how would you rank his films so far?

[Gold Trumpet]

Lists are dumb but allow me to indulge.

The excellent...

There Will Be Blood
The Master
Punch Drunk Love
Boogie Nights

The not as excellent...

Magnolia
Inherent Vice
Hard Eight

(Watching Magnolia now is tough because the melodramatics come off as corny instead of moving. It's overload.)

[Lottery]

(Watching Magnolia now is tough because the melodramatics come off as corny instead of moving. It's overload.)

This definitely could be in the triggering opinions thread but I kinda agree to some extent. It was overwhelming and draining in a good way the first few times I watched it but it doesn't feel as strong as it once was. It's earnest, youthful and ambitious but his later works are more emotionally convincing and powerful to me.
Still pretty great though.

Literally can't believe we don't have a thread for this already but...

Also yeah, that's crazy.

[Something Spanish]

On the contrary for me, watching it now after all these years was almost like seeing it anew and from a new perspective; I found it just as powerful, if not more so, than when I saw it in my youth. I saw this flick 9 times during its theatrical run, an unprecedented number of times considering the most I've ever seen a movie in theaters at that point was maybe twice. Last time I saw it was when the blu-ray was released, now I'm 34, have seen at least a thousand other flicks int her interim and still revel at the movie's ambitions, its scope, its innovations, the incredible dialogue, just everything about it is awe-inspiring. I don't ever want to wait such a long time between viewing again. I can recognize people feeling the emotions are over-the-top, especially for some of the characters, but I find that the many emotional breakdowns are well-balanced with the other more level headed characters, not to mentioned earned due to the topics at hand; terminal cancer and child abuse/molestation tend to have that effect. The movie is so personal, wears its heart on its sleeve so blatantly that the filmmaker will probably never feel inclined to plumb those depths again.

[velociraptor]

1. The Master
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Punch-Drunk Love
4. Boogie Nights
5. Inherent Vice
6. Magnolia
7. Hard Eight

[The Ultimate Badass]

1. Magnolia
2. Punch-Drunk Love
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. The Master
6. Inherent Vice

[Alethia]

1. The Master
2. Phantom Thread
3. Magnolia
4. Punch-Drunk Love
5. Boogie Nights
6. There Will Be Blood
7. Inherent Vice (and I LOVE Inherent Vice)
8. Hard Eight

[RedHawk10]

1. Magnolia
2. The Master
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Boogie Nights
5. Punch Drunk Love
6. Inherent Vice
7. Hard Eight

#1 is in my top ten films of all time, #2-#4 are masterworks, #5 is great, I liked #6, and #7 is decent but I'm not a huge fan of it.

[wilberfan]

After only one viewing of Phantom, (so subject to minor adjustments following additional viewings), mine might now look like this:

1. Boogie Nights
2. Magnolia
3. Punch-Drunk Love
4. Phantom Thread
5. There Will Be Blood
6. The Master
7. Hard Eight
8. Inherent Vice

[martinthewarrior]

1. There will be Blood.
2. Inherent Vice.
3. Punch Drunk Love.
4. Boogie Nights.
5 The Master.
6. Magnolia.
7. Hard Eight.

[Lempwick]

Love:

1.  Boogie Nights
2.  Punch-Drunk Love

Like:

3.  Hard Eight

Meh:

4.  There Will Be Blood

Dislike:

5.  The Master
6.  Magnolia
7.  Inherent Vice

[ono]

 

[Lempwick]

Issues with PTA's screenwriting; I find it often very unfocused in a way the technical/formal elements aren't. 

[wilberfan]

Issues with PTA's screenwriting; I find it often very unfocused in a way the technical/formal elements aren't.

Elaborate...?

[Lempwick]

Take TWBB.  I really like the imaginative blocking, the cinematography, mise-en-scene, etc., but I feel like there's little attention paid to narrative development; I don't find the story interesting, or the exploration of its ostensible themes illuminating (capitalism, etc.).  It's ultimately just monotonous formalism.  And DDL's cartoonishness made it all the more incongruous to me. 

[Drenk]

Take TWBB.  I really like the imaginative blocking, the cinematography, mise-en-scene, etc., but I feel like there's little attention paid to narrative development; I don't find the story interesting, or the exploration of its ostensible themes illuminating (capitalism, etc.).  It's ultimately just monotonous formalism.  And DDL's cartoonishness made it all the more incongruous to me.

There Will Be Blood is not about capitalism. A lot of critics don't know how to describe his movies. But I agree that it is weak if we are looking at it as a comment about capitalism v religion.

I don't even remember how he describes it in the Marc Maron podcast. "It's about oil" or some bullshit. I know it's easy to say that he often writes about family but TWBB is fascinating because Plainview is a family man who is against people and his own family. He is not looking for human shelter. He is dreaming about that house. But he is a family man because H.W lands on him and even if he exploits his "son" he loves him. He is a family man for the people he gives work/money/to. I love the line when he says that they should have bread. And that he would give bread to them.

The ultimate insult is the false brother in law. The ultimate betrayal. He softens us to his past. But it's a lie. Plainview is in tension between his need to be left alone and his need to be surrounded by people. Of course, he wants to control them, too...

And Sunday doesn't want him to take his people away from him. If there is a comment about religion vs capitalism it is that ultimately it doesn't matter if we are talking about oil or God, it is only about power...It is slim. I find Plainview way more fascinating. He is the anti PTA character living in the most PTA character.

I rarely see characters as good in movies living through so many memorable moments.

He is also helped by the fact that he knows when he writes what mood he aims at. And he can direct the hell out of these moods.

You can also see The Master as an incoherent script or a depiction of a fascinating and complex relationship.