Xixax Film Forum

The Director's Chair => Paul Thomas Anderson => Topic started by: Drenk on June 20, 2019, 09:19:50 AM

Title: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 20, 2019, 09:19:50 AM
A one reeler for the new Thom Yorke album, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Available 27th June on Netflix.



(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9gwsTvW4AEQCfn.jpg)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 20, 2019, 10:15:48 AM
In select IMAX theaters on June 26. 

From Indiewire:

QuotePaul Thomas Anderson has a surprise new project heading to Netflix and select IMAX theaters later this month: "ANIMA," a musical short film starring Thom Yorke. The "one-reeler" is being billed by the streaming giant as a "mind-bending visual piece. Best played loud." The film will feature three tracks from Yorke's upcoming album of the same name.

In the "ANIMA" teaser clip below, Yorke defines a one-reeler as "a motion picture, especially a cartoon or comedy, of 10-12 minutes duration and contained on one reel of film; popular especially in the era of silent films."

For Anderson, "ANIMA" marks his first directorial release since "Phantom Thread," his acclaimed Daniel Day Lewis-starring drama that picked up Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, among others. The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Anderson has yet to announce a follow-up feature to "Phantom Thread," which makes "ANIMA" more of an event for cinephiles.

Netflix has been investing more frequently in auteur filmmakers and just released Martin Scorsese's music documentary "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story" to critical acclaim. Scorsese's gangster movie "The Irishman," starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino," is also backed by Netflix and gearing up for a release sometime in the fall. "ANIMA" marks Anderson's first Netflix original.

Excitingly, "ANIMA" also marks the first collaboration between Anderson and cinematographer Darius Khondji, whose latest work is Nicolas Winding Refn's Amazon series "Too Old to Die Young." Khondji has earned acclaim for shooting James Gray films such as "The Lost City of Z" and "The Immigrant."

"ANIMA" will debut on Netflix globally starting June 27. The streaming giant will screen the project in select IMAX theaters on Wednesday, June 26. Watch the teaser announcement for "ANIMA" below.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 20, 2019, 10:18:43 AM
Here are the theaters who will play the video: https://www.imax.com/news/thom-yorke-music-video-directed-by-paul-thomas-anderson-coming-to-select-imax-theatres
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 20, 2019, 11:25:58 AM
Very cool! Can't wait.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Tdog on June 20, 2019, 12:18:42 PM
Looking forward to this. Cool to see PTA working with another new DOP and Netflix!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: SaunchSmilax on June 20, 2019, 12:32:06 PM
Anybody find a link for City Walk to reserve tickets? Not showing up on their website.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Ravi on June 20, 2019, 01:28:10 PM
Quote from: strandedwriter on June 20, 2019, 12:32:06 PM
Anybody find a link for City Walk to reserve tickets? Not showing up on their website.

You have to get passes through this Gofobo link:

https://gofobo.com/index.php/main/movie_landing/QW5pbWFMQQ%3D%3D
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on June 20, 2019, 01:53:08 PM
Quote from: Tdog on June 20, 2019, 12:18:42 PM
Cool to see PTA working with another new DOP and Netflix!

Darius iz getting such good work ~  Joon-ho Bong, the Safdies, Refn, Anderson, James Gray, all in the last two years !
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: SaunchSmilax on June 20, 2019, 01:55:08 PM
Thank you!!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on June 20, 2019, 02:19:52 PM
Got my pass! Anyone else in NYC going?
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 20, 2019, 02:47:21 PM
Quote from: WorldForgot on June 20, 2019, 01:53:08 PM
Quote from: Tdog on June 20, 2019, 12:18:42 PM
Cool to see PTA working with another new DOP and Netflix!

Darius iz getting such good work ~  Joon-ho Bong, the Safdies, Refn, Anderson, James Gray, all in the last two years !

Yes! This is an awesome collaboration. I love Darius' stuff, from Midnight in Paris, to Seven, Amour, Okja, and so on.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 20, 2019, 02:57:31 PM
I'm hyped.

(https://6a25bbd04bd33b8a843e-9626a8b6c7858057941524bfdad5f5b0.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/styles/movie_1500x580/rcf/news/PM063_D_News_Article_Template_1500x580_V3.jpg?itok=RkQD5Vmr)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: kingfan011 on June 20, 2019, 04:41:54 PM
The fact that he is working with a new DP is the most interesting thing. Curious what it looks like and if this means that whenever he make another one he will continue to DP or try a new DP.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 20, 2019, 07:26:37 PM
Signed up for Universal City Walk, here in L.A.  Thanks for the tips/links.   

(Guess I'll have to wear my Eiffel Tower again, huh?)   :yabbse-grin:
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on June 20, 2019, 07:47:55 PM
Quote from: wilberfan on June 20, 2019, 07:26:37 PM
Signed up for Universal City Walk, here in L.A.  Thanks for the tips/links.   

(Guess I'll have to wear my Eiffel Tower again, huh?)   :yabbse-grin:

Needz to become official merch!  :yabbse-grin:
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 20, 2019, 10:53:41 PM
I guess Netflix ponied the dough for this one?  (Or was it Thom's recording label?)  If the former, I guess that suggests the possibility of PTA making his next feature on Netflix's dime?  (Or Amazon, or....some other streaming service?)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on June 21, 2019, 04:17:43 AM
Exciting news.

I'm still curious about what it was like shooting the "Daydreaming" video. We've learned a lot about the production of the feature length stuff through Q&As and interviews and whatnot, but we know much less about his music video work. I'm sure there are a lot of fascinating stories about coming up with these ideas and executing them. On the other hand...the air of mystery is cool too.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 21, 2019, 06:27:20 AM
I know they asked random people in LA if they could shoot in their houses, a woman broke the "secret"—well, her NDA—because she thought that nobody cared about Radiohead, she was just excited that, out of the blue, Paul Thomas Anderson knocked on her door. It was probably hectic. It's crazy that it looks that good.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Tdog on June 21, 2019, 11:31:23 AM
Quote from: Drenk on June 21, 2019, 06:27:20 AM
I know they asked random people in LA if they could shoot in their houses, a woman broke the "secret"—well, her NDA—because she thought that nobody cared about Radiohead, she was just excited that, out of the blue, Paul Thomas Anderson knocked on her door. It was probably hectic. It's crazy that it looks that good.
Yeah a talk show host wasn't it?

Didn't PTA say he used a small crew with a lot of young people on it? Or did I invent this memory?

Either way it's kind of amazing that when he shoots modernity it immediately, to me at least, starts looing like Magnolia/PDL. Or maybe it's just all the tracking shots!!!!!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 21, 2019, 11:45:27 AM
There are free screenings in LA today:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9mUGj3W4AEXQ1R.jpg)

Thom Yorke: There's some low key very first preview IMAX screenings in LA tonight of a certain 'One Reeler' film . I'm not in the vicinity, but Mr Thomas Anderson will be.. eventually, once he's driven across town and parked the car...
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 21, 2019, 05:24:22 PM
Well, there goes my First to See Anima badge.  I have to wait until next Wed evening.  (Unless they're gonna keep this up over the next few days.)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 21, 2019, 09:53:40 PM
Quote from: wilberfan on June 21, 2019, 05:24:22 PM
Well, there goes my First to See Anima badge.  I have to wait until next Wed evening.  (Unless they're gonna keep this up over the next few days.)

Too bad you couldn't make it! Still, less than a week away is still good.

To me, Anima is the perfect event to be sandwiched between now and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; it couldn't have been announced at a better time, just as I was starting to get unhealthily restless about waiting for Once Upon a Time. And of course Anima is really an event of its own.

There are a couple of pics from Anima in the following link, in case anyone wants to see them (but don't look if you don't want spoilers!): https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/20/18692922/anima-netflix-thom-yorke-paul-thomas-anderson
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: d on June 23, 2019, 07:10:42 AM
Has anyone here seen it already? The only first opinions I have found so far are from letterboxd

https://letterboxd.com/film/anima-4/

Please be aware that some of them may be considered a bit spoilery if you want to know as little as possible before your first viewing.

It seems that Joaquin was present. So was PTA as anmounced but no one mentiones if he said somethig before the screening or simply was around.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 23, 2019, 02:39:40 PM
Quote from: d on June 23, 2019, 07:10:42 AM
Has anyone here seen it already? The only first opinions I have found so far are from letterboxd

https://letterboxd.com/film/anima-4/

Please be aware that some of them may be considered a bit spoilery if you want to know as little as possible before your first viewing.

It seems that Joaquin was present. So was PTA as anmounced but no one mentiones if he said somethig before the screening or simply was around.

Thanks for posting this link. I haven't seen it yet, but I've been on the lookout for reviews from the 21st.

Oddly enough, I feel like I'm immune to spoilers. Actually, I like having general parts of something described to me so that I get a sense of what it's about and build my expectations/picture of what it might be like in my mind, and then I have fun seeing how the actual thing matches or differs from what I expected.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: d on June 23, 2019, 02:44:48 PM
More details have been posted on reddit since so you may want to have a look there too.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 23, 2019, 03:47:49 PM
Quote from: d on June 23, 2019, 02:44:48 PM
More details have been posted on reddit since so you may want to have a look there too.

Thanks! I checked it out. Someone posted there who saw it a couple nights ago and is allowing questions, so I did ask something there. :)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jenkins on June 23, 2019, 06:28:47 PM
this is cool but i won't make it out for this because i'm difficult. i was looking at the international screenings and i had to google UAE, it's United Arab Emirates, which is between Oman and Saudi Arabia, its capital is Dubai, yup that's where VOX Cinemas & IMAX is, i like that it's part of this process. the intellectual and art culture of the Middle East is just as vibrant as anywhere else, i'm positive because i watch their arthouse movies
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on June 26, 2019, 11:12:09 AM
It's Paul's birthday!! Here's hoping we get to wish him well at Anima.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 26, 2019, 11:17:43 AM
I'm hoping there's an opportunity for us all to sing "Happy Birthday" to him in unison... ;)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 26, 2019, 11:24:04 AM
https://twitter.com/davidehrlich/status/1143881975100518400
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Just Withnail on June 26, 2019, 12:19:35 PM
Pete and Withnail just saw this in Berlin. It was lovely and way too short. There's a very nice surprise waiting for all you going to the IMAX, beyond the film itself.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 26, 2019, 02:59:06 PM
Any suggestion on how early to show up?  I have a "ticket", but I know it's not guaranteed seating...and granted seating capacity will vary by venue...
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jenkins on June 26, 2019, 02:59:59 PM
withnail you have to tell me the surprise or i'll never know it
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Just Withnail on June 26, 2019, 03:01:48 PM
The screening was pretty empty. I'd guess maybe 30-40 people all in all.

For jenks:

Spoiler: ShowHide
Everyone got a free limited editon LP!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jenkins on June 26, 2019, 03:03:14 PM
xx
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 26, 2019, 03:04:25 PM
http://Paul Thomas Anderson on Directing Thom Yorke for 'Anima': 'I Kept Saying, More Buster Keaton! (//http://Paul%20Thomas%20Anderson%20on%20Directing%20Thom%20Yorke%20for%20'Anima':%20'I%20Kept%20Saying,%20More%20Buster%20Keaton!)'
In a Variety interview, he tells how quickly the IMAX/Netflix "one-reeler" came together, and how "Suspiria" and silent comedies fit in.

Everything has seemed truly in its right place as director Paul Thomas Anderson has become increasingly associated with Radiohead over the years, from his use of Jonny Greenwood as his primary features scorer to his music videos for the band's  "A Moon Shaped Pool" album. Now he's joined forces with Thom Yorke for "Anima," a 15-minute film that premieres on IMAX screens Wednesday night and Netflix Thursday.

And, surprisingly, perhaps, the filmmaker tells Variety that this new piece had its impetus in "Suspiria," a Yorke film-music crossover that Anderson was of course not involved with, but which left a feeling of "unfinished business" between the singer and choreographer Damien Jalet that they were able to revive in a big way here.

Really, really big: Anyone who can see Darius Khondji's cinematography for "Anima" on an IMAX screen should, although there's no harm nor foul if probably 99 percent of its viewers will stream it. Either way, there's a lot of nearly breathtaking beauty to take in in those 15 minutes, from the opening shot of a subway train barreling through a tunnel to some tilted-stage dancing effects that Fred Astaire might approve of to an unexpectedly sexy urban pas de deux ... to Yorke's face itself, which is more expressive than we've ever seen it before, writ dozens of feet high in the cinema or a few inches on your smartphone.

It's so easy to get caught up in the surreal elements that you fail to notice how Anderson is paying homage to silent comedies of the 1920s. There is a clue in the description he offers for "Anima" as a "one-reeler," which is defined in some of the movie's materials as "a motion picture, especially a cartoon or comedy, of 10-12 minutes duration and contained on one reel of film; popular especially in the era of silent films." "Anima" is constructed as a three-part dream, but it's also a sort of quest comedy, in which Yorke falls for a beautiful woman on the subway train who's left behind a lunch pail and goes to strenuous lengths to return it. There's a sort of happy ending that represents the most romantic thing Anderson has put on screen this side of "Punch Drunk Love" or his last film's consensual poisonings. But for sweet dreamers, alas, the dawn awaits.

Variety caught up with Anderson as he hung out after promotional IMAX screenings last Friday night at USC's Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.

How many people will get to see this in IMAX?
We have these screenings Wednesday, all over the world — probably about 40 cinemas. And then it will just be up to a theater exhibitor's discretion, really. It's kind of a hard thing to try to fit in front of a lot of the films that play in IMAX right now. You probably wouldn't want to see it in front of "Spider-Man." So they'll have it and they can play it if it fits. But yeah, hopefully, there'll be a lot of people that see it like this, then they'll have it on Netflix, and it'll have some kind of repertory life where it can on IMAX.

Do you feel like it stands as an independent piece apart from the album?
Well, they are independent — they're separate things — but they're definitely companion pieces. I mean, ultimately any kind of music video is to guide you toward the record, and not something that you can hold in your hand and take with you. But it's all Thom. So much of this stuff is directly from Thom's brain. A lot of the premise of this comes from Thom and this choreographer Damien Jalet, who he worked with on "Suspiria." They really got along on that and felt like they had unfinished business and still want to continue that collaboration. So I was kind of a third wheel to that. They knew they wanted to do something but weren't quite clear about what it was. We knew we wanted it to be more than one song. So it just sort of tumbled forward, one thing after another. That's really how it all came about. We started talking about it in December, and now here we are, in whatever it is — June! — it all came together quite quickly.

You have the shooting dates on the end credits and also on the EP that was given out to attendees tonight. It was shockingly recent.
Yeah, I mean, we just shot it like a month ago. [The filming dates are listed as May 11-19.]

Was it a big, big production? It seems kind of epic.
Probably not as epic as you think, but it felt epic, just because there were so many moving parts. Just so many dancers. There were two different countries. We went to Prague and we went to this beautiful museum in Les Baux where we did all that cave work. It was an amazing place. It's sometimes shocking to turn around and see that many people for a 15-minute piece.

It is a really long end-credits scroll.
I know. Well, that was the horrible thing: You thought, like, "Are we making a 15-minute film with two hours of credits?" A these dancers and all these people... In Czechoslovakia, basically, you hire one person and you get four of that person's family to come help, to watch that one person do their work. It was a great place to work, though.

The film gets surprisingly romantic. When we think Thom Yorke, we think anxiety, and there is definitely a lot of that. But it's almost like Thom Yorke as a romantic leading man for a while there toward the end.
Yeah. Well, Buster Keaton would always do that. There would always be some scene where Buster Keaton is slightly romantic. But that last song, "Dawn Chorus," is amazing — which I don't know if that's been played before (in concert) or not. I don't think it has. It's really, really so beautiful.

So Thom Yorke is Buster Keaton — that's something we can take away from this?

Well, he has that similar thing, doesn't he? Like, physically. He's amazing with his body —very, very physical. I just kept saying, "More Buster Keaton, more Buster Keaton!" It seemed to fit.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on June 26, 2019, 10:28:25 PM
This was awesome. Fuck I cannot wait to see what PT does next. See this on a roughly 80 foot screen sometime, if ya can, it's really something special. Thom Yorke's man-bun depicted on such a scale really re-contextualizes that entire trend in a profound way, and somehow achieves a kind of redemption. They were giving out free records, though I arrived too late to receive one  :doh: Half of those that did I'll bet don't even own record players, and the other half, Crosleys...
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on June 27, 2019, 12:28:01 AM
Thom Yorke iz a funny fellow. So glad to watch Damien Jalet choreograph delightful liberty after the howlz of Suspiria.

Watch this with ya lovez
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 27, 2019, 12:28:46 AM
"The Phantom Lunch Box"


[edit]  Do I get Karma Points for giving my vinyl to a couple of very young kids that shyly asked me if they could have my copy?  I decided they would enjoy it much more than I would.  (I barely know who Thom Yorke and/or Radiohead is. Are?)  When I asked them what made them approach me--they said it was the way I was swinging the album by my side holding it by one corner...  Everyone else had their copy clutched to their chest.   Very astute observation on their part!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on June 27, 2019, 01:17:39 AM
Therez a very cool PDL reference too
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jviness02 on June 27, 2019, 02:28:55 AM
This was quite good. Any new PTA is A-OK in my book. The first two sections had a very dystopian-futuristic feel to me. Maybe it was the matching uniforms? Makes me wanna see PTA do something like that.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 27, 2019, 02:46:32 AM
Oooh, I just love it. It's so gorgeous. Seeing the inky colour and grain of the film does something special to me, especially now that so many new films and shows have that digital look of the Arri Alexa. It's so nicely shot and is somehow more through-and-through PTA than I expected, which is great, of course.

I don't know much about films from the silent era, but a lot of the movements of the people (Thom especially), the way Thom smiles at times, the lunchbox, all remind me of footage of comedies I've seen from the time of the one-reeler.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Robyn on June 27, 2019, 05:14:16 AM
Quote from: wilberfan on June 27, 2019, 12:28:46 AM
[edit]  Do I get Karma Points for giving my vinyl to a couple of very young kids that shyly asked me if they could have my copy?

yes.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Ravi on June 27, 2019, 11:31:18 AM
Saw this in IMAX last night. I was in the center of the front row, so it wasn't the best seat, but what a gorgeous film. I'll have to watch it again on Netflix. Does Netflix have a repeat function?

Got a copy of the LP too!

Quote from: csage97 on June 27, 2019, 02:46:32 AM
Oooh, I just love it. It's so gorgeous. Seeing the inky colour and grain of the film does something special to me, especially now that so many new films and shows have that digital look of the Arri Alexa. It's so nicely shot and is somehow more through-and-through PTA than I expected, which is great, of course.

The end credits had a Kodak Motion Picture Film logo and an Alexa 65 logo, so parts of this were shot digitally. Not sure which parts, though.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: pete on June 27, 2019, 12:37:28 PM
I feel like I've seen more PTA films with members of this board than anyone else!? I'm at six I believe. Matt what you got?
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 27, 2019, 01:18:50 PM
I must say that I was impressed that the Universal Cinema IMAX theater was TRUE IMAX--not the "LieMAX" that I've gotten used to at the local Gigaplex.  Full floor-to-ceiling screen, copiously huge, extremely raked seating--rather shallow front-to-back dimensions.  Almost exactly like the "original" IMAX screen(s) when they were only at museums, etc.


And, if I may steal a bit of WorldForgot's glory, I must quote him when he said, "Netflix logo in IMAX... What a sight"
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 27, 2019, 04:01:40 PM
I was a little lukewarm on this to begin with, perhaps because the music was meh, but wow does it stick the landing. The last 1/3 is breathtaking.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 27, 2019, 08:24:16 PM
I just spent most of my afternoon 17 minute meditation session just now, trying to remember the music from Anima (instead of focusing on my breath!).  To be fair, I don't know from Radiohead, and anything outside of big hits or collaborations with PTA, I'm unfamiliar with their stuff.  But I'm curious:  What did you RH/TY fans think of the music, here?   I realized many, if not most of the visuals are still with me--but I can't remember any of the music.   Of course, it could be argued that the music helped the visuals be memorable, but I'm curious what the fans on the music side of this collaboration thought.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 27, 2019, 09:27:52 PM
Quote from: wilberfan on June 27, 2019, 08:24:16 PM
I just spent most of my afternoon 17 minute meditation session just now, trying to remember the music from Anima (instead of focusing on my breath!).  To be fair, I don't know from Radiohead, and anything outside of big hits or collaborations with PTA, I'm unfamiliar with their stuff.  But I'm curious:  What did you RH/TY fans think of the music, here?   I realized many, if not most of the visuals are still with me--but I can't remember any of the music.   Of course, it could be argued that the music helped the visuals be memorable, but I'm curious what the fans on the music side of this collaboration thought.

I'm a self-professed Radiohead super-fan. I come from the recording side of things and I'm a musician myself .... I can tell you the exact console that Radiohead owns (70s Cadac G  Series), the transformers and EQ types in it, and for that matter, I can say a lot about the console that Nigel Godrich has (Dalcon from Ocean Way in LA). That's just to give you an example of and prove my obessiveness.  :yabbse-grin:

I think Thom Yorke's solo stuff is pretty good, and it's fairly unique. Radiohead's stuff is more accessible because it's fairly traditional in the sense of its instrumentation (at the core, a lot of it is guitars, bass, drums, vocals, piano, and some analogue synths), with occasional forays into electronic music. But if you ask me, Radiohead usually make their fringe influences accessible in their own music. A lot of their stuff is divergent enough from top 40 music to give them hipster cred and make it seem to some like they're onto some profound shit, but they just use chord changes and voicings a lot of the time that you don't always see in pop music, and put these into 4-or-so-minute pop structures. To me, that's what's really good about Radiohead: They exist on the line separating popular music and genre or experimental music.

Now, Thom Yorke's stuff .... It's more electronics-focused (obviously) with lots of skittish rhythms, sometimes polyrhythms. It's influenced by Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and probably Four Tet and lots of that stuff, and has other modern analogues in Flying Lotus, Mark Pritchard, Warp Records artists, etc. It also has similarities to EDM and DJ music, I guess you could say. Of course, Thom probably brings other diverse influences to the table, but his stuff sounds most like those electronic artists. A lot of the structures of Thom's solo songs are hidden beneath all clattering rhythms and noisy synths. But they're there. One thing that's cool is that there's still a lot of melodic vocals.

How do I feel about Thom's solo and Atoms for Peace stuff? Yeah, I mostly like it. I just think it has more of a "fringe" sound that's maybe not readily appealing to some people. Which is fine. At the risk of sounding elitist or condescending, Thom's probably gone through listening to so much music as many professional obsessive musician does, and so the interesting parts of his solo stuff might reveal themselves to those who are kind of on the same page. That is, it's something different and probably doesn't have a universal "catch-all" sound.

As for Anima, his new record and the select music that's in the film, a lot of it to me seems a bit "loose" in structure and flow, but that resembles the dreamy, sometimes illogical rhythm and content of the film. Often, there's not a simple section or chord progression to "grab onto" and carry with you after it's over. To give you a straight answer, I enjoy the music in the film and on the album, but I'm also in a place in my life where I'm getting more into electronic music. To me, though -- and this will definitely sound elitist, but I don't care -- it's far more creative and inspired than the majority of the autotuned, same-beat crap lots of young people listen to these days (I sound old, but I'm really not). (There is still other good music being made these days, though, if you ask me).

Wow, that's a long answer. Anyway, that's my take.

One more thing, check out these two versions of the same Thom Yorke song. This song has a pretty apparent structure to it, but the beauty and sense of a traditional song really comes through in the piano version. Point being that there are usually these amazing songs beneath all the electronic instrumentation ...:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVfF4U75B8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZl6BRY9IYQ
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Tdog on June 28, 2019, 01:34:02 AM
Well I thought it was quite good. Especially enjoyed the
Spoiler: ShowHide
 Barry Egan trademark dive.

Thom Yorke seemed really committed to the choreography which was cool

This kind of music though isn't really what I listen to. I still think Radiohead/Thom peaked with this kind of sound when they did Kid A and they've dragged it out for waaaaaay too long.

I'd hope PTA just uses Jonny alone with his next picture.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: csage97 on June 28, 2019, 11:50:00 AM
One more thing: A lot of the Thom Yorke stuff is similar to Brazilian or Latin beats. Westerners are really used to straight unsyncopated 4/4 beats. It's always funny when people in North America try to clap along to a rhythm that isn't unsyncopated 4/4.  :yabbse-grin:
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Drenk on June 28, 2019, 11:57:27 AM
Also, Thom Yorke's solo work is different from Radiohead's work, and some Radiohead fans are very impatient with his on-going affair with his laptop. Personally, I like it—even if it has Its ups and down—and it's great that his "side project" sound different. The landscapes he can create are very evocative. His voice is what make the songs, though: it's full of melodies that reveal themselves, and even when the electronic sounds of his solo work sound too "generic" for me I always find that his voice add another dimension.

It's chaotic, restless and moody; Anima is like a synthesis of all his previous solo-ish efforts.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Pringle on June 28, 2019, 11:59:28 AM
I saw this at Universal City in Imax, and was absolutely blown away. We had to sit in the 2nd row, but being enveloped in the screen makes for an incredible experience. Seeing it on a smaller screen simply does not do justice to just how amazing the visuals are.

I love Radiohead, and while I'm not a huge fan of Yorke's solo stuff (I just haven't exlpored it enough) I think that this is the best album he's put out on his own.

The "Dawn Chorus" section is as moving and beautiful as anything PTA has ever done in my opinion. What always amazes me is how emotionally powerful his films are. Beyond all of the technical prowess and the intellectual heft, there is no other director that can cut straight through to my heart like he can.

One of the producers (Sara Murphy) was there along with some other bigwigs/VIPs, and it seemed like they had pretty much the entire center section of the theater reserved and blocked off and most of the people I was in line with had no idea that it was assigned seating, which is pretty lame. A small quibble for seeing a free PTA IMAX film though!

EDIT: One last observation --- the ballet shots in the park are lit exactly like the baby carriage stuff in PT, the last shot made me think of the last shot of Inherent Vice as well, and, maybe it was just me, but the shot of Thom and his love walking into the foggy underpass reminded me of the ending of Russian Doll.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on June 28, 2019, 03:54:21 PM
Saw this at the Universal IMAX and straight up loved it. Moving, gorgeous, funny, absurd - so many of the the things I already love about PTA joints but able to really stretch out in a dream-like piece.

I love Thom's solo stuff, not so much his Atoms for Peace record, but was really into The Eraser and Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, I think I played TMB more than Moon Shaped Pool honestly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-KLu57yqw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-KLu57yqw). Haven't heard the full record yet but the tracks in the film were definitely my jam.

Just seeing Thom ACT, like actually do things with his face and go big like a silent film star was so much fun. I can just feel Paul behind the camera basically saying trust me, it's gonna work. Serious PDL vibes with this one. And some of the prettiest looking stuff he's shot yet.

10/10 would go to CityWalk and down scotch and smoke weed in the Hard Rock Cafe bathroom and see again.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on June 28, 2019, 04:38:57 PM
Quote from: Fuzzy Dunlop on June 28, 2019, 03:54:21 PM
10/10 would go to CityWalk and down scotch and smoke weed in the Hard Rock Cafe bathroom and see again.

I wanna party with you cowboy.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: matt35mm on June 29, 2019, 03:18:05 AM
Quote from: pete on June 27, 2019, 12:37:28 PM
I feel like I've seen more PTA films with members of this board than anyone else!? I'm at six I believe. Matt what you got?

Maybe 4 or 5.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 29, 2019, 12:07:43 PM
(Still grateful for Matt's courtesy +1 for Phantom Thread back in Nov, 2017.) 
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on June 30, 2019, 03:41:50 PM
Anima would be eligible for "Live Action Short", yes?   (I don't want this to be PTA's only Best Director Oscar!)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Garam on July 02, 2019, 08:05:57 AM
Quote from: wilberfan on June 26, 2019, 03:04:25 PM
In Czechoslovakia, basically, you hire one person and you get four of that person's family to come help, to watch that one person do their work. It was a great place to work, though.

Very impressed that they managed to keep it under wraps that they designed and built a time machine to shoot when Czechoslovakia was a country that existed.

Come on, Paul!
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: modage on July 08, 2019, 11:15:14 PM
Also saw this at Universal CityWalk (oh, I moved to LA!) and loved it. The video itself was amazing on a big-ass IMAX screen but mostly what I loved was that a room full of a couple hundred nerds who all gathered together and waited in line just to watch 15 minutes of film (even though it was going to be on their phone for free in two hours).  Only PTA/Radiohead can garner such devotion. What a cool communal experience as an EVENT. The fucking BILLBOARDS up all over LA are a nice touch too.

https://twitter.com/modage/status/1143586035256791040
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jenkins on August 01, 2019, 04:27:43 PM
this was cool. i was glad i watched it
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on August 12, 2019, 09:19:35 PM
Cameron Beyl ("The Directors Series") on Anima.  In part,

QuoteAfter serving as his own cinematographer through his string of short works as well as PHANTOM THREAD, Anderson invites seasoned DP Darius Khondji to shoot ANIMA using a mixture of film and large-format digital acquisition.  A fine layer of organic grain blends the two formats seamlessly, better allowing for a subtle emphasis on their differences: the clean stability of the Alexa 65 image versus the constrained tension of film (it's unclear whether ANIMA's film segments were captured on 35mm or on the larger 65mm gauge to better match the digital resolution).

Full article (https://directorsseries.net/2019/08/12/paul-thomas-andersons-anima-2019/)
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on August 12, 2019, 09:20:55 PM
Love that guy's videos.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Pringle on October 10, 2019, 07:25:34 PM
Thom Yorke was on Colbert recently and shared an interesting tidbit about Anima: in the shot where he is trying to get through the jammed turnstile and enter the subway, there are actually 2 crew members who wore green screen body suits that were there to hold the turnstile in place, and they were later CGI-Ed out of the shot in post.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on October 10, 2019, 07:30:29 PM
Movie magic  :yabbse-smiley:
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on November 08, 2019, 11:19:48 AM
Quote from: Pringle on October 10, 2019, 07:25:34 PM
Thom Yorke was on Colbert recently and shared an interesting tidbit about Anima: in the shot where he is trying to get through the jammed turnstile and enter the subway, there are actually 2 crew members who wore green screen body suits that were there to hold the turnstile in place, and they were later CGI-Ed out of the shot in post.

I also caught that interview, and yeah, it is interesting. Kind of surprised me because I don't really think of PTA as someone who's all that interested in digital effects. But I guess it was the best solution here. Also made me wonder how often he's used them... outside of certain shots of the oil geysers in TWBB and some of the frogs in Magnolia. Maybe to remove buildings in IV and/or PT? Tarantino had to do that for OUATIH.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on November 08, 2019, 11:29:16 AM
On another note, every time I see the opening shot of Anima, it reminds me of the beginning of the original Half-Life video game. (Almost certainly not a deliberate reference, of course)

Great image and, in an interesting way, somewhat weird in the context of PTA's movies overall? I can't think of anything else in his movies that has a similar vibe. Kind of Star Gate-esque (from 2001: A Space Odyssey), I guess.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on November 08, 2019, 12:37:15 PM
Quote from: Lewton on November 08, 2019, 11:19:48 AM
Quote from: Pringle on October 10, 2019, 07:25:34 PM
Thom Yorke was on Colbert recently and shared an interesting tidbit about Anima: in the shot where he is trying to get through the jammed turnstile and enter the subway, there are actually 2 crew members who wore green screen body suits that were there to hold the turnstile in place, and they were later CGI-Ed out of the shot in post.

I also caught that interview, and yeah, it is interesting. Kind of surprised me because I don't really think of PTA as someone who's all that interested in digital effects. But I guess it was the best solution here. Also made me wonder how often he's used them... outside of certain shots of the oil geysers in TWBB and some of the frogs in Magnolia. Maybe to remove buildings in IV and/or PT? Tarantino had to do that for OUATIH.

The Golden Fang building is definitely CGI.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on November 08, 2019, 12:56:17 PM
I mean, I don't know if he's interested in making a big CGI extravaganza thing, but he's never been dogmatic about it either -- frogs and oil being two big examples, but I'm sure there are a ton of small tweaks that we're not even seeing. Basically every single thing out there has at least some VFX work in it, even if its only to paint out a boom pole or signage, or in this case, a green man augmenting a practical effect.

For me the big ! that I want to know was how he felt about the Alexa 65.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on November 08, 2019, 01:01:16 PM
It never occurred to me that TWBB had any CGI in it.    Do we know specifically which shots?
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on November 08, 2019, 01:08:40 PM
The derrick blowing, for sure.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on November 08, 2019, 01:22:23 PM
Quote from: eward on November 08, 2019, 12:37:15 PM
The Golden Fang building is definitely CGI.

Forgot about that. I also really like that shot... Phoenix staring, holding his hat, camera moving up, etc.

It's been a while since I read Inherent Vice but I'm pretty sure the novel had a few other scenes that would have demanded CGI but Anderson went another way with it.

Quote from: Fuzzy Dunlop on November 08, 2019, 12:56:17 PM
Basically every single thing out there has at least some VFX work in it, even if its only to paint out a boom pole or signage

I never thought about it this way. I do know about Fincher doing a lot of covert CGI stuff, but I just never really made the jump to assume it's happening in every single movie to some extent, arthouse or otherwise.

Nothing inherently wrong with it. Like, just to be clear, I wasn't trying to say he's betraying his own sensibilities simply by utilizing digital effects or whatever. My thought is really just... as a first impression, when thinking about PTA and digital effects, it's just kind of an odd pairing in my mind.

Even the idea of him sitting there and supervising the CGI for the Golden Fang building is a slightly peculiar visual, lol.

And yeah, I doubt he'll ever make a "CGI extravaganza thing." With regards to that, I do think it is a matter of his sensibilities. I think he's said more than once now that he thinks the actor is "the best special effect" (or however that comment was worded). And, to his credit, I think he's also very interested in the texture and age of actual buildings and objects. I'm assuming that sort of thing won't ever take a backseat to CGI (even if he one day decides to do a sci-fi film and is somehow granted a sizeable budget).
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on November 08, 2019, 01:25:19 PM
We'll recall I just saw IV again a couple of weeks ago, and that tilt-up impressed me.  As someone with a big interest in PTA Locations, I remember thinking, "Man, why don't I recognize that place??".  As you said, CGI and PTA aren't neurons in my head that ever touch each other.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Pringle on November 08, 2019, 02:32:00 PM
Since we're on the topic of PTA videos and visual effects — does anyone know what process was used on the 'Divers' video?
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on November 08, 2019, 02:39:09 PM
I think that's all practical, shot through a series of tanks in which the clouds were formed in real time - similar to how they did the cloud formations in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, just pouring paint into water and letting it do its work - layered across a few miniatures...or something like that. I swear I read a bit about how they did it somewhere but a quick search ain't yielding anything...


Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on November 08, 2019, 11:12:35 PM
Quote from: Pringle on November 08, 2019, 02:32:00 PM
Since we're on the topic of PTA videos and visual effects — does anyone know what process was used on the 'Divers' video?

There's a bit of info in this Rolling Stone article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/joanna-newsom-on-andy-samberg-stalkers-and-latest-harp-fueled-opus-51062/

Quote from: Several months ago, the director agreed to shoot a music video for Newsom while they were both in New York. They envisioned a clip for Divers' title track that would incorporate the artwork of photographer Kim Keever, whose pictures adorn the album's cover and liner notes. Keever's technique is to construct miniature clay landscapes within aquariums, light them, then drop dye into the water; the resulting images have a striking, sci-fi–J.M.W. Turner quality. For the video, Anderson shot Newsom through an aquarium while Keever did his thing.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: trytotell on November 20, 2019, 08:50:27 AM
Nominated for a Grammy for "Best Music Film".
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on November 20, 2019, 02:02:33 PM
Beyonce will win, but it'd be wild as fuck to see PTA and Thom on a Grammy stage together, snickering about the whole thing
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: kingfan011 on November 20, 2019, 02:15:25 PM
Seriously its too bad Beyonce is nominated because there is no way she's losing.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jviness02 on November 21, 2019, 11:12:11 AM
Do you think Netflix is pushing this for the Best Short Oscar? I'm pretty sure it's technically eligible.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: trytotell on November 21, 2019, 12:27:13 PM
Quote from: jviness02 on November 21, 2019, 11:12:11 AM
Do you think Netflix is pushing this for the Best Short Oscar? I'm pretty sure it's technically eligible.

Isn't that category really for up-and-coming filmmakers? Has anybody really established then got nominated/won? If they did push it, I could see some backlash.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: wilberfan on November 21, 2019, 12:49:54 PM
I don't think that category was ever intended for one kind of filmmaker vs another (new vs established). Back in the day, when my father was an Academy member, there were nominating committees that would screen the eligible films and then pick their favorites.   I don't know historically if they ever rejected a qualifying short by an 'established' filmmaker--just because they were established.  I'm sure well-known directors just rarely produce short films.   

Typing that last sentence just now made me realize PTA may be the only "mainstream" director consistently doing this today?  Can we think of any others?
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Pringle on November 21, 2019, 01:25:59 PM
Yorgos Lanthimos also released a short this year starring Matt Dillon.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alethia on November 21, 2019, 01:32:54 PM
In addition to Yorgos, Harmony Korine has a fair amount by now, Lars' next project is apparently a series of ten shorts...mmm...Glazer and Spike Jonze *used* to be more prolific in this area...that's top of my head.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: WorldForgot on November 21, 2019, 01:55:27 PM
Gaspar Noe premiered a short film at Cannes this year -- LUX AETERNA
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on November 21, 2019, 02:07:04 PM
Brilliant as it is, I don't think it should be eligible and I doubt they are pushing it. It's a cinematic accompaniment to an album, not as simple as a music video but not far off. Presumably paid for by the record label with the ultimate goal of promoting the record. It'd be like nominating John Landis for  Thriller.

It's hard enough for short filmmakers to break through without having to compete with A-level directors armed with record label budgets.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: trytotell on December 21, 2019, 11:21:43 PM
 :yabbse-grin:
https://twitter.com/SandraTello/status/1145351406813089793
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: ForTheHungryBoy on December 22, 2019, 11:29:48 AM
Quote from: trytotell on December 21, 2019, 11:21:43 PM
:yabbse-grin:
https://twitter.com/SandraTello/status/1145351406813089793

Best vid currently on the net <3
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Alma on January 24, 2020, 12:26:03 PM
I wonder if he'll be at the Grammys this weekend.
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: jenkins on January 24, 2020, 12:37:25 PM
just wait to find out when the Grammys are this weekend
Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Fitzroy on October 04, 2020, 04:41:19 AM
PTA doesn't make an appearance; nevertheless, this is a nice little behind the scenes interview with Thom from the set of Anima:

Title: Re: Anima
Post by: Lewton on October 04, 2020, 03:50:45 PM
Quote from: Fitzroy on October 04, 2020, 04:41:19 AMthis is a nice little behind the scenes interview with Thom from the set of Anima:

Interesting stuff! PTA does walk by at one point in the video but that's not really important since he doesn't actually say anything...which is too bad. Then again, he didn't seem to want to say too much about this project even when given the opportunity (or maybe it's just that he wasn't actually given that many opportunities to talk about it). Anyway, all I can remember off the top of my head is him bringing up Buster Keaton or something?

This also reminds me...if I recall correctly, PTA interviewed Thom Yorke in late 2018 when the latter was promoting the Suspiria remake. I don't know if that video was ever released but I remember reading about it. I'm not sure why they didn't officially release it, as I'm sure many fans would like to find out what was said, either through a video or a transcript.