- Sydney (7.8 ish...maybe a solid 8)
You mean...a "hard" eight?
I struggle with ranking Anderson's films. I find each of them so involving as I'm watching that it feels artificial and false to call one better than another. There Will Be Blood complicates this further, because even though it may be his masterpiece, it's the only film he's made that I can't sit down and watch at almost any time.
Magnolia is a bit unwieldy, but it's a sentimental favourite. I fell in love with it, and went to see it seven times. In fact, it was my infatuation with this film that prompted me to seek out Hard Eight in the first place.
Watching Boogie Nights now, it's even more impressive how well Anderson managed to walk a real tonal tightrope. I mean, there's no denying that we laugh
at the actions of some of the characters, but the film is also genuinely moving.
Punch-Drunk Love is also terrific. I'll never forget watching it in a packed house on opening night. It was doubly thrilling watching it in that context -- first, it was a great film, but also the horrific realization that the audience came to, namely that this wasn't the Adam Sandler they were used to. I really thought this film would mark a new chapter in his career, rather than being just a wonderful blip.
Hard Eight? It's very good, albeit in a more modest way. I can't get behind the thread title, because I don't think the "far and away" is accurate.
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