The Cold Open: Three Films of Paul Thomas Anderson

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

It's his love affair with the camera that firmly sets film fanatics in the work of Paul Thomas Anderson. The boy genius from Los Angeles, through his constant partnership with cinematographer Robert Elswit, has created some of the finest cinematic moments in history. Stealing moves and tricks from Scorsese, ensemble direction from Altman, and possessing some of the sensibilities of the oddballs of his youth, like Corman and Downey, Sr., he has created some of the most effortlessly enjoyable films of all-time. In embracing a darker side, he as also crafted two of the most densely tragic character studies in film history as well.