people here seem to be under 18. I take this site a little less seriously now.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB000000518.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&hash=5cc4669a90d13de354eb926fd2f5209232747d8c)
Quote from: PQuote from: poseryou've lost it
i don't know why u had to bring that shit up again, it was between me and Punchdrunk23 and even then he didn't understand shit.
this place is being overrun by idiots and i'm the only one saying anything about it.
Sure P. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who's tired of your attitude. You have no reason to be pissy with me or anyone else. Earlier (re:Hard Eight/SYDNEY) I had simply stated a preference for the title and you came down on my like a fucking tornado. Chill-the-fuck-out.
I understood perfectly well what your convoluted message was about Hard Eight. I just don't think you understand it.
Quote from: Ghoulardi GoonI understood perfectly well what your convoluted message was about Hard Eight. I just don't think you understand it.
the fact that u consider it convoluted shows how hard it is for u to understand simple text.
u never understood why i was mad at u, and it was mostly about u not understanding anything.
my "attitude" is not what u think it is, because u mostly say idiotic things u see the negative side more than others. a large amount of ppl would vouch for my generally jovial demeanor, mainly ppl who don't annoy me. oh shit sorry i said jovial and demeanor, maybe i should dumb it down so u dont' cry like u did at "derivative", everyone remembers how that cracked ur honkey brain in.
once again, thanks for ignoring my request that u don't reply to me anymore.
i can see it being lame to call it sydney just for being in the 'inn crowd', but this discussion is getting pretty fucking stupid.
'move along folks, nothing to see here.'
Quote from: phil marlowei can see it being lame to call it sydney just for being in the 'inn crowd', but this discussion is getting pretty fucking stupid.
'move along folks, nothing to see here.'
dude. why get involved.
did no one realise what the fight was about?
for anyone else who wants to join in late. IT WAS NOT ABOUT SYDNEY/HARD EIGHT. shit. it's over now.
Serenity now, boys and girls, serenity now... (insanity later)
Quote from: Pdude. why get involved.
did no one realise what the fight was about?
for anyone else who wants to join in late. IT WAS NOT ABOUT SYDNEY/HARD EIGHT. shit. it's over now.
i've given no comment on what this is about all i said was it was stupid. there is no discussion this is why.
end.
Quote from: PQuote from: Ghoulardi GoonI understood perfectly well what your convoluted message was about Hard Eight. I just don't think you understand it.
the fact that u consider it convoluted shows how hard it is for u to understand simple text.
u never understood why i was mad at u, and it was mostly about u not understanding anything.
my "attitude" is not what u think it is, because u mostly say idiotic things u see the negative side more than others. a large amount of ppl would vouch for my generally jovial demeanor, mainly ppl who don't annoy me. oh shit sorry i said jovial and demeanor, maybe i should dumb it down so u dont' cry like u did at "derivative", everyone remembers how that cracked ur honkey brain in.
once again, thanks for ignoring my request that u don't reply to me anymore.
Any time P, any time.
"Cracked my honkey brain in?" :lol: I think it's rather sad when people project their insecurities on others. I pity you that you feel the need to do this. But oh well.
Who doesn't annoy you? Maybe you are jovial. But I haven't seen evidence to support this. All I've seen you do is crack jokes at others expense and generally post cynical replies to the younger members of this board, which is really a shame. This is, after all, an open forum, and just because they might be younger doesn't mean you have to shit on them. But oh well, you'll keep doing it anyway. :roll:
:: sigh ::
don't scar my virgin eyes.
Quote from: Ghoulardi GoonWho doesn't annoy you? Maybe you are jovial. But I haven't seen evidence to support this. All I've seen you do is crack jokes at others expense and generally post cynical replies to the younger members of this board, which is really a shame. This is, after all, an open forum, and just because they might be younger doesn't mean you have to shit on them. But oh well, you'll keep doing it anyway. :roll:
yeah, way to extend what is already a meaningless discussion.
i'm willing to finish this here. like i finished it before.
hey punchdrunk23, hav the last word.
I'm done. :-D
you guys totally ruined a perfectly good smoke.
For now.
:::yawn:::
I saw boggie nights on video and fell in love with it immediately. It's my 2nd favorite movie of all time. I knew Magnolia was gonna be amazing and been following him ever since the PTA website was created.
I thought PT Anderson was a swedish guy when i first looked at the box. I'd never heard of him at that point. A few guys on the swedish soccer team are Andersons, and I thought they used the PT cuz it was hard to pronounce his name. I also thought sweden and porn go together so I assumed he was swedish. did anyone else have this thought?
Quote from: EL__SCORCHOI thought PT Anderson was a swedish guy when i first looked at the box. I'd never heard of him at that point. A few guys on the swedish soccer team are Andersons, and I thought they used the PT cuz it was hard to pronounce his name. I also thought sweden and porn go together so I assumed he was swedish. did anyone else have this thought?
HaHaHa! What?
I remember Boogie Nights getting critical acclaim, so I watched it on it's HBO run, the 1st half one week, the 2nd half about 2 weeks later, or maybe even more. When it finished, I was blown away (and not in a pornographic way. haha. hee. ho.)
Paul Thomas Anderson's sophmore film made me into a cinephile and got me back into films. So I been down.
Magnolia: sure, it looks nice at the theatre, but I had to piss about twice through it and nobody could pause it.
Hard Eight: First time, didn't get it. Every other time since, it's one of the most fun movies to catch on Bravo or whatevah.
Punch Drunk Love: Saw it 4 times in a theatre, including the PTA in Rochester one. I downloaded it and watched it Thrice (NO GUILTY CONCIENSE because I KNEW I was going to buy it). Watched it four times since I bought it.
Not down with PTA since the beginning, but since the first movie I saw of his.
saw Boogie Nights at a free student screening at UCLA. the rest is history.
Quote from: Cecili saw boogie on video and became a fan. then saw magnolia and pdl in theatres. i found a copy of hard eight on video to rent the summer after magnolia
im kinda boring arent i?
Quote from: CecilQuote from: Cecili saw boogie on video and became a fan. then saw magnolia and pdl in theatres. i found a copy of hard eight on video to rent the summer after magnolia
im kinda boring arent i?
Not in the slightest! ... I think you look just like Han Solo, by the way. Hey, how much do you bench?
Sadly, I saw Punch-Drunk Love first.
Quote from: Find Your Magalihow much do you bench?
you tell me first
Quote from: Cecili saw boogie on video and became a fan. then saw magnolia and pdl in theatres. i found a copy of hard eight on video to rent the summer after magnolia
That's precisely what it was like for me.
Quote from: CecilQuote from: Find Your Magalihow much do you bench?
you tell me first
OK, same time. One, two, three...
you didnt say it...
stop. just stop it now. don't even try. just please. no more.
where the hell did you come from? wheres rollergirl?
shit, i was gonna do rollergirl, but i was waitin for him to reply "well neither did you",
ahhhhhh now the whole things ruined
taz is a paul-hater everybody. he loves ratner and hates paul. get him!
Quote from: ewardshit, i was gonna do rollergirl, but i was waitin for him to reply "well neither did you",
What do you mean by "do rollergirl"? :o
Quote from: Find Your MagaliQuote from: ewardshit, i was gonna do rollergirl, but i was waitin for him to reply "well neither did you",
What do you mean by "do rollergirl"? :o
i was gonna wrap her leg around, no the other one, and then go straight into doggy style.....oh, and do you want me to use my spanish accent?
First, it was Boogie Nights, rented because I was highly anticipating Magnolia which was beeing released at the end of that month. Saw Boogie, loved Boogie, couldn't wait for Magnolia. Saw Magnolia on opening night and loved it ("geee.... he uses many of the same actors in this one"). After Magnolia I rented Hard Eight and also liked it vewy mucho. I saw the three movies within a month or whatever and it was by that time that I found out the C&C website. Became a regular.
Saw P-DL inthe theaters this year, also on the opening day and fuck it... It was great as well.
PT Anderson..... you, sir, you make some great modafuckin' mobies.
I was at a Christmas drinks party at the end of 2000 and Boogie Nights was playing on the television [edited, no doubt]. No one was really watching it, but I obviously saw something that I liked and for some reason decided to tape the rest and watch it in the morning. I was fairly young at the time, and so the next morning, while I loved everything playing out before me, I couldn't stomach nor stand the last scene. I was somewhat disgusted by it.
Which is so fucking stupid, when I look back now. But I was young, and insecure about all sorts of shit, and a giant penis was not something I needed in my life. I'd constantly watch the movie, and stop it just after the final monologue of the film. Yes, I'd miss out on ELO's Livin' Thing, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
In November of 2002, after someone had suggested Magnolia to me, I bought it on a whim. I watched it that night and was...somewhat let down. I felt distanced from it, unaffected. The sound design irritated me. I watched it again, and again, and suddenly, one of these latter viewings did something to me. I started watching Magnolia once a day. The video diary greatly influenced the production of my short film The Cow Hunter of the South Seas, and the film itself helped me overcome my writer's block. In December I started my first screenplay in over a year.
Magnolia will always have a place in my heart for this reason, even if Anderson goes on to make better pictures in the future, which he no doubt will. The film that you obsess about and watch daily [and I think it happens once or twice to every teenage cinephile] is one of the defining pictures in your development as a movie watcher [and in my case, a filmmaker as well].
So, now I was willing to give Boogie Nights another go, and I got it for Christmas. Of course, I loved it a whole lot more than I had two years earlier [penis included], and I still think that Anderson's solo commentary track is one of the most engaging I've ever listened to.
Of course, I was waiting in anticipation for Punch-Drunk Love now as well [we didn't get it in cinemas over here in Australia until early this year] and when I finally had the chance to see it, I was blown away. For six hours, I had nothing to give. Emotionally, this picture drained me, forced me to invest so much of myself in it that I couldn't function emotionally for a good six hours. I was, quite literally, a shell. I saw it again in July, found myself laughing at the comedy a lot more, thing like that. I wasn't as emotionally moved by it, which made me a little upset, but still. I think that, visually, it's Anderson' most strikingly beautiful film [as Barry walks onto the plane, I hold my breath, every time], and I probably need to see it again before I decide where it fits into his filmography in terms of my favourites.
And then, finally, after months of procrastination, I bit the bullet and bought the R1 DVD of Hard Eight [a film that never got theatrical nor DVD release here in Australia, and one that it was almost impossible to find a VHS copy of]. Definitely not what I was expecting, but I felt afterwards that it made perfect sense that it was a Paul Thomas Anderson picture. For so long I'd been sort of ignorant to its existence, and yet now I couldn't imagine the PTA canon as a whole without it there, at the very start.
And that's where I'm at.
It was the summer of '99 and rented Boogie Nights with no thought of who did anything. I heard it was good and racy (the latter was what got me to rent it). I enjoyed it a lot and knew no one else round here really had seen the movie round here so I felt I discovered something. I looked up the director name and searched him out and got to C&C for all news on him. This was before the message board there and I even remember Greg having polls on what should be added to the site. Message board always won out easily but it took a while to get up. I think also during this time I rented Hard Eight. I remember the major anticipation for Magnolia and how the scope of it was so huge it seemed destined to be great. Saw that in theatres twice and saw PDL three times in theatres.
saw Boogie Nights the week it came out. Thought it was the best new movie I'd seen since Pulp Fiction blew my mind 3 years prior. Saw it 4 times on first run, watched Hard Eight and Boogie Nights with my mom the day it came out on video. Bought it on DVD before I got a DVD player. First audio commentary I ever heard. Then saw Magnolia in theatres 8 times, PDL 6 times, thought CMBB was an interesting miss and only went to see it twice. I miss the old (young) Paul but still a dedicated fan.
The week Magnolia came out in Portugal, I rented the Boogie Nights VHS, because some dude on a TV show was saying he was dying to see Magnolia because Boogie rocked so much. I was hooked on both movies right away, worked my ass of to find out if Hard Eight had been released in video arond here, found out its portuguese title, rented, loved it and Paul's dick became one which I hop constantly.
Quote from: New Feeling on December 07, 2010, 09:50:13 PM
saw Boogie Nights the week it came out. Thought it was the best new movie I'd seen since Pulp Fiction blew my mind 3 years prior. Saw it 4 times on first run, watched Hard Eight and Boogie Nights with my mom the day it came out on video. Bought it on DVD before I got a DVD player. First audio commentary I ever heard. Then saw Magnolia in theatres 8 times...
you just described exactly my experience in a nutshell. I bought it on DVD as a way to enforce buying a DVD player (back then a shitty one was 500 bucks) and i was in my last year of highschool with no cash money. It was one of the first 10 dvds released if i'm not mistaken... and it was my first commentary too :)
I was working at a theater when Boogie came out. One of the managers there talked to me all the time because I was the only one there that had even mildly similar taste in movies as him and he came to me screaming about how I have to see Boogie Nights one day. He had just seen it the night before. I told him I would and he got me a Boogie Nights shirt the next day telling me he saw it again and had I seen it (it wasn't playing at our theater so I hadn't yet). I saw it that night and loved it. The next day I told him and he made me rent Hard Eight that weekend.
I later found out that guy was some kind of sexual deviant and he may have been trying to eff me, but I still really liked Boogie Nights and bought it on VHS when it came out.
Magnolia came out while I was in film school in Florida. I went to see it at a theater and about an hour and a half into the movie, the sound started screwing up. The speakers were popping and the channels were cutting in and out and it was unbearable. I got so enraged and demanded my money back... not passes, my money back because I would NOT watch this movie at another AMC (at they time they exclusively used SDDS and I had learned from my projection days that format was the most likely to give out) it ended up being a two-day battle that resulted in a personal three year ban of AMC.
After that I realized that I must be a little obsessed with this guy and I went and found that original PT fan mailing list.
Also, I got so much shit when, in school, I would sign my name with my middle name or initial because everyone knew what a fanboy I was of PT's.
I do remember seeing trailers for Boogie Nights on TV when I was about 10. Even though I knew it was kinda cool and different but I thought it was about disco, not porn.. So I didn't really have much interest until I found out it was about porn. One night my friends mom had rented and she was watching but she wouldn't let us be in the room, but he got to see a snippet of the scene at the end where John C. is doing the magic trick, when the topless woman jumps out.
I was so jealous of him, come to think of it I learned a lot about movies I would come to love just by hearsay from him. He was watching movies like Terminator 2 and Casino when he was like 5 years old. I remember he told me about he wasn't allowed to watch Pulp Fiction because of the scene where "A guys head gets blown off" and I conjured up that image in my mind years before I would actually get to see it, and no matter how much I anticipated I had no idea the surprise I was in for!
My first taste of Boogie Nights was sleeping over at a friends house. We just wanted to see a little T&A, you know? But while watching it I think we were very uncomfortable with the dramatic and heavy themes going on even at the beginning, so we got to Rollergirl's first nude scene and were amazed. That was enough.
Of course I also remember the tv spots for Magnolia. It seemed like such a sophisticated movie, strictly for adults but not in the same way Boogie Nights was. I saw it at the library one day and I thought my mom would like it ( probably because it has a flower on the cover ) but really I just needed an excuse to get it so I could watch it.
When I look back, I don't think anything will ever beat that initial experience of seeing Magnolia for the first time. I watched it at night, it ended around 3a.m. and I felt like I'd just been mind-fucked. I had so many questions about this movie, and I stayed up to watch the sunrise thinking about it. I wanted to share it with my friends and stuff, but I didn't think they had the attention span. Even my Mom started in on it and had to turn it off.
This was the beginning of my quest which inevitably landed me at xixax and made me want to be a filmmaker. I'm still not one though, barely even a writer. Magnolia planted a seed somewhere in my brain, the emotions it made me feel I wanted to someday recreate for others, maybe more accesibly, I don't know.
All I really can say besides that is since There will be blood, EVERYONE's been on his dick whether they know it or not. Or at least it seems that way to me. I think they're really missing out on something though if they don't go through his filmography. I don't have any friends who even know who PTA is, I kinda wanna keep it that way. There's no reason to force something on anybody especially with how long winded he can be, but I'm just glad there's a place like this where people understand.
Jesus - you forget how quickly a thread could develop back in '03!
saw boogie on the big screen and i'm like:"this dude's a bad ass" i was very sad when kubrick died and then saw magnolia and i knew the spirit lived on.
I remember seeing ads for Boogie Nights when it came out, and for some reason I remember seeing a red carpet interview with Kathy Griffith where she said she thought it was awesome. I don't know why I so vividly remember that, but I remember it was her voice recounting why she liked the movie played over the long take ending with Mark Wahlberg jumping in the pool. I didn't see Boogie Nights until three years later in film school at the University of Hartford (yup), and it was probably the only worthwhile thing that happened there on that rocky first year of adulthood.
That following summer I rented Magnolia on VHS and watched it with my mom and she didn't dig it at all but I was electrified. I remember thinking it was weird that the double VHS copy I rented ended right when Philip Baker Hall asks Stanley about the song from Carmen and the next tape started with him answering the question. It seemed like the strangest mini cliffhanger to me at the time. After that I started following PTA's work and anxiously awaited Punch Drunk Love. I took my then girlfriend to see it and she HATED it, while I quietly loved every frame. It was the first time a women's taste had ever turned me off. I wanted to convince her what a great film it was but I had no idea how. It was then that I came across ptanderson.com and eventually this site. I wanted to argue smarter.
I still have no idea what Xixax means
Quote from: ddiggler on December 26, 2010, 08:28:55 PM
II remember thinking it was weird that the double VHS copy I rented ended right when Philip Baker Hall asks Stanley about the song from Carmen and the next tape started with him answering the question. It seemed like the strangest mini cliffhanger to me at the time.
I seem to remember that there was actually a reel change at this moment, or maybe it just felt that way because right at that cut, it suddenly becomes very quiet. I don't know if that had anything to do with the VHS tapes. I do remember that the DVD had a layer-change in a terrible spot where Claudia is in the middle of moving.
saw some boogie nights clips on entertainment tonight or something. I remember seeing william h. macy with that moustache and thinking: "I gotta see THAT". This was right after Fargo so he was big in my eyes. I was familiar with a lot of the cast. Moore from Shortcuts, Phil Hoffman from Scent of a Woman, but the whole combination of music and daring shots just in like one minute of footage I saw told me this was something to eagerly expect. I finally saw it in the theatre, I guess around march 1998 or something and it just blew me away. I said "whoa, this is the next scorsese". Then when it became available via piracy I watched it again, and rented a pirate copy of Hard Eight, which was the only version I ever saw for the next 8 years.
Magnolia, I was in london and went to see it on opening night. PDL I saw it three times on the big screen. Blood, the same.
Bought a ticket to Titanic since I was only 13 and couldn't buy one for an R-rated movie, but snuck into Boogie Nights because I heard it had tons of boobs. I remember thinking it was the funniest movie I had ever seen until the 80's hit. By the end I thought it was the greatest movie in the history of movies.
tarantino raves boogie to charlie rose / friend's brother who manages theater sneaks us youngsters a peak / everyone hates it save i / 2nd viewing confirms, pulpyficwho? / magnolia officially becomes most anticipated movie everever
Saw There will be Blood when it came out / hated it / saw it again in 2009 / BEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!1 / saw everything he had done and loved it too / cut my hair and started smoking / think I'm him
It's weird to be old, isn't it, (everyone but KarlJan)?
Indeed it is.
So in '99, I had the frogs spoiled for me by a creative writing teacher who was raving about the movie after having just seen it. I was intrigued, but didn't get a chance to see it before it left theaters, so as soon as it came out on video I rented it. VHS. Two VHSes, to be specific. I was enthralled by the movie overall, but by one part in particular, when Officer Kurring is in Claudia's kitchen and they're standing at opposite ends of the frame, and the VHS abandons pan-and-scan completely and actually stretches out to show the entire letterboxed image.
Something about that moment, realizing the pan-and-scan technician probably fiddled with it for hours before going "Fuck it. This artist's vision is just too damn grand to squeeze into a little square box," it was the closest thing to a revelation an atheist kid like me can have. As amazing as this movie was to me, there was a whole giant swath of it that I was missing. I hated myself for not having seen it in theater when I had a chance. I think it was within the next week that I found the old C&C site, where I devoured all the information I could, and when the message board started up, I jumped on that shit. Other people who realize this is the greatest thing ever? Yes, please.
Months later, I got a new computer in preparation for going off to college, a computer specifically chosen for its DVD drive. So I immediately bought my three favorite movies of that past year, Magnolia, Fight Club, and Three Kings, and watched them over an afternoon, in glorious widescreen. The next day I bought Boogie Nights and watched that for the first time. A little while later I tracked down Hard Eight. Since then, I've been riding the dizzying highs and lows of anticipating the next film, and the next. When PDL was still the X4 Project, and CMBB was still Oil! When we panicked over Sandler and got snookered by Froio. But more than anything, it's given me certainty. When asked what my favorite movie is, there is no hemming and hawing, no equivocating, there is only a quick and decisive response: "Magnolia. Duh."
Quote from: polkablues on January 27, 2011, 12:41:14 PM
I was intrigued, but didn't get a chance to see it before it left theaters, so as soon as it came out on video I rented it. VHS. Two VHSes, to be specific. I was enthralled by the movie overall, but by one part in particular, when Officer Kurring is in Claudia's kitchen and they're standing at opposite ends of the frame, and the VHS abandons pan-and-scan completely and actually stretches out to show the entire letterboxed image.
Just saw this now, so I have to add to this...
I might have told this story before, but it's worth repeating. I took a college class called Interpersonal Communication, and I did a presentation about body language. The scene you speak of was the centerpiece of my presentation. I think my point was that the distance they were standing from each other was communicating their trepidation or something, but to be honest, it was mostly an excuse to evangelize Magnolia. When that pan-and-scan image stretched into letterbox, I could practically feel the excitement in the room. It was glorious.
Side note: The stretch was probably done out of necessity. Jim and Claudia are at the extreme left and right edges of the frame, so a pan-and-scan version would literally have to pan and scan back and forth furiously or just show us their noses.
Less successful, months before, were my efforts to evangelize Magnolia while working at Blockbuster. Anytime
anyone would ask for a movie recommendation, I would recommend Magnolia, without exception, and direct them to the spot on the New Releases wall where the precious double-tape VHS packs were kept. (I can still remember where that was in the store, to the left of the customers' bathroom. I checked that spot occasionally to see if someone was currently renting it.) One couple returned to me angrily a day or two after my recommendation, telling me they had started watching it with their young, impressionable child (learn to parent?), who was assaulted with a rapid-fire explicit montage of sex, violence, and profanity. I didn't have a good response. I think I just hoped that the kid would remember it.