Paul Thomas Anderson filmography

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Anderson in 2007 Paul Thomas Anderson 2007 crop.jpg
Anderson in 2007

Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed nine feature-length films, five short films, twenty three music videos, one documentary, one television episode as a guest segment director, and one theatrical play. He made his directorial debut with the mockumentary short film The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), at the age of 18, about a pornographic actor in the 1970s. [1] Anderson followed it five years later with another short film, Cigarettes & Coffee (1993). Anderson wrote and directed the crime film Hard Eight (1996), starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was well received. [2] [3] Using the basis of The Dirk Diggler Story, Anderson wrote and directed an expansion of the film, Boogie Nights (1997). [4] It stars Mark Wahlberg as an actor in the Golden Age of Porn from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film received acclaim from critics and was a commercial success; [1] at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Supporting Actor (Burt Reynolds), Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore) and Best Original Screenplay. [5]

Contents

His 1999 ensemble film Magnolia followed four intertwined and peculiar stories in the San Fernando Valley. [6] The film was another critical success for Anderson and at the 72nd Academy Awards, it was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tom Cruise), Best Original Song for "Save Me" by Aimee Mann and Best Original Screenplay. [7] Anderson directed the romantic comedy-drama Punch-Drunk Love (2002), starring Adam Sandler as a lonely man with anger issues. [8] He went on to write and direct There Will Be Blood (2007), based loosely on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! The film was critically acclaimed, winning numerous awards. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, with Daniel Day-Lewis winning Best Actor. [9] After a five-year hiatus, he directed the 2012 film The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film's fictional movement "The Cause" was widely compared to the real-life religion of Scientology in the media, despite not directly referencing it. [10] [11]

Anderson adapted Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel Inherent Vice into a film of the same name in 2014. Joaquin Phoenix played a stoner hippie and private investigator investigating a case involving the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend and her wealthy boyfriend. [12] In 2015, he directed the documentary Junun about the making of album of the same name in Mehrangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India by the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, English composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Indian ensemble the Rajasthan Express, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. [13] Phantom Thread (2017), starred Day-Lewis as a renowned dressmaker in the 1950s. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards. Anderson's ninth film, Licorice Pizza , was released to great acclaim in 2021, earning three Academy Award nominations.

He has directed music videos for such artists as Fiona Apple, Haim, Aimee Mann, Joanna Newsom and Radiohead. [14]

Film

Feature films

YearTitle Director Writer Producer DoP NotesRef(s)
1996 Hard Eight YesYesNoNoOriginal title: Sydney [15]
1997 Boogie Nights YesYesYesNo [15]
1999 Magnolia YesYesYesNo [15]
2002 Punch-Drunk Love YesYesYesNo [15]
2007 There Will Be Blood YesYesYesNoBased on Oil! by Upton Sinclair [16]
2012 The Master YesYesYesNo [17]
2014 Inherent Vice YesYesYesNoBased on the novel by Thomas Pynchon [18]
2017 Phantom Thread YesYesYesUncredited [19]
2021 Licorice Pizza YesYesYesYesCo-cinematographer with Michael Bauman [20]
2025 One Battle After Another YesYesYesTBAPost-production [21]

Documentary

YearTitleCreditRef(s)
2015 Junun Director and camera operator [22]

Short films

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotesRef(s)
1988 The Dirk Diggler Story YesYesNoAlso cinematographer [23]
1992Production AssistantYesYesYesReleased in 2012 [24]
1993 Cigarettes & Coffee YesYesNo [23]
1998Flagpole SpecialYesYesYes [25]
2002CouchYesYesYes [23]
2003Blossoms and BloodYesYesYesCompilation of deleted scenes from Punch-Drunk Love [26]
12 ScopitonesYesYesYesCompilation of unused artwork from Punch-Drunk Love [27]
Mattress Man CommercialYesYesYesDeleted scene from Punch-Drunk Love [28]
2013Back BeyondYesYesYesCompilation of deleted scenes from The Master [29]
2015Everything in This DreamYesYesYesCompilation of deleted scenes from Inherent Vice [30]
2017ValentineYesNoNo [31]
2018For the Hungry BoyYesYesYesCompilation of deleted scenes from Phantom Thread [32]
2019 Anima YesNoYes [33]
Anderson at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival Paulthomasanderson(cannesPH).jpg
Anderson at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival

Miscellaneous

YearTitleCreditRef(s)
2001 Corky Romano Uncredited rewrite [34]
2006 A Prairie Home Companion Stand-by director [35]
2018 Waterlily Jaguar Executive producer [36]
2023 Napoleon Uncredited rewrite [37] [38]

Cameo and documentary appearances

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
1999 Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes Himself [39]
Magnolia Man confiscating signUncredited [40]
2000That Moment: Magnolia DiaryHimself [41]
2002 Minority Report Passenger on TrainUncredited [42]
2010In Search of Ted DemmeHimself [43]
2014 Altman [44]

Television

YearTitleDirectorWriterActorThanksNotesRef(s)
2000The Jon Brion ShowYesNoNoNo Variety show
Unaired TV pilot		 [45]
Saturday Night Live YesYesNoNoEpisode: "Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple"
Segment: "SNL FANatic"		 [46]
2016 Documentary Now! NoNoYesNoVoice role: Harrison Renzi
Episode: "Final Transmission"		 [47]
2018Adam Sandler: 100% FreshNoNoNoYesStand-up special
Filmed segments		 [48]

Music videos

YearTitlePerformerNotesRef(s)
1997"Try" Michael Penn [14]
1998"Across the Universe" Fiona Apple [14]
"Fast as You Can" [14]
1999"Save Me" Aimee Mann [14]
2000"Limp"Fiona Apple [14]
"Paper Bag" [14]
2002"Here We Go" Jon Brion [14]
2013"Hot Knife"Fiona Apple [14]
2015"Sapokanikan" Joanna Newsom [14]
"Divers" [14]
2016"Daydreaming" Radiohead [14]
"Present Tense"Live video [49]
"The Numbers" [50]
2017"Right Now" Haim [51]
"Valentine" [52]
"Little of Your Love" [53]
2018"Night So Long"Live video [54]
2019"Summer Girl" [55]
"Now I'm in It" [56]
"Hallelujah" [57]
2020"The Steps"Co-directed by Danielle Haim [58]
"Man From the Magazine" [59]
2022"Lost Track" [60]
2023"Wall Of Eyes" The Smile [61]
2024"Friend of a Friend" [62]

Stage

YearTitleDirectorWriterTheatrePrincipal CastRef(s)
2008Untitled original theatrical playYesYes Largo Theatre Maya Rudolph,
Fred Armisen 		[63]

References

  1. 1 2 Hirschberg, Lynn (December 19, 1999). "His Way". The New York Times . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Paul Thomas Anderson". Rotten Tomatoes . (NBCUniversal & Warner Bros.). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ Roger Ebert (February 27, 1997). "Hard Eight Movie Review & Film Summary". Chicago Sun-Times . (Sun-Times Media Group). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ McKenna, Kristine (October 12, 1997). "Knows It When He Sees It". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Oscars Ceremonies 1998". Oscars.org . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Schickel, Richard (December 27, 1999). "Cinema: Magnolia". Time . (Time Inc.). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Oscars Ceremonies 2000". Oscars.org . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (February 7, 2003). "Punch-Drunk Love". The Guardian . (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Oscars Ceremonies 2008". Oscars.org . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Pilkington, Ed (April 26, 2011). "Church of Scientology snaps up Hollywood film studio". The Guardian . (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Brown, Lane (December 3, 2009). "So This New Paul Thomas Anderson Movie Is Definitely About Scientology, Right?". Vulture. (New York Magazine). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ NPR Stff (December 13, 2014). "Adapting 'Inherent Vice' Made Director Feel Like A Student Again". NPR . (National Public Radio, Inc.). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  13. ↑ Rooney, David (October 8, 2015). "'Junun': NYFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter . (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Kaufman, Gil (May 9, 2012). "Paul Thomas Anderson's Music Videos: 11 Clips From Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom & More". Billboard . (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Magnolia Maniac". The Guardian . March 10, 2000. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hirschberg, Lynn (December 11, 2007). "The New Frontier's Man". The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ Fleming, Michael (December 2, 2009). "Anderson working on 'Master'". Variety . Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  18. ↑ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (December 2, 2010). "Paul Thomas Anderson Wants to Adapt Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice". Vulture . Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (June 29, 2017). "Yes, Paul Thomas Anderson Is Serving as His Own Cinematographer on 'Phantom Thread'". Collider . Complex Media. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  20. ↑ Shanfeld, Ethan (2021-09-27). "'Licorice Pizza' Trailer: Bradley Cooper Stars in Paul Thomas Anderson's Coming-of-Age Movie". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  21. ↑ Raup, Jordan (2025-01-25). "Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another Test Screens, Confirmed to Be Modern Update on Vineland" . Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  22. ↑ Dowd, A.A. (October 9, 2015). "Junun is a lean and loose rock doc from Paul Thomas Anderson". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 Wickman, Forrest (September 13, 2012). "The Minor Works of Paul Thomas Anderson". Brow Beat. Slate . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Watch: Paul Thomas Anderson Leads On-Set Tour As Production Assistant On 1993 TV Movie 'Sworn To Vengeance'". IndieWire . February 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Paul Thomas Anderson". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Blossoms & Blood (2003) - Paul Thomas Anderson". YouTube . August 21, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Punch Drunk Love: Twelve Scopitones (2003)". YouTube . November 28, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Mattress Man Commercial by Paul Thomas Anderson". YouTube . April 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  29. ↑ Phipps, Keith (February 27, 2013). "The Irresistible Perils of Watching a Film's Deleted Scenes". The Atlantic . Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Inherent Vice - 'Everything in this Dream'". YouTube . April 13, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  31. ↑ Winfrey, Graham (July 18, 2017). "Paul Thomas Anderson's New Short Film 'Valentine' Is an Exquisite Rock Opera". Indiewire . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  32. ↑ "PHANTOM THREAD | For The Hungry Boy (Deleted Scenes)". YouTube . April 11, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  33. ↑ Aswad, Jem (June 20, 2019). "Radiohead's Thom Yorke to Release Solo Album Accompanied by Paul Thomas Anderson Film". Variety . Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  34. ↑ Baby Don't Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live by Chris Kattan.
  35. ↑ Carr, David (July 23, 2005). "Lake Wobegon Goes Hollywood (or Is It Vice Versa?), With a Pretty Good Cast". The New York Times.
  36. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 25, 2017). "James Le Gros to Star in Melora Walters Drama 'Waterlily Jaguar'". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  37. ↑ Masters, Kim; Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (August 13, 2024). "Joaquin Phoenix's Last-Minute Exit Sparks "Huge Amount of Outrage" Among Hollywood Producers". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  38. ↑ Buchanan, Kyle (November 7, 2024). "With 'Gladiator II,' Ridley Scott Returns to the Arena". The New York Times . Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  39. ↑ Guthmann, Edward; Morris, Wesley (April 13, 2001). "Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Magnolia (1999) - Trivia - IMDb". IMDb . Anderson is seen immediately after the start of the show "What Do Kids Know?" confiscating from a member of the audience an "Exodus 8:2" sign.
  41. ↑ Dewhurst, Benjamin (July 10, 2014). "This Fantastic In-Depth Documentary Explores the Making Of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Magnolia'". No Film School. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  42. ↑ Raftery, Brian M. (July 12, 2002). "Did you spot the Minority Report cameos?". Entertainment Weekly .
  43. ↑ "PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON AND A VERY DIFFERENT DEMME". Filmsane. March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  44. ↑ Foundas, Scott (June 20, 2014). "Film Review: 'Altman'". Variety . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  45. ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (January 17, 2013). "Watch: 'The Jon Brion Show' Pilot Directed By Paul Thomas Anderson Featuring Elliott Smith & Brad Mehldau". IndieWire . Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  46. ↑ Hollwedel, Zach (January 22, 2015). "Watch: 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch 'Fanatic' Written & Directed By Paul Thomas Anderson And Starring Ben Affleck". IndieWire . (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  47. ↑ Hutchinson, Sean (October 12, 2016). "How Paul Thomas Anderson Ended Up in 'Documentary Now!'". Inverse . Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  48. ↑ Gavin, Hailey (October 17, 2018). "Paul Thomas Anderson Apparently Filmed Part of Adam Sandler's New Stand Up Special". Slate . Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  49. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (September 15, 2016). "Radiohead Share New "Present Tense" Video, Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson: Watch". Pitchfork . Condé Nast . Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  50. ↑ Ivie, Devon (October 5, 2016). "Paul Thomas Anderson's New Radiohead Music Video Is a Tranquil, Soothing Treat". Vulture. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  51. ↑ Young, Alex (April 27, 2017). "HAIM make glorious return with "Right Now," Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video — watch". Consequence of Sound . Consequence Holdings, LLC. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  52. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 25, 2017). "Watch Haim's Paul Thomas Anderson-Directed Short Film, 'Valentine'". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  53. ↑ Reed, Ryan (October 2, 2017). "Watch Haim Lead Exuberant Dance in 'Little of Your Love' Video". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  54. ↑ Moore, Sam (January 26, 2018). "Watch Haim's new Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video for 'Night So Long'". NME . Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  55. ↑ Kim, Michelle (July 31, 2019). "Watch Haim's Paul Thomas Anderson-Directed Video for New Song "Summer Girl"". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  56. ↑ Schatz, Lake (October 30, 2019). "HAIM reveal video for new song "Now I'm in It," directed by Paul Thomas Anderson: Watch". Consequence of Sound . Consequence Holdings, LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  57. ↑ Schatz, Lake (November 18, 2019). "HAIM share new single "Hallelujah" along with Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video: Stream". Consequence of Sound . Consequence Holdings, LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  58. ↑ Minsker, Evan (March 3, 2020). "HAIM Share Video for New Song "The Steps": Watch". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  59. ↑ Bloom, Madison (October 7, 2020). "Watch HAIM's New Video for "Man From the Magazine," Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  60. ↑ Minsker, Evan (March 1, 2022). "Haim Share Video for New Song "Lost Track":Watch". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  61. ↑ "The Smile Announce New Album Wall of Eyes, Share Paul Thomas Anderson–Directed Video for New Song". Pitchfork. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  62. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (January 9, 2024). "The Smile Share New Song "Friend of a Friend," Announce Global Movie Theater Screenings". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  63. ↑ Confalone, Nick (August 6, 2008). "Paul Thomas Anderson's Top-Secret Play Revealed". Vulture . (New York Magazine/New York Media). Retrieved June 30, 2016.
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