When a low profile short movie titled Cigarettes and Coffee hit the Sundance Festival of 1993, very few critics noticed it and the boyish director. Later, he appeared again in the Sundance Feature Film Program next year and left with a good note about his filmmaking talents. His next appearance was in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival with his first feature Hard Eight. But, only in 1997, with the movie Boogie Nights, the name Paul Thomas Anderson managed to get into the priority list of squeamish critics.

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This interesting and well-made video is a quick tour through Anderson’s first stints with filmmaking and his production process.  Anderson, whose first breakthrough Boogie Nights was based on the thriving porn industry in the US in the 70s and 80s, always looked for something weird in a plot that makes it more interesting to the storyteller. Anderson picks dark tales unfolding in the underbelly of humanity and presents it with a touch of humor. Recurring themes in his movie are family, abandonment, tragedy, loneliness, and sadness.

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Even though his movies are distinct and keep individuality, they are connected to each other with his auteur stamp, which are often hidden. He always goes for the ensemble cast and exhausting long takes in his movies, which are emotionally accelerated with high-octane soundtracks. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the few auteurs in contemporary Hollywood and each of his movies is an effort to create a cinematic world of its own, synchronizing amazing performances, music, delicate camera movements, and out-of-the-box themes.   

Written By: Ragesh Dipu

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