Boogie Nights Almost Went Straight To Home Video

It's that time of year. Directors, producers, multimegastars are doing the holiday press push for awards consideration on their films. One of the hallmarks of this process in the last few years has been the various roundtables that The Hollywood Reporter orchestrates, and with their "producers" roundtable having just dropped, The Playlist points out an interesting anecdote shared between Michael de Luca and Mark Wahlberg on their experience making Boogie Nights. 

MDL:  'Boogie Nights' scored horribly. They recruit for these [test screenings] off a paragraph [synopsis] in the mall, and the paragraph for 'Boogie Nights' made it look like a sitcom, and then they come for this three-hour exegesis on existential crises in porn. It got to a point where Bob Shaye, my old boss, chased good scores on that movie, and that movie was never going to score high.

MW: I remember he did his own cut and made Paul watch it.

MDL: Yeah, it was horrible. It was tough. That movie was going straight to video, and then the reviews started to come in at the New York Film Festival. If it wasn't for early reviews� 

It's hard not to consider the dazzling irony of the prospect of the film going straight to video, given its message about the effects of video production over celluloid distribution. You can watch the roundtable in its entirety below, or skip to the pertinent information starting around 44:50.



Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

READ: C&RV Exclusive Interview With Laura Colella, Writer/Director Of PTA-Fav "Breakfast With Curtis"

We were able to grab a few wonderful minutes on the phone with Rhode Island filmmaker Laura Colella to discuss her new film Breakfast With Curtis, which Paul Thomas Anderson warmly embraced at the LA Film Festival last year. The movie follows an introverted 14-year-old boy who is enlisted to be a videographer by his eccentric bookseller neighbor, and in the process, grows a formative bond with the rest of his small community. In the interview, we covered everything from meeting Paul, to the inspiration she found in her home-town of Providence, to the precarious nature of the film festival circuit. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. Enjoy!

C&RV: As a relative newcomer to your work, I have to say that Breakfast With Curtis offers a very palpable sense of location and age. What drove you to capture Rhode Island in such a light?

LC: Well, it's actually -- that's where I live. I'm based in Providence, Rhode Island. This is my third feature, and I've shot most of all of them there. My first two features were mainly shot there. It's just a place that really kind of inspires me. It has a lot of great locations, a lot of talented, interesting people. So that combined with the fact that I'm working in a sort of low-budget realm has made it a perfect place to shoot. I teach at film schools, I teach at Rhode Island School of Design, in their film program, and I'm teaching screenwriting at Brown and I've always incorporated students into my work, too, as crew. Sort of a mix of professional and student crew.

C&RV: Talk a bit about casting non-professional actors in the lead roles of Breakfast With Curtis. Having cast friends and acquaintances, mainly, were you able to write the script with their voices in mind? Did any of them have any trepidation about joining the film? 

LC: (laughs) Did you know about the background of the film before seeing it? 

C&RV: No, actually, I didn't it. I went in fresh. 

LC: Oh okay, cool. That's the fun part. That's how I like people to see it, you know? I don't know how much you know about the back story, but in reality, everybody who lives in the purple house in the movie lives in those actual apartments in real life, and everybody who lives in the pink house next door actually lives in the pink house next door. So I live in that house with my boyfriend, who plays the character of Frenchy, and then on the second floor, that elderly woman is our landlady. And then downstairs, Syd and Pirate are actually Adele [Parker] and Theo [Green]. Next door, the couple who are Curtis's parents are actually Curtis's parents and the little boy who plays Young Curtis is his little brother. So that's the full story, and all the cats and dogs really live there too (laughs).

C&RV: What would you say was the biggest challenge in getting your vision on the screen with limited resources? Were there any big compromises you had to make in order to see that vision through, given the constraints of budget and time?

LC: I was very fortunate throughout the process that things went pretty smoothly, and that it was a fairly relaxed shoot, and that I had help come in, in post-production when I needed it -- people who kind of came on board and helped with the finishing phase... really kind of pro sound mixers and colorists and things like that, kind of in the finishing process... But making it was very hands on, and I'd say the biggest challenge has been music licensing, 'cause I put in a lot of music, so�

C&RV: Yeah, I noticed that! All of a sudden Brian Eno came on the soundtrack... 

LC: (laughs) Yeah, that's been replaced. Some things have been replaced, but I'm really happy with the replacement, so it worked out.

C&RV: Well since you brought up music, I was going to ask, did you conceive the film for specific musical qualities or did you discover it in the post-production process?

LC: The big discovery for me was John Fahey's music. He's the solo guitarist whose music is throughout the -- sixteen tracks of his used in the film. And I just became really attached to those. I kept using them, and I was like, "Oh my god," he almost started sounding like a narrator to the movie. So I became really attached to that music, and I was able to license that music, so that was a really big relief, because I had grown so attached to it. 

C&RV: And he wasn't an assigned composer, you discovered him later?

LC: I discovered him later on. He's deceased actually. It was through his estate that I was able to license it.

C&RV:  It's good that it was able to actually wind up in the film because it adds a really nice touch to it.

LC: Yeah. I love it.

C&RV: One of the most immediately striking things in the film is the use of color; the big purple house, Frenchy's yellow gym shorts and exercise room, etc. Talk a bit about your process for finding what you wanted this film to be cinematically. How did you enjoy being your own DP?

LC: Yeah. I mean, I think our homes and our yards are very, sort of, visually interesting and rich. That's always been part of the attraction for me shooting there. That was always there from the beginning. I knew that we had great looking sets and locations at our fingertips. That was definitely a big draw. The combination of the characters around me and the locations around me immediately just made it a real draw, to want to shoot this project. I also wanted to shoot it myself because I really� I had a couple of people helping me -- Jake Mahaffy, who's a really terrific filmmaker who was living a block away from me at the time actually. And my boyfriend Aaron also operated sometimes, usually for Steadicam-type shots. They shot whenever I was in it, basically. My first two features I shot with a DP, but my training as a filmmaker was very hands-on. I shot all of my student films, and I've shot stuff over the years for myself and for other people, but it was really exciting to be able to shoot this myself with a 5D. Really low-tech and hands-on.

C&RV: Having made a couple feature films through this system now, and maneuvering through the festival process with Breakfast With Curtis, how do you feel about the sate of independent film? Is it harder to get your movie seen than you anticipated?

LC: Gosh, you know, that part of it was definitely difficult. I felt like it should've gotten into festivals that it didn't get into. And we had a great premiere at the LA Film Festival, and that's actually where Paul [Thomas Anderson] saw the film, so that was really great. And that's just a really wonderful festival, actually. They take great care of filmmakers. So it turned out to be a wonderful premiere, but there turned out to be a lot of -- I submitted it around to other festivals that it didn't get into that I thought it should've. But that part is such a crap shoot. I'm sure it's the hardest part for most people. I feel like I was fairly lucky with this film, and also in getting the chance to have it distributed.

C&RV: Talk a little bit about finding financing for an independent film. Was your experience at RISD helpful in getting your films off the ground? How were you able to scrounge up the resources to make Breakfast With Curtis happen?

LC: This is really a no-budget film, relatively. It was a really tiny budget. I got a couple of grants, small grants, that covered basically all of the production and post-production budget. One of those grants was from the Rhode Island School of Design where I teach, and one of them was from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and they were both just really small grants, but because I did all the work, I edited it myself -- no one was paid to work on it -- and the only person shooting was me, Aaron, and a former student from RISD who had just graduated who did the sound for most of it. And there's occasionally a few other people. The crew ranged from me actually shooting by myself to five at the most, probably. Pretty tiny production.

C&RV: Paul Thomas Anderson was a big champion for the movie coming out of the LA Film Festival in 2012. How did you two cross paths initially? Talk a bit about what his support means for the film moving forward.

LC: We met at the Sundance Lab. I was a screenwriting and directing fellow in the year 2000. He was one of the creative advisers there. He was there for the first week as one of the advisers, and he was just very sympathetic to my project, which was not this project, it was another project called Stay Until Tomorrow. That was my second feature. But he was just really helpful in giving feedback when I had a rough cut of the film. We just basically stayed in touch through email over the years. And then he came to the screening at the festival, and he liked it so much that he offered to host a screening of it at the Aero Theatre. And I was like, "Oh, great!" It was a little dream idea. And then I just kind of followed up, and he came through. It was amazing. We had a really long, nice Q&A, full house. Very generous of him, sweet.

Breakfast With Curtis opens at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, RI, this Friday, November 22, at the IFC Center in New York, NY, on Wednesday, December 4th, and at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, CA, on Friday, December 20th. Seek it out!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Brolin Has More To Say About "Vice"; McConaughey Loves The Master

So far, the only two actors to come out and speak publicly about the experience of making Inherent Vice with Paul Thomas Anderson have been a stealthy Eric Roberts, and Josh Brolin, who (by our count) has just made his third set of public remarks on the matter. Our very attentive readers pointed us toward a sound bite from Mr. Brolin last week where he referred to the making of the movie as "the craziest, most brilliant experience of [his] life."

Now, as he begins press for Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake, Brolin seems to already be waxing nostalgic on the process of working with PTA . Via The Playlist:

�My dad said recently, and I really appreciated it, 'There's a lot of directors out there but there's very few storytellers.' And working with these extreme geeks like myself who are very much these film fanatics is so nice. You're in this kind of iconic awe, and then you get to the set and you go, 'Okay, I actually have to work, we actually want to make this as good as I can be.' Like with Paul: he was taking stuff out of 'Inherent Vice', whittling away at what was in the book, and I was saying wouldn't it be great if we could bring some of what was in the book back," Brolin said. "Who the fuck am I to say that, you know what I mean?�

He added, �But then we start collaborating and putting stuff in there, and realizing, 'Okay�let's take it out, let's colorize it even more with something else, and then how are we going do this on set?' You realize all the work you've done around a table was meaningless, but it fed something. You don't know what it was, but you're always looking for that elusive thing.� 

With "Oldboy" and Jason Reitman's "Labor Day" both set for release this year, it seems fair to assume Brolin will be doing quite a few more of these interviews in the coming weeks, so rest assured we'll have our eyes and ears out for more anecdotes. Perhaps the real question is, which cast member will come out of the woodwork next?

Also in the news recently, Matthew McConaughey listed "The Master" as one of his five favorite films for Rotten Tomatoes, stating:

A fictional screenplay with fictional characters made so well it felt like a biographical nonfiction drama, like a considerately staged documentary. Identity of place and people. I could smell and taste it.

Finally, last week we spoke with Laura Colella, the writer/director/star of PTA-favorite "Breakfast With Curtis." We covered everything from the nature and difficulties of making a micro-budget independent feature to how she and Paul got connected in the first place. We're aiming for that interview to go live by the end of the week, so be sure to check back for that in the next few days.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Michael K. Williams Also Reportedly Has Part in Inherent Vice

Today, we can confirm something which has been sputtering through the rumor mill for the better part of a couple months now. Michael Kenneth Williams -- better known as Omar from The Wire, and Chalky from Boardwalk Empire -- will indeed appear in Inherent Vice for Paul Thomas Anderson next year, according to Deadline.

Williams' part in the film is still unknown, but with this development and the announcement of Eric Roberts' participation last week, it would appear that there is still plenty about this movie for us to be pleasantly surprised by in the weeks and months ahead. Hang in there, folks!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

PTA Headed To Austin Film Festival To Moderate Jonathan Demme Q&A, "Greaser's Palace" Screening

According to many on the ground, including the local presses, Paul Thomas Anderson will be attending the Austin Film Festival this coming weekend to moderate a Q&A with long-time filmmaking idol and friend Jonathan Demme. That talk will be this coming Saturday at 3:45pm in the Stephen F. Austin Ballroom.

On Sunday, PTA will be co-hosting a screening of Robert Downey Sr.'s 1972 film "Greaser's Palace" with Demme. That'll start at 5:30pm at the State Theatre, with another Q&A between the two directors following.

If you live in or around Austin, TX, and haven't made up your mind to get passes yet, it's probably worth looking into here. Aside from these talks, some phenomenal titles are screening this year.

And here's an outlandishly amusing clip from Greaser's Palace

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Punch-Drunk Love Was Released 11 Years Ago Today

Eleven years ago today, Paul Thomas Anderson's fourth feature-length motion picture, Punch-Drunk Love, met commercial theatrical exhibition for the very first time. Some weeks back, a reader of ours passed along a small video of PTA at Cannes 2002, accepting his award for Best Director (Thanks Diego). On top of that, now is as good a time as any to review all the Cannes interview footage with PTA circa 2002 from the ol' cigsandvines YouTube channel. Enjoy!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Eric Roberts Boasts Mysterious Involvement in 'Vice'; PTA Responsible For Anchorman?

Friends, it has been far too long. We have a bit to get caught up on.

Firstly, if this October 6th edition of The Dr. Drew Podcast is any indication, it would be appear that Eric Roberts is also going to be in Inherent Vice. He has some brief, nice things to say about the experience of working with PTA, but keeps it mostly very (very) tight-lipped. The good stuff comes in around 15:20, and here's our loose transcription:

What's coming up for you? 

Uh, what's coming up for me -- you know what? Uh... a Paul Thomas Anderson film is coming out, and um, uh, I can't talk about it, I can just say it's coming out. And um--

When? 

Uh. Eliza? When's the Paul Thomas Anderson film coming out?

[VOICE: No idea!]

No idea when it's coming out.

She has no idea. So we're not helping you, bud. Sorry.

We will -- we will post it when we find out. 

But -- but that was a great experience, and you know, and, and uh... and making movies these days is a lot like making instant coffee; it is fast and it is not particularly tasty. And uh... but working with him was like the old days.

Uh-huh.

He shot on 35mm, and you got three or four takes. It was like wow. 'Cause now you get one take. You might get two. But you get one take.

As you can probably guess, we have not been able to surmise who Mr. Roberts will be playing in the film, as it seems pretty deliberately under wraps. Time shall tell. Thank you to the number of followers who passed this along to us today!

In other PTA related news, SplitSider is currently running a story called The Lost Roles of Anchorman, which chronicles the various incarnations and collaborations of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy that never came to pass. Much to our surprise, Paul has a spot on the list, and not a particularly dismissible one at that. The story purports that Paul was in early talks to produce the film prior to making Punch-Drunk Love, and even has a direct quote from Will Ferrell on the matter:

He was the reason why we wrote the script. 'Cause he had read a script Adam [McKay] and I had written called August Blowout that he thought was really funny and it was stuck at a studio and they weren't making it... To his credit... very nice of him, [he] loved that script. He said, "Why aren't you making this? What if I help you guys get something made? You just write whatever you want and I will be the producer. So, we wrote Anchorman on spec. He was kind of the impetus to get it going. He went on to do other things. Punch-Drunk Love. But he got the ball rolling for us.

You can listen to the audio of the interview that quote was lifted from here, it being pretty much the first topic discussed. The story lists Maya Rudolph and Bill Macy as ones to hit the chopping block before production started in earnest as well (Thanks to Joe for passing this along!)

Also in order is a big (albeit belated) celebratory note about the 16th theatrical anniversary of Boogie Nights, which happened on October 10th. Director Jason Reitman, who hosted a live-read of the script for 'Boogie' at TIFF a few weeks back, directed another read of it on the 10th at LACMA with some new faces. The cast for that reading was as follows:

Mae Whitman in the role of Rollergirl, originated by Heather Graham

Kevin Pollak in the role of The Colonel, originated by Robert Ridgely

Jim Rash in the role of Buck Swope, originated by Don Cheadle  

Jarod Einsohn in the role of Todd Parker, originated by Thomas Jane.

Jurnee Smollett in the role of Jessie St. Vincent, originated by Melora Walters 

Judy Greer in the role of Amber Waves, originated by Julianne Moore

Nat Faxon in the role of Scotty J, originated by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Nick Kroll in the role of Reed Rothchild, originated by John C. Reilly

Don Johnson in the role of Jack Horner, originated by Burt Reynolds

Taylor Lautner in the role of Dirk Diggler, originated by Mark Wahlberg

It's not too late to sneak in a viewing of Boogie Nights in honor of the fact that it's another year older and another year wiser, until later this week week, when we'll have another anniversary to be posting about.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Josh Brolin Talks Inherent Vice, Calls Experience "Absolute Fucking Chaos"

With the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival officially behind us, the swirl of press inevitably left in its wake is now slowly unfurling onto the internet for cinephiles worldwide to consume. As a consequence, David Poland, whose utterly invaluable "DP/30" series tracks down a major player from just about every significant film from these festivals and talks candidly on camera with them for a half hour, sat down with Inherent Vice-star Josh Brolin, who was there promoting his work in Jason Reitman's Labor Day. As you may have guessed would happen over the course of thirty minutes, the conversation meandered a bit toward Brolin's past, present, and future projects near the middle, and here's what he had the following to say about working with Paul Thomas Anderson around the 14:40 mark (transcribed (roughly) by yours truly):

[Reitman] always seems to get these performances out of people--

Which is incredible... Because I can't go back and say, "Oh Jason does this thing," whereas like Paul Thomas Anderson, having just worked with him... [it's like]  let's go this way, or let's whisper the lines, and let's actually take out all the lines and we'll do it like charades once. Or, you know, like, hold him -- put him on your shoulders and let's do the whole scene like that. He's all over the place. It's just absolute fucking chaos every day, all day. Which is great, 'cause you feel like you've done something. But, you know, we'll see how it turns out.

Do you have a preference for all of that --

No... they're isolated experiences. They just are what they are, you know? I appreciate Jason's just as much as I appreciate Paul's. I think I'm more attuned to Paul's...even though that was crazy and nuts and created insecurity and this and that, this created a different, very much deeper insecurity and vulnerability... 'cause you just wanna hide.

Later in the interview (around 17:40), Brolin brings it back to PTA.

I see Paul, after this movie that we just did, and he was just exhausted, man. Exhausted. Like, he just took off and died somewhere, you know? Not literally, but figuratively. 

Crawled into an editing room somewhere --

Crawled into an editing room. But he was into it. He called me in the middle of the night, goes, dude I'm working on this thing, it looks amazing, it's so cool. It's like a kid. It's like being around a bunch of kids. That's fun.

It's exciting that he's working so quickly.

Yeah.

For him, that's a big deal.

I know, right? It is a big deal. I know, I know. Yeah. No, it was a lot of fun. Joaquin's amazing. Amazing. I love him.

Damn skippy. Have a happy Monday, everybody.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

'The Master' Was Released 1 Year Ago Today

Paul Thomas Anderson's six feature-length motion picture The Master was formally released into the world one year ago today, on September 14th, 2012. Time flies, right? To commemorate this occasion, here's every available trailer for the film. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Paul & Maya Welcome Fourth Child

Looks like some congratulations are in order for Paul Thomas Anderson and Maya Rudolph, who have reportedly welcomed their fourth child into the world. The baby joins sisters Pearl and Lucille, and brother Jack. Congratulations, guys!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Actor Michael Cotter Talks "Inherent Vice"; Boogie Nights Script Read At TIFF

An interview over at examiner.com has been making rounds today, wherein actor Michael Cotter talks a bit about his experience working with Paul Thomas Anderson & co. on Inherent Vice, and here's the nitty gritty of it:

What can you tell us about your role in the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film "Inherent Vice"? 

I play A.D.A. Rhus Farthington and I work in the District Attorney's office in LA, where I am co-workers with Reese Witherspoon's character Penny. It is a period piece set in LA in 1969-1970, and it's always fun to be able to play in a different decade, especially for the wardrobe and set choices which were both great.

How was working with A-listers Reese Witherspoon, the always unpredictable Joaquin Phoenix and director Paul Thomas Anderson?

It was an amazing experience! I think all three of them are brilliant at what they do and I felt lucky to be able to play in the same game as them for a few days. Once the cameras started rolling, they all welcomed me into the fold and were all very generous in the moment.

Any interesting stories from the set you can share with us?

One of the coolest things that we did was for one of the scenes we shot, PTA ended up letting the three of us basically improv through this interview scene. And once we all started to improv together, it became this really fun game of finding our way through the scene together and just feeding off of each other. It was really fun to be able to do that with Reese and Joaquin and just trust that we would find our way to the end of the scene each time, but always find cool new moments on every take.

Among other things, this should finally help put to rest any lingering suspicions you may have had that Reese Witherspoon was somehow no longer involved in the film. It also fills in a couple casting gaps that were a bit more justifiably up in the air: that Witherspoon will be playing Penny Kimball, and that the role of Rhus Farthington has gone to Cotter. Our Inherent Vice page has been updated accordingly.

In other news, north of the border right now, the Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing, where just over a year ago The Master was having its North American premier. There with his new film Labor Day, filmmaker Jason Reitman hosted a special live reading of the Boogie Nights screenplay tonight, in the tradition of the live script readings he frequently directs at LACMA. The final casting breakdown is something to behold:

Marc-Andr� Grondin in the role of Scotty J, originated by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Dane Cook in the role of Reed Rothchild, originated by John C. Reilly

Jason Sudeikis in the role of Buck Swope, originated by Don Cheadle

Jarod Einsohn in the role of Todd Parker, originated by Thomas Jane

Jordan Hayes in the role of Jesse St. Vincent, originated by Melora Walters

Olivia Wilde in the role of Amber Waves, originated by Julianne Moore

Scott Thompson in the role of The Colonel, originated by Robert Ridgely

Dakota Fanning in the role of Rollergirl, originated by Heather Graham

Josh Brolin in the role of Jack Horner, originated by Burt Reynolds

Jesse Eisenberg in the role of Dirk Diggler, originated by Mark Wahlberg

So this is now the second PTA script that Josh Brolin (who stars in Reitman's new film) has performed from within a year. We are doing our damndest to get ahold of any video taken from the event (big or small), and will share it here if/when it materializes. In the meantime, there's a flourish of images from the event online now, so here's a low-quality one, as they all seem to be at the moment:

 

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Shooting Wraps on Inherent Vice

Photo by Wilson Webb - � 2013

Welp, kiddies. Principal photography on Paul Thomas Anderson's seventh motion picture, Inherent Vice, has officially come to a close, and it's a bittersweet thing; on the one hand, we have no more exciting casting announcements to relay to you. On the upside, now we can all start daydreaming about what the thing will actually look like cut together. Whichever way you choose to look at it, a new PT Anderson picture has officially been captured for your viewing pleasure, and it is now one big step closer to theatrical exhibition. That's pretty cool.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

WATCH: 'Turn Blue' -- 55 Minute Documentary on Ernie Anderson

Above is an interesting short-subject documentary about Paul Thomas Anderson's father Ernie, and the creation of his infamous television persona Ghoulardi, which, of course, PTA named his production company after. PTA is mentioned very briefly towards the end, and there're a couple good bits with Boogie Nights-era Ernie, which bookend the thing. The doc is coincidentally directed by a guy named Phil Hoffman, but rest assured it is a very different Phil Hoffman than the one we here at C&RV have come to know so well.  If you're having trouble figuring out what to do with your Friday, this piece is well worth the time. Thanks to the various followers who passed it along.

In other news, rumor has been circulating that Inherent Vice has officially entered post-production. However, our little birdie tells us that the production will be doing final reshoots this Saturday (tomorrow), at which point it will wrap out. So hang in there, folks. We're getting miiiighty close.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Singer/Songwriter Joanna Newsom Reportedly In For 'Vice', Too

Well how 'bout that.

Just one day after a lengthy news update on Inherent Vice, wherein a couple of you pointed out in the comments section that someone who looked suspiciously like singer/songwriter/harpist Joanna Newsom was seen in some recent set photos, The Playlist is reporting that singer/songwriter/harpist Joanna Newsom will in fact be in the motion picture, citing that very photographic evidence as apparently good enough to confirm an acting role.

Though it's not known who she will play, this will mark Newsom's feature-film debut, after having done a cameo on Portlandia last year. Whether she was brought to PTA's attention through her work with Maya Rudolph's former Saturday Night Live colleague Fred Armisen on that show, or through Newsom's fianc� Andy Samberg -- another old SNL colleague of Maya Rudolph's -- or through some other as-yet-undisclosed channel, this is yet another inspired casting stroke in a long line of truly inspired casting strokes for the film.

Here's JN performing "Sawdust & Diamonds" off her 2006 album "Ys" at The First Unitarian Church Sanctuary in Philadelphia, PA.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

IV Roundup: Sam Jaeger Quietly Signs On; Surf Band Lands Cameo; More

couple things to get caught up on, so here we go:

1) Star of television series Parenthood, Sam Jaeger, has joined the cast of Inherent Vice as Special Agent Jason Flatweed, confirmed through his own personal twitter account. Funnily enough, this will mark Jaeger's second project with Joaquin Phoenix in as many years, as he also has a part in Spike Jonze's upcoming "Her."

2) Surf band The Blank Tapes just announced through their record label that they will have a cameo performance in the film, and based on the video below and the design of the band's website, we'd guess they'll be right at home.



3) A few have inquired, and we can now confirm through a source on the ground: Inherent Vice WILL, like The Master, have an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Many of you already know what this means, but for those not interested in technical gobbledygook, the size of the frame that the shots are being composed for will be less wide than the first five PTA films, which all preserve 2.35:1. Here's a diagram to help illustrate.

4) Max Oph�ls' 1953 film The Earrings of Madame De... is now out on bluray through Criterion. PTA lent a wonderful introduction to the film a couple years back for it. A small sample:



5) If you live in Maryland, The Master will be hitting AFI Silver in 70mm on August 24 and 25. You can find more out about that here.

Whew, I think that's everything. As far as we know, Inherent Vice has not yet wrapped principal photography, but it should be getting close. In the meantime, consult our page on the film to find just about everything we know of it in one place.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

FBF: PTA at S�o Paulo International Short Film Festival in 1994

Again courtesy of a very alert follower, we have a brief video of PTA discussing audience reactions, presumably to Cigarettes & Coffee, at the 1994 S�o Paulo International Short Film Festival. Less talky, more watchy!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Keith Jardine Joins 'Vice'

Hey there --

Some late Wednesday/early Thursday (depending on your timezone) news from the production of Inherent Vice, thanks to an attentive follower (@mattjhenson): MMA star-turned-film and television actor Keith Jardine will be playing the role of Puck Beaverton for PTA & co. in the movie.

As shooting enters the homestretch, many names, faces, reports are being tossed around with regards to what the final cast of the movie will look like. This is largely due to an IMDb page that seemingly grows bigger and bigger every hour of every day. We generally hesitate to use this page as our sole source, as it is surprisingly easy to manipulate and/or distort information of a production there, but Mr. Jardine was kind enough to personally corroborate his involvement in the project from his own twitter account.

The film is scheduled to wrap its LA unit within the next couple days. Regardless of whether it will move on to other locations (we don't mean to imply it will -- remember The Master was able to make Northern California look like England), or need to extend to its LA schedule a bit, it seems we will know sooner rather than later where the final casting has landed.

In the meantime, just think: each passing day is bringing us that much closer to a brand new motion picture from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Video from Set of Inherent Vice Unearthed (UPDATE)

TERRIBLE music aside, An updated version of the cool little video from the Inherent Vice set has just popped up on youtube, allowing us our first glimpse of Doc Sportello in motion. The music has been swiped, and it's over two full minutes longer than the version that dropped a few days ago. These changes mean that you can faintly hear Paul calling "cut" at the beginning of the clip, see him directing a bit more clearly around the 1:20 mark, and actually watch a take happen (from afar - no spoilers) towards the end of the thing, not to mention all the other fun stuff we saw in the earlier version, like Joaquin interacting with Jordan Christian Hearn, who will be playing Denis in the film, and, most amusingly, his cigarette-henchman at 0:55. Have a peek!

Our There Will Be Blood screening contest is now closed, and the winners have been emailed. Thank you to everyone who entered and maybe we can set up more things like this in the future.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Live in NYC? Enter for a chance to see There Will Be Blood This Saturday

Who doesn't love last-minute raffles to see a free film by Paul Thomas Anderson?!

If you live in New York City and have an open weekend in front of you, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to a special screening of There Will Be Blood at the Museum of the Moving Image for this coming Saturday, July 27, at 5:30pm. Since the screening of the film is technically free with the price of admission to the museum, you will be granted free access to the museum for all sorts of other cool exhibits there as well. If you live in New York and don't happen to win tickets from us, this is still a majorly cool way to spend your Saturday. It should be noted that the film will also be screening on Sunday, the 28th, at 1pm.

To enter, fill out THIS form.
You will receive an email sometime tomorrow informing you if you have won.

You can find further details about the presentation here, and while you're at it, you should check out this nice little write-up on the film written by Adam Nayman, which MoMI recently commissioned.

Big thanks to David Schwartz from the Museum of the Moving Image for helping us scrape this together at the last minute. Good luck!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

PTA-Directed Music Video For Fiona Apple's "Hot Knife" Surfaces

And just like that, not even an entire month after we themed a flashback friday after his work in this area, Paul Thomas Anderson has dropped a new music video. It's for "Hot Knife," the last track off Fiona Apple's latest (and quite excellent) effort The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver of the Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.

We remember hearing whispers about this back in June of last year, but figured maybe it was kaputt, at least while PTA was finishing up The Master. But here it is, and it is pretty stunning. Watch, watch, watch!

We know, we know, things have been very quiet with Inherent Vice as of late, but you'll just have to hang in there and keep checking in because you never know when the next big thing is going to drop...

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

FBF: Watch Footage From the Set of Boogie Nights

Thanks to a laser-eyed reader, we have a very, very cool Flashback Friday for you today. Some footage was spat out onto youtube yesterday which shows PTA, his cast, and his crew in action on the set of Boogie Nights back in '96. The video is choppy, with many uninvited and abrupt cuts to black, but it captures some very interesting little moments, half-sentences, camera moves, dance choreography, and, most importantly, shots of Paul directing with sunglasses on like it's his damn business.

Special thanks to Diego for dropping this at our feet. Cheers.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

FBF: Watch All of Paul Thomas Anderson's Music Videos

 Have a great weekend!

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Maya Rudolph Would Rather Not Talk About Inherent Vice Just Yet

Here is an all-around delightful interview with actor Sam Rockwell and PTA's long-time lady, actress Maya Rudolph, doing a promotional push for their new film The Way, Way Back, and wouldntcha know it... Maya gets asked about Inherent Vice. What transpires is an utterly endearing evasion of the question at hand. Admittedly, it's a bit of non-news, but it's still nice to see the film's title get thrown around. You might recognize the interviewer from the Collider interview with Amy Adams a while back, which also deviated from the film being promoted to talk about working with Paul. I think it might be fair to infer the dude is a fan.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

'Vice' Adds Timothy Simons

As Inherent Vice completes its first month of shooting, we've had no shortage of developments to report on, and today we have another. According to The Playlist, Veep-actor Timothy Simons has hopped onto the picture in an as-of-yet unknown role. Simons is only the latest performer known primarily for television work to join the project (Sasha Pieterse, Peter McRobbie, Yvette Yates, Hong Chau, et al.) He is also yet another PTA first-timer, so it would appear that we are going to be getting quite a diverse cast, if that isn't already painfully self-evident. 

Our Inherent Vice timeline page is officially up to date now, so go and quench those thirsty eyes.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Peter McRobbie to Play Adrian Prussia in Inherent Vice

Welp, our Friday just got a little more interesting. Deadline is reporting that Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice (which has been shooting for nearly a month now) has added Peter McRobbie to its ever-growing cast of players. McRobbie, well-known for his work on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will take the character of Adrian Prussia. Unfortunately, we can't confirm the roles that have been assigned to Jena Malone and Sean Penn right now. As all these casting announcements have trickled down throughout the past couple months, though, Joaquin & Kevin J. O'Connor remain the only two actors who have worked with PTA before.

In other news, the strapping young lad pictured in these set photos has been revealed as first-timer Jordan Christian Hearn. He has been cast as Denis in the film.

We've updated our Inherent Vice timeline page to the extent possible at the moment, so clap your eyes onto that whenever you see fit.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

WATCH: William H. Macy Discusses Boogie Nights With Jason Reitman

Spare little Flashback Friday for you today, mostly because we have a casting announcement coming in a bit, but here's a cool little Q&A that writer/director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) moderated with Bill "Snake at the Door" Macy at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles in 2010 over the topic of his participation in Boogie Nights. Sound's not great, video's not great, and it gets cut off at the end, but it's still got some pretty good stuff! Watch away.

Stay tuned, as I mentioned, because we'll be making a casting announcement in the next little while.

annnnd

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.