Tag: Paul Thomas Anderson

Dramas

There Will Be Blood

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Image credit: There Will Be Blood, 2007

There are some movies, no matter how many times I try to watch them, and how many people encourage me to “give it another chance,” I will never enjoy watching. Apocalypse Now is one, Down With Love is another. Before this week, I would have put There Will Be Blood (Disc/Download) on that list. That’s how much I disliked it the first time around. Seventeen years later (eight of them spent watching a self-serving, spray-tanned false prophet rise to political power), and I’m ready to revise my opinion. Turns out, There Will Be Blood is a great movie.

I can’t even explain how much of a relief it is to feel this way. For years, I’ve had to qualify my adoration of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movies with, “They’re all perfect! Well… except for There Will Be Blood.” At long last, there is no caveat; I finally “get” this movie. Maybe I had to fall in love with Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock: fussy couturier of The Phantom Thread before I could love him as Daniel Plainview: prospector, oilman, and all-around greedy sonofabitch. Whatever the reason, I simply can’t get enough of his performance. The voice, the movements, the intensity; I’m all in. I particularly love the moment when Daniel realizes his nemesis, small-town preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), is just as much of an opportunist and performance artist as he is. In the span of a few seconds, you see his expression change from one of boredom, to skepticism, to recognition. There can be only one liar-in-chief on these oil fields, and it’s almost inevitable that the other one is drained dry before he even knows what happened.

Speaking of draining, most people are familiar with the famous line, “I drink your milkshake!!!”, spoken to illustrate the point that the land below an untapped oil field has already been drained. You could certainly mix up a boozy milkshake for this movie, but I prefer to make a drink that speaks to a rough, bloody life on the California oil fields at the turn of the 20th century. I use Liber & Co.’s Blood Orange Cordial in so many cocktails, and it’s perfectly on-theme here. While watching There Will Be Blood, I recommend drinking a Blood Sacrifice.

Blood Sacrifice

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Lemon Juice

½ oz Blood Orange Cordial

¼ oz Apricot Liqueur

¼ oz Cinnamon Syrup

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake to combine and chill, then strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a dried citrus wheel.

My only lingering complaint with There Will Be Blood is the lack of female characters, especially because Anderson has an incredible skill for writing complex women into his films. However, in viewing this movie through the lens of the last eight years, it’s easy to understand why. Any woman in Daniel Plainview’s life would be a mere accessory. He’s not capable of thinking about women as actual human beings; he’d only turn some lucky lady into a show piece or pawn, allowing her no agency of her own. Frankly, I’d rather watch no woman than that woman. But to sum it up, if There Will Be Blood was low on your Paul Thomas Anderson list before today, I urge you to give it another chance. I’m certainly glad I did. Cheers!

Dramas

The Phantom Thread

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Image credit: The Phantom Thread, 2017

“A house that doesn’t change is a dead house.” What a quote to send us into the new year! Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Phantom Thread (Disc/Download) has a lot to say on the subject of death, but it has just as much to say about life. About finding the muse that makes you move forward. In Reynolds Woodcock’s case, it was a person and an unending yearning for perfection. In my case, it might just be this movie.

The Phantom Thread is one of those films that feels fresh and new each time you watch it. Like an evening gown from the House of Woodcock, there are so many layers that it’s impossible to see them all at once. Initially, the viewer is dazzled by the costumes and sweeping score by Jonny Greenwood, which sounds like something out of a Hitchcock film. Maybe you’re also a little turned on by Daniel Day-Lewis ordering breakfast (I know I was!). But then on the next viewing, you start to notice the subtleties in the performances. How one look or turn of phrase can convey so many emotions. Maybe you start to see it as a romance between two impossible people who could only ever love each other. But then on the next viewing, you start to see it as a ghost story. There’s a reverence for the dead, and a comfort from thinking that some of them are still sticking around. Eventually the dresses start to play second fiddle to the women in them, which perhaps was always the point of haute couture: to bring out the best in the person wearing it.

The change that hits the House of Woodcock comes in the form of Alma, a lovely but somewhat invisible waitress. Reynolds transforms her into his muse, and under his gaze we see her confidence grow. As his bitchy sister Cyril says with an assessing sniff, Alma smells of rosewater, sandalwood, lemons, and sherry. A couple of those ingredients found their way into my cocktail this week, and it all came together into a hue that matches Alma’s first Woodcock creation! While you’re watching The Phantom Thread, I recommend drinking this Rosewater ’75.

Rosewater ’75

1 1/2 oz Pink Gin

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Blood Orange Cordial Syrup

3-4 drops Rosewater

Prosecco to top

Combine gin, lemon juice, blood orange syrup, and rosewater in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with Prosecco.

This is a great movie to watch on New Year’s, not just for the lively 1950s NYE party, but because it inspires us to evolve. I honestly don’t know how to categorize it (gothic romance, period melodrama, dark comedy?), but I do know that I’m excited to watch it again. Same time, next year. Cheers!

Comedies

Punch-Drunk Love

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Punch Drunk Love
Image credit: Punch-Drunk Love, 2002

With a title that includes the words “Punch”, “Drunk”, and “Love”, Paul Thomas Anderson’s dark romantic comedy seems like a natural fit for my collection. However, Punch-Drunk Love (Disc/Download) is not a movie I liked on the first watch, or even the second. It’s rare that my opinion shifts so drastically on a film, but that’s exactly what’s happened over the ensuing eighteen years. Now, in our cursed year of 2020, I adore it.

The reason I initially had a hard time connecting with this story was because I just didn’t know what to make of Adam Sandler’s character Barry. Was he being weird for weird’s sake? Was he simply shy with a dangerous undercurrent of anger? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure him out. But since this movie’s release, we have a new language to describe people like Barry. I don’t know that this theory has ever been confirmed by the filmmaker, but to me, this guy is very clearly on the Autism spectrum. And with that realization, I now root even harder for him to find love with fellow lonely-heart Lana. Paul Thomas Anderson did something really incredible in this movie, making us feel through the camerawork and music, what it’s like to be in Barry’s head. Adam Sandler gives an incredible performance (as if there were any doubt- he’s been my uncut gem for YEARS), and I want so badly for this novelty toilet plunger salesman to find the one person in the world who “gets” him. I long for him and Lana to take those pudding cup miles and ride off into the sunset.

Speaking of sunsets, how gorgeous is the scene on Waikiki Beach? I’ve been lucky enough to sit at that beachside bar at the Royal Hawaiian, sipping a Mai Tai, and it’s a memory I cling to during lockdown. Someday, I’ll get back there (in fact, there’s already a room booked for June 2021. Call me an optimist.). But in the meantime, let’s have a drink with Barry and Lana. While watching Punch-Drunk Love, get those Waikiki sunset vibes with this Mai Tai Punch.

Mai Tai Punch

1 cup Light Rum

1 cup Gold Rum

1 cup Cointreau

½ cup Lime Juice

½ cup Orange Juice

½ cup Orgeat Syrup

Dark Rum for topping

In a glass bottle or punch bowl, combine Light Rum, Gold Rum, Cointreau, Lime and Orange juices, and Orgeat. Stir or shake until well combined. Pour into cups filled with crushed ice, and drizzle dark rum on top.*

Mai Tai Punch

There’s a moment in Hawaii when Barry and Lana are in bed, and they start saying violent, mildly shocking things to one another. He looks down at her and says, “This is right. This is good.” Those words perfectly describe what love is—finding that one other person who understands your weirdness and jumps right on into it with you. Barry, I’m sorry it took me so long to get to the diving board. Cheers!

*This gold pineapple glass, while attractive in a photo, is hands down THE WORST container I have ever put a drink in. The top wobbles and falls off, and the bottom gets so cold and slippery that you can’t even hold it. I have a dried puddle of Mai-Tai on the back of my couch cushion to prove it. If you got this from Target on a whim, do yourself a favor and THROW. IT. OUT.

Dramas

Boogie Nights

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boogie nights
Image credit: Boogie Nights, 1997.

It finally happened- my weekly Cinema Sips post is dropping on the booziest night of the year!  New Year’s Eve deserves a movie featuring disco dancing, kung fu fighting, alcohol and drug-fueled parties in the San Fernando Valley, and a main character with a name so cool it cuts glass. It’s time to watch Boogie Nights (Disc/Download).

This is a great movie for New Year’s Eve because the holiday acts as a touchstone within this meandering tale of the 1970’s pornography industry. Things are rosy for a while– newcomer Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg, in a star-making role) joins a dysfunctional “family” of porn stars, makes a lot of money from his greatest, er… asset, and buys a lot of kooky stuff. As you do. But then the ball drops on 1980 and things spiral out of control. The drugs get harder, certain other things get softer (ahem), and the misfit family splinters. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson manages to transport his audience to a time and place that’s so specific, it’s as though the characters are trapped in amber.  Even sin looks beautiful under his filter.

One of my favorite scenes involves John C. Reilly’s character Reed Rothchild displaying his bartender skills at a pool party. I have no idea how much tequila he pours in that blender, but it really doesn’t matter; the man is my mixologist hero. Let’s toast this Shakespearean tragedy of a film with a New Year’s twist on an old favorite. While watching Boogie Nights, I recommend drinking a Frozen Amber Margarita.

Frozen Amber Margarita

4 oz silver tequila

2 oz Triple Sec

2 oz fresh lime juice

2 oz blood orange cocktail mix (I use Stirrings)

1 oz Aperol

1 cup Ice

Sparkling Wine

Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, Aperol, and cocktail mix in a blender with ice. Blend until frothy, then pour into a champagne flute. Top with Sparkling Wine.

Frozen Amber margarita

New Year’s Eve is always such a strange night. It’s full of hope and reflection, maybe sadness and joy. Wherever you’re at with this holiday, just know that whatever happens in the coming year, you’re gonna be okay. There are movies to watch, there are cocktails to drink, and I’m excited that we get to do it together through Cinema Sips. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Comedies

Inherent Vice

LizLocke2 Comments

Inherent Vice
Image credit: Inherent Vice, 2014

I’ve received several requests on Cinema Sips to feature The Big Lebowski, to which I always say, what’s the point? We can all quote it endlessly and drink White Russians without my advocating it. To satisfy the stoner-noir fans out there, I’d rather talk about a movie that is a little more bizarre, and a little less well-known. Like Lebowski, Inherent Vice (DVD/Download) is a movie that demands repeat viewing, almost as much as it demands viewing with a cocktail.

Adapted from the novel by Thomas Pynchon, Paul Thomas Anderson’s hilarious take on the 1970’s Los Angeles underworld was a bit of a mystery upon its release. Critics didn’t seem to know whether to love it or hate it. The consensus was- nobody really got it. Do I fully understand all the twists and turns of a plot centered on a Gordita Beach private investigator, played by Joaquin Phoenix in all his mutton-chop glory? No. Do I care? No. The movie is just cool as hell. Featuring Martin Short as a purple-velour suited dentist, Owen Wilson as a heroin-addicted jazz musician, and Reese Witherspoon playing, well Reese Witherspoon, with all this crazy I just can’t look away. Yes the plot meanders, but it’s so well-acted and so funny, that you just get sucked into the lunacy of it all.

I’m not going to say that the movie needs alcohol or marijuana to be more enjoyable, but it certainly helps. If you happen to live in a non-progressive state (like I do), and can’t get legal access to weed, then certainly the next best thing is a strong cocktail. I’ve come up with this zombie-beach bum hybrid to maximize your viewing pleasure. While watching Inherent Vice, I recommend drinking a Golden Fang.

Golden Fang

1 oz lime juice

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz orange juice

1.5 oz dark rum

1 part apricot brandy

1.5 oz light rum

Splash of lemon-lime soda

Maraschino cherry and citrus fruit for garnish

Build drink over ice in a highball glass, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with a cherry and citrus fruit slice.

Golden Fang

Because of Anderson’s superb directorial skill, Inherent Vice succeeds in immersing the viewer in the world of 1970s LA counterculture. Full of Manson paranoia and unfortunate facial hair, it was certainly a city on the edge. If you’re looking for an escape this week, there’s no better place than Gordita Beach. Cheers!

Dramas

Magnolia

LizLockeLeave a comment

Image Credit New Line Cinema 1999
Image Credit New Line Cinema 1999

I’ll admit it- when I first saw Magnolia, I didn’t get it. Specifically the frogs. However, I think that’s what I really like the most about this film now- it leaves me questioning everything, including my own intelligence. I was tempted to watch this recently after the passing of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Really, no retrospective of his work would be complete without seeing at least one Paul Thomas Anderson film. I am singling out Magnolia because it’s a great film to watch when you’re buried inside on a cold wintry day. Dark and stormy weather mixed with a dark and stormy film makes for a hell of a combination.

Magnolia (DVD/Download) tells the stories of several characters in the San Fernando Valley whose lives intersect over the course of a day. At 3 hours long, you may worry that the film drags by, but let me reassure you that every minute of those 3 hours is entirely necessary in order to give each character their due. The actors are all Paul Thomas Anderson regulars, with the notable exception of Tom Cruise sporting a weird samurai hairdo. This is the rare movie where I actually say afterward, “Wow, Tom Cruise can actually act!” He is surprising and amazing in Magnolia, as is the rest of the large cast. As their stories weave back and forth, you realize how interconnected we all are. The movie is about coincidences and fate, and the connections that we make with other people in our lives. The script is superb, and though I still don’t entirely know what the frog scene is about, it does become a sort of glue that binds the stories together.

My drink pairing for Magnolia is an obvious choice. Given the amount of weather references in the film, I have to pair it with a Dark & Stormy. This is a favorite drink of mine that combines simple ingredients into a refreshing cocktail. I like to imagine that Quiz Kid Donnie Smith finally grows up and goes back to that upholstered bar stool and orders up a tall cocktail like this.

Dark & Stormy

2 oz Dark Rum

3 oz Ginger Beer

Lime Wedge for garnish

Pour Rum and Ginger Beer into a tall Collins glass over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

Dark-&-Stormy

Of course, this cocktail is much more innocuous than the cadre of pills in Julianne Moore’s character’s purse, but it won’t leave you passed out in your car later on (hopefully). The big line in this film that gets said over and over again is “The book says we may be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us.” I think that statement holds true for the simple act of watching this film, for even though I’ve seen it before and think I understand it, watching it now makes me consider it in a new light. So if you continue to be buried under winter weather, give this film a chance (along with a Dark & Stormy) and hunker down for a weird, intense, thought-provoking 3 hours. Cheers!