How does PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE stack up to PTA's previous films?

[kassius]

It's his worst film but amazing nonetheless.

couldn't have said it better myself -- true dat.

I'd hate to say that I agree, but I do.  To be honest, I never really sat down to watch "Boogie Nights" or "Magnolia", until I rented "Punch Drunk Love".  A friend of mine wanted to see it because she loved Adam Sander, but the movie didn't make her laugh, she thought it was dumb and hated it.  I loved it and after buying it, so I could watch it over and over again... I talked myself into buying "Magnolia" too.

Why did I wait so long?  Because everybody told me about the frogs at the end, and that it was long, and stupid.  Then again, everybody tried to tell me that the panio was dumb in "Punch Drunk Love", but I loved it anyway.  So I got "Magnolia", and loved it.  I ended up getting "Boogie Nights" a few weeks after and fell in love with it too.  I had seen parts of "Boogie Nights' but so many tried to tell me that it was just a porn film... all that changed, when I dugged up an old review by Rogert Ebert who praised the movie as much more then a "porn film".

Now, after watching his first two movies... I have to agree. "Punch Drunk Love" was the worst.  Mainly because it's not as long, and doesn't come across as an epic.  That is not to say it isn't a great movie... it's just that "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" were one in a million.

[SHAFTR]

Punch-Drunk Love is, without a doubt in my mind, PTA's best film.  It combines the best of his other 3 films; Hard Eight's complex characters, Boogie Nights tightness, and Magnolia's ambition and creates something fresh, new and entirely his own.  Repeat viewings really exhibit this.  It's the most complete PTA film.

[ono]

I don't know if PDL is his best, but it gets better with each viewing, definitely.  I've seen it five times, and each time is such a new, wonderful experience.  I've only seen Magnolia three times, come to think of it.  Heh, I've watched the That Moment diary more than that.  Point being, though, I feel that Magnolia is the best film ever.  But PDL grows with me more and more, and it's getting damn close to "best ever" status for me.  It does have some rough spots, but so does Magnolia.  PTA is still learning though.  Where Magnolia had a little fat here and there, PDL could've used a little more fat.  But still, they're both great, as are Boogie Nights and Hard Eight.

[NEON MERCURY]

.in order from worst to gooder....

hard eight.
resident evil.
punch drunk love.
boogie nights.
magnolia.

[kassius]

I read about Paul's work on "Resident Evil".

What did he do?

[kassius]

It may have do with, what your in... at the time.

For now, "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights" are my favorites.

I'm probably just desperate for anything new by PTA!  

[MacGuffin]

I read about Paul's work on "Resident Evil".

What did he do?

Remember the part when Milla was battling the zombie frogs? That was Paul.

[Ravi]

I read about Paul's work on "Resident Evil".

What did he do?

Wrote and directed.

[Spike]

Just saw "PDL" again and now I definately think it's his second best film.
It's some kind of a strange movie but great. Adam Sandler is hilarious in this.
I loved the scene when he's talking the first time to the phone sex-girl.
"I want her to call me Jack." (couple of minutes later) "Hi, this is Back."


My order:

1) Magnolia
2) Punch-Drunk Love
3) Boogie Nights
4) Sydney

[SHAFTR]

In 3 Weeks I am going to get to see punch-drunk love again...on 35 mm. yay!

[kassius]

I watched PDL love again, and I have to say: "it's his best!".  It's not for everyone, extremely limited, and with that... I think "Magnolia" was the most solid project of his.  PDL loses your average viewer with the panio, the pudding, the romance... but this film has so much depth.  

I used to knock it, compared to the others (by Paul) because their longer and more of an epic (thinking they deserve more respect).  But PDL is beyond amazing.  Boogie Nights was a great story, Magnolia was a great story with that little extra, but PDL is great story filled with tons of little extras.

A few other things that I felt made it very orginal and special (although not *landmarks*). Showing NO credits at the start of the film (really different these days), although short... giving Robert Smigel a serious role (ha ha), not just in key moments but music in EVERY scene, Jeremy Blake's art intertwined, and the photography that was done (even notice how the boxes in the grocery store were stacked by color to have a visual appeal).


** I know. I know. It's not from the movie (it's a PAINTING). I'm too lazy to make vidcaps, but we all seen the movie, you know what I'm picturing**

Plus he took Adam Sandler, and didn't change him, but used the same Adam Sandler that everybody knows and merely adapted him to work with this film. It's also great because it brought so many new fans into PTA's world.  I rented the movie, had never seen PTA pictures, with a friend who was a huge Sandler fan.  She hated it, it wasn't funny as she expected, but I loved it... and I am sure many Sandler fans had mixed reactions too.

People like me, found out about Paul through that film, and for it... I had a new found respect for his other movies.  To me, that is the reason why it's tops, in my book.  I had to counterract my last statement.  8)